Conclusion

Abstract

In this concluding chapter Spies explains how the diplomatic arena has changed in terms of its density (the many new actors that deploy diplomats, whether de facto or de jure); enlarging substantive agenda (crowded with high and low-political issues); and diversity of operational styles. She revisits the four main diplomatic modes (bilateral, third party, multilateral and polylateral) to comment on their distinct features and advantages. Their inter-modal use in the pursuit of structural power is discussed, notably the efforts of the Global South to level the international playing field. Spies posits that the bifurcating ‘West and the Rest’ narrative is just another phase in the evolution of international society, and that diplomacy maintains its central role in providing continuity and coherence to international relations.