Diplomacy 4.0: The Rise of Artificial Intelligence as a Subject of Diplomatic Negotiations11/20/2023  As the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution continues, governments and international organizations are rapidly expanding diplomatic negotiations on the subject. In this blog post, I continue analyzing Artificial Intelligence in diplomacy, now focusing on AI as a subject of Diplomacy. As in my previous post, Diplomacy 4.0: How Artificial Intelligence in Changing Diplomacy? diplomacy-40-how-artificial-intelligence-is-changing-diplomacy.html, I will be using DiploFoundation´s perspective on how AI influences diplomacy (DiploFoundation, 2019, p. 14-15), which divides them into three: a) AI as a diplomatic tool; b) AI as a topic of diplomacy, and c) the consequences of AI on the international system. First, let's say that it is tough to follow up on the discussion on AI, as most international organizations and other multilateral mechanisms analyze the topic from different perspectives. However, the concerns about AI did not appear with the launching of ChatGPT a year ago. In many multilateral forums, AI has been discussed for quite some time. AI´s impact on all fronts makes it a theme for discussion in every single arena, from ethics and biases to human rights and democracy, including data protection and economic development. Kurbalija (2023, November 10) indicates that AI governance needs to be seen as different layers, starting from the hardware, including the chips used to power AI systems, followed by data, algorithms, and apps. This division is useful as it helps focus on specific aspects of each layer. Many organizations see AI as a great tool to help countries achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. In general, the development of AI has significant policy implications in four main areas: social and economic, safety and security, human rights, and ethical concerns (Digwatch, n.d., Artificial Intelligence). Some recent examples of AI as an issue for diplomacy are:
In the following section, there is a brief review of some of the most important activities related to AI as a topic of diplomacy. For an in-depth view, make sure you visit AI’s Digwatch webpage. UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. In November 2021, all member states of UNESCO (193 countries) adopted the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. It was a significant milestone regarding AI because rarely all 193 countries agreed on such a controversial topic, even with no binding guidelines. Besides, it is a very influential document as it is the only one of such documents or efforts. “What makes the Recommendation exceptionally applicable are its extensive Policy Action Areas, which allow policymakers to translate the core values and principles into action with respect to data governance, environment and ecosystems, gender, education and research, and health and social wellbeing, among many other spheres” (UNESCO, n.d.). UN Secretary-General efforts on AI. The UN and its organs have been working on several fronts to promote greater international collaboration in digital technology. Besides UNESCO, the Secretary-General has been promoting several actions in preparation for the Summit of the Future in September 2024. Here are some of the highlights of the different efforts:
The UN Secretary-General Envoy on Technology. After a year after establishing the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, in June 2022, António Guterres named Amandeep Singh Gill the first UN Secretary-General Envoy on Technology. This is significant because the office “coordinates the implementation of the Secretary-General’s Roadmap on Digital Cooperation and will advance work towards the Global Digital Compact” (Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, n.d.) The UN High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence In October 2023, “UN Secretary-General António Guterres unveiled a new advisory body dedicated to developing consensus around the risks posed by artificial intelligence and how international cooperation can help meet those challenges” (Henshall, 2023). The High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence has 38 members and met for the first time in November 2023. “The Body will offer diverse perspectives and options on how AI can be governed for the common good, aligning internationally interoperable governance with human rights and the Sustainable Development Goals.” (Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, n.d.) The Council of Europe’s Convention on AI and Human Rights. This is an important negotiation, as it could be the first international treaty on the subject. The Council of Europe (CoE) established the Committee on Artificial Intelligence in 2021 with the goal of “elaborating a legal instrument on the development, design, and application of artificial intelligence (AI) systems based on the CoE’s standards on human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and conducive to innovation” (Digwatch, n.d., Convention on AI and human rights). European Union Artificial Intelligence Act. The European Commission proposed the Artificial Intelligence Act as part of the European Union's digital strategy, which already includes the General Data Protection Regulation (DGPR) (2018) and the Digital Market Act(2022). “Once approved, these [AI regulations] will be the world’s first rules on AI” (European Parliament, 2023a). The EU standpoint is that “AI systems that can be used in different applications are analysed and classified according to the risk they pose to users. The different risk levels will mean more or less regulation” (EuropeanParliament, 2023a). In June 2023, the “European Parliament adopted its negotiating position on the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act … ahead of talks with EU member states on the final shape of the law” (European Parliament, 2023b). The negotiations between member states have advanced. However, recently, there were some disagreements that might delay the approval, which was expected as early as December. AI governance is at the core of diplomatic negotiations. Because AI´s impact on the world is transformational, all diplomatic endeavors center on its governance/regulations. “When debates on AI governance first emerged, one overarching question was whether AI-related challenges (in areas such as safety, privacy, and ethics) call for new legal and regulatory frameworks, or whether existing ones could be adapted to also cover AI. Applying and adapting existing regulation was seen by many as the most suitable approach. But, as AI innovation accelerated and applications became more and more pervasive, AI-specific governance and regulatory initiatives started emerging at national, regional, and international levels” (Digwatch, n.d., Artificial Intelligence). As mentioned above, the UN Secretary-General has been on the lead in the possible establishment of a new intergovernmental body that oversees AI. The brand-new Advisory Body has the purpose of discussing possible alternatives. At the national level, many countries already issued some guidelines or regulations about AI. To learn more about each country´s effort, check out the Government AI Readiness Index 2022 or the IBM Global AI Adoption Index 2022. One of the main recommendations of the Future of International Cooperation Report 2023 is the creation of an Artificial Intelligence international agency that “would serve to:
Several authors, including Manor (2023) and Kurbalija (2023, November 8), indicate that most of the attention on AI risks is focused on long-term issues such as existential threats to humanity. However, more immediate consequences of machine learning systems need to be confronted, such as biases, accessibility, and others. Governments, international organizations, companies, and civil society should comprehensively address short-, medium-, and long-term AI risks to tackle them better (Kurbalija, 2023, November 8). The calls to create an AI international body are growing. The most often cited examples are the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). However, after explaining the difficulties of setting up a new international organization, Roberts suggests that the “discussion should move away from what an idealised institution could look like, towards how existing initiatives can realistically be built upon to bring about positive change” (2023). Furthermore, he proposes a decentralized approach, similar to the Paris Accord and welcomes the creation of the UN Advisory Body on AI that “provides a valuable outlet for progressing discussions on strengthening international coordination; for instance, through mapping which institutions are currently fulfilling international AI governance functions and providing recommendations for how gaps can be filled and duplication lessened” (Roberts, 2023). The recently held AI Safety Summit resulted in “a joint commitment by twenty-eight governments and leading AI companies subjecting advanced AI models to a battery of safety tests before release and a major push to support regular, scientist-led assessments of AI capabilities and safety risks” (Cuellar, 2023). In the next eleven months, until the Summit of Future, there will be extensive discussion on multiple venues regarding AI governance. The fact that major countries agreed to the Bletchley Declaration gives some hope to find a way to reach an agreement on the topic. The obstacles are significant, and the differences are pronounced. The geopolitical competition between China and the US and the existing worldwide turmoil are challenges facing negotiators. The consequences of AI on the international system, especially on geopolitics, could be the defining element of reaching an agreement or not. The next blog post will discuss the third perspective on how to study AI´s influence on diplomacy. Note: Many more organizations and topics are being discussed on AI at the international level, such as Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), so only a few topics were covered in this blog post. References Cuellar, M.F. (2023, November 9). The UK AI Safety Summit Opened a New Chapter in AI Diplomacy. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Digwatch. (n.d.). Artificial Intelligence. Digwatch. Digwatch. (n.d.). Convention on AI and human rights (CoE process). Digwatch. DiploFoundation. (2019). Mapping the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence for the conduct of diplomacy. DiploFoundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. European Parliament. (2023a, June 14). EU AI Act: first regulation on artificial intelligence. EuropeanParliament News. European Parliament. (2023b, June 14). MEPs ready to negotiate first-ever rules for safe and transparent AI. European Parliament News. Henshall, W. (2023, Oct 23). What the U.N.’s AI Advising Group Will Do. Time. Kurbalija, J. (2023, November 8). How can we deal with AI risks? DiploFoundation Blog. Kurbalija, J. (2023, November 10). Layers of AI governance [Byte-sized Insights] #5. DiploFoundation. [Video]. Manor, I. (2023, June 6). Shock and Awe: How AI is Sidestepping Regulation. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology. (n.d.). Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology webpage. Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology. (n.d.). High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence. Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology webpage. Ponzio, R., Nudhara Yusuf, N., Mallinson, F. & Shahrukh, M. (2023). Future of International Cooperation Report 2023. The Stimson Center, Doha Forum, and Global Institute for Strategic Research. Roberts, H. (2023, August 11). Opinion – A New International AI Body Is No Panacea. E-International Relations. UNESCO. (n.d). Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. UNESCO webpage. Are you interested in AI and diplomacy? Check out my blog post about Resources on Diplomacy and Artificial Intelligence diplomacy-40-resources-on-diplomacy-and-artificial-intelligence.html DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are those of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company.
0 Comments
 Here is an updated version of Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy resources, including AI tools, webpages, videos, studies, and articles. In the end, there is some information about using AI for teaching and learning.
Please share new ones in the comment section! You can also read my blog posts about the subject here:
AI tools and application/experiments/usage Diplo AI Writer @ DiploFoundation is a DiploFoundation artificial intelligence writer who publishes blog posts about the subject, including the DiploFoundation AI Diary. HumAInism by DiploFoundation has some AI tools related to diplomacy and arts. Can ChatGPT Explain Geopolitics? is an exercise to compare two essays and test if you can identify the one written by AI. It is published by Foreign Policy magazine. Interactive webpage about the cost of AI in different languages (Tokenization fairness). Webpages of research centers and institutions Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy by DiploFoundation. Artificial Intelligence by Digwatch (Geneva Internet Platform) AI Now Institute. Center for AI and Digital Policy Center for the Advancement of Trustworthy AI Deloitte AI Institute for Government Global Partnership for AI. MILA, Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute. OECD AI Observatory. Partnership on AI Tech Policy Press. UN-related sites: Road Map for Digital Cooperation and its updated road map) Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology webpage. Global Digital Compact (May 2023, High-Level Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence Summit of the Future UNESCO´s Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. Videos Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy Webinar. UNITAR and UOC. (2023, February 15). AI and Diplomacy: Challenges and opportunities. UNITAR (2023, May 10) Will AI take over diplomatic reporting? WebDebate #56. DiploFoundation (2023, February 7). What role can AI play in diplomatic negotiation? WebDebate #57. DiploFoundation (2023, March 7). How to Train Diplomats to Deal with AI and Data? WebDebate #58. DiploFoundation (2023, April 4). What Can We Learn About AI Ethics and Governance from Non-Western Thought? WebDebate #59. DiploFoundation (2023, May 2). AI for Peacemaking: new tools and opportunities for mediators. WebDebate #30. DiploFoundation (2019, June 19). AI on the international agenda - where do we go from here? WebDebate #26. DiploFoundation (2018, December 4). Studies and articles Bjola, C. (2019, October 19). Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Real Institute Elcano. Bjola, C. (2020). Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. EDA Working Paper. Emirates Diplomatic Academy. Bjola, C. & Manor, I. (2023, April 25). ChatGPT: The end of diplomacy as we know it. Global Policy. Cocking, S. (2016, September 19). Using algorithms to achieve digital diplomacy. A conversation with Elad Ratson, Director of R&D at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Irish Tech News. Deloitte AI Institute for Government & Google Cloud. (2022). Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Modernize American Statecraft. Dickow, M. and Jacob, D. (2018). The Global Debate on the Future of Artificial Intelligence. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik [SWV] Comment No. 23, p. 7. Digwatch. (2019, February 5). Artificial intelligence and diplomacy: A new tool for diplomacy? EVENT REPORT. Digwatch. Geneva Internet Platform. Digwatch. (2023, July 17). UN Security Council convenes to discuss AI risks. Digwatch. Geneva Internet Platform. DiploFoundation. (2019). Mapping the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence for the conduct of diplomacy. DiploFoundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. DiploFoundation. (2023, May 3). First full AI-reporting from the UN meeting. DiploFoundation blog. DiploFoundation. (2023, May 3). AI-based report of United Nations Security Council debate marks start of a new era in multilateral diplomacy. DiploFoundation blog. Elia Valori, G. (2023, July 8). Artificial Intelligence and the New World Order (1). Modern Diplomacy. Elia Valori, G. (2023, July 30). AI and the new world order: Economy and war (2). Modern Diplomacy. European Migration Network. (2022). The use of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in migration management: Joint EMN-OECD Inform. Galeotti, M. (2023, January 7). The age of AI diplomacy. The Spectator. Government AI Readiness Index 2022. Henshall, W. (2023, Oct 23). What the U.N.’s AI Advising Group Will Do. Time. IBM Global AI Adoption Index 2022. Jacobs. S (2023, September 7). Time 100 Most Influential People on AI. Time. Keohan, C. & Kralev, N. (2022, August 7). Want to Be a Diplomat? You Must Make it Past and A.I.’ Gateway’. Diplomatic Diary blog. Washington International Diplomatic Academy. Kurbalija, J. (2023, May 1). Why might AI cause more ´lost in translation´ worldwide? DiploFoundation Blog. Kurbajila, J. (2023, June 12). The case for bottom-up AI. Al Jazeera. Kurbalija, J. (2023, August 1). What can Socrates teach us about AI and prompting? DiploFoundation Blog. Kurbalija, J. (2023, November 8). How can we deal with AI risks? DiploFoundation Blog. Laferrière, H. & McPherson, A. (2019, April 24). Augmented Decision-Making @ IRCC. Presentation to the Symposium on Algorithmic Government. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Lederer, E. (2023, July 3). UN Council to hold first meeting on potential threats of artificial intelligence to global peace. AP News. Manor, I. (2023, February 21). The AI Moves In: ChatGPT’s Impact on Digital Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, March 30). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, April 4). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy - Part 2. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, April 18). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy - Part 3. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, June 15). AI’s Impact on Public Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, June 27). The Many Races that will shape AI. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, July 4). Real Fakes and the Future of Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, August 15). Towards the Strategic Use of AI in Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy blog. O´Neil, L (2023, August 12). The Truth in Tech: These Women Tried to Warn Us about AI. Rolling Stone. Petrov, A., La Malfa, E., Torr, P. H.S., & Bibi, A. (2023, May 17). Language Model Tokenizers Introduce Unfairness Between Languages. ArXiv:2350.1542. Ponzio, R., Nudhara Yusuf, N., Mallinson, F. & Shahrukh, M. (2023). Future of International Cooperation Report 2023. The Stimson Center, Doha Forum, and Global Institute for Strategic Research. Scott, B., Heumann, S., & Lorenz, P. (2018). Artificial Intelligence and Foreign Policy. Stiftung Neue Veranwortung. Stanzel, V. & Voelsen, D. (2022). Diplomacy and Artificial Intelligence Reflections on Practical Assistance for Diplomatic Negotiations. SWP Research Paper. Strachan, G. & Manor, I. (2023, July 14). ‘I can be a bastard too’- ChatGPT’s Real Contribution to Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Tarar, Z. (2023, February 23). Analysis - Could AI change the business of diplomacy? The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium. Tarar, Z. (2023, February 27). Analysis - Which AI tools should diplomats use today? The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium. Tarar, Z. (2023, August 28). Analysis - Harnessing AI for diplomacy: Five tools to make your work easier. The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium. Teleanu, S (2023, August 21). A journey of discovery: Using simulation and AI to teach and learn about digital governance. DiploFoundation Blog. Williams, A., Micali, M. & Gebru, T. (2022, October 23). The Exploited Labor Behind Artificial Intelligence. NOEMA. Williams, R. & Otto, L. (2022). Artificial Intelligence as a Tool of Public Diplomacy: Communication between the United States and Iran. The Thinker 90(1) p. 28-40. Information about using AI for teaching and learning. Mollick, E. (2022, December 13). How to…use AI to teach some of the hardest skills. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023, January 24). The practical guide to using AI to do stuff. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023, March 17). Using AI to make teaching easier & more impactful. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023, July 15). How to Use AI to Do Stuff: An Opinionated Guide. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. Video series on Practical AI for Teachers and Students. YouTube. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company.  Today is an exceptional day for me. Twenty-five years ago, I joined the Foreign Service. It has been an extraordinary journey with ups and downs and amazing experiences, from meeting heads of state and representing Mexico in our Independence Day celebrations to organizing football tournaments for children and writing thousands of documents. One of the most significant rewards of my diplomatic career has been working with my colleagues, especially from the 15th generation of the diplomatic academy. Cheers to the members of my chat groups Vamos Mexico, Core Group, and Consejeros. Besides, I have been fortunate to have great bosses from whom I learned a lot throughout these years. I also had the unique opportunity to assist Mexicans abroad in distress in horrendous circumstances, including terrorist attacks, hurricanes and earthquakes, domestic violence, and more. Consular protection is where foreign policy meets people; I cherished my work in that department. While overseas, I had the opportunity to work for the Mexican community, which was a humbling experience. Mexicans abroad are the hardest-working people anywhere and some of the most patriotic people. Celebrating with them civic ceremonies and their hometowns' Saint's feast day are some of the highlights of my diplomatic career. Special thanks to the people of El Refugio, Jalisco; Sombrerete, Zacatecas; Axochiapan, Morelos; San Agustin Yaterani, Oaxaca; Las Margaritas, Chiapas; and many more towns across Mexico. I joined the foreign service during the tenure of the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs, and I am thrilled that we have our fourth female today. However, there is still much to do to fully attain gender equality and inclusion of other groups. The world has changed a lot since 1998. The digital revolution is pushing forward, regardless of its impact on society, government, and people. With the arrival of Generative AI, we are beginning another disruptive era. Diplomacy has also moved forward. Terms such as Tech and Digital diplomacy did not exist when I started my diplomatic career. Besides, while public diplomacy was disappearing in the US, it was exploding elsewhere, giving a new push for studying diplomacy. In recent years, there has been a boom in diplomatic studies, bringing perspectives from the Global South, thus moving slowly away from a Western-centric lens. Consular diplomacy as a field of study did not exist in 1998. However, the combination of lower transportation costs, the information and communications technology revolution, and the socialization and societization of diplomacy gave way to the rise of consular affairs as a priority to not only the ministries of foreign affairs but also politicians, the media, and the public. In my blog post, Consular Diplomacy bibliography LINK, you can find a list of books, essays, and documents on the subject. Nowadays, my focus is learning about the impact of technology, especially artificial intelligence. You can check out my series on Diplomacy 4.0, including the following posts:
I am looking forward to what my diplomatic career will take me next, but I am always ready to learn new things. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company.  Today is the third anniversary of my blog. As I mentioned in the second-anniversary blog post, it has been a roller-coaster ride with tremendous ups and a few downs. Three years does not seem a lot of time, but many things have changed, for better or worse. I started the blog in September 2020, when the world was closed due to the pandemic. However, significant efforts were made to find a vaccine, thus allowing the world to reopen slowly, even after a series of surges generated by new variants of the virus. For a few years, the world, especially the great powers, has slowly turned economic, financial, data, and people exchanges into geopolitical weapons. To learn more, check out the great work The Power Atlas: Seven battlegrounds of a networked world. Some scholars state that a new era of deglobalization is moving forward as more countries build barriers to the free flow of trade, data, services, and people. The securitization of the economy, particularly semiconductors, critical minerals, and digital technology, is impacting the whole planet. The disruption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the exponential race to launch the system that could be the winner has turned the world upside down. There is not a day when a new large language model is not released that supposedly will outperform all others. Students and teachers struggle to find the right approach to using AI, while many workers feel that machine learning will take their jobs and livelihoods. Even though many have asked to pause the development of AI, the race is growing exponentially while governments, societies, and people are trying to make sense of it and find the best approaches to regulate it. An interesting turn is the great concern of AI´s ethics. I clearly understand the worries about making AI work ethically. However, that level of concern about ethical behavior is not shown when talking about humans, governments, and organizations. Why do we not ask for ethical regulations of politicians and governments? Is fighting discrimination in the real world easier than in the digital realm? Three years ago, zoom diplomacy, vaccine diplomacy, and AI diplomacy were brand new terms. Today, even after the reopening of the world, most of the meetings worldwide are being held online, saving money and time but missing the human connection. Digital nomads have turned the globe into their offices, and many people have yet to return, if they ever do, to an office building. Nowadays, diplomacy might be living its fifth evolutionary tipping point, with the confrontation between traditional views of sovereignty and innovative forms of global governance (Neumann, 2020). The big problem is that time is running out, particularly regarding climate change. Just read the headlines this summer regarding the scorching temperatures worldwide. In terms of public diplomacy, the changes in the last years have been difficult to adjust. The transformation of Twitter into something else impacts the digital strategies of many countries, especially for basic accounts. Closing the door of data for research purposes is making it more challenging to listen and engage with audiences. The arrival of deep fakes, like Pope Francis wearing a puffer white jacket, is affecting the credibility of social media, reducing opportunities for governments to engage with foreign audiences. Disinformation is breaking havoc and helping radical views of people, politicians, and governments, making it more difficult to find common ground and collaborations. Regarding consular diplomacy, the pandemic pushed it into the forefront of every ministry of foreign affairs. Foreign ministers and public servants at home, ambassadors, diplomats, and consular officers overseas all work together to help stranded citizens abroad while countries close their borders. Many MFAs are still struggling to meet the demand for documentary services, as the backlog of visas, passports, and other consular documents has not been solved. Lately, there has been a growing amount of research on consular diplomacy, but the field has not yet matured. Many studies have identified consular services as a prime target for using AI systems to manage them. Despite the challenges that humanity confronts today, blogging has been a great experience that has opened the door to things I would not have thought of. Here are some of the milestones that I have achieved in the last three years of having my blog:
I am optimistic that the next three years will be better than the last, maybe just because we are reaching a breaking point. But also because people worldwide want a better future for themselves and their children. Neumann, I. B (2020). Diplomatic tense: A social evolutionary perspective on diplomacy. Manchester Univesity Press. Experimenting with AI Below is a list created by generative AI about the significant milestones of diplomacy in the last three years. Do you agree with the results? Prompt: You are a professor of diplomatic studies. Identify the major changes in the practice of diplomacy that have occurred since January 2020, giving a brief description and using bullets. Please be specific and concise. Bing.chat (creative mode) response: Some of the major changes in the practice of diplomacy that have occurred since January 2020 are:
Bard by Google: Sure, here are the major changes in the practice of diplomacy that have occurred since January 2020:
Perplexity Major changes in the practice of diplomacy since January 2020 include:
Overall, the changing nature of diplomacy in the 21st century requires sustained attention and adaptation to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company.  ChatGPT, the next generation of conversational AI, could have a profound impact on diplomacy, disrupting how diplomats communicate, negotiate, and manage crises (Bjola & Manor, 2023). The avalanche of new Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems is non-stop. It is impossible to keep up with the AI race that began in earnest with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 (Manor 2023f). Today, at least four Large Language Models (LLMs) compete for the world’s attention: ChatGPT (including Bing.chat), Bard, Llama 2, and Claude. Not all are available in every country, and some are free. Many questions about Machine Learning (ML) have been raised, from the data sets used for their training, including privacy and intellectual property rights, to their biases and hallucinations. AI could prove to be a hugely disrupting force. Considering the fast pace of development, it is hard to grasp AI's impact on diplomacy. However, there is a growing number of studies about how these new systems are changing diplomacy. In this blog post, I continue with the Diplomacy 4.0 series. First, I explain why generative AI differs from previous AI systems, followed by an analysis of ML as a tool for diplomacy. In another post, I will write about AI as a topic of diplomacy and the geopolitical impact that it is having. To learn about AI basics, check out my blog post, Diplomacy 4.0: The basics of Artificial Intelligence. 1. Why all the hype about AI if it has been with us for many years? First, it is crucial to understand why the arrival of ChatGPT generated such an uproar. Manor (2023a; 2023b, 2023e) indicates that the significant factor of ChatGPT, a generative AI system, is that every single person with a computer and internet connection could use it. People do not need coding abilities or advanced mathematical training, so these systems “enable everyday users to harness the awesome power of AI” (Manor, 2023e). I am an example of this revolution, as I have used it to create a short video, suggest titles for my blog posts, such as this one, summarize articles, and experiment with a Chatbot. The new LLMs´ capability to converse with us in a human-like manner rather than with computational codes is a game-changing experience. Furthermore, the ability to continue learning and develop new skills has been breathtaking, making some AI experts nervous and leading to a request to pause its development. Besides, technological developments, from the written word to telegraphy and the internet, have always changed diplomatic practices, so the AI revolution is not different from the previous advances. However, up until now, humans were the only actors. So, with AI, a new era of interactions between humans and machines is emerging. For a historical review of the relationship between technology and diplomacy, visit the excellent site created by DiploFoundation. So, how is AI changing diplomacy? One way to study the effects of ML in diplomacy is by looking at the relationship between the two. 2. Three perspectives on the relationship between diplomacy and artificial intelligence A few years ago, the DiploFoundation proposed a framework for analyzing the relationship between diplomacy and AI programs (2019, p. 6). The study states that we need to see it from three different perspectives:
As mentioned, I focus on the first issue in this post. I will write about the other two in a separate post. 3. AI as a tool for diplomacy In recent years, a small but steady flow of studies have analyzed how AI can support the core diplomatic functions of communication, representation, and negotiation (see list of resources at the bottom of the post). The ability of ML to process enormous quantities of data in a few seconds and the multiple ways of analyzing data is crucial for diplomacy. “AI can be a useful tool in facilitating tasks that require diplomats to work with, digest, or research vast amounts of text” (DiploFoundation, 2019, p. 26). AI could “mine internal knowledge to provide insights” (Tarar 2023a) that diplomats might miss on different subjects, possibly expanding the options available to move forward. Having these types of resources would enhance the diplomat´s analysis and decision-making (Galeotti, 2023). Among the different options, Deloitte AI Institute for Government & Google Cloud have identified four different uses for AI: automate, predict, detect, and simulate (2022, p. 5-6) across three core functions: diplomacy, foreign assistance, and consular affairs, plus an additional one centered on mission-enabling functions (Ibid, p. 7-10). Even though there have been some issues with AI for hiring people, such as the one in Amazon, the U.S. Department of State is applying AI systems in the evaluation process of future diplomats. ML reviews thousands of essays submitted in the recruitment process (Keohan & Kralev, 2022). Other possible uses of ML systems for diplomacy are sentiment, predictive, and descriptive analysis (Bjola, 2019, p. 5). Manor and Tarar (2023a; 2023b) suggest that AI could save diplomats time by creating official documents and statements. AI could bridge the gap between people speaking different languages, as it can be used for interpreting in real time. It could also help translate newspapers and social media postings (Tarar, 2023b). However, relying solely upon these systems could be problematic by ignoring “cultural differences and nuances in intercultural communication” (Kurbalija, 2023). Many new ML applications are available now to help transcribe videos and audio in a fraction of the time humans; it could help in the tedious task of creating meetings´ minutes and do-outs (Tarar, 2023b). For example, the DiploFoundation used its DiploGPT system to provide a “just-in-time reporting from the six hour” UN Security Council debate titled Futureproofing trust for sustaining peace that took place on May 3, 2023 (DiploFoundation, 2023a; DiploFoundation, 2023b). Another use of AI is to train diplomats using simulations. Recently, Teleanu (2023) shared her experience using a Chabot in a simulation of a multilateral negotiation in a digital governance course. LLMs could also be helpful to do research (Tarar, 2023b) and teach and learn new abilities and skills if used correctly (Mollick, 2022; Mollick, 2023a, 2023b, 2023c). Some studies analyze or propose specific areas in which AI can enhance the work of diplomats and ministries of foreign affairs (MFAs), such as consular services, negotiations, crisis management, and public diplomacy. So, let’s review each of these four topics. 3.1 Consular Services Many studies have identified consular affairs as an area that could benefit from AI. (Bjola, 2019; Bjola, 2020; Deloitte, 2022; Manor, 2023a; Manor, 2023f, Tarar 2023a). As an area of routine operations based on processes, some consular services could automatize with AI (Bjola, 2019, p. 4; Deloitte, 2022, p. 8-9). Today, some countries are already implementing ML programs in consular services. Canada (Laferrière & McPherson, 2019), Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Hungary, and Finland are already using AI in some visa and migration procedures, including identity fraud detection, cases management, and dealing with customers (European Migration Network, 2022, p. 9-12). Besides, eleven European countries are working on several AI projects. To see all of them, see European Migration Network, 2022, p. 11-12. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, several MFAs utilized chatbots to provide information to their citizens stranded abroad due to the closing of borders (Birka, Kļaviņš, & Kits, 2022). 3.2 Crises management and prevention MFAs, including the UK and Germany, are already deploying “AI tools to monitor open data for early crisis detection – with the aim of expanding this towards gaining insights for crisis prevention” (DiploFoundation, 2019, p. 26). ML systems “can make sense of the nature and gravity of the events in real-time, streamline the decision-making process, manage the public’s expectations, and facilitate crisis termination” (Bjola, 2019, p. 5). 3.3 Public Diplomacy Public diplomacy is another area in which ML systems could make significant contributions. For example, “AI could assist these [public diplomacy] efforts by providing reliable diagnostics of the scope conditions for impact via network, cluster and semantic analyses” (Bjola, 2019, p. 6; Bjola, 2020, p. 29). Besides, Williams & Otto (2022) analyze the different issues related to AI that affect the public diplomacy of Iran and the United States, providing some examples. Stanzel and Voelsen (2022) have proposed using ML to perform sentiment analysis of public media regarding a trade negotiation (p. 27), which can also be used for public diplomacy. Also, ML could improve the performance of a campaign by adopting a more attractive narrative (Manor, 2023e). 3.4 Negotiations Negotiation, an essential aspect of diplomacy, can also be enhanced using AI systems (Manor, 2023a). Programs like Cognitive Trade Advisor, which “answers questions on rules of origin across a vast number of trade agreements,” can assist negotiations, especially by small countries (DiploFoundation, 2019, p. 26). In exciting research about the usage of AI in diplomatic negotiations based on two case studies, Stanzel and Voelsen (2022) conclude that AI “has the potential to become an important, possibly indispensable tool for preparing and conducting diplomatic negotiations…and those who best succeed in embracing the possibilities of machine learning will have an advantage in negotiations” (p. 30). Furthermore, they made some recommendations, including to experiment and appraise these systems, create a data strategy, “establish and institutionalize appropriate networks” (Ibid, p. 31) “and draw up normative guidelines for the use of AI in the context of diplomacy” (Ibid, p. 6). 4. Challenges of AI as a tool for diplomacy As seen here, MFAs and diplomats can benefit from using AI systems. However, to take full advantage, they need to overcome some challenges and mitigate the inherent risks. “ChatGPT, the next generation of conversational AI, could have a profound impact on diplomacy, disrupting how diplomats communicate, negotiate, and manage crises” (Bjola & Manor, 2023). One of the most significant tests is the potential for AI to generate disinformation and deep fakes on an enormous scale, which could be impossible to identify and could dampen the ability of diplomats to respond (Manor, 2023d; 2023g). According to Manor (2023g), this could lead to multiple realities. “Gaps between diplomats’ statements and ChatGPT answers may thus decrease public confidence in diplomats and diplomatic institutions” (Manor 2023e). Two examples were Pope Francis wearing a puffer white jacket that became viral or Donald Trump being arrested by the police. Generative AI already poses a challenge to managing countries' image and reputation, as shown by Manor (2023c) in the cases of Poland, Palestine, and China, where the image these governments try to portray differs from the perspective provided by chatbots. Besides, “AI-generated content could negatively impact a nation's reputation, the credibility of its leaders and undo previous diplomatic efforts” (Bjola & Manor, 2023). All these are particularly worrisome, considering that the media has pushed the narrative of AI systems as trustworthy and credible (Manor, 2023c; 2023a; 2023e). Besides, there is growing evidence that most ML programs have some biases in favor of Western perspectives vs. the rest of the world. (Manor 2023c; 2023e). Furthermore, the foundational models used for most chatbots have centered on English language sources, affecting the views and perspectives of other languages, including their computational costs. Manor (2023a) details that one of the main challenges of AI systems such as ChatGPT is continuing to expand the gap between reality and the views generated by digital technologies that support the growing attraction of populist leaders. These leaders can undermine governments’ institutions, including diplomats, and affect their efforts to find global solutions to global problems. This view contradicts Simon Anholt´s proposal in the Good Country Index, in which governments should have a dual mandate: support their citizens while backing the world at large. Another challenge is the effect of LLMs on the agency of diplomats. Bjola and Manor (2023) explain that “while automation may be cost-effective, it may not necessarily translate into effectiveness in diplomacy, which relies heavily on informal conversations and personal relationships between diplomats.” AI training for diplomats and other actors involved in foreign policy is essential to fully take advantage of ML benefits. Experimenting with LLMs will help diplomats identify these technologies' potential pitfalls (Manor, 2023g). However, “placing more diplomats in front of computer screens and training them to converse with AIs rather than humans may result in diplomats who are ill-equipped to manage diplomatic relations with other states” (Bjola & Manor, 2023). Placing more diplomats in front of computer screens and training them to converse with AIs rather than humans may result in diplomats who are ill-equipped to manage diplomatic relations with other states (Bjola & Manor, 2023). It is also crucial that diplomats understand that anything they feed into the AI systems could be used for training; therefore, it is imperative to avoid providing sensitive and confidential information (Tarar, 2023b). I wonder if it could be possible that by good prompting and some hacks, people can pinpoint some data provided to the LLM with confidential information. One way to meet these challenges is to regulate AI (Manor 2023a), an issue that will be covered in the next post. 5. Preliminary conclusions Generative AI has arrived, and it is not going anywhere. The genie is out of the bottle. Therefore, governments, diplomats, and people cannot relax and wait and see what happens next. They must develop a comprehensive approach that includes training for everybody, some sort of regulations, and trends analysis. A meaningful action that MFAs can implement now is engaging in technology diplomacy or Techplomacy, which entails dialogue and building relationships with the tech ecosystem, including direct contact with the Tech giants, most of which are at the forefront of the AI race. Countries like Australia, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom have gone further and have designed digital foreign policy strategies, which I believe is a must in today´s world, more and more embedded in the cyber realm. See also Tech diplomacy practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the next blog post, I will focus on AI as a topic for Diplomacy and the impact that LLMs are having on the geopolitics of today´s global disorder, as ML is becoming a source of power. You can also read my blog posts about the subject here:
Resources on AI and Diplomacy Here is a list of resources on AI and diplomacy. Please share new ones! AI tools and application/experiments/usage Diplo AI Writer @ DiploFoundation is a DiploFoundation artificial intelligence writer who publishes blog posts about the subject. HumAInism by DiploFoundation has some AI tools related to diplomacy and arts. Can ChatGPT Explain Geopolitics? is an exercise to compare two essays and test if you can identify the one written by AI. It is published by Foreign Policy magazine. Interactive webpage about the cost of AI in different languages (Tokenization fairness). Webpages Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy by DiploFoundation. Artificial Intelligence by Digwatch (Geneva Internet Platform) Center for AI and Digital Policy Center for the Advancement of Trustworthy AI Partnership on AI Videos Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy Webinar. UNITAR and UOC. (2023, February 15). AI and Diplomacy: Challenges and opportunities. UNITAR (2023, May 10) Studies and articles Bjola, C. (2019, October 19). Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Real Institute Elcano. Bjola, C. (2020). Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. EDA Working Paper. Emirates Diplomatic Academy. Bjola, C. & Manor, I. (2023, April 25). ChatGPT: The end of diplomacy as we know it. Global Policy. Cocking, S. (2016, September 19). Using algorithms to achieve digital diplomacy. A conversation with Elad Ratson, Director of R&D at Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Irish Tech News. Deloitte AI Institute for Government & Google Cloud. (2022). Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Modernize American Statecraft. Dickow, M. and Jacob, D. (2018). The Global Debate on the Future of Artificial Intelligence. Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik [SWV] Comment No. 23, p. 7. Digwatch. (2019, February 5). Artificial intelligence and diplomacy: A new tool for diplomacy? EVENT REPORT. Digwatch. Geneva Internet Platform. Digwatch. (2023, July 17). UN Security Council convenes to discuss AI risks. Digwatch. Geneva Internet Platform DiploFoundation. (2019). Mapping the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence for the conduct of diplomacy. DiploFoundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. DiploFoundation. (2023, May 3). First full AI-reporting from the UN meeting. DiploFoundation blog. DiploFoundation. (2023, May 3). AI-based report of United Nations Security Council debate marks start of a new era in multilateral diplomacy. DiploFoundation blog. Elia Valori, G. (2023, July 8). Artificial Intelligence and the New World Order (1). Modern Diplomacy. Elia Valori, G. (2023, July 30). AI and the new world order: Economy and war (2). Modern Diplomacy. European Migration Network. (2022). The use of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in migration management: Joint EMN-OECD Inform. Galeotti, M. (2023, January 7). The age of AI diplomacy. The Spectator. Keohan, C. & Kralev, N. (2022, August 7). Want to Be a Diplomat? You Must Make it Past and A.I.’ Gateway’. Diplomatic Diary blog. Washington International Diplomatic Academy. Kurbalija, J. (2023, May 1). Why might AI cause more ´lost in translation´ worldwide? DiploFoundation Blog. Kurbajila, J. (2023, June 12). The case for bottom-up AI. Al Jazeera. Kurbalija, J. (2023, August 1). What can Socrates teach us about AI and prompting? DiploFoundation Blog. Laferrière, H. & McPherson, A. (2019, April 24). Augmented Decision-Making @ IRCC. Presentation to the Symposium on Algorithmic Government. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Lederer, E. (2023, July 3). UN Council to hold first meeting on potential threats of artificial intelligence to global peace. AP News. Manor, I. (2023, February 21). The AI Moves In: ChatGPT’s Impact on Digital Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, March 30). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, April 4). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy - Part 2. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, April 18). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy - Part 3. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, June 15). AI’s Impact on Public Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, June 27). The Many Races that will shape AI. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, July 4). Real Fakes and the Future of Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023, August 15). Towards the Strategic Use of AI in Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy blog. O´Neil, L (2023, August 12). The Truth in Tech: These Women Tried to Warn Us about AI. Rolling Stone. Petrov, A., La Malfa, E., Torr, P. H.S., & Bibi, A. (2023, May 17). Language Model Tokenizers Introduce Unfairness Between Languages. ArXiv:2350.1542. Scott, B., Heumann, S., & Lorenz, P. (2018). Artificial Intelligence and Foreign Policy. Stiftung Neue Veranwortung. Stanzel, V. & Voelsen, D. (2022). Diplomacy and Artificial Intelligence Reflections on Practical Assistance for Diplomatic Negotiations. SWP Research Paper. Strachan, G. & Manor, I. (2023, July 14). ‘I can be a bastard too’- ChatGPT’s Real Contribution to Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Tarar, Z. (2023, February 23). Analysis - Could AI change the business of diplomacy? The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium. Tarar, Z. (2023, February 27). Analysis - Which AI tools should diplomats use today? The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium. Tarar, Z. (2023, August 28). Analysis - Harnessing AI for diplomacy: Five tools to make your work easier. The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium Teleanu, S (2023, August 21). A journey of discovery: Using simulation and AI to teach and learn about digital governance. DiploFoundation Blog. Williams, A., Micali, M. & Gebru, T. (2022, October 23). The Exploited Labor Behind Artificial Intelligence. NOEMA. Williams, R. & Otto, L. (2022). Artificial Intelligence as a Tool of Public Diplomacy: Communication between the United States and Iran. The Thinker 90(1) p. 28-40. Information about using AI for teaching and learning Mollick, E. (2022, December 13). How to…use AI to teach some of the hardest skills. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023, January 24). The practical guide to using AI to do stuff. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023, March 17). Using AI to make teaching easier & more impactful. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023, July 15). How to Use AI to Do Stuff: An Opinionated Guide. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. Video series on Practical AI for Teachers and Students. YouTube. References Birka, I., Kļaviņš, D., & Kits, R. (2022). Duty of Care: Consular Diplomacy Response of Baltic and Nordic Countries to COVID-19. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 18(1), p. 133-164. https://doi.org/10.1163/1871191x-bja10115 Bjola, C. (2019, October 19). Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Real Institute Elcano. Bjola, C. (2020). Diplomacy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. EDA Working Paper. Emirates Diplomatic Academy. Bjola, C. & Manor, I. (2023, April 25). ChatGPT: The end of diplomacy as we know it. Global Policy. Deloitte AI Institute for Government & Google Cloud. (2022). Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Modernize American Statecraft. DiploFoundation. (2019). Mapping the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence for the conduct of diplomacy. DiploFoundation and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. DiploFoundation. (2023a, May 3). First full AI-reporting from the UN meeting. DiploFoundation blog. DiploFoundation. (2023b, May 3). AI-based report of United Nations Security Council debate marks start of a new era in multilateral diplomacy. DiploFoundation blog. European Migration Network. (2022). The use of digitalisation and artificial intelligence in migration management: Joint EMN-OECD Inform. Galeotti, M. (2023, January 7). The age of AI diplomacy. The Spectator. Keohan, C. & Kralev, N (2022, August 7). Want to Be a Diplomat? You Must Make it Past and A.I.’ Gateway’. Diplomatic Diary blog. Washington International Diplomatic Academy. Kurbalija, J. (2023, May 1). Why might AI cause more ´lost in translation´ worldwide? DiploFoundation Blog. Laferrière, H. & McPherson, A. (2019, April 24). Augmented Decision-Making @ IRCC. Presentation to the Symposium on Algorithmic Government. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Manor, I. (2023a, February 21). The AI Moves In: ChatGPT’s Impact on Digital Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023b, March 30). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023c, April 4). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy - Part 2. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023d, April 18). ChatGPT and the Future of Diplomacy - Part 3. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023e, June 15). AI’s Impact on Public Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023f, June 27). The Many Races that will shape AI. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Manor, I. (2023g, July 4). Real Fakes and the Future of Diplomacy. Exploring Digital Diplomacy Blog. Mollick, E. (2022, December 13). How to…use AI to teach some of the hardest skills. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023a, January 24). The practical guide to using AI to do stuff. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023b, March 17). Using AI to make teaching easier & more impactful. One Useful Thing blog. Mollick, E. (2023c, July 15). How to Use AI to Do Stuff: An Opinionated Guide. One Useful Thing blog. Stanzel, V. & Voelsen, D. (2022). Diplomacy and Artificial Intelligence Reflections on Practical Assistance for Diplomatic Negotiations. SWP Research Paper. Tarar, Z. (2023a, February 27). Analysis - Which AI tools should diplomats use today? The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium. Tarar, Z. (2023b, August 28). Analysis - Harnessing AI for diplomacy: Five tools to make your work easier. The Diplomatic Pouch at Medium. Teleanu, S (2023, August 21). A journey of discovery: Using simulation and AI to teach and learn about digital governance. DiploFoundation Blog. Williams, R. & Otto, L. (2022). Artificial Intelligence as a Tool of Public Diplomacy: Communication between the United States and Iran. The Thinker 90(1) p. 28-40. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are those of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company. Below are some images created by Bing.chat. Interestingly, I explicitly asked not to include robots, but the system did not seem to care. What are your thoughts?  I am excited to announce that I will be collaborating in the upcoming Public Diplomacy course that the DiploFoundation is offering in the spring of 2022. For more information about the course, check out this DiploFoundation webpage. I did not know about the existence of the DiploFoundation until my ministry of foreign affairs offered one of its courses in late 2012. But what a great institution it is! I already had experience with online education, as I graduated from the Global Master of Arts Program in 2008, offered by the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. However, it was a hybrid format, which allowed me to meet my classmates in three different residencies. For more about my experience, read my blog post, Remembering GMAP: Awesome learning and life experiences. The DiploFoundation offers magnificent advantages for most people interested in diplomacy and other vital subjects, such as internet governance. Here are some of them:
Another advantage is that The DiploFoundation also offers the possibility of obtaining a Master´s degree in Contemporary Diplomacy from the University of Malta, which is an excellent opportunity for anybody who does not have the chance to take time off work to get a full-time study degree. Besides the incredible array of courses, the DiploFoundation has excellent research and resources, such as my favorite history of diplomacy and technology or the up-and-coming digital diplomacy and digital foreign policy. In addition, the very active online web debates, conferences offer many opportunities to learn areas that might not be familiar. For those interested in internet governance and digital policy, the DiploFoundation is a powerhouse and the go-to institution. Besides, they are at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence and Diplomacy studies. After the courses with the DiploFoundation, I had many ideas and questions but did not have enough time to work on them until last year, when I started my blog about Consular and Public Diplomacies. In a way, the courses I took with Diplo motivated me to create this blog. And to complete the full circle, the blog opened the door for me to join the DiploFoundation as a lecture starting in spring 2022! I invite everyone interested in Diplomacy and Internet Governance to check out below the DiploFoundation courses and their research and ongoing activities. And hopefully, I will see you in the Public Diplomacy course that starts in February 2022. Upcoming course (February 2022) Public Diplomacy Humanitarian Diplomacy Diplomatic Theory and Practice Advanced Diploma in Internet Governance Introduction to Internet Governance Capacity Development Artificial Intelligence: Technology, Governance, and Policy Frameworks Here is an excellent video that clearly explains what entails to study at the DiploFoundation. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company.  1. Introduction As mentioned in my previous post, “Why we need more diplomatic studies?” a significant development in today´s diplomatic practice is the explosion of novel instruments or tools used to attain a country´s foreign policy goals. However, some scholars have questioned if these “new” ways to do Diplomacy are even real while highlighting the risk that entails calling everything Diplomacy. This blog post will discuss whether these innovative diplomatic tools are really new or imposters, using as examples an analysis of Public Diplomacy and Gatrodiplomacy. The conclusion is that some are original, while others are rebranded instruments, but a thorough examination is required to unmask phonies. Besides, these activities need to be part of a Foreign Policy strategy to be called Diplomacy. When I think about new diplomatic instruments, I always remember the article written by Shaun Riordan titled “Stop Inventing New Diplomacies.”[i] In it, he complains about the tendency to incorporate into the diplomatic realm all sorts of activities, which carries the risk of losing the meaning of Diplomacy. I agree with Riordan that “the conceptual confusion arises from the failure to distinguish between tools that can be used as part of a broader diplomatic strategy and the subject matter of diplomacy.”[ii] Besides, in the article “Would the Real Diplomacy Please Stand Up!”, Katharina E. Höne of the DiploFoundation agrees with Riordan stating that “If everything is diplomacy, then nothing is. An ever-expanding concept eventually becomes meaningless.”[iii] However, Höne declares that “rather than a categorical rejection [of the new diplomacies], the proper response is to sharpen our intellectual tools and get to work [and] in order to tell the imposter from the innovator, we need to look closely at diplomacy as a practice, its relation to the state, and the purposes of these new diplomacies.”[iv] After thinking about this issue for the last couple of months, chiefly because it is the main objective of this blog, I believe there is a need to use these new terminologies, even if the practice has occurred since ancient times and are just rebranded. So, I concurred with Höne that it is required to analyze these diplomatic instruments to separate the new authentic tools from the fake ones. So, let’s get to work! 2. Origins of the expansion of diplomatic tools Jessica Lilian De Alva Ulloa and Rafael Velázquez Flores explain the expansion of diplomatic tools during the Cold War, where every activity was part of the ideological competition between the Soviet Union and the United States. Diplomatic initiatives in different fields such as sports, education, space, and culture were developed as part of their foreign policy.[v] After the fall of the Soviet Union, “the disappearance of one of the superpowers brought changes to global diplomacy. As a result, new forms of diplomacy appeared, like environmental, migration and refugees, and human rights.”[vi] Besides, in the article “Diplomacies, from public to pubic”, John Brown explains that “a special place in the increased “adjectivization” of diplomacy (pardon the jaw-breaking term, but it does describe what’s going on) can be traced in part to the British scholar Mark Leonard, who in his 2002 book, Public Diplomacy, introduced … terms [such as]: Co-operative Diplomacy; Competitive Diplomacy; Diaspora Diplomacy; Business Diplomacy; and Niche Diplomacy.”[vii] In turn, G.R. Berridge has written that the “rejuvenation of some of the key features of traditional diplomacy has gone unnoticed – partly because it has been masked by the attachment of new labels to old procedures and partly because the novel has a greater fascination than the tried and tested.”[viii] The tendency to adjectivized diplomacies already existed previously. Terms such as gunboat and shuttle diplomacies were part of the diplomatic toolbox of the U.S.[ix] However, it is not just the tools that expanded, particularly in the 21st Century, but Diplomacy itself grew into what some have called “new diplomacy.” 3. Expansion of the concept of Diplomacy One reason why the explosion of the so-called “new” diplomacies is that Diplomacy itself has expanded outwards.[x] Before creating the first genuinely international organization (IO), the International Telegraph Union, in 1865, there were no diplomatic negotiations outside the States. Now there is an enormous practice of IO diplomacy, not only between member states inside an OI but also amid IOs and states, thus greatly expanding the scope of Diplomacy with these new interactions. Additionally, state and local authorities, NGOs, corporations, individuals, including terrorist, and criminal organizations, have extended their engagement in international affairs. For example, there were only 176 international NGOs in 1909 compared to 48,000 in 2000.[xi] Some of these actors' participation has not been hindered by not forming part of the diplomatic services of their countries, thus do not enjoy the same privileges and immunities as diplomats.[xii] Furthermore, some of these practices have evolved immensely, so whole new departments have been created at many ministries of foreign affairs (MFAs), producing lots of documents, best practices, some with excellent results and other significant failures. Besides, as MFAs have expanded their transparency and accountability, the information usually is publicly available for evaluation and comparison. According to G.R. Berridge, “what we have now is neither and or nor a new diplomacy but, instead, a blend of the two, which has produced a mature diplomacy. It is also one fortified by a respected legal regime.”[xiii] The digital revolution and the enlargement of trade and communications have also allowed the radical growth of international exchanges, commerce, and participation, unsealing new opportunities and threats to the diplomatic craft in general and the country´s foreign policy in particular. As the reader will see in the next section, social media platforms allowed the development of digital public diplomacy in ways that were not possible just a few years ago. Also, the availability of specialized food products from faraway lands allowed governments to implement Gastrodiplomacy efforts that were impossible before. In the next section, I will evaluate Public Diplomacy and Gastrodiplomacy using the proposed framework by Katharina E. Höne, focusing on their purpose, relationship with the State, and who does it. 4. Analysis of two diplomatic instruments. 4.1 Public Diplomacy The best example of a relatively new tool, I believe, is Public Diplomacy (PD). The term has taken off worldwide, and many if not most MFAs have included it in their foreign policy toolbox. For many years, connecting with certain groups was a recurrent task for any ambassador or envoy to gather information about the receiving State's conditions. More importantly, it was an opportunity to persuade or influence them to change a policy or a position towards the sending State. The practice by Embassies of engaging foreign audiences outside government officials is not new.[xiv] However, connecting to ordinary people has dramatically changed, becoming a lot more specialized and adopting innovative communication technics to accomplish the intended goals. If radio, TV, and fax magnified the opportunities for diplomats to engage with citizens in the receiving, the digital transformation has unlocked multiple prospects to talk, and more importantly, listening, directly to individuals and targeted groups of the receiving State and the sending one too. The field of study of PD has multiplied,[xv] and I think it is one reason for greater interest in Diplomacy as a whole. For many of us, PD was the entry point for formally study Diplomacy, even if we have practiced it for a long time. Nowadays, several universities and other learning institutions worldwide offer multiple PD courses, from one-day workshops to Master´s degrees. Several specialized journals and magazines[xvi] have appeared in recent years, such as South Korea´s brand new Journal of Public Diplomacy, which has expanded the options for publishing academic articles about the topic. 4.1.2 Does PD is a real diplomatic tool or just hype? Using the analytical tool proposed by Katharina E. Höne, let´s dissect PD. Concerning the relationship with the State, it is clear that governments are key sponsors of Public Diplomacy initiatives, which are part of an overall foreign policy strategy. Even if these activities are supported by NGOs, individuals, and other institutions, the core functions are performed by embassies and diplomats.[xvii] So, here it is clear that, for the most part, PD is a new tool of the diplomatic craft. I don´t believe it is a rebranded one because there are huge differences from previous practices, mostly because of the digital revolution. Of course, an in-depth analysis of each of the initiatives that governments label as PD would be needed to really know if it is an imposter or the real deal. Luckily, there is a growing body of research about it, not just in scholarly journals but magazines, blogs, and even government studies. 4.2 Gastrodiplomacy Another in-vogue tool of diplomacy is winning foreign audiences' hearts and minds thru their stomach, also known as Gastrodiplomacy. It is considered a technique that forms part of Cultural Diplomacy, and it is relatively recent. Only in 2002, The Economist coined the term after Thailand´s efforts to increase the number of Thai restaurants worldwide.[xviii] Since then, many countries, including Peru, South Korea, and Japan, have invested considerable resources in these efforts. To learn more about Mexico´s Gastrodiplomacy efforts, check out my blog “More than Tacos: Mexico´s scrumptious, yet unknown Gastrodiplomacy” and “Ten years later: Mexico´s Traditional Cuisine and Gastrodiplomacy efforts.” Until recently, local ingredients seldomly used outside the country of origin were available internationally, so they were hard or impossible to find in sufficient quantities to start a restaurant. The ever-growing migration of people, combined with an openness to try different dishes and cuisines, and the growth of agricultural exports (and locally-harvested), unlock the door for governmental efforts to promote its image abroad to gain influence and expand commercial opportunities via Gastrodiplomacy. Shaun Riordan has a significant point that “it only makes sense to talk about sporting (or educational, or scientific, or gastronomic) activities if they form part of a broader diplomatic strategy in pursuit of policy objectives. Otherwise it is just sport, education, science or lunch.”[xix] Therefore, we can only describe it as gastronomic diplomacy if it is spearheaded by the government and has a foreign policy objective. Of course, other actors, such as corporations, NGOs, or even individuals like famous chefs, can be part of its implementation through informal collaborations or formal partnerships. 4.2.1 Is Gastrodiplomacy a diplomatic imposter? In the case of Gastrodiplomacy, we can undoubtedly say that it is a new tool of the diplomatic craft, made possible by changes in transportation, migration, and people´s openness to try foreign cuisines. However, as already mentioned, if it is not part of a foreign policy effort with specific goals, it cannot be considered a type of diplomatic instrument. The issue's development lags behind Public Diplomacy and other cultural diplomatic instruments like Sports and Science diplomacies. The number of articles, scholarly or not, about the subject is still small. The most significant accomplishment was the publication of a special issue about Gastrodiplomacy in the Public Diplomacy magazine in 2014. Besides, there are no classes, seminars, or workshops that I know off just dedicated to the study and practice of Gastrodiplomacy. Therefore, it is a bit hard to argue that Gastrodiplomacy is not a diplomatic imposter. Still, the facts are that countries across the planet have invested scarce financial and human resources to instrument diplomatic efforts using cuisine, sometimes with excellent results. We might not like it, literally the food or the measures, but they are real and exist as the examples of the Gastronomic Diplomacy efforts by Mexico, Peru, and South Korea demonstrate. And given time and flourishing practitioners and scholars, we might have the first Diplomatic /Cordon Blue Chef school somewhere soon. 5. Conclusions. As the new critical theories of International Relations bring new and innovative perspectives to the fields’ scholarship, novel diplomatic instruments are unlocking opportunities for original ways of international engagement. However, some scholars think that it is not an all-out revolution of Diplomacy. For example, Berridge indicates, “What we have witnessed in recent years is not the complete transformation of diplomacy, but rather, the more -occasionally less- intelligent application of new technology and new devices to support tried and tested methods, with the added advantage that this has helped to integrate many poor and weak states into the world diplomatic system.”[xx] In contrast, Höne writes, “If diplomacy is not to become a dinosaur, new diplomacies and their careful debate should be welcomed as part of a much-needed dynamism in the field.”[xxi] Time, analysis, and country´s practices will reveal which diplomatic modes are imposters, which are rebranded efforts, and which are the real deal. For me, the key is for them to have a FP goal. Otherwise, they are not Diplomacy, and we need to invent a different form to call them, but not Diplomacy. I want to conclude this post quoting John Brown: “Below are recent media entries with adjectival modifications (vulgarisations?) of diplomacy — which, perhaps, have contributed to a refinement (dilution?) of the meaning of this unexciting but venerable word. Should one be optimistic/pessimistic about such a development? Let the reader decide. crisis diplomacy radical diplomacy food diplomacy audio diplomacy 1.5 track military diplomacy skateboard diplomacy koala diplomacy wife diplomacy Mrs. diplomacy [original link appears to be inactive] female sports diplomacy emoji diplomacy creative diplomacy poem and prose diplomacy soap opera diplomacy side-eye diplomacy Bulgakov diplomacy.”[xxii] Note: I have not forgotten about Consular Diplomacy, but the post is already quite long; therefore, I analyzed this ”new” diplomatic instrument in the next blog post titled "Consular Diplomacy: Cinderella no more, but not yet a princess". [i] Also see, Brown, John, “Diplomacies, from public to pubic”, Huffington Post, March 23, 2016, and the last chapter of the book Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, 5th ed., 2015, by G.R. Berridge. [ii] Riordan, Shaun, “Stop Inventing New Diplomacies”, Center on Public Diplomacy Blog, June 21, 2017. [iii] Höne, Katharina E., “Would the Real Diplomacy Please Stand Up!”, DiploFoundation Blog, June 30, 2017. [iv] Höne, Katharina E., 2017. [v] De Alva Ulloa, Jessica Lilian, and Velázquez Flores Rafael, “La diplomacia: concepto, origen, desarrollo histórico y tipos” in Teoría y Práctica de la Diplomacia en México: Aspectos básicos, 2018, pp. 37-39. [vi] De Alva Ulloa, Jessica Lillian, and Velázquez Flores Rafael, 2018, pp. 39-40. [vii] Brown, John, “Diplomacies, from public to pubic”, Huffington Post, March 23, 2016. [viii] Berridge, G.R., “Conclusion: The Counter-Revolution in Diplomatic Practice” in Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, 5th ed., 2015, p. 266. [ix] Brown, John, 2016. [x] Cooper, Andrew F., Heine, Jorge, and Thakur, Ramesh, “Introduction: The Challenges of 21st-Century Diplomacy” in The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy, 2013, p. 20. [xi] Cooper, Andrew F., Heine, Jorge, and Thakur, Ramesh, 2013, pp. 7 and 9. [xii] See Höne, Katharina E., 2017 and Riordan 2017. [xiii] Berridge, G.R., 2015, p. 268. [xiv] See the chapter “Public Diplomacy” by Berridge, G.R., in Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, 5th ed., 2015, pp. 198-209. [xv] See for example this great research about PD articles in peer-reviewed journals, Sevin, Efe, Metzgar, Emily T., and Hayden, Craig, “The Scholarship of Public Diplomacy: Analysis of a Growing Field”, International Journal of Communication Vol. 13, 2019, pp. 4814–4837. [xvi] Such as the Public Diplomacy Magazine and other publications of the Center on Public Diplomacy, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, among other [xvii] Here the focus on the instrumentation of PD campaigns, including the organization of educational and cultural exchanges which are initiatives where individuals participate directly. [xviii] The Economist, “Food as ambassador, Thailand´s gastrodiplomacy”, February 21, 2002. [xix] Riordan, Shaun, 2017. [xx] Berridge, G.R., 2015, p. 268. [xxi] Höne, Katharina E., 2017. [xxii] Brown, John, 2016. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer, or company. Diplomacy is a crucial ingredient in any foreign policy recipe. However, it is not always taught in universities as part of International Relations, International Business, and other related fields. It is like cooking without salt, you can eat the food, but it won´t taste as good as if the dish had some salt.  In my recent post, Why Diplomacy matter? I wrote about the significance of Diplomacy in the third decade of the 21st Century and its potential to help solve humanity's current challenges. Following up on this idea, today I will focus on the reasons why we need more teaching and studying about Diplomacy.
Here I argue that Diplomacy needs to be more broadly teach and research because these will:
Diplomacy is a crucial ingredient in any foreign policy recipe. However, it is not always taught in universities as part of International Relations, International Business, and other related fields. It is like cooking without salt, you can eat the food, but it won´t taste as good as if the dish had some salt. In my own International Relations BA program, there was not a single class dedicated to Diplomacy exclusively. Ironically, most of my classmates wanted to join the Mexican foreign service and become diplomats. After joining the foreign service, I learned Diplomacy as a practitioner. I studied it formally until 2012 when I took the course “Diplomacy in the 21st Century” offered by the DiploFoundation. But, what is Diplomacy? Maybe, that could have been the first question that I made in my first publication of my blog, rather than diving directly into the question of whether Public and Consular Diplomacies were real. There are plenty of different descriptions of Diplomacy. Still, I like the one written by Andrew F. Cooper, Jorge Heine, and Ramesh Thakur in the introductory essay of The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy that expressed that “Diplomacy at is essence is the conduct of relationships, using peaceful means, by and among international actors, at least one of whom is usually a government.”[1] I also like Geoff R. Berridge´s[2] definition, which indicates that “Diplomacy is an essentially political activity and, well resourced and skillful, a major ingredient of power. Its chief purpose is to enable states to secure the objectives of their foreign policies without resort to force, propaganda, or law. It achieves this mainly by communication between professional diplomatic agents.”[3] Nowadays, with so many actors involved in international affairs, including individuals, it is logical that the concept of Diplomacy has to expand its conceptual boundaries outwards.[4] Besides, the growing studies of different diplomatic practices outside Europe, as part of the International Relations Global South movement, has also widened the scope of our knowledge in the field. Confusion between Foreign Policy and Diplomacy If Diplomacy is not taught and research, people will have the perennial confusion between Foreign Policy and Diplomacy. I understand a bit the misunderstanding between the two in today´s world, where most of the conflicts worldwide are being solved via diplomatic negotiations rather than other means, including war. So, the less use of force and other foreign policy instruments, the closer both fields are getting, blurring their distinction, and heightening the possibility of confusing both concepts. But let´s be clear, not all of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs´ activities nor all international actions of a government can be classified as Foreign Policy (FP). To be considered a part of a country´s FP, the activity must be directed to achieve a goal. Otherwise, it could only be an international public policy or something else, but not FP. Here, Shaun Riordan has a significant point that “it only makes sense to talk about sporting (or educational, or scientific, or gastronomic) activities if they form part of a broader diplomatic strategy in pursuit of policy objectives. Otherwise it is just sport, education, science or lunch.”[5] But, what is Foreign Policy anyways? According to Jean-Frédéric Morin and Jonathan Paquin in the excellent book Foreign Policy Analysis: a Toolbox, FP is “a set of actions or rules governing the actions of an independent political authority deployed in the international environment… [or] the underlying vision -in other words, the specific conception that a state has regarding its place in the world, its national interest and the key principles that allow to defend them.”[6] Reducing the confusion between Diplomacy and FP is a perfect reason why diplomacy should be taught and study more widely, not just among internationalists. Old, new, and contemporary Diplomacy unchanged principles. Diplomacy, old, new, and contemporary, has always been based on certain fundamental principles that have not changed and are still relevant today. This is remarkable, as, in most sciences, paradigm shifts are a constant, and schools of thoughts and theories disappear with each new discovery. The unchanged principles of Diplomacy are:
Diplomacy´s steadfastness does not mean that it is static. Throughout history has evolved and adapted to new circumstances, including technological revolutions. As the excellent interactive historical timeline of the relationship between Diplomacy and technology shows, every technological breakthrough, from the first written language to the development of TikTok diplomacy, has generated challenges and opportunities for Diplomacy. Diplomats, very reluctantly, have adapted to the arrival of the latest gadgets and processes. However, not all MFAs have adjusted at the same pace. There a few trendsetters and quite a significant number of laggers. Even if Diplomacy has been remarkably stable, two trends are creating diplomatic paradigm shifts. One is the expansion of international actors that perform “diplomacy-like” functions, and the other is the digital revolution. To better understand the impact of these transformations on the diplomatic craft, it is necessary to invest more in diplomatic studies' teaching and investigation. Only then will governments be better prepare to adapt their diplomatic institutions and practices to the new reality. Otherwise, there are going to be left behind. Another critical evolution of Diplomacy is the appearance of new tools like Gastrodiplomacy and Consular Diplomacy, among others. These novel instruments have been questioned and will be discussed in the next blog post. [1] Cooper, Andrew F., Heine, Jorge, and Thakur, Ramesh, “Introduction: The Challenges of 21st-Century Diplomacy” in The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy, 2013, p. 2. [2] A prolific author about diplomacy and Senior Fellow of the DiploFoundation. Check out his website here. [3] Berrigde, G.R., Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, 5th ed., 2015, p. 1. [4] Cooper, Andrew F., Heine, Jorge, and Thakur, Ramesh, 2013, p. 24. [5] Riordan, Shaun, “Stop Inventing New Diplomacies”, Center of Public Diplomacy Blog, June 21, 2017. [6] Morin, Jean-Frédéric and Paquin, Jonathan, Foreign Policy Analysis: a Toolbox, 2018, p. 3. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company.  I wish you all a healthy 2021! For many years, and with every technological revolution, Diplomacy has always been deemed doomed. Ever since communications and transportation have made the world smaller, diplomats have seen their careers threatened. However, every time Diplomacy and diplomats come back after experiencing a makeover, to remain as relevant, if not more, as before. And it a not-so-Post-COVID-19 planet, it seems as much needed as ever. Most of the problems that humanity faces today cannot be solved by a single country or a group of nations. The challenges are global and require a planetary-wide solution. And Diplomacy is the millennial-tradition that can bring about these solutions. Notwithstanding, it needs the willingness of the population and support from politicians. Even if the number of actors has multiplied and even a single person can make the difference in today´s hyperconnected planet, States, embassies, and diplomats are still essential for moving ahead of the relationships between nations and the international system as a whole. Embassies today provide a vital link for the sending state with borders closed across the world and limited travel options. Today, diplomats are one of the very few persons in the world that can travel with little restrictions. This was particularly important at the onset of the pandemic when millions of people were stranded abroad. Nowadays, with new border closures, they are assisting their nationals stuck overseas again. Embassies and diplomats are also working on setting up zoom meetings and virtual visits while exchanging best-practices in pandemic responses and economic revitalization programs. The essence of Diplomacy, sending envoys to foreign lands to communicate, represent, and negotiate, are still valid in the third decade of the 21st Century as they were at the dawn of human civilization. Diplomats are typically problem-solvers and, in many instances, have managed to bring a solution to issues that affect the lives of millions of people. Just think of the Montreal Protocol that prohibited the use of CFCs that depleted the Earth´s ozone layer. And even in today´s digital world, diplomats are needed to provide on-the-ground knowledge and nuances that cannot be matched by a stream of millions of terabytes of information. They can share an ice-breaker for their leaders that could avert a conflict or open the door for a strategic partnership. Consuls around the Earth are engaging in a new form of Diplomacy, Consular Diplomacy, to engage with different subnational actors that have increased their international footprint. In addition, all ambassadors are public diplomacy officials as they have to engage with foreign audiences, as well as domestic stakeholders. The division between foreign and domestic policies has diluted. However, they continue to be different as governments cannot control the international arena and other States´ actions and inactions. These are a few reasons why Diplomacy and diplomats are essential today for the world, not only for one´s nation. DISCLAIMER: All views expressed on this blog are that of the author and do not represent the opinions of any other authority, agency, organization, employer or company. |
Rodrigo Márquez LartigueDiplomat interested in the development of Consular and Public Diplomacies. Archives
May 2024
Categories
All
|
