My opinion

In my opinion Diplomacy plays huge role in world politics( Public diplomacy, NGOs , international organizations, and etc, all these components are very important in world politics, and i cant imagine world politics without them. To be honest at the start of the module this subject was not very interesting for me, but after short time , when i have started to read topics about Diplomacy, especially Public diplomacy and NGOs i have changed my mind about diplomacy. I have learned new information about NGOs, about their activities about their interests and political preferences, and i have learned lots of information about international organizations, about Embassies of European and Worlds countires about their functions and relationships between each others, due to Embassies European coutries and other countries all around the world can be interconnected and can built strong international and economic relations between each other, and also improvement of technology and such factors as the CNN,the media, electronic spying and etc. due to technology the relations in diplomacy in our days are more ease. Diplomacy is a broad definition, diplomacy is relations between countries, via diplomacy it is possible to improve relations between different international and regional organization and as i mentioned between countries. The temp of international relations will increase-spectacularly by technology and interdependence, technology provides the means for extensive international activity, interdependence makes interconnection inevitable. International organizations are also plays very important role in Diplomacy, NGOs, MNCs and others. The creation of a large number of international organizations led to profound changes in diplomatic method, made necessary by the multilateral nature of the work as well as the fact that these organizations became international actors. The participation of international agencies in the diplomatic process did not challenged. Also International organizations and international conferences have given NGOs greater opportunity to be heard. For example the boards of directors of some international organizations: World Bank invite NGO representatives to participate in their decisionmaking. apart from NGOs there is also MNCs which have their impacts on diplomacy, in my opinion both NGOs and MNCs contributed much to improve relations between countries, and some organizations and groups. Diplomacy is one of the tools they are using to protect their narrow economic interests. To conclude i would like to say that the increasing complex web of interactions among international actors reveals a remarkably large number of people who are doing diplomatic work and taking part in diplomatic process. Diplomacy grew out of a need to maintain relations across cultural and political boundaries, and this need has increased , and diplomacy keeps evolving as the world continues to change. and the world will become more interdependent and interconnected. As i mentioned above the technology is improving very fast and due to it become easier to hold good relations among people and between countries, as technology improves and keeps on improving the diplomatic relations will also improve. Example of technology can be : The CNN Factor. The hot line established between Washington and Moscow in the early 1960s was an effort to cope with this problem under exceptional circumstances-technology was used to bypass the dangerously slow traditional channels. the hot line was a wire connection backed up by radio. In 1971, the hot line was uograted with a satellite connection, later in 1985 it was given fax capacity. In 1999 a parallel hot line was established between the US secretary and its Russian rival. There are plenty of other examples about how technology helped and improved diplomatic negotiations.

Reference:The Dynamics of Diplomacy, Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, page 87

The New Diplomacy

From my reading from week 5 to 7, where Public diplomacy, NGOs( Non-governmental organizations) were discussed i understood that one of the most important aspects in Diplomacy are NGOs- Non-governmental organizations. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are components of civil society. They are very active in open societies. Some of them are lobbies( i.e, special interest groups that try to influence the political system to protect and promote causes) others have narrow focus for example: The National Rifle Association. NGOs may affect the diplomatic process when they succeding rallying public support behind diplomatic initiatives in generating massive opposition. The international campaing in the mid-1990s to ban landmines shows how NGO mobilization of support led to the historic landmine treaty against the opposition of major states, including the United States. Massive NGOS coalitions have also been formed in opposition to international projects for example in 1997-1998 negotiations undertaken by the 29 members of the organization for economic cooperation and development( OECD) to conclude an agreement intended to provide greater forceable protection to international investors. Finally the OECD negotiations foundered and were eventually discounted. For example in September 2006 about 500 nongovernmental groups came to Singapore to take part in annual meeting of the World Bank and IMF, to issue reports critical of the policies of the most institutions. Concerned over the protests at past annual meetings, Singapore at the last minute denied visas to some of the leaders of civil society groups who had been invited to take part in the meeting. and after this western government leaders protested this action and the government of Singapore relented, and then allowed 22 of the 27 banned representatives to enter the country. NGOs alos have sought to participate in the work of the UN General Assembly, a body widely perceived as more important than ECOSOC. Since the 1970s, NGOs have taken part in the committee work of special sessions of the General Assembly concerned with disarmament, economic and social development, drugs and etc. NGOs have for several decades practiced mediation in international and revolutionary conflicts taking diplomatic initiatives of their own. Due to them their effectiveness in this pursuit has given them prominence as international actors. NGOs have been the first international actors to attempt bringing belligerents to the conference table. Some NGOs have been involved in conflict resolution- for example the Charter Center in Atlanta which has a long history of humanitarian mediation.Nongovernmental organizations can be expected to remain extensively involved in the diplomacy of peacemaking. One of their contributions is the implementation of conflict resolution agreements for instance in monitoring what is happening in the field such as the disarming of militias, and also publicly reporting such developments. NGOs are now finding more opportunities to work with government representatives at the international level and acquire new international functions.The increasing participation of NGOs in UN activities is reflected in their being frequently reffered to "nongovernmental partners" in various UN documents. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan acknowledged that "non-governmental organizations are now seen as essential partners of the United Nations, not only in mobilizing public opinion but also in the process of deliberation and policy formulation and-even more important-in the execution of policies, in work on the ground".

Reference:The Dynamics of Diplomacy, Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, p 105-106 and 109-110 and 112 .

Public Diplomacy

At a november 12 informal brownbag discussion at the School of media and Public Affairs, Mr.Mark Asquino the deputy chief of mission at he U.S. embassy in Khartoum , Sudan discussed the current situation in Sudan and U.S. public diplomacy towards the region with students and faculty. In discussing some of the challenges of communicating U.S. policy towards Sudan , Asquino explained that the Obama administrations recent policy review had resulted in a comprehensive approach intended to adress the humanitarian and security dimensions of the Darfur crisis ensure the implementation of the referendum called for under the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement and support Sudan import efforts in counterterrorism. Questions centered on the prospects for successfully holding referendum on Southern Sudans future status. the modalities of revenue sharing of oil profits between the north and south ,and Sudans continuing critical development challenges.

Public opinion in the age of mass communication plays an increasing role in the political life of the states. For example Dag Hammarskjold, during his tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations said that public opinion is "a living force in international affairs" and said that it is the "most important new factor in diplomacy". Public diplomacy involves not only creating a better understanding of the political objectives of the sending state and gaining support for its policies , but apart from this they are also creating an appeal for all aspects of its culture. Embassies are in good position to engage in public diplomacy. But unfortunately the spread of terrorism and insecurity of diplomatic premises are affecting these relations between the embassies and the public diplomacy. For example Michael Lewis wrote about the embassy that the United States rebuilt in Kenya after the 1998 bombing: "An embassy can speak to the world of Americas freedom and openness, and about its confidence as with the Kenya Embassy, its fear. And as these buildings change, so will the public face that America presents to the world. Some embassies go too far to keep the services of public relations firms in the host country to conduct outreach campaigns. and this made the lobbying in countries in which this form of political activity is allowed. it calls a growth industry. For example US firms provide a variety of services to foreign governments , including communication strategy, economic image development, export, tourism promotion, media relations, and so on, tasks that usually performed by embassy personnel. These facts shows that Public diplomacy is keep improving and that embassies plays one of the important roles in improving public diplomacy, and public relations between countries. There also links between Propaganda and Public diplomacy, propaganda has long been associated with the systematic spreading of lies. and it needs a euphemism. But public diplomacy was not the first euphemism for propaganda to be employed by governments; public diplomacy is not propaganda but something quite new and together enlightened. In the course of the 1990s more states accepted the euphemism in other words "public diplomacy" to describe their propaganda operations and in our days it is less or more ubiquitous.

Reference:http://www.gwu.edu/~ipdgc/events/

The dynamics of Diplomacy Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, page 191-192

Diplomacy Theory and Practice 4th edition G.R. Berridge,page 179-181

Traditional Diplomacy

"Old" diplomacy is not that old , and at the same time not all "new" is entirely new. The Old diplomacy is more secret and more exclusive , but the new diplomacy is more open. Diplomacy is an particularly political activity. Diplomacy in its modern form has its immediate origins in the Italian penisula in the late 15th century.it was in the Italian city states system in the late 15th century, when conditions were especially favourable to the further development of diplomacy, that the recognizably modern system first made its appearance. Tnis Italian system, the spirit and methods of whic are captured so well in the despatches of Niccolo Machiavelli, improved in short peroid into the French system that in the middle of thw twentieth century was known so good by the British scholar-diplomat Harold Nicholson. This was fully developed system of diplomacy. Diplomacy is an important means by which states pursue their foreign policies, and these policies are still framed in very important degree in many states in a ministry of foreign affairs. Such ministries also have the major responsibility for a states diplomats who are serving abroad.

After the World War 1 people started to divide Diplomacy into "Old" and "New". We live in 21st century in an era when technology is rapidly developing and improving, and due to this as technology keeps on improving the Diplomacy is improving with it, and because of that there is need in "New" Diplomacy, but it is clear that New diplomacy is based on Old Diplomacy.

For example the 19th century witnessed another development: a new trend in multilateral diplomacy. The congress of Vienna was given the challenge of changing the monumental disruption written by Napoleon, and after this diplomats began to warm up to multilateral work. Conferences played huge role in resolving international issues. Technology was changing the nation-state  system, which resulted in interdependence and more easy communication.In other words technological development contributes significantly to the evolution of diplomatic method, and especially in the area of communication, and alos international organizations have become significant international actors, some organization executives play very important roles, sending their own diplomats on special missions, and of course affecting the course of events. In our days Diplomacy is made even more complex also by transnational actors, whose intervention potential is magnified by communication technology, and apart from this also many NGOs intervene in the diplomatic process in international conferences.

These facts shows us that there is linkage between Old and New diplomacy, they are interconnected between each other, and the "New" diplomacy took useful things from "Old" diplomacy and of  course its based on Old diplomacy, but due to fast growing technological advances and rapid communications, its become easier to diplomats to resolve their problems and issues even via telephones or fax, and for more core issues there is lots of ways for diplomats to gather and decide their issues, though it was difficult in previous times before World War 1, because there was not such advances of technology.

Reference: The Dynamics of Diplomacy, Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, page 42 and 46

 

The Evolution of Diplomacy

The core concept of diplomacy is the idea of communicating, interacting and negotiating with states and other international actors. Diplomacy as practised by foreign services and foreign ministries has seemed in recent years to be in decline. Governments in the post-collectivist age have had wielded few economising axes more deeply than in respect of their management overseas. At times the change has seemed more significant than the fact that diplomacy had always had other functions of diplomacy undergoes constant modification, and it depends, sometimes it goes slowly and sometimes fast. For centuries diplomacy was primarily concerned with matters of war and peace- the use of force-encompassing high politics and strategic interests. These are very imprortant in Diplomacy but a vast variety of other matters have been added to the diplomatci agenda, pertaining to economy, technology, education law and etc. Interdependence and globalization have greatly contributed to this development. I think that due to fastly growing and improving technology, the relations between countries, and its international relations between each other are incrising every day, and this is ofcourse made evolution in Diplomacy. "Diplomacy" is a term that is often used rather loosely, diplomacy is as a method of political interaction at the international level-and the techniques used to carry out political relations across international boundaries. Actually at the core of the meaning of the diplomacy there is idea of communicating, interacting, building contact, and negotiating with states and other international actors. The functions served by diplomacy are growing. Apart from representation, communication, negotiation , observation of the political situation abroad and also reporting diplomatic personnel in our age of mass communication must engage in a good deal of public relations. There is also a greater portion of international relations is bureaucratized , which creates opportunity for members of diplomatic missions to do a greater amount of administrative work. As the world is keep on improving the concepts of diplomacy are improving as well, the transnational and interantional relations is adding a new layer of diplomacy to international transactions. Usually there are (NGOs) nongovernmental organizations and multilateral corporations (MNCs). For example a number of international organizations : the World Health Organization (WHO), the UN Childrens Fund ( UNICEF) have found it effective to work with NGOs. I think that in our days the existence of nongovernmental organizations and alos of multilateral corporations plays very important role and also have a big impact on Diplomacy negotiations, due to them the concept of diplomacy is now much broader.
Negotiations are also very important in Diplomatic negotiations, i would like to say that negotiations is a key concept of diplomacy, as interdependence increases, more diverse issues are brought to the international agenda. Contemporary negotiations, particularly in large multilateral settings are made more difficult by th ideological stance of many of the contributors. and this results in reducing the ability or even the desire to look for a compromise. In addition i want to mention that that comparing to previous times the concept of diplomacy is now much broader and wider.

Reference: The Dynamics of Diplomacy, Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux,page 2-5