Todays Diplomacy: A Mission with a Vision.

Since beginning of the module and with this part of assignment of writing blogs and unique methods of teaching by Steven Curtis has brought a dimension of today's diplomacy actually look like and portrayed in with advanced method. I am somewhere able to practically analyse the flow of world politics in norms of diplomacy. This is what I have developed by the module.

In today’s scenario, It seems Diplomacy have got a mission with technological, multilateral and advanced development. Globalization and media has played pivotal role in shaping new vision of today's diplomacy. However, public diplomacy and its multilateralism have driven far more ahead and have made diplomacy as important aspect of foreign policy today. Use of soft power, importance to human security, human rights, environmentalism and its bio-diversity had however resulted in to world peace. There are some drawbacks still hence they can be overcome at some point. Our visit to Swedish embassy gave us practical knowledge and means of example in this module study.

However, new diplomacy has figured out the human security, mutual international relations, mutual trade and commercial diplomacy, fast means of communications and its method on developing. Overall. It was need for today and as per today's situation. For example surgeons will surgery the injured parts of body but not the whole body itself. Similarly, Today’s diplomacy has surgery its injured part from the past and has played important role in world politics.

Diplomacy in a new light.

Diplomacy, as far as i understood it, was the peaceful way that states chose to conduct affairs between them. This included negotiation during conflict via embassies and foreign ministries. The role of embassies was primarly to develop friendly relations with the host country for better future cooperation and to protect the right of their citizens in foreign countries. The origins of diplomacy were somewhat more modern, not centuries old and how much the multiple changes in world politics transformed the conduct of diplomacy was a reality check. The importance of non-state actors and public diplomacy today have become even greater for better unterstanding of each other's culture and objectives, it is also a way of opening up to the world. The traditional system of diplomacy was largely bilateral and secrecy and high politics were considered imperative for better resolution but in today's globalised world, it has become difficult for leaders to move around without being noticed even by private aircraft as in shuttle diplomacy. The revolution of information and communication technology gave access to new and more effective way of dealing with urgent matters in record time. From old to new, secretive to transparent, with states no longer having the monopoly, diplomacy's future is still opened to more challenges and let hope they will contribute to keeping peace and security.

What the future holds for us!

Diplomacy first and foremost to me was the way people resolved issues in a much civilised way in which both parties are heard in an equal way. Even after several centuries have passed since it evolved yet the concept still retains and it will for centuries to come.
Diplomacy for states is vital for their existence as an independent state and also to be a part of large communities such as UN, Commonwealth and EU. Through the use of diplomacy states are able to bargain and retain what they need and also most states are able to either oppose and agree, which is not the case for most of the poorer states who agree to certain conditions even though it can be harmful to the state and its people. As multinational organisations and NGO’s stream line certain negotiations the government based discussions are always done through diplomats or the foreign ministers. Who is the key link between most states along with ambassadors and diplomats.
Modern day communication may have eased the role of a diplomat and also have changed the way diplomacy was conducted but the traditional meeting a state leader in person having embassies and high commissions are still seen as vital for most states one of which being a source of communication with each other (Interstate communications) also for trade and migration which has been one of the key roles played by most of the modern day diplomats.
While various technologies and various other ways to communicate as been developed in the world still diplomacy is vital for state leaders but......yes but many human catastrophes have occurred and we humans have depilated own environment and now we are faced with climate change and various forms of tragedies that no one has for seen. Even still as everything else fails among government policies, corrupt politicians and terrorism still diplomacy continues to be a part of the modern day communication strategy.
New diplomacy, which brought out universal issues and made it be applicable to all humans have reached its highest point. These strategies are involved and attached to human feelings, feelings such as empathy towards one another which allows states to help one another even when their rivals or at war for humanitarian needs. It’s that simple reason why states depend on diplomacy. I always wanted to be a diplomat one who would bring things to a state that never had what the powerful states share.
Most governments spends billions on their foreign relations and on maintaining security and premises for embassies in hostile and rather vague states that are either of economic interest if not of territorial threat. Even still diplomacy at its highest, most states fails to agree and move towards a peaceful solution. Diplomacy has been a source of way most states interacted with each other at times of harmony or turmoil, yet its future depends merely on the hands of those who practice it. Can be in a more prudent and realistic way governments are keener on retaining peace rather than going in to full-fledged war just as in Iraq, Afghanistan and various other countries.

my opinion on the role of diplomacy in world politics today

Diplomacy is a very complex process which changes as often as the globe evolves , every tool or branch of diplomacy has its significance let’s take the role of the united nations on human right matters and also to promote peace and to act as a platform for nations so that they can resolve conflicts using peaceful diplomatic method and it has in a way play a very significant role in the new diplomacy and also the NGO’S and the private organisations are a major factor in the new diplomacy today because they also deal with human right matters and environmental issues , so many aspect of the new diplomacy has changed since the post cold war era.

Public diplomacy is also a major important section of the new diplomacy that has really caught my attention, the fact that the public opinion also matters, they can express themselves and also give their opinion, this days it is not only the interest of a country that is being promoted in other countries, the role of diplomat and foreign ministries today in different countries and also since the invention of globalization it has shaped the world politics today for example, technology which has provided almost everyone with a phone, internet and this has aid communication without much hassles, it has also helped today’s leaders to find a solution to help prevent wars and build a good relationship with other countries , other factors play a major important role in the world politics but public diplomacy will always stand out as a very important factor in today’s new diplomacy.

http://www.abytheliberal.com/world-politics/diplomacy-in-real-politics

My understanding of diplomacy today

In the beginning of this module I have known the definition of the new diplomacy but it is dishonest to say that I knew all the contents of the module. For instance, although I knew in new diplomacy citizens are playing a more active role but I did not have any idea about how are we playing an active role. Later on I have found out even with supporting NGO’s we can participate in it. So it is something that I have discovered throughout the module.Also with the public diplomacy; I did not know that public diplomacy is a diplomacy which can be used to change foreign citizens’ opinions and for this there are different strategies has been used, such as after 9/11 America’s calling people all around the world to fight with terror. In addition to that, in the beginning of the module I was thinking the embassies are the major representatives of a state but then I have learned that with globalizing world and improving technology, such as internet, conference calls and ease up the travelling, there has been a decrease on the importance of the embassies roles within the international relations. Moreover, there has been new players in the game, the NGO’s, and their impact on the diplomacy can not be denied even sometimes they are more effective than the governments because of being global. Here I have tried to sum up what have been changed since february in my opinions about the new diplomacy and what I have learned throughout the module.

My understanding of diplomacy today

Looking back, my understanding of the role of diplomacy was rather narrow in comparison to what I have learned about it over the last three months. I have realised that diplomacy is much more of a complex process and it evolves constantly as the world evolves. Furthermore, I was totally unaware of an existence of so many different types of diplomacy and the role they play in a shaping of world’s affairs (public diplomacy, multilateral diplomacy or summits). Moreover, it was unknown to me that a variety of actors, successfully, conduct diplomacy. Here I mean the NGOs and other individuals such as celebrities who are actively engaged in diplomatic practices. Considering the above, I must admit that my knowledge about the diplomacy has certainly expanded. 

There is no doubt that all aspects of the new diplomacy are important but amongst all

I believe the participation of Non- Governmental Organisations (NGO’s) to diplomacy is the most important aspect in the New Diplomacy. There are different reasons why NGO’s are the most important aspect of the new diplomacy and some of them are;
Firstly; with NGO’s playing an active role in diplomacy, citizens had a chance to participate in diplomacy aswell which was not possible before. Now ordinary people, like us, can have their campaigns and adress their issues in contrast to the old-diplomacy secrecy policies.
Secondly; sometimes NGO’s are more effective than the governments because of focusing mostly on one issue and take care of that but governments have more issues to take care of than NGO’s. For example; TEMA (Turkish Foundation for Combating Erosion, Reforestation and the Protection of Natural Habitats) is only focusing in environmental issues.
Thirdly; the interest of NGO’s are terrorism, environment, human rights and etc. has slightly changed the interest of states and diplomacy, now states are more conscious.
In addition to the reasons listed above, with the participation of NGO’s in diplomacy, the secrecy of old times has been out of the diplomacy. The world politics became international and the borders of states started to disappear as the concerns of the NGO’s are mostly international.
To conclude; today NGO’s influence on world politics is in various ways can not be denied and possibly their effects on diplomacy is more than the other aspects of the new diplomacy.

New diplomacy, what's the most important aspect?

In the matters of diplomacy, every tool has its importance and each of them play a significant role in achieving the state's objectives. However, there are key features of the "New " diplomacy that enable better accomplishment of these goals and i find myself favoring public diplomacy as the most prominent aspect. The aims of conventional diplomacy is to directly influence foreign governments but public diplomacy exerts even more influence by appealing to foreign public who in return indirectly influence their governments. The spread of democracy particularly has increased the political importance of public opinion and we can see how much impact it has on public policies today with the help of the media and rapid means of communication (Berridge,2010,182). Another important aspect of "New" diplomacy is the introduction of non-state actors. The end of the bipolar system brought in an increase in global actors, more participants outside foreign ministries and even economic diplomacy where governments are seeking investment flows and giving development assistance to deprived communities. The principle of "only states and their entities have the right diplomatic representation" ended and Non-governmental organisations even inervene in crises beyond the control of governments. The strength of NGOs resides in the fact that they represent a vast number of people with different level of influence on the public, such as celebrities and they have access to certain regions where certain states fail to gain trust from the people. Via these two great tools of the "New" diplomacy, better things can be accomplished in terms of international relations.

G.R. Berridge,Diplomacy: theory and practices,4th edition

Important Aspects

The new diplomacy in my opinion raises many different important aspects today. However i consider the emergence of numerous multilateral organisations that plays major roles in the diplomatic platform important. After World War II the creation of the United Nations can be considered as the motor that have generate the so called new diplomacy, in fact the “charter for human rights” that address many issues such as human right has been one of the significant challenge for national sovereignty where different government or alliance have transcend national boundaries. Today the idea of new diplomacy is more or less about the ability of private cooperation, NGO s that plays very dynamic roles on the platform and goes across national boundaries in a way government cannot they address many issues such as human right, environmental issues. As i mentioned early the most important aspect in the new diplomacy is this whole concept of multilateral organisation that have played major roles. However it is always good to mention that multilateral have not excluded bilateralism or any other type of negotiations each of them tries in a sort of way to complement each other. Multilateral negotiation is in a way similar to the bilateral, there are numerous new methods and techniques where they try to implement rules or regulations. A good example should be the Unites Nation with more than 180 countries has to be able to communicate with each other using definite rules in order to maintain their interaction. Multilateral diplomacy treats a various complex issues with the growing of expert, groups and NGO s.

Sources: http://www.diplomacy.edu/books/mdiplomacy_book/petrovski/regular/petrovski-7.htm

Most important aspect of the New Diplomacy

There are many aspects of the New Diplomacy that have changed the conduct of diplomacy in the post-Cold War era. For me, the most important of these is the role played by NGO's. Evidence of NGO involvement in diplomatic matters over the past twenty years is wide ranging and varied, and also illustrates the necessity of their role in both international relations, and the New Diplomacy today. Within the Old Diplomacy, NGO's were relegated to the back benches of international relations, and instead of working with governments and diplomats to solve problems, had instead to wait until they had solved matters between themselves before being allowed to participate. This is no longer the case. Within the New Diplomacy, NGOs are leading the way when it comes to international affairs, as can be seen in examples such as the Ottawa Convention and the banning of anti-personnel landmines, the creation of the International Criminal Court and the treaty of Rome, and most recently with the Copenhagen Summit on climate change. In all of these cases, NGO's have led the way and have brought important issues, which may otherwise have been ignored (such as Greenpeace's push for a climate change treaty) into the forefront and back onto the political agenda. By working with groups of like-minded states, and forming coalitions, NGOs have been able to revolutionise the conduct of diplomacy today.

For more information on the Landmine ban treaty see the Satow scanned reading on weblearn, and Greenpeace.org has an extensive overview of their involvement with the Copenhagen treaty.

Public diplomacy as the most important aspect of the new diplomacy

Public diplomacy play’s a very vital role in the new diplomacy, it is a theory of friendship and peace because it is developed in an international direction and even a global location, the social and political entities seek to engage the members of the foreign public and the conversation dialogue between the foreign public and the social political entities is more likely to decrease the risk of war and increase and the risk of international cooperation this has help to build relationships between countries and has helped small and medium states because it create an opportunity to gain influence and shape international agenda and that has helped develop their economy and national securities that go beyond their limited hard power recourses (related to size economic and military power).

Public diplomacy communicates to all boundaries, countries, borders it’s all about nation branding and building a nations reputation and this process has helped to maintain peace between so many countries just like the relationship between china and Egypt, China and Egypt established diplomatic relations on May 30, 1956. And the relationship between the two countries has been developing very smoothly; China is also rapidly expanding cultural contacts to include educational exchanges in Egypt. ” The number of Egyptians studying the Chinese language is also growing rapidly. Chinese is now taught at a number of major universities across Egypt, including al-Azhar, one of the world’s leading canters of Islamic scholarship” (Daily Star [Egypt], December 28, 2006).

Public diplomacy has become a very vital issue since the world war II , public opinion has become an important factor in international affairs, and it a theory of peace so in my opinion world peace is very important so i will say public diplomacy is the most important aspect of new diplomacy.

The most important aspect of the New Diplomacy

It is rather difficult to choose the most important aspects of the new diplomacy as we all know that there are quite a few significant features which distinguish new diplomacy from the traditional one. These very aspects are equally important as all have a great impact on the environment in which diplomacy is operating. Here, for instance, we can mention the emergence of public diplomacy or multilateral meetings and NGOs. Nevertheless, the participation of NGOs in diplomatic negotiations deserves special attention and, in my opinion, it is also the most important aspect on the New Diplomacy. Namely, NGOs play an important role in mediation and preventing conflicts before they become a real issue. Unlike governments, NGOs have an ability to detect conflict endangered situations because they work closely with grassroots in conflicting societies. They are also in a position where they can press governments to respond to the issues without complicating the international situation. Consequently, the effectiveness of their diplomatic initiatives has given them ‘prominence as international actors’ (Feilleux, 2009:103). Moreover, the fact that NGOs work closely with government representatives on international level is of great significance. They became valuable advisers to UN and other institutions as they posses advanced research skills and specialised researchers on issues which governments, for instance, lack in capabilities. In addition, NGOs represent the civil society which actively participates in international affairs and influences policy-making processes what was not possible any time earlier. I believe that for this reason NGOs role as a partner in diplomatic activities deserves special attention and acknowledgment.

Sources:
Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, The Dynamics of Diplomacy, 2009

The most important aspect of New Diplomacy.

It is important to critically analyse the important facet of the New Diplomacy at level different and higher plain as the Diplomacy itself is very narrow focus. The most important aspects of the new diplomacy is multilateral diplomacy and the public diplomacy. If we look in to old Diplomacy there are several changes which have uplifted the agenda of diplomacy at higher place. For e.g. NGOs and non-state actors do not participate or contribute towards any policy making, discussion making and several negotiation process but with the new diplomacy, the non-state actors and NGOs with the help of media holds more strengths in process, discussion makings and agendas settings.

The benefit of this phenomenon of multilateral diplomacy has lobby the whole process with considering and attempting the negotiations, processes of policy and agendas settings with different point of view and referring with public diplomacy and involvement of NGOs and Non-state actors can put weight on pan of beam balance which represents the decisions makings. Taking the decision on the platform of Human rights, environmental issues, Human security these non-stators like Amnesty International, Greenpeace etc. have played pivotal role. I hence believe that non-governmental organisations, environmentalist, public opinion, news media, even celebrities seem to have an effect in a way diplomacy is portrayed.

I can conclude that there is lot more beyond just that can be looked but there are two sides of coins so there are also some issues that are still compromised, ignored and overshadowed. Below video by Dr.Linton has helped to some extent to run brain storm.

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