My understanding of diplomacy today

My initial thought of a diplomat was that of a person who would sit and manage his countries interests and engage in “power politics.” I was always under the impression that diplomats are there to stop wars between countries. Through the course of the module, I understood the different aspects and players of diplomacy.

I understood the meaning of power politics and I also understood how diplomacy has evolved through the ages. I understood that earlier, diplomats were engaged heavily in secret diplomacy and the public and the media were excluded during theses talks. Diplomats are now days more concerned with ‘low politics’ and they concentrate more on trade and public diplomacy.

During the visit to the Dutch Embassy, I understood that diplomats are not only in charge of maintaining politically good relations with countries, but they are also responsible to promote their own culture among others. I also understood, that today Public Diplomacy plays a huge role and that diplomatic talks are now held freely and are open to public and media discussion and scrutiny. Cultural diplomacy has also gained prominence in the diplomatic arena. Embassies are actively in touch with cultural organisations so as to promote their culture and also to understand the culture of others. in order to foster their relationship with other countries, embassies promote education and trade in different countries.

This shows that there has been a change in diplomacy. Gone are the days when diplomats would only engage with other diplomats regarding key issues that could affect their countries. Today’s diplomats are actively involved with diplomats, non-state actors, and most importantly, the public. We can thus see that diplomacy has become more open and inclusive over the year. Today, non-state actors play a huge role in framing countries policies regarding trade and environment issues. NGOs play a great role to influence government policies. They have the means and the resources to take up key issues, thus providing a voice to those who’s voices can’t be heard otherwise. For example, we can always look at AMNESTY International as an NGO that keeps bringing up key issues such as human rights abuses. NGOs provide a great sense of relief to the people facing such atrocities, as they become the people’s voice by bringing up the conditions under which they are living. Another example of an NGO is Oxfam. Oxfam constantly tries to change countries’ policies in favour of the climate. Oxfam is instrumental to create awareness about climate change among the masses. Thus, even if embassies do not wish to address issues such a human rights abuses and climate change, NGOs like AMNESTY International and Oxfam force them to speak up.

Despite the evolution of diplomacy, I believe that it is imperative that diplomats carry out secret talks with others and not make every single detail known to the public. I feel that a certain level of secrecy is essential even today so that relationships between countries do not turn sour. We have to remember, that the world today works solely on the basis of interdependence and that we cannot afford to sever ties with any country. This just shows us how complex diplomacy is.

This module has definitely opened my eyes to the different avenues of diplomacy and has also broadened my outlook towards diplomacy. I personally feel that the field of diplomacy is one of the most challenging fields in International Relations. It is not easy for anyone to grasp the complexity of this field.