Diplomacy has changed through the centuries and it is obvious to say that it will continue to change. However, this change is more about the ways that diplomacy has been developed than about the core of the activity. In the past years, crucial information carried by a ship took several months to reach its destination, as happened with D. João VI in Brazil in 1821: when he knew about the convocation of the liberal courts in Portugal and opposed it, the entire reunion had already happened weeks ago.
Emerging technologies, such as the telegraph, and faster means of transport, mainly the airplane, caused a deep and important change in human interactions and obviously affected diplomacy as well: with a telegraph, D. João VI may have avoided a revolution in Portugal and the history would be totally different.
Nevertheless, today we are witnessing an even bigger revolution. The way that the internet has changed human behavior and created new forms of interaction led to a change or even to a demise of a lot of professions, while new ones are arising. Diplomacy, in its turn, has experienced profound modifications: online meetings and negotiations, the use of Twitter for diplomacy and debates of presidents, along with data leakage and the rise of AI are some of the challenges putting an extra layer in an already complex function.
However, its ultimate goals remain the same: representing, negotiating, and reporting. This sacred triad continues to guide diplomats, no matter the environment in which they operate, which leads us to discuss the balance between the new and the old methods.
On one hand, it’s impossible to fight against the new technologies – to not say that it is nonsense. Diplomats have to embrace all new opportunities to make their job better and well done. The use of online meetings, for example, may facilitate debates and pre-arrangements, reducing time spent and costs. The AI could be an ally to make the texts of the agreements clearer for all parts, reducing dubious terms. On the other hand, there is the art of negotiating, convincing, and, one of the key points, confidence. Humans have this necessity of direct contact, eye to eye, and feel if they really can believe in what’s being said. Simple gestures and postures could make the difference between a good agreement and a diplomatic impasse.
Despite being highly advanced, the new technologies can’t provide this kind of interaction until now. And it is unlikely that it would replace human presence one day. Diplomacy has its protocols, conventions and behaviors that in some point have a cultural or artistic status. As a poem or a music composition, the art of diplomacy has its fascination and uniqueness, and no machinery can replace that. A diplomacy for a new era needs to use the new technologies, however, without forgetting about her essence.