The Role of New Communications and IT in Conceptual Evolution of Diplomacy

The Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has created widespread developments in the sphere of international relations in which its critical topics and concepts such as power, security, sovereignty, culture, development, and diplomacy have experienced considerable changes. In parallel with advance of ICT, the nature of diplomacy has changed and new trends, actors, and tools of diplomacy has emerged so that new forms of diplomacy including media diplomacy, new public diplomacy, cyber diplomacy, and science and technology diplomacy have appeared. conceptual and formational developments on diplomacy have caused its function and agenda to change simultaneously in which the traditional functions have been challenged. Drawing on the conceptual framework of ICT and diplomacy, this study seeks to find a reliable answer to this main question; in the new era, what is the impact of ICT on the concept and forms of diplomacy and how has it changed the traditional function? The findings show that the ICT in the new era has provided spaces for conceptual and formational evolution of diplomacy through networking, cyber spaces and Media; diplomacy’s traditional function and agenda have been challenged and nowadays diplomacy is not just limited to peacemaking or preventing war; new types of topics such as terrorism, religious radicalism, environmental challenges, internet management, persuading public opinions to line up with given policies, nuclear disarmament, and preventing structural violence determine new diplomacy’s agenda.