  We study the photonic interactions between two distant atoms which are
coupled by an optical element (a lens or an optical fiber) focussing part of
their emitted radiation onto each other. Two regimes are distinguished
depending on the ratio between the radiative lifetime of the atomic excited
state and the propagation time of a photon between the two atoms. In the two
regimes, well below saturation the dynamics exhibit either typical features of
a bad resonator, where the atoms act as the mirrors, or typical characteristics
of dipole-dipole interaction. We study the coherence properties of the emitted
light and show that it carries signatures of the multiple scattering processes
between the atoms. The model predictions are compared with the experimental
results in J. Eschner {\it et al.}, Nature {\bf 413}, 495 (2001).
