Diplomacy on Regional and Inter-Regional Levels: What Works, Why and for Whom?

Summit diplomacy on regional and inter-regional levels has grown in virtually all parts of the world over the past few decades. This is not surprising, because it reflects the mushrooming of regional integration organisations (RIO) and the growing importance of inter-regional relations and cooperation in the wake of the so-called ‘wave of new regionalism’ after the end of the Cold War. Since much of the new and renewed regionalisms emerged in the Global South, particularly in Africa, summit diplomacy is today a regular phenomenon not only outside Europe but also in Europe–African relations. In contrast to the ‘Concert of Europe’ of the nineteenth century and the superpower summits of the Cold War era, summit diplomacy involves today not only great powers that aim for settling conflicts but also increasingly regional actors and those that seek a stage for symbolic action. Against this background, this work seeks to analyse summit diplomacy on regional and inter-regional levels with a focus on sub-Sahara Africa and Europe–Africa relations. It addresses the question: What works, why and for whom? The research is structured as follows: After the introduction, there will be a theoretical chapter on the character and functions of summit diplomacy in international relations. This includes a reference to the regional level and to some structural particularities of summitry in some African contexts. In the empirical part, the research provides case studies on SADC and EU-Africa summitry in order to illustrate the logic of summit diplomacy on (inter-)regional and provide answers to the research question. The chapter ends with a conclusion and policy advices.