Changes in diplomacy for the last hundred years

This paper will discuss ways in which diplomacy has changed in the last hundred years. The paper will also discuss threats and challenges facing diplomacy in the twenty-first century. For the last hundred years, negotiations and dialogues between states have been conducted through ambassadors and professional diplomats such that there is no chance of war of violence between the two countries. Although in the last one hundred years the decision and agreements between states have been conducted using modern diplomacy, there has been several events of war and disagreements between states, (Tirman, 23-53). First World War and Second World War marked the most significant events when diplomacy was put to the test in the last one hundred years. For instance, the first wave of independence that involved many countries gaining their independence is the Africa and Asia wave of independence (the 1950s -1960s) from European colonialism.

As a result of independent of many countries from colonial rule, a great diversity of states based on power has taken place,(Peter, 12-43). This diversity ranges from superpower state, two billion-strong states followed by nuclear-armed states then mini-states and finally micro-states. In addition to the increase in number of states involved in the international relation, there is also great growth in financial, military and political growth in these states and hence there are many diplomatic agreements that need to be signed among these states. This has increased the activities of professional diplomatic units that facilitating such diplomatic agreements in the last one hundred years. This was after scientists had warned on negative effects of climate change such as global warming.

The international summits formulate policies that are intended to prevent such threat. Other agendas that have been discussed by international summits include HIV/Aid and nuclear power (bomb). Globalization and interdependence between states have increased international diplomacy activities in the last one hundred years. The volume of negotiations between states has highly increased as a result of the increased interaction of people worldwide due to advanced technology, transport, and communication, business activities,(Tirman, 23-53). Currently, the diplomatic summits held does not focus on benefiting the states who are taking part in such international summit instead they focus on solving a challenge or problem affecting another country which is a member of the diplomatic community. For instance, the global summit may be called to explore possible solutions to a given problem like natural catastrophe that has stricken a given state.

For instance, a global summit may converge toexplore various ways in which diplomatic community will support a state that has experienced an earthquake. There are various challenges and threats in the field of diplomacy which include: the involvement of many parties (units) in the field of diplomacy has decreased the resources offered to foreign ministries in many states. This is because the role of foreign departments in the field of diplomacy is not as active as it was in the twentieth century,(Melissen & Maaike, 18-64). " The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy.  Jackie Smith, ‘Social Movements and Multilateralism’, in Edward Newman, Ramesh Thakur, and John Tirman (eds), Multilateralism under Challenge: Power, International Order, and Structural Change (Tokyo: UN University Press, 2006). Melissen, Jan, and Maaike Okano-Heijmans.