The Old Diplomacy and its Continuing Relevance

It has often been argued that the pluralization of international relations has lead to a substantial transformation in the practice of diplomacy. The role of the ambassador has gone from one of high politics to one of low, the framework of diplomacy has gone from bilateral to multilateral and negotiations have gone from exclusive to inclusive and open (Rana, K. 2005). With this in mind then, it would be easy to think that the 'Old Diplomacy' has no contemporary relevance in the practice of International Relations. However, many would disagree. One of the essential elements in the functioning of international society today is the role played by embassies, however embassies stem from the beginning of modern diplomacy, and from the start of the Westphalian system itself. In addition to this, the sending of emissaries to open negotiations was common practice among quite primitive peoples. In fact, it has often been noted that there is evidence of ambassadors as far back as the time of the Spartan-Athenian war, perhaps even earlier (Roberts, I. 2009). Further to this, it is fair to argue that the 'Old Diplomacy' acts as a basis for the 'New Diplomacy', and that many if not all of the 'New Diplomacy' practices have their foundations in 'Old Diplomacy', ensuring continued contemporary relevance of the 'Old Diplomacy'.

One recent example of the continued use of 'Old Diplomacy' in a 'New Diplomacy' context can be seen in the Copenhagen Summit. This was intended to be a multilateral, inclusive conference on climate change, with representatives from many different states all negotiating together.















However, this was not the only negotiating to be done. As you can see in the picture below, the two leaders of the most powerful states in the world were holding private, exclusive talks and negotiations, in order to try to realise their own interests.

This is not a typical feature of 'New Diplomacy', but in fact is a practice of the 'Old Diplomacy', and for me acts as a good example of its continuing relevance.






Image can be found at: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/_img/87/i51/obama_wen.jpg

References:
Rana, K. (2005) The 21st Century Ambassador: Plenipotentiary to Chief Executive. (India: Oxford University Press.)
Sir Ivor Roberts (ed.), Satow's Diplomatic Practice, 6th Edition. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009) Chapter 1.