Interluding Times In Diplomacy, Is E-Diplomacy a Silver Bullet?
I n this unprecedented situation, everything is molding itself into the new phase, coping with the unprecedented lamentable blow brought to us by the Covid-19 pandemic. At first, even the governments were dumbfounded by the crises and situations that were brought to their desks, but eventually, everything started to take its seats to the virtual world finding a more parallel and even reliable alternative in certain aspects.
Even the persuasions, discussions, and decisions of Diplomacy were also taken to the virtual world, leaving the world leaders with no other option. There is a new face of diplomacy, where long days of travel, the Z-Security, and even protocols take a back seat. This is a time where we can look toward an emerging concept, E-Diplomacy or Digital Diplomacy, were world leaders can maintain long social distancing norms and annihilate handshakes for better diplomatic ties of coming together and sharing resources and skills.
This new change came with its own ups and downs. The traditional way that included planning and travelling for days to reach a particular meeting, maintaining all the security and social norms of the place was suddenly taken away by the new alternative.
Taking such high-level meetings to the digital space plummeted the cost of conduction of such meetings, which may seem trivial, but governments usually spend thousands of dollars for all the entourages, arrangements, and safety of officials during such events. This could also save millions of dollars spent on fuel and other transport arrangements . The second biggest concern during sensitive meetings and events is often the security of the diplomats and high-level personalities who participate. This does not just have an economic angle but also a political threat, as diplomatic deaths could even trigger wars, taking the world to risk, which the world has already witnessed in many past cases.
The new heights in diplomacy was also able to take more delegates and higher offices to the round tables. President Joe-Biden attended the Munich Security Conference this year, the UNGA meetings held a record number of participations, all setting examples in the E-diplomatic world where the traditional issues of security and time consumption acquire less importance.
The new form of this governance was also taken forward by India and Australia in their recent meeting for ratifying a number of cumbersome agreements, which include issues in the field of Disaster Management, Maritime Co-operation, and even in the field of Defence. The high-level meetings were also able to source more expertise and opinions from around the world without adding extra bills to the meeting budgets when compared to the traditional way.
In this scenario, it is appreciable that the world governments have come together to cope with this change. Many global meetings took their stage to the e-world, such as the meetings of SAARC countries, NAM, G-20, UNGA, WHO, all of which stand as best examples. But the question here is can we continue such a kind of Diplomacy? Does it meet all the requirements and strengthen the relationships between the world leaders and the countries? Can talking through a virtual screen be able to reconcile two torn parts, halt wars, sign peace deals, and make sudden plenipotentiary decisions?
Even though it may appear to be pragmatic, the solution of e-diplomacy is quixotic and not an ephemeral solution. This is because many challenges wave at this type of diplomacy. The first and foremost challenge is that it is based on technological gadgets that are vulnerable to attacks and tracking and even worse threats when they fall in to the hands of the wrong titleholders. Another issue is that diplomacy is getting shifted from the diplomatic rooms to the official handles of Twitter and Facebook.
The role of the Chinese Embassy in Ireland’s Aesop fable analogy exemplifies the vulnerabilities that can come forward. And even before the pandemic, the pages of digital diplomacy had its stain when Radosław Sikorski made an early and urging tweet on the Ukraine Europe issue even before any official announcement was released.
These are just the forefront issues but delving deeper, diplomacy is not always about the meetings held in 5-star conference rooms and the diplomatic reception room at the white house, it is also about meetings held between the tribes of Syria to the warlords of Afghanistan to persuade, to induce and to create an impact for the better change. Digital Diplomacy could be a hindrance and even dangerous at such negotiations when it provides a spectrum of challenges that range from the digital divide to the possibility of pinpointing location coordinates for targeted attacks.
And at its peak, the basic foundation which most diplomatic meetings require is that of a confidential space that the leaders prefer to be away from the domestic lands of either parties. The India-China negotiations on the Galwan-Ladakh issues was not held either in China or India but in Russia, the US-Taliban peace deal was signed in Oman, and the list continues, as such a confidential space cannot be provided by the Virtual vulnerable screens which are prone to attacks, viruses, and back doors for data leaks. And when these discussions are open on public platforms it could shatter the acumen of decision-makers and vacillate depending on the ramifications when a large audience of interethnic backgrounds are included.
Diplomatic relationships have to be more affirmative to both the country and the people. The need for the leaders to maintain a personal relationship with their counterparts can nourish and catalyze the combined growth of all parties involved. Diplomatic meetups are always driven by stringent procedures and protocols, and lack of these may adversely affect the relationships, status, and cultures of the countries involved which all of them hold on to.
Face to face interactions, warm handshakes, and informal talks at the dinner table between the world leaders have encouraged symbolic and political relationships. Virtual diplomacy may have the meetings held, but cannot replace the after talks behind the closed doors where important, pragmatic, and stringent decisions are made. And today the leaders are making their way back to the round table and personal discussions, as seen exemplified in the recent G-7 meetings.
Classic diplomacy did not end when Lord Palmerston reacted with “My God, this is the end of diplomacy!” on receiving the first telegraph message in the 1850s. But in this pandemic situation as all other options are closed we had to rely upon such novel methods, but after curtailing the problems, the countries and leaders should consider the possibility and feasibility of rejuvenating the status-quo in the world of diplomacy by propounding a hybrid version of the traditional way along with the virtual one for a more peaceful and powerful tomorrow.
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