What I've Discovered About Diplomacy

The art of representation, communication and negotiation for states to work together and come away feeling as though they have gained in the nations interest. My understanding of diplomacy has changed as I've learnt a lot about the conduct and history of diplomacy over the last few months.

I was unaware of all the complexities involved in diplomacy when I first started. Since then I've learnt that there are many types of diplomatic practice that takes place, bilateral, multilateral and particularly interesting the use of public diplomacy. Historians differ on the origins of diplomacy, ranging from the Bronze Age to Renaissance Italy, and the French revolution was a period of big transition in diplomacy which much of modern day diplomacy is associated with. Diplomacy and its practices evolved over this period from nuncios to procurators with their envoys, to missions and the modern day embassy.

Diplomacy is the crucial tool for state representation, communication and negotiation. To begin with I didn't realise the vast amounts of issues covered by diplomats covering the many realms of world politics from national security to trade and development, and the environment. The nature of diplomacy is ever developing as national agendas evolve to incorporate new global issues such as terrorism and climate change. The 20th Century saw the largest transition from the 'old' diplomacy to the 'new' diplomacy where open multilateral negotiations increased dramatically and new multistate agendas rose. However, many bilateral diplomatic negotiations and communications still take place behind closed doors, this was particularly the case during the Cold War and grounds of security.

Diplomats are state representatives acting on behalf of governments to implement national strategies overseas in order to build national security and achieve national goals. Diplomacy is vital for pre-emptive, preventive and preserving (allies) measures.

Since the end of the Cold War, non-state actors have become increasingly involved in diplomatic affairs, especially in areas such as the environment and human rights, in which they specialise, although they are yet to formally sign a treaty without a state. Scholars such as Cohen and Langhorne see this as just another transition in the practice of diplomacy and believe we are reaching a period where non-state actors should be formally recognised as diplomats and granted the same statuses and immunity privileges as professional state diplomats. Whilst others like Berridge argue that the only recognised diplomats should be state diplomats and that no-one else should be accepted as a diplomat.

I have learnt how the rise in information communications technologies and globalisation has led for the need for states to act more transparently with the foreign public using public diplomacy to gain support from foreign states. With increasing media coverage and global awareness in the shrinking 21st century the use of soft power diplomacy tactics is vital to the success of governments in the global arena and this should become more common in the future if states do not wish to isolate themselves.