¶ … diplomacy is more likely to work in the de-escalation than the escalation phase. If we have a brief look at the definitions of the two phases, escalation is a phase where "adversaries begin to make greater threats and impose harsher negative sanctions." It is obvious that this phase has left the field of constructive diplomacy. We are no longer talking about negotiations, but about "threats" and "negative sanctions." The de-escalation phase "involves changes within each of the adversaries as well as new forms of interaction between them." The stalemate that has occurred till then makes them more willing to negotiate, so this would be an adequate phase to solve the conflict in a diplomatical manner. The diplomacy in the de-escalation period should be characterized by small steps towards reducing the tension and towards a gradual normality of the relations between the two parties. Mistrust between the adversaries is another condition that should be taken into consideration. If this hurdle is overcome, the adversaries would find it easier to negotiate because they will be able to trust that the concessions accorded on a diplomatical channel will be carried out. A third thing that should be...

This will move the conflict form the tension area to a more amiable atmosphere and create the premises for a diplomatic meeting.
2. I think the main question that is to be addressed here is whether diplomacy and the other crisis management instruments are complementary or whether they reciprocally exclude the others. Even if ideally, we would like to believe that they exclude each other, they seem to be rather complementary.

In theory, diplomacy is associated with a peaceful solving of the conflicts and, in this sense, it excludes the other means which tend to be conflictual and to attempt a solving of the crisis not necessarily peaceful. However, we should consider the fact that diplomacy is often the channel by which the use of other instruments is communicated to the adversary. In many cases, diplomacy is an extremely powerful tool as a communication channel for the threatened use of retaliation measures. The most practical example that comes to mind is in the case of economic crisis. The two parties that are in conflict threaten each other during the diplomatic negotiations with the…