Processes Used to Address a Contemporary Crisis

Overview

Addressing a contemporary crisis involves a range of formal and informal processes — structured methods through which actors attempt to manage, mitigate, or resolve conflict. In VCE Politics, students must analyse the use of two key processes: diplomacy and international law, while also understanding how other processes (humanitarian mechanisms, economic pressure, peacekeeping) contribute to crisis response.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Processes are the how of crisis response — the mechanisms through which actors translate political will (or lack of it) into concrete action. Understanding their design reveals why they succeed or fail.

Key Processes: An Overview

Diplomacy

What Diplomacy Involves

Diplomacy is the primary peaceful instrument through which states and international actors pursue their interests and attempt to resolve conflicts. It includes:

• Bilateral diplomacy: Direct state-to-state negotiations (e.g. US-Russia talks on Ukraine in January 2022)
• Multilateral diplomacy: Negotiations involving multiple parties at international forums (Minsk Agreements, UNGA Special Emergency Sessions)
• Good offices/mediation: A third party facilitates talks (UN Secretary-General as mediator; Turkey’s mediation between Russia and Ukraine for the Black Sea Grain Initiative, 2022)
• Track 2 diplomacy: Unofficial dialogues involving NGOs, academics, and civil society — often paving the way for formal negotiations
• Public diplomacy: Communicating directly with foreign publics to build support or change perceptions (Zelensky’s speeches to NATO parliaments)

Case Study: Black Sea Grain Initiative (2022)

In July 2022, the UN Secretary-General and Turkey brokered a deal allowing Ukrainian grain exports through a corridor in the Black Sea — despite the ongoing war. This was a significant diplomatic achievement:
- Reduced global food price pressures (Ukraine is one of the world’s top wheat and sunflower oil exporters)
- Demonstrated that narrow agreements are possible even in active conflicts
- Failure: Russia withdrew from the deal in July 2023, citing obstacles to its own agricultural exports — demonstrating the fragility of diplomacy when great power interests diverge

Diplomacy in the Rohingya Crisis

• ASEAN engaged in quiet diplomacy — the Five-Point Consensus (2021) post-coup, facilitated by ASEAN, called for a halt to violence and dialogue, but Myanmar military largely ignored it
• China conducted bilateral diplomatic engagement with Myanmar to protect BRI investments, effectively using diplomacy to shield Myanmar from accountability
• ICJ proceedings (2020): Gambia, supported by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, brought a case against Myanmar — an unusual use of legal-diplomatic tools by a small state on behalf of a persecuted group

International Law

What International Law Does in a Crisis

International law serves multiple functions in crisis response:

1. Establishes norms: What is prohibited (genocide, torture, targeting civilians) — Geneva Conventions, Genocide Convention, Rome Statute
2. Provides accountability mechanisms: ICC/ICJ proceedings create legal consequences for perpetrators
3. Legitimises intervention: Chapter VII of the UN Charter allows UNSC to authorise force to maintain peace — though UNSC deadlock often prevents this
4. Shapes diplomacy: Legal framing influences negotiating positions and public justifications

Case Study: ICC and the Ukraine War

• February 2023: ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan visited Ukraine and opened an investigation
• March 2023: ICC issued an arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin for the war crime of unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children
• This was the first-ever arrest warrant for a leader of a P5 state — a landmark in international criminal accountability
• Limitation: Russia is not an ICC member and has rejected the court’s jurisdiction; the warrant cannot be enforced without Putin travelling to an ICC member state. However, it has significant symbolic consequences and restricts Putin’s diplomatic travel.

ICJ: Genocide Case Against Myanmar

• In November 2019, the Gambia filed a case at the International Court of Justice against Myanmar under the Genocide Convention
• ICJ issued provisional measures in January 2020 ordering Myanmar to protect Rohingya from genocide — a landmark interim ruling
• Limitation: ICJ proceedings are slow (case still ongoing); provisional measures depend on state compliance; Myanmar’s subsequent military coup complicated enforcement
• Yet the case established a precedent for third-state standing — any signatory to the Genocide Convention can bring a case, not just directly affected states

Integration: Diplomacy and International Law Working Together

The most effective crisis responses combine diplomacy and law:
- Negotiations backed by legal accountability: The threat of ICC prosecution can be used as leverage in diplomatic negotiations
- Ceasefire agreements embedded in legal frameworks: The Minsk Agreements (2014–15) for eastern Ukraine were diplomatic instruments with legal character
- International law creating diplomatic space: ICJ rulings can legitimise diplomatic positions for smaller states

EXAM TIP: When writing about processes, always connect process to outcome: what was the process, what did it achieve, and why did it fall short? A strong answer shows understanding of both the mechanism and its limitations.

Limitations of Key Processes

VCAA FOCUS: VCAA explicitly identifies diplomacy and international law as required processes. Make sure you know specific, named examples of both being used in your chosen crisis — generic statements about “diplomatic efforts” will not suffice.