DIPLOMACY
definition
Diplomacy is the process of engaging in verbal exchanges between countries through the use of envoys (or their representatives, known as plenipotentiaries).
what is 'acting diplomatically'
"the skill of dealing with people without offending them,” or “the skill of handling affairs without causing hostility"
TRADITIONAL DIPLOMACY
Traditional diplomacy was often conducted in private settings with diplomatic professionals who placed a high value on discretion and social correctness
the public was generally unaware of the contents of intergovernmental discussions
The public are not able to determine if they had “won” or “lost” the outcome of the negotiations, only that an agreement had been reached in which both sides argued that the outcome had served their interests well.
The heart of Diplomacy is centered on face-to-face interaction between governments on issues of mutual interest.
Classic Diplomacy
Classic diplomacy developed in Europe, especially in the Italian and French states, when absolute sovereignty was the norm, along with, importantly, the monarchy.
Sovereign state relations were the king's concern.
Modern Diplomacy
what led to modern diplomacy?
A series of secret treaties and protocols resulted in World War I
The old system(Classic diplomacy) was blamed, and democratization seemed inevitable.
political democratization emerged as a result of WW1 which reflected a shift in sovereignty and a growing perception of corruption.
WOODROW WILSON
U.S. President Woodrow Wilson exemplified the assault on the old system(Classic diplomacy).
He believed that applying democratic principles to international relations would result in a more peaceful and efficient international system.
In his opinion, both the diplomatic process and the results of international agreements should be open to public scrutiny.
This would eliminate the pattern of secret agreements that are negotiated and implemented in secret.
Postmodern (Contemporary) Diplomacy
Characteristics of Contemporary Diplomacy
Expansion and diversification of the range of diplomatic players.
Declining autonomy of ambassadors and embassies due to centralization of decision-making in national capitals.
Public opinion pressure for greater openness and political accountability in diplomacy.
The growing importance of summit diplomacy.
Characteristics of Contemporary Diplomacy
The first characteristic is the proliferation of different types of diplomatic actors.
Changes in the basic structure of the international system are largely responsible for this.
Due to democratization after World War II, the system became less universal and more parochial in terms of values since diplomacy was conducted exclusively by citizens of the countries involved.
how did the system become less universal and more parochial?
The addition of new countries from historically non-diplomatic regions, which tend to have different values or have little experience in diplomatic practices, is one example. e.g North Korea
Secondly, there is the addition of nonstate actors, groups within or among states whose objectives differ in significant ways from those of traditional actors.
The second characteristic is the continued decline in the role of ambassadors in decision-making.
Improved communication has made it easier for national governments to communicate and even negotiate with counterpart leaders, allowing them virtually to ignore the advice of diplomatic corps members and their accumulated knowledge.
The third characteristic is the public's demand for greater transparency and accountability in diplomatic practices.
This phenomenon was intended to slow down secret alliances and other elite-dominated practices.
The fourth characteristic is the growing importance of summit diplomacy.
First, the growing importance of summit diplomacy removes professional diplomats from the negotiating process.
Second, these negotiations are usually more media-driven "photo ops" than serious, detailed discussions that result in detailed, concrete resolutions of problems.
Negotiations and the U.S.-Mexico Border (“The Trump Wall”)
Building a physical barrier in place became Trump's signature political issue.
This transformed a diplomatic problem into a highly charged political one, shifting the nature of any resolution process from diplomatic practice toward partisan politics.
Trump Presidency 2017
Since his presidency, the land border between the U.S. and Mexico has been the source of international, and therefore diplomatic, interactions, and disagreements between the two North American powers.
Negotiations were not conducted in a quiet, behind-the-scenes manner where parties came to an agreement that they could live with.
Trump simply said that a wall would be built, and Mexico would pay for it.
Mexicans refused, and the issue persisted during Trump's presidency.
The issue was effectively resolved when new president Biden announced on January 2021, that he would spend no additional funds on “Trump’s Wall.”
Aspects of the U.S.-Mexico Border Dispute
The Immigration Problem
Because the less-developed world rubs against its more prosperous neighbor, there is a constant influx of foreigners into the United States from south of the border.
These immigrants can be classified into three groups.
economic immigrants
These are immigrants who migrate to the United States in order to earn a better living than in their home countries.
They perform jobs Americans don't want: the so-called 3-D jobs (dirty, dangerous, and difficult).
Their crime rate is much lower than that of the general American population.
political immigrants
These are asylum seekers fleeing oppression and death in their home countries, primarily in Central America (Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador).
criminal immigrants
Most members of this group are involved in criminal cartels and organizations dealing in narcotics, and they migrate to the U.S. to sell and profit from narcotics.
The real threat to border security is posed by these "narco-gangs," many of whom are Mexicans.
Drugs
The flow of illegal narcotics northward into the United States is the core security issue on the southern border.
There are two ways in which drug traffic contributes to the border crisis.
Second, drug trafficking is the primary cause of virtually all crime and violence associated with illegal immigration.
First, it fuels a significant part of the U.S. drug epidemic, a public health and crime menace of significant proportions that dates back decades.
Why was the Trump initiative to build a wall between the United States and Mexico a failure of diplomacy?
There are at least two underlying reasons for this failure.
The first is that the two countries do not share the same goal equally.
US border control regulates and limits the flow of people and goods northward.
The U.S. has no reciprocal emphasis southward except for the flow of illegal American weapons to Mexican cartels.
The problem is mainly about migration northward (especially of undocumented Mexicans who want to become Americans) and illicit goods.
There is no Mexican equivalent. The border issue is primarily an American interest, not a bilateral concern.
A second cause of failure lies at the heart of the current situation: the failure of diplomacy.
Because the United States has more power, it tends to impose unilateral solutions to border disputes rather than negotiate them with a coequal sovereign state.
Rather than a failure of diplomacy, it is a failure to engage in meaningful diplomatic interactions.
KEY ELEMENT TO DIPLOMACY?
The key element is compromise, a willingness to accept less than one might wish in order to facilitate a result that will satisfy both parties.