Classic Diplomacy
Here you can download the articles emerged from the postdoctoral research.
Erik Damián Reyes Morales, "Diplomacy: from the Ancient World to the Peace of Westphalia", 2023.
Abstract: This paper aims to provide elements that enrich the debate on the usefulness of the temporary cut in International Relations established in the Peace of Westphalia. To this end, a historical overview of diplomacy from the ancient world to 1648 is made, which shows that diplomatic tools such as those used to reach the peace treaties of Osnabrück and Münster were developed from antiquity in the four civilizational foci of Eurasia. Then, this knowledge was synthesized in Constantinople and returned to Europe through Venice. The relevance of this work is linked to its inclusion in the debate on the periodicity of the object of study in International Relations and the history of this discipline.
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Erik Damián Reyes Morales, "Diplomacy and propaganda. History, definition and practice", 2025.
Abstract: This work aims to compare the current meaning of the concepts of “diplomacy” and “propaganda” with their original definitions, as well as to contrast the historical moment in which they emerged with their practical application. To this end, the note is divided into two sections. The first one outlines the contemporary definition of “diplomacy” and contrasts it with its origins in the Roman Empire. It also highlights that its practice dates back to the first center of civilization in the Near East, as well as other ancient civilizations around the world. The second section starts from the contemporary definition of “propaganda” in order to trace its possible original meaning, which is not as clearly defined as those of “diplomacy”. Finally, it is noted that the ancient Greeks used propaganda as a tool of the foreign policy of the city-States.
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Erik Damián Reyes Morales and Edmundo Hernández-Vela, "Palace Diplomacy and Propaganda. A Comparison between Constantinople and Mexico-Tenochtitlan". 2026.
Abstract: This work compares the use of palace diplomacy and propaganda by the rulers of Constantinople and Mexico-Tenochtitlan. It builds on studies of the cultural exchange between the Roman and Sasanian empires from the third to sixth centuries A.D., which led to a diplomatic protocol shared by these two realms. This protocol and Liudprand of Cremona’s account of diplomatic receptions are the basis for comparative analysis. Drawing on Hernando Alvarado Tezozómoc’s Crónica Mexicana and other sixteenth-century sources, this study identifies key characteristics of diplomacy in Mesoamerica. It explores how Mexico-Tenochtitlan employed palace diplomacy and propaganda from the reign of Motecuhzoma Ilhuicamina to Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin. Through this analysis, we find that the diplomatic and propaganda objectives of Constantinople and Mexico-Tenochtitlan had distinct focuses. The Byzantine rulers aimed to maintain their existing empire, while the Tenochca rulers sought not only to preserve but also to expand their domain. As a result, Constantinople’s strategy emphasized palace diplomacy, whereas Mexico-Tenochtitlan’s focused more on propaganda. Despite these differences, both approaches share several similarities. Both began with invitations, and their protocols included the same components: visual (architecture, wealth, and terror), ceremonial (including aural, olfactory, gustatory, ludic, haptic, somatic, and terror elements), and diplomatic (interviews and gift exchanges)
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