The Transformation of Diplomacy: Mysteries, Insurgencies and Public Relations

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Author(s)
Hall, Ian
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2010
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There has lately been a resurgence of interest in the art of diplomacy, fuelled by the growing popularity of the idea of 'soft power'. This article reviews three works key to this revival, all of which argue that a transformed and revitalized diplomacy can and should play a positive role in international politics. One calls for diplomats to overcome their traditional reserve and become 'guerrillas' fighting for a human security, peace and development; another for a broader and deeper engagement with 'public diplomacy' - the practice of speaking to foreign peoples rather than just foreign sovereigns. The last favours a return ...
View more >There has lately been a resurgence of interest in the art of diplomacy, fuelled by the growing popularity of the idea of 'soft power'. This article reviews three works key to this revival, all of which argue that a transformed and revitalized diplomacy can and should play a positive role in international politics. One calls for diplomats to overcome their traditional reserve and become 'guerrillas' fighting for a human security, peace and development; another for a broader and deeper engagement with 'public diplomacy' - the practice of speaking to foreign peoples rather than just foreign sovereigns. The last favours a return to inherited diplomatic wisdom now half-forgotten. While welcoming this renewed concern for diplomacy, this article argues that its place in contemporary international politics is perhaps less secure than the works reviewed allow. The 'management of legitimacy' - the central task of diplomats - is a much more difficult task, it suggests, than is often acknowledged.
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View more >There has lately been a resurgence of interest in the art of diplomacy, fuelled by the growing popularity of the idea of 'soft power'. This article reviews three works key to this revival, all of which argue that a transformed and revitalized diplomacy can and should play a positive role in international politics. One calls for diplomats to overcome their traditional reserve and become 'guerrillas' fighting for a human security, peace and development; another for a broader and deeper engagement with 'public diplomacy' - the practice of speaking to foreign peoples rather than just foreign sovereigns. The last favours a return to inherited diplomatic wisdom now half-forgotten. While welcoming this renewed concern for diplomacy, this article argues that its place in contemporary international politics is perhaps less secure than the works reviewed allow. The 'management of legitimacy' - the central task of diplomats - is a much more difficult task, it suggests, than is often acknowledged.
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Journal Title
International Affairs
Volume
86
Issue
1
Copyright Statement
© 2010 The Royal Institute of International Affairs. Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher. The definitive version is available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/
Subject
International Relations
Policy and Administration
Political Science