Tuesday, 23 February 2010

Changing Diplomacy

The changes that took place around the world in the last century are too many to tell but in the matters of international relations, there are memorable ones that we tend to remember. Since the end of the world war two,the way countries perceived their relations wiht each other has dramatically changed. There various reasons why such changes occured. In the "old" diplomacy, as opposed to the "new" diplomacy, the states of affairs were not always what they seemed to be with all the secrecy, policies objectives and secret agreements mainly concocted by powerful Nations. The introduction of Nuclear Weapons in 1945 propelled the international community into another dimension, with the fear of destruction. Their spread brought tension furthermore and therefore affected diplomatic relations in way that one can only imagine. States seem less aggresive towards each other because of the mutually assured destruction and the devastation that come with it. More recently, the assassination of the Hamas commander involving the use of British passports would not have gone this quiet back in the 30s for example. This is to say that the impact of advanced military technology has played a big role in oeaceful negotiations eventhough it would never be said out loud. The information revolution is to be stressed as well with the birth of information channels with worldwide coverage, people around the world are able to follow how other parts of the world are doing, with regular updates. This type of pressure form the media have impacts on how some affairs are handled in the end. The press and the public opinion have serious impact on the matters of foreign policies nowadays.

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