What in your opinion is the most important aspect of the new diplomacy? Explain your reasons.

Charles Evans Hughes made a statement that „diplomacy is an old art practiced under new conditions...“ This is very true, because the entire structure of the international system has been changing over the time. Some scholars divide diplomacy into old and new, while they define each one by different features. This blog argues that multilateral diplomacy is the most important aspect of the new diplomacy, because in a way it includes NGOs, public diplomacy, intergovernmental organizations, and few other concepts as well.

Multilateral diplomacy is mainly conducted on international conferences. Although conference diplomacy is not synonym for multilateral diplomacy, because it can be conducted only between two states. In the 19th century, the Vienna Congress could be considered as a stepping stone for a conference diplomacy because for the first time in the history, multilateral agreement was signed according to the international law. Nowadays, in the time of the new diplomacy, the conferences and multilateral diplomacy are conducted differently. The greatest expansion of the multilateral diplomacy happened in the 20th century, when the United Nations /UN/ was set up. Creation of the UN meant increase in international organizations /eg: Amnesty International/, international conferences /eg: the Tehran Conference/, and multilateral international treaties /eg: Convention on the Rights of the Child/.

Andrew Young said „the UN was not designed to be, nor is it adequate to serve as, either a law-making body for the world or a court to judge the nations of the world. It is a forum for diplomacy, and true diplomacy is the art of the dialogue in pursuit of common goals and the avoidance of war“. The UN is the multilateral fora in which all the nations are represented. Multilateral diplomacy is important because it allows even smaller nation-states to find ways how to seek their interests, national or global. Issues could be tackled better through expertise, which are resolved via NGOs, and therefore they play important role within the multilateral diplomacy. There have been questions whether the multilateral diplomacy made bilateral diplomacy to disappear, however the fact is that they co-exist along with each other. Secrecy also matters in the multilateral diplomacy, for instance the agreements made within the UN Security Council. Venue, participation, agenda, decision-making, public debate, and private discussion are issues of multilateral diplomacy defined by G. R. Berridge. However, when these issues are resolved, multilateral diplomacy can be an effective tool for solving problems caused by globalization.

what in your opinion is the most important aspect of the new diplomacy

The world of diplomacy keeps on changing its face, globalisation technology, social and political change are the main influence of the continues change in diplomacy (S.Riordan, 2003). today there are many important aspect of the new diplomacy, this are the development in public diplomacy, the contribution of non state actors in diplomacy,the development and role of multilateral diplomacy,the increase corporation when regarding to environmental issue. all of this aspect of diplomacy are playing an important role in today politics, but the one that is showing more effectiveness at this moment is the use of public diplomacy together with multilateral diplomacy.In my opinion it is the most important and most useful aspect of diplomacy today. politicians have notice the importance of the international public support in politics,and how it can make it easy to apply soft power on other states. they are using public diplomacy in multilateral meetings, if you analyse in many summits many politician make decision that are not at their best interest but they do it in form of promoting their regimes.for example in the nuclear summit president Obama used soft power to apply is nuclear strategy were he got china and even Russia to sign nuclear reduction treaties, Were the USA is making publicity that the are for a world free of nuclear dangers and global disarmament china and Russia had no other option them to sign or be seen the world bad guy like Iran (www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/apr/07/world-nuclear-danger-treaty-america)15 April 2010.The media covers all multilateral meeting or summits, and the USA is using Obama global popularity and the media in multilateral meetings and summits to promote its governments and gain more support leaving their enemies no other opposition but cooperate (www.guardian.co.uk/world/barack-obama)15 April 2010. this is why IRAN his now asking for talks, they have no other option as they loosing global support. this is how important public the diplomacy is today.

Important Aspect in the New Diplomacy

In my opinion the most important aspect of the new diplomacy is that there are three main factors in which describes strategies. The first factor is that the tension between soft power and hard power. Where it can be seeing as a comparison between two countries with different power the reason is that a country can see it as an attractiveness, legitimacy or reliability towards how effective is their power. Sometimes there are competence in who has more military force and more military arms. when it comes to politics some countries like the USA politics is try to demonstrate that their policies is considered to be soft power, but in reality when it comes to the military arms they are hard power. As for Russia there policies seeing to be hard power as for their military arms they are soft power. The second issue is the role of non-state actors and the Non-Governmental Organization(NGOs) have a multinational corporations and they are try to create a more concern international organization. By that it is meant creating different types of campaigns which involves the participation of celebrities, in regard of using the public diplomacy through media and politics. The last factor is that multilateral diplomacy relies on negotiations and agreements between the Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) and the United Nations (UN). In conclusion, the new diplomacy has made some changes through the whole process of being more open to the public and more concern about all the others actors.

Multilateralism

When considering the differences between the Old and New Diplomacy, it becomes quite clear that there have been several significant facets which distinguish the Old from the New. However, what I believe to be the most significant characteristic of the New Diplomacy, would have to be multilateralism.


Multilateral negotiatons have altered the way in which states relate to each other. One way in which summitry has impacted the international community is by providing issue specific forums in which open discussions can take place. As a result, a number of agreements have been arrived at on issues ranging from sustainable development to human rights. Multilateralism has also helped to foster a sense of community and consequently curb (to an extent) the tendancy towards isolationism in international politics, in that it is able to bring together multiple states which may be affected by common issues or which may have common goals. These states are then able to share ideas and come to mutually beneficial agreements. Were international negotiations conducted solely on a bilateral basis, it is unlikely that we would have been able to witness the degree of cooperation which exists among states today. The 20th century produced more development and more advances in technology than at any previous point in history. It is my belief that this rapid spurt of growth was as a result of inter state cooperation which was partly facilitated by conference diplomacy.

Before the end of WWII, when one spoke of world or international issues, it generally refered to issues affecting the world's powerful/wealthy states. Most of today's sovereign states were at the time colonies of the great powers and as a result did not have a voice. Multilateralism is very significant because it allows developing states which normally would not have a voice in issuues such as disarmament, to contribute to the resolution of such concerns. The General Assembly of the United Nations is an excellent vehicle for allowing developing states to be active in the process of decision making. Dr. Julian R. Hunte, Saint Lucia's ambassador to the UN was voted President of the UN General Assembly for its 58th regular session, allowing him to preside over discussions which he would not be a part of if such a forum did not exist.

Another attribute of multilateralism is that it provides a level of transparency which did not exist under the Old Diplomacy. Since summits are open, the press and by extension, lay people are able to witness these events and be informed of the decisions being made on an international scale which may affect them. It is therefore my opinion that we would not yet have known a world where such a high level of cooperation between states exists to establish such things as human rights and where regional organisations such as the EU and CSME could facilitate such things as freedom of movement, were it not for the presence of multilateralism in modern diplomacy.

What I consider to be the most important aspect of new diplomacy

Multilateral conferences have been the most important aspect of new diplomacy. Conferences held under new diplomacy have become important in contemporary world due to the large number of states in the international system and the way it highlights global issues. As conferences are subject focused, it brings together all parties including non state actors whose agreement may be required to resolve an urgent international problem such as terrorism. Conferences enable hostile states that might not have diplomatic relations to discuss matters outside the formal agenda in which they have been invited to discuss. Multilateral conferences also help mediators to kick start stalled negotiations. The six party talks involving china, the United States, North and South Korea, Japan and Russia reinforces the importance of multilateral conferences where mediators from these countries have jumped start talks on North Korea’s nuclear programme. Earlier bilateral talks between North Korea and United States of America had been stalemate as a result of President George W Bush’s policy of including North Korea in Axis of Evil countries. Finally conferences perpetuate agreements as signing of treaties openly display consensus achieved in a visible manner which encourages parties to monitor and adhere to agreement.

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What, in your opinion, is the most important aspect of the new diplomacy?

I would like to argue here that the most important and significantly ‘new’ aspect of the new diplomacy is that of the role of non-state actors. It can be said that although it depends on the specific issue at hand, the influence of institutions such as NGO’s or MNC’s can have on negotiations between states today is unprecedented. The increase in amount of these organisations is also an important point, for example, the total number of NGO’s has increased significantly since the beginning of the 20th century; In 1909, there was a total of 176 NGO’s in operation, compared with 21,026 in 2006 (Leguey-Feilleux, 2009, 105).

One could easily refute their importance by taking a more realist stance, and argue that it is the state which is the only real actor in diplomatic negotiations. However, Legeuy-Feilleux argues that representatives from MNC’s tend to be high level business executives, therefore wielding the influence of their firm’s resources; as a result they are taken very seriously by those in the public sector. He goes on to say that some state officials are even intimidated by their power (Legeuy-Feilleux, 2009, 144).

So why have these institutions become so important? One argument is that the types of issues that require negotiations between states are not limited by state boundaries. Environmental issues are a classic case in point. At the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 for example, there were a significant number of NGO’s participating as members of government delegations, and actively participated in official decision making (Legeuy-Feilleux, 2009, 106-107).

Another example of NGO influence, and perhaps the most significant, was the formation of the landmine treaty, which even managed to go through despite the opposition from the United States.

Although it can be said that the majority of influence wielded by non-state actors (especially NGO’s) is most prevalent in multilateral diplomacy, in a world increasingly challenged by issues that are not exclusive to the single unit of the state, their role is more important than ever before.

Public Diplomacy

Communication is vital in international relations since it is the tool to negotiate, and exert influence. As noted by Holsti “in seeking to achieve objectives, realize values, or defend interests, governments must communicate with those whose actions and behaviour they wish to deter, alter, or reinforce (1992:132). Diplomacy, “the conduct of business between states by peaceful means” is the best way to exercise influence on foreign states, in an era dominated by fast communication and wide spread of liberal democratic ideas the pubic plays an important part in shaping policies which justifies the attention on public diplomacy that is becoming essential to the processes of state-run promotion. If traditional diplomacy focus on influencing foreign governments’, public diplomacy is “the art of communicating with foreign publics to influence international perceptions, attitudes and policies” (Waller: 19). New diplomacy is the vehicle that countries like The United States traumatised by the 9/11 tragedies chose, to transform the image of arrogance and imperialistic that most countries have of the US. But, Whereas, the Bush era was dominated on secure associations with the heads of government, president “Obama’s rhetoric is aimed at the ruling elite and the common citizen alike” to whom he lecture to directly in prestigious local Universities in Cairo and Moscow to “highlight the importance of future generations that are growing more interconnected and interdependent by the day”. Communicating directly with the public of other countries Obama increases his credibility as he appears more sincere because the public is been given importance, he shows them that their voice matters. As he demonstrated in Prague when he claimed” that’s why I’m speaking to you in the centre of a Europe that is peaceful, united and free- because ordinary people believed that divisions could be bridged, even when their leaders did the not”( Zubrow, 2009)