My understanding of diplomacy today

The New Diplomacy module has improved my knowledge about diplomacy and its significant impacts on International Relations in different aspects. Before the start of the module, diplomacy appears to me simply as bilateral negotiations and communications between two states where diplomats play the main roles in this network. Besides diplomats, resident missions or embassies are also important features of diplomacy as they represent the bilateral relationships between states, provide consular services for states' citizens abroad and also promote their national images abroad by providing cultural and social events to the citizens of the host countries.

Nevertheless, the New Diplomacy module has changed my understanding of diplomacy. Contemporary diplomacy is a global network involving not jut bilateral negotiations between states but also interactions between states and other multinational and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). With the influence of globalisation and the evolution in the technology of communications, diplomacy has been transformed from its traditional form of secrecy and high politics to be more open with the participations of states as well as non-state actors. In other words, contemporary diplomacy can be defined as an era of multilateral diplomacy where states are sending diplomatic missions to multilateral conferences organised by multilateral and international organisations, such as the United Nations, to discuss different issues of contemporary world politics. In such conferences, states and NGOs are cooperating and lobbying each others in order to achieve solutions to global challenges such as development, security and environmental issues.

On the other hand, besides the emergence of new diplomatic actors such as   international organisations and NGOs, there is also the significance of public diplomacy in contemporary world politics. Public diplomacy has been used by states and NGOs as a practical device in shaping public opinion in order to achieve their objectives or promote their national brandings. Public diplomacy through the use of soft power, such as media, newspapers, radio and campaigns, has played an important role in contemporary diplomacy besides the traditional government to government channels. It has shown its effectiveness in engaging the public support for states' domestic and foreign policies. Public diplomacy has also strengthened the relationships between states by providing educational and cultural exchanges to citizens of the host countries.

In conclusion, the New Diplomacy module has developed my understanding of diplomacy. It has provided an overview of the development and evolution of diplomacy, the emergence of new diplomatic actors and institutions, such as NGOs, in contemporary diplomacy. In other words, contemporary diplomacy is a global complex network involving state and non-states actors, as well as individuals, concerning a wide range of global issues, such as security, development and the environment.

I would like to thank our tutors Steven Curtis and Oliver Lewis for offering us such an interesting and useful module about diplomacy. It has improved my knowledge of this subject. I found it also useful by blogging my entries and receiving comments from other students throughout the course. The visits to the Embassy of Netherlands and Albania were also exciting opportunities for me to see the applications of diplomacy in practice.