Modern Diplomacy and the Changing Nature of International Politics in the 21st Century
Main Article Content
Keywords
COVID-19, Globalisation, Modern Diplomacy, Post-Cold War International Politics, The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)
Abstract
International politics have become more complex since the end of the Cold War in the late 1980s, and consequently, it confuses traditional diplomats.[i] This intricacy is because the post-Cold War international era requires diplomacy to move from being foremost about high politics such as security, military and geopolitical issues to incorporating a wider and growing scope of issues outside of a state’s national borders like migration, gender, global warming, desertification and diseases. Not only are these novel policy themes an indication of how diplomacy’s agenda is growing, but they also indicate that an increasing number of participating stakeholders must be included in contemporary diplomatic practice.[ii] To further scrutinise the phenomena driving change and influencing modern diplomacy, the research utilises specific and relevant international political issues such as post-Cold War international politics, the hegemonic decline of the US, the rise of China, the problems in the Middle East, nuclear disarmament, climate change, Globalisation, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the COVID-19 pandemic and diplomatic inflation.
1) Haynes 2011, 5-6, 8; Stern 2015; Spies 2019a, 42-43.
[ii]) Haynes 2011, 8; Sharp 1999, 33; Spies 2019a, 42-43.
Article Metrics Graph
References
AdGully. (2020, June 25). Digital spending will be up by 57.5% by 2022: Sir Martin Sorrell. https://www.adgully.com/digital-spends-will-be-up-by-57-5-by-2022-sir-martin-sorrell-94208.html
Adkins, T. (2024). What the National Debt Means to You. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/10/national-debt.asp
Aksoy, M., & Çiçek, A. S. (2018). Redefining Diplomacy in the 21st Century & Examining the Characteristics of an Ideal Diplomat. MANAS Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi, 7(3), 907–921.
Alejo, A. (2019). Contemporary Diplomacy, Global Politics, and Nongovernmental Actors: Dilemmas of the Multistakeholder Mechanism of Participation in Mexico. Politics and Policy, 47(1), 105–126. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12284
Barston, R. P. (2019). Modern Diplomacy (Fifth Edit). World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351270090
Cai, K. G. (2018). The One Belt One Road and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank: Beijing’s New Strategy of Geoeconomics and Geopolitics. Journal of Contemporary China, 27(114). https://doi.org/10.1080/10670564.2018.1488101
Ciongaru, E. (2019). Conceptual Evolutions Of Sovereignty - A Constitutional Attribute - In The Context Of Globalisation. Fiat Iustitia, 13(1), 71–79.
Cociu, D. M. (2020). COVID: A Special Report. California Broker, 38(9). https://www.calbrokermag.com/in-this-issue/covid-special-report/
Dal, E. P. (2018). Middle powers in global governance: The rise of Turkey. In Middle Powers in Global Governance: The Rise of Turkey. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-72365-5
Davis, N. (2016, January 19). What is the Fourth Industrial Revolution? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/what-is-the-fourth-industrial-revolution/
Dilek, O. (2010). The decline of American hegemony, financial paralysis and the ascent of China: The political economy of the present economic debacle. Journal of Balkan and Near Eastern Studies, 12(2), 155–171. https://doi.org/10.1080/19448951003791807
Duran, B. (2020). The Future of Global Great Power Competition after the Coronavirus. Insight Turkey, 22(2). https://doi.org/10.25253/99.2020222.06
Emmerson, B. D. K. (2020). Covid-19, an Asteroid and the Need to Co-operate. Global Asia, 15(2), 107–110.
Evans, G., & Newman, R. (1998). Penguin Books: The Penguin Dictionary of International Relations. Penguin Books.
Fried, D., & Volker, K. (2022, February 18). The Speech in which Putin told us Who He Was. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/02/18/putin-speech-wake-up-call-post-cold-war-order-liberal-2007-00009918
Gamble, A. (2010). A New World Order ? The Aftermath of the. April 2008–2010.
Garcia, F. J. (2013). Introduction: Globalization, Power, States, and the Role of Law. Boston College Law Review, 54(3), 903–919. http://lawdigitalcommons.bc.edu/bclr/vol54/iss3/3
Groscurth, C. R. (2019). Future-Ready Leadership: Strategies for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Praeger. https://doi.org/10.5040/9798400655357
Hannah, L. J. (2015). Climate Change Biology. In Climate Change Biology (2nd ed.). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-420218-4.00005-6
Hayes, A. (2023). Blockchain Facts: What Is It, How It Works, and How It Can Be Used. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/blockchain.asp
Haynes, J., Hough, P., Malik, S., & Lloyd, P. (2011). World Politics: International Relations and Globalisation in the 21st Century. Routledge.
Heywood, A. (1997). Politics. Palgrave. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-25543-6
Kazimov, E. Z. oglu. (2020). Contemporary International Relations in the Context of Globalization. Gileya, 153, 431–434.
Keaney, M. (2017). The Buck Stops Here: The Return of US Decline. World Review of Political Economy, 8(2), 253. https://doi.org/10.13169/worlrevipoliecon.8.2.0253
Kenton, W. (2024). Debt-to-GDP Ratio: Formula and What It Can Tell You. Investopedia. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/debtgdpratio.asp
Kirby, P. (2022, November 16). Why has Russia Invaded Ukraine and what does Putin want? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56720589
Latifi, V. (2020). On the New-Old Political Concepts: Re-Conceptualizing and Expanding the Views in Studying Politics Following the Impact of Globalization. SEEU Review, 14(2), 94–113. https://doi.org/10.2478/seeur-2019-0021
Layne, C. (2018). The US-Chinese power shift and the end of the Pax Americana. International Affairs, 94(1), 89–111. https://doi.org/10.1093/ia/iix249
Lüdeking, R. (2020). Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation in Times of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Arms Control Today, 50(5).
Maule, W. (2019). The 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) – Potential Risks and Benefits for South Africa? The Journal of Medical Laboratory Science &Technology, 1(4), 4–6.
McGowan, P. J., & Nel, P. (2002). Power, Wealth and Global Equity: An International Relations Textbook for Africa. CTP Press.
Nah, L. T. (2019). The prisoner’s dilemma and the U.S.–DPRK summit in Vietnam. North Korean Review, 15(2), 90–96.
Navarro, J. T. (2019). From propaganda to new public diplomacy: Experienced and new stakeholders in international communication. Revista UNISCI, 2019(50), 151–168. https://doi.org/10.31439/UNISCI-53
Nordhaus, W. (2020). The Climate Club: How to Fix a Failing Global Effort. Foreign Affairs, 99(3).
Norwich University. (2024). Consequences of the Collapse of the Soviet Union. https://online.norwich.edu/online/about/resource-library/consequences-collapse-soviet-union
Nye, J. S., & Welch, D. A. (2017). Understanding global conflict and cooperation : An introduction to theory & history (10th ed.).
Onwughalu, V. C., & Ojakorotu, V. (2020). The 4th Industrial Revolution: An Opportunity for Africa’s “Decolonization” and Development or Recolonization? African Renaissance, 17(1), 75–93. https://doi.org/10.31920/2516-5305/2020/17N1A4
Oosthuizen, Marc E. (2024). Four major challenges in modern diplomacy: How the specialist diplomatic hierarchy can help. World Affairs, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/waf2.12026
Oosthuizen, Marc Emile. (2019). An Analysis of the United States of America’s Hegemony after the 2008 / 2009 Global Economic Crisis and its Implications for South Africa. The University of South Africa.
Pace, A. (2019, April 17). SA Doctors Cure Deafness using 3D Printing Tech. Cape{town}etc. https://www.capetownetc.com/news/sa-doctors-cure-deafness-using-3d-printing-tech/
Palamara, G. (2020). A Fragility Factor within the International System. 5(1), 377–382.
Plous, S. (1993). The Nuclear Arms Race: Prisoner’s Dilemma or Perceptual Dilemma? Journal of Peace Research, 30(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/0022343393030002004
Punnoose, S. K., & Vinodan, C. (2019). The Rise of China and Power Transition in Contemporary International Relations. IUP Journal of International Relations, 13(1), 7–27.
Rennen, W., & Martens, P. (2003). The Globalisation Timeline. Integrated Assessment, 4(3), 137–144. https://doi.org/10.1076/iaij.4.3.137.23768
Ruacan, I. Z. (2013). International and World Society: Toward an English School Theory of Legitimate Supranational Systems. University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Sakwa, R. (2017). Cold War to Cold Peace. In Russia Against the Rest: The Post-Cold War Crisis of World Order. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316675885
Sevin, E., & Manor, I. (2019). From Embassy Ties to Twitter Links: Comparing Offline and Online Diplomatic Networks. Policy and Internet, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1002/poi3.199
Sharp, P. (1999). For diplomacy: Representation and the study of international relations. International Studies Review, 1(1), 33–57. https://doi.org/10.1111/1521-9488.00140
Sinton, T. (2019). The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Rock Products, 122(11), 20.
Smith, S. A., & McClean, C. T. (2020). COVID-19 Overtakes Japan and the United States. Comparative Connections, 22(1).
Spies, Y. K. (2019). Global Diplomacy and International Society. Palgrave MacMillan. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203402801_international_society
Stephens, P. (2018, June 1). The Decline and Fall of US Diplomacy. The CSS Point. https://thecsspoint.com/the-decline-and-fall-of-us-diplomacy-by-philip-stephens/
Stern, M. (2015). 5 Trends for the Future of Diplomacy. In World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/08/5-trends-for-the-future-of-diplomacy/
Suri, J. (2019). The Long Rise and Sudden Fall of American Diplomacy. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/04/17/the-long-rise-and-sudden-fall-of-american-diplomacy/
Tella, O. (2018). The African Union’s soft power: An assessment of transnational power of attraction. African Security, 11(3), 201–222. https://doi.org/10.1080/19392206.2018.1507663
The Economist. (2020, February 20). Shotgun Diplomacy: How Sweden Copes with Chinese Bullying. https://www.economist.com/europe/2020/02/20/how-sweden-copes-with-chinese-bullying
Vandenberg, P. (2020). The Fourth Industrial Revolution. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 25(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/13547860.2019.1686320
Volgy, T. J., Frazier, D. V, & Ingersoll, R. S. (2003). and Group Hegemony : G-7 Voting Cohesion in the UN General. 6, 51–70.
Volgy, T. J., Kanthak, K., Frazier, D., & Ingersoll, R. S. (2005). Resistance to Hegemony within the Core : Domestic Politics, Terrorism, and Policy Divergence within the G7 Resistance to Hegemony within the Core : Domestic Politics, Terrorism, and Policy Divergence within the G7. Policy.
Volgy, T. J., Kanthak, K., & Ingersoll, R. S. (2004). The G7, international terrorism and domestic politics: Modeling policy cohesion in response to systemic disturbance. International Interactions, 30(3), 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050620490492079
Wallerstein, I. (1983). The Three Instances of Hegemony in the History of the Capitalist World Economy. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 24(1–2). https://doi.org/10.1177/002071528302400107
Wallerstein, I. (2002). The eagle has crash-landed. Foreign Policy, 131, 60–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/3183418
Wang, J. (2011). Introduction - China’s Search of Soft Power. In Soft Power in China: Public Diplomacy Through Communication (pp. IX-XI). St. Martin’s Press LLC. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230116375
Yanovska, V., Levchenko, O., Tvoronovych, V., & Bozhok, A. (2019). Digital Transformation of the Ukrainian Economy: Digitization and Transformation of Business Models. SHS Web of Conferences, 67(05003). https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20196705003