History of Diplomacy: 

 
Diplomacy is a profession like medicine or law; its goal is to advance the national interests of a country
through dialogue, negotiation and cooperation with the governments of other countries. It was only in
the 18th Century that the organization and administration of Diplomacy within a single entity i.e.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), run by a Minister, came into force (Berridge, 2005).
The Foreign Office in UK was created in 1782 and the US State Department in 1789. Between 1840 and
1880, the world witnessed the emergence of more such ministries in China, Japan and Turkey. The role
of MFA has expanded greatly over the years as a result of the multiplicity of actors and factors affecting
international politics, international relations and, therefore, the formulation and conduct of Foreign
Policy.
Traditional diplomacy was highly formal, institutional, slow, interpersonal, and usually protected by
secrecy.   In his famous “Fourteen Points” speech of 1918, US President Woodrow Wilson advocated
“open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be no private international
understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall proceed always frankly and in the public view” (Wilson,
1918), thus heralding what came to be known as the “new diplomacy”. This was primarily associated
with exposing diplomacy to the media and public opinion.
Interrelated changes in politics, international relations, and mass communication that occurred in the
last few decades have greatly expanded the media’s role in world events. The revolution in
communication and information technologies (IT), the capability to broadcast –often live e.g. CNN
effect- almost every significant development in world events to almost every place on our globe, and the
creation and expansion of the internet, have led to the globalization of electronic communication and
journalism and to substantial growth in networks, stations and consumers worldwide.
The communication and IT revolution also made the politics of international relations more interactive
and enhanced the role of non-state actors such as opinion leaders and NGOs (Marshall, 1999).
These revolutionary changes have altered the meaning of power in contemporary world politics. It is a
nation or leader’s image, control of information flow, ability to build good bilateral and multilateral
cooperation with other states, and not just their military and economic power, that help determine their
status in the international community. “Soft power”, defined as the ability to achieve desired outcomes
in international affairs through attraction and persuasion rather than coercion, is gradually replacing the
more traditional forms of power (Bennis, 2006).
Governments have had to focus on multilateral cooperation and adopt new tools to deal with the new
challenges of international terrorism, drugs trafficking, money laundering, global organised crime, illegal
immigration, enforced migration, environmental degradation and cyber terrorism. 

Qualities of a Good Diplomat:

The following are the qualities a Good Diplomat should possess, according to Sir Harold Nicolson
(Nicolson, 1998): “Health, rapidity of understanding, patience, comparative sanity, great physical
endurance, charm, no class prejudice up or down, immense curiosity, a neat manner with maps and
papers, industry, accuracy, the power to ask inconvenient questions at the wrong moment, intimacy
with the private secretaries of one’s own plenipotentiaries, the good taste to disguise that intimacy, the
habit of looking upward and not downward when one does not know the answer to a question,
courtesy, ability to type and fix carbon papers, acquaintance with economics, cleanliness, sobriety,
cheerfulness, statistics from sources never mentioned, some proficiency in architecture and literature,
capacity of enduring long dinner parties, honesty, faculty of speaking well some foreign languages, no
consummate belief in the immediate wisdom of the people or the press, a good memory, truthfulness
and a complete sterilization of all human vanity”.

The main functions of diplomats are representation, negotiation, promotion of friendly relations,
protection of the interests of citizens living abroad, and information gathering, analysis and distribution.

In my view, the most important and relevant topics that diplomatic training courses should cover are the
qualities and functions of a good diplomat, how diplomats perform their duties, the risks they are
exposed to and the means/tools they can use to protect themselves, negotiation and communication
skills, the relation and interaction between diplomats and the media as well as the impact of IT on
diplomacy.

Diplomats are now required to be expert in at least two regions and fluent in two languages in order to
be promoted to senior ranks. Currently, record numbers of diplomats are being trained in critical
languages like Chinese, Urdu, Arabic and Farsi. Public diplomacy is now an important part of every
diplomat’s job description. It is crucial to provide a common vision of hope and prosperity while
engaging foreign publics and media.In the absence of clearly defined structures and predictable
operational context, Diplomats rely on their Knowledge in all its variety, as their ultimate resource.

Information is increasingly available. The main question is how to process all the information that has
become available in the era of information explosion and even saturation, in order to obtain value-
added elements. This is the process known as Data-Mining. It entails combining Data, corroborating
information related to them, drawing the analytical conclusions and thus, creating useful knowledge.
Knowledge is the combination of information, training, experience and intuition. In Diplomacy,
Knowledge takes different forms: the general knowledge gathered in education and upbringing,
knowledge of Special Subjects gathered through specific Diplomatic training, knowledge gained through
experience (knowledge of religions, cultures, procedures…etc.).

It is this knowledge that enables Diplomats to act appropriately in unpredictable situations Diplomacy
these days has many new partners, but no single substitute. Political leaders and policy makers may get
news of a crisis first from CNN rather than the relevant embassy cables, but diplomats are still necessary
to provide the detailed political reporting from foreign lands.

Adequate training of diplomats is very important:

To meet the challenges of “new” diplomacy, diplomats must be diverse, well-rounded, active, and able
to carry out multiple tasks. Diplomacy in the 21st Century requires that the right people have the right
skills in the right place at the right time. Continued training and career development programs will
better prepare diplomats and advance their expertise.

Conclusions:

Diplomats are definitely still needed, but what we need are good diplomats. Diplomats are necessary to
preserve world peace, and maintain and promote friendly relations between states. Apart from what is
required of diplomats in the past, diplomats of the 21st century must follow the latest developments of
IT technology and make full use of them. They will not only be analyzing policy and shaping outcomes,
but also running programmes.

They might be also asked to help foreign citizens to promote democracy and nation building, fight
corruption, start businesses, improve healthcare, and reform education. To reach beyond the borders of
the traditional diplomatic structures and beyond foreign capitals, diplomats will have to move out from
behind their desks into the field, from reporting on outcomes to shaping them. In addition, 21st century
technology will be used more widely to engage foreign publics more directly via the media and Internet,
and to better connect diplomats in real time.