Publication

According to this paper, the core dilemma diplomacy faces in the 21st century is disintermediation – i.e., the contesting and stigmatizing of international institutions at the domestic level. These bodies, in other words, are now seen as negative, constraining forces that function exclusively on behalf of self-serving “communities of sentiment.” If diplomats hope to reverse this characterization, they will have to reestablish their value, ideally by providing needed services to everyday citizens.