Introduction
Diplomacy is an art or skill through which a country’s representatives engage in activities of bolstering peaceful relations between nations, groups, or individuals. Diplomats usually use either spoken or written communication with the intention of influencing events. Diplomacy combines a set of concepts, rules, and protocols that govern the connection between states, international organizations, and diplomatic representatives (Henderson, 2009). This is usually key since it serves the excessive interest in security, economics, and public policy and is important in the management of international relations. This essay will examine the fundamentals of diplomacy and how it can be used to solve problems like terrorism, arms control, and inter-ethnic strife.
Elements of Diplomacy
Formal negotiations between countries are one of the key elements of diplomacy. For successful diplomacy, a country’s representatives, appointed officials, and consulates must have the skill and art of negotiation (Ebben & Sicking, 2020). This will be key to managing peaceful relations between nations. Another key element of diplomacy is strict conformity to protocol. A protocol in simple terms is the etiquette of diplomacy. Representatives of different countries are generally expected to behave respectfully. Total commitment to national interests is also a key element of diplomacy. A country’s appointed representatives have a duty to represent their country’s interests such as economic well-being and international political goals. The above elements are key in maintaining peaceful relations between nations.
Role of Diplomacy in Addressing Terrorism, Arms Limitations, and Ethnic Conflicts
Terrorism has exposed most countries to the threats posed by terrorist groups. Diplomacy can be used to delegitimize violent terrorist groups while diplomatic pressure can be used on countries or individuals deemed to support terrorist groups or organizations. These measures can include the termination of diplomatic relations with such countries. Diplomacy has been used effectively in the fight against the Al Qaeda terrorist group. Different countries use diplomatic means to provide data and evidence to confirm the presence of Al Qaeda (Aydemir, 2022). The neutralization of Al Qaeda was a result of teamwork among global political stakeholders through diplomacy. Thus, diplomacy plays a huge role in the fight against terrorism.
Beyond arms control, a range of official and unofficial diplomatic interactions are being utilized to strengthen security by restricting and prohibiting particular military systems, weapons, and operations. Another crucial concept is non-proliferation, which was incorporated in the 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of nuclear weapons. A nearly universal objective that included demilitarization and the prohibition of the spreading of nuclear weapons, was incorporated into international law by the NPT (Xin, 2022). The treaty served as the basis for a network of connected obligations, benchmarks, policies, and official and informal agreements that ranged from the Ad Hoc Nuclear Suppliers Group to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) (Davis, 2020). It is evident that armament restrictions can be achieved through diplomatic efforts.
Ethnic conflicts mostly arise if ethnic groups compete for the same scarce resources or territory. Negotiations are always a part of diplomatic attempts to resolve any sort of dispute. Negotiations always involve professional representatives and depend on their ethics and abilities. The role of negotiation is to ensure the warring parties can speak to one another, identify their areas of conflict, and find a middle ground. Through negotiation, resources at the center of the conflict can be shared equally to avoid future altercations. It is therefore important to note that to avoid ethnic conflicts to escalate to wars, diplomatic negotiations can be used.
Conclusion
Due to the globalization of the world, nations must negotiate with other nations. Each nation is in a rush to maintain its status as a sovereign nation. Due to this, every nation or state has used its foreign policies to advance its interests. To further their interests, every nation or state has greatly invested in foreign policies and more so in their diplomatic skills. Thus, diplomacy is key for nations, groups, or individuals to maintain peaceful relations.
References
Aydemir, E. (2022). Public diplomacy of the George W. Bush administration: 9/11 and War on Terror. İletişim ve Diplomasi, (8), 25-41.
Davis, Z. S. (2020). In The Proliferation Puzzle. The realist nuclear regime. (pp. 79-99). Routledge.
Ebben, M. A., & Sicking, L. (Eds.). (2020). Beyond ambassadors: consuls, missionaries, and spies in premodern diplomacy. Brill.
Henderson, C. W. (2009). Understanding international law. John Wiley & Sons.
Xin, Z. (2022). China and the treaty on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons (1968-1992). Journal of East China Normal University (Philosophy and Social Sciences), 54(3), 41.