The information revolution and the diplomatic institutions under pressure brings out the question if diplomacy has faced just a mere evolution or if it has gone to a total transformed stage.
The railways provided a great mobility to diplomats, the electric telegraph, radio, telephone, television, all of them enabled faster communication, while it weakened the diplomatic independence. But neither of them evolved so fast paced and challenged diplomacy practice as Information and Communication Technology is doing. Once was the government responsibility to have the capacity to control the distribution of information, it was defined by the government how much information their citizens should have access to. However, this scenario is in a fast transition
The reach of knowledge has increased, therefore, the individuals become more active in foreign policy matters. Better informed individuals could be an obstacle to diplomacy (diplomats ‘sell’ information), yet, a better knowledge means a faster and easier explanation of the considerations in any government’s foreign policy. A more informed international community, “linked by greater and faster information flows, provides a better stage in which diplomats can operate than one where information is restricted”
Although, the recent developments in technology have led to a more informed public, it does not have the capacity to lead diplomatic issues in secrecy, which is one of the most valuable privileges that traditional diplomacy has. And a diplomat also “has learned that not only are the best results obtained through confidentiality and privacy, but that often results can be obtained in no other way”
Global information infrastructure is just providing diplomacy new instruments and venues to undertake traditional diplomatic functions. Instead of replacement, the Information technology and traditional diplomacy can co-habit and be productive
The Information and communication technology is far from excluding diplomacy, instead, it offers diplomats new ways to gain information, coordinate national positions, make connections and exert influence. In order to achieve a sustainable future between them, diplomacy must be flexible enough to interpret their representation in new ways.
One of the examples of how diplomacy has evolved and how it has balanced traditional diplomacy and cyber one is the Russian embassy in London. Where we were asked to post a video online in order to raise questions
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