Diplomacy in a Changing World

We have witnessed, since the end of the Cold War, a dramatic shift in the way which international actors manage their diplomacy and foreign policy. Two key factors have fundamentally influenced the contemporary international relations. The cornerstone of these factors is the fast development of new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and its impact on diplomacy practices. New ICTs have effectively threatened the official diplomats’ central position in the conduct of foreign affairs, and they have undermined some of diplomats’ principal functions as well. The new ICTs, especially global television channels and Internet, have replaced in many cases ambassadors as a main resource of foreign information.