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New realities in foreign affairs: diplomacy in the 21st century
Die neue Wirklichkeit der Außenpolitik: Diplomatie im 21. Jahrhundert
[research report]
(ed.)
Corporate Editor
Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik -SWP- Deutsches Institut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit
Abstract Modern diplomacy is currently experiencing fundamental changes at an unprecedented rate, which affect the very character of diplomacy as we know it. These changes also affect aspects of domestic and international politics that were once of no great concern to diplomacy. Technical developments, main... view more
Modern diplomacy is currently experiencing fundamental changes at an unprecedented rate, which affect the very character of diplomacy as we know it. These changes also affect aspects of domestic and international politics that were once of no great concern to diplomacy. Technical developments, mainly digitization, affect how the work of the diplomat is understood; the number of domestic and international actors whose activity implicates (or is a form of) diplomacy is increasing; the public is more sensitive to foreign policy issues and seeks to influence diplomacy through social media and other platforms; the way exchange between states, as well as the interchange between government and other domestic actors, progresses is influencing diplomacy’s ability to act legitimately and effectively; and finally, diplomats themselves do not necessarily need the same attributes as they previously did. These trends, reflecting general societal developments, need to be absorbed by diplomacy as part of state governance. Ministries of Foreign Affairs, diplomats and governments in general should therefore be proactive in four areas: 1. Diplomats must understand the tension between individual needs and state requirements, and engage with that tension without detriment to the state. 2. Digitization must be employed in such a way that gains in efficiency are not at the expense of efficacy. 3. Forms of mediation should be developed that reconcile the interests of all sides allowing governments to operate as sovereign states, and yet simultaneously use the influence and potential of other actors. 4. New and more open state activities need to be advanced that respond to the ways in which emotionalized publics who wish to participate in governance express themselves. (author's abstract)... view less
Keywords
EU; international relations; role; foreign policy; international trade policy; Federal Republic of Germany; twenty-first century; digitalization; political influence; international cooperation; effects of technology; information technology; social media; development policy; technological change; data exchange; communication technology; international system; diplomacy; digital media
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
International Relations, International Politics, Foreign Affairs, Development Policy
Free Keywords
global; Status im internationalen System; Wechselwirkung von internationalen und nationalen Prozessen; internationale Ordnung; internationaler Akteur; internationaler nichtstaatlicher Akteur
Document language
English
Publication Year
2018
City
Berlin
Page/Pages
69 p.
Series
SWP Research Paper, 11/2018
ISSN
1863-1053
Status
Published Version; reviewed
Licence
Deposit Licence - No Redistribution, No Modifications