First of all, I must acknowledge the role of public diplomacy in changing the frames of traditional diplomacy by influencing foreign publics and policy implementations around the world. Furthermore, I would like to point out the significant role of NGO's as the most important aspect of the 'new diplomacy' because of their destabilizing and threatening character for the whole process of diplomatic service. When I say 'threatening' I mean the impact of NGO's on state sovereignty.
Modern diplomacy is undertaken by a wide range of actors and this have been among the biggest changes that have taken place in diplomacy since the end of the IIWW. They include economic, environment, humanitarian and criminal interest groups, just to mention a few. The proliferation of non-state actors lead us to question the role of the state and its representatives as primary actors in IR. Do diplomats have the last say over the external actors say? Who is representing who?Power is shifting away from nation-states and in such an atmosphere diplomacy have become less effective and needed..
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hi Monika, you have published an interesting article "NGOs and new diplomacy".
ReplyDeleteIn the first paragraph you have talked about the destabilizing and threatening character of NGO's. I am not a great believer in NGO's. But I think, they can sometimes play a positive role in diplomacy. For example, NGO's played a very important and constructive role in formulating law relating to land mine.
Hi Monika,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you when you mention that the significant role of NGOs nowadays as the most important aspect of the New Diplomacy. And even though NGOs are now able to influence the decision making on certain issues, they however do not replace nation-states. Meaning, a state in my opinion, will always have more say and be taken more 'seriously' maybe? Of course, NGOs are many times representing states in the Third World which are not able to send a delegation. But an NGO does not have the same authority as a state.