YDS 2021 in Review

W I L L Z O O M L A S T ?
Since 2020, diplomacy and international relations have moved firmly into the digital
space. Social media platforms such as Twitter were used extensively throughout
2020 and 2021 to connect with those who suddenly found themselves isolated.
Digital meetings have also had the added benefit of facilitating more conversations
between heads of state and high-level officials, held in “virtual No Man’s Land” from
wherever they are in the world.
One of the pandemic’s silver linings has been the fact that it has pushed technology
and digital communications from public-facing diplomacy to traditional diplomatic
interactions. However, the interpersonal aspect of diplomacy remains an
indispensable part of the art of negotiation. It is the capacity to feel the atmosphere
of a room, to grab a coffee between meetings, to bump into someone in the
corridor, and to pursue strategies which develop a rapport and trust between
diplomats and negotiators. It is this trust which facilitates effective diplomatic
connections. These trust-building aspects are largely lost over Zoom.
The digitisation of communications and diplomacy not only connects people in
times of separation, but also mitigates the negative impacts of prolific international
travel on the environment. However, the recent UN Climate Change Conference
(COP26) saw the return to in-person high level diplomacy en masse. While more and
more avenues for digital diplomacy have been formed and made robust over the
last two years, COP26 has made it clear that diplomats, leaders, negotiators and
decision makers want to transition back to in-person diplomacy. After all, bilateral
ties are more effectively reinforced by setting foot in each other’s countries and
partaking in physical cultural exchanges.
As the world ponders whether working from home will be the new norm across the
corporate sphere, diplomacy may be one of the professions that cannot let go of
conferences and coffee meetings. A hybrid diplomatic future is essential for keeping
up with an increasingly digital world while maintaining the incidental trust-building
that comes from meeting people face-to-face.
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