Diplomacy in the Digital Age
- By Brian Hocking and Jan Melissen
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 26, 2015
In each of these three cases, communication flows were distinctive and reflected the character of the issues and the range of actors and interests involved. In many senses, the Iran nuclear negotiations and the PSVI were poles apart. In the first case, the negotiations accorded with more traditional images of diplomacy: at the same time, digital diplomacy was present in the management of domestic constituencies and has been credited with symbolizing changes in the overall Iranian stance. With PSVI, communications through social media gradually permeated the DNA of the negotiations. The entire process of establishing the agenda and assembling and monitoring the networks of interests on which it rested demanded the use of digital resources.
Consular diplomacy
The consular challenge is perhaps the most pressing one at the opening of the digital age, with citizens demanding help from government and services that meet both the technological standard set by society as well as the human touch that is essential to this form of diplomacy. The rather outmoded term 'consular affairs' no longer covers what is going on, and harks back to the image of a world that never existed: one in which consular matters and diplomatic affairs did not appear to intersect. Consular diplomacy overlaps with other areas of MFA activity such as economic diplomacy, public diplomacy, and development aid and consular controversies have the capacity to seriously affect overall bilateral relations. There are many examples of serious political frictions triggered by consular issues, and high-profile cases tend to attract a lot attention at home. What could be called the 'five P's' – public opinion, parliament, the press, principals within foreign ministries, and politicians – need no persuasion that consular services are a core task of government, and this is the area of diplomatic activity where the technological challenge is most palpable.
Inside MFAs consular work has come a long way, but now represents the highest volume of interaction with the public. In terms of the number of staff, consular departments are the largest sector within many if not most foreign ministries. In a 2013 survey of consular officials commissioned by the Global Consular Forum (GCF), an informal conference of foreign ministries, George Haynal, Michael Welsh and Mikayla Wicks sum up the challenge as follows:
“More” defines the consular landscape: more travelers, more overseas workers, more scrutiny, more complex case work, more emergencies, more exotic locations, and more expectations of a timely and personalized service. Technology is a major new factor, empowering governments, but also energizing clients more.
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