DEFINING MILITARY DIPLOMACY

 

Pic Courtesy: Internet

 

“Diplomacy is the velvet glove that cloaks the fist of power.”

 

― Robin Hobb

 

Diplomacy. Diplomacy is the practice and skill of managing international relations between countries by the use of negotiation, dialogue, and compromise. Diplomatic efforts can address a wide range of issues, such as trade, security, human rights, climate change, etc. Diplomacy is not synonymous with foreign policy, while foreign policy sets the political goals, diplomacy is the instrument for achieving them.

 

“If diplomacy has any chance to work, it must be coupled with a credible military Power.”

– Author: Benjamin Netanyahu

 

Military Diplomacy. Military Diplomacy also known as defence diplomacy, is a term used in international relations to describe the pursuit of foreign policy objectives through the peaceful utilisation of defence resources and capabilities. It involves the employment of defence resources to achieve specific national goals. It is an important aspect of modern diplomacy and is an invaluable instrument of statecraft. It can be summarised as an oxymoron “using hard power as soft power”.

 

Soft Power vis-à-vis Hard Power

The terms Hard Power and Soft Power represent two important concepts in the field of International Relations.

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