The impact of newly emerging actors, groupings and NGOs on the conduct of contemporary diplomacy

Beatrix Bojtor
19.11.2012

In the 20th century the World’s status quo has changed permanently. The so-called ‘bipolar World’ became multipolar with the fall of the Wall of Berlin, the split up of the communist block and the new actors. The late 20th century was a process for the countries and nations, some of them needed to redefine themselves, some of them needed to reposition and re-allocate their abilities in order to be able to take place in the new system. Since the political and economic system have fundamentally changed, it was crucial to adapt to the newly forming situation. It is considerable that the former two ‘superpowers’, such as the USA and Russia, as the leader of the former Soviet-union, are still amongst the leader nations, although the present status quo involves China, the Middle-East, the EU and the international organisations.

Why was there a need for the international organisations and international actors? The main specificity of our days is the interdependence. Through the Globe, every nation is part of some organisation or more, thanks to the global trade, the economies are highly related one to each other, basically one could not exist without it’s partner (for example, the USA would possibly be in great problem if, in case every connection failed with China or with the Middle-East. The EU or Russia would not be enough as a partner for the United States). In the 20th century, in order to prevent future ruptures, a possible Third World War, and also in order to create stability, many international organisations have been created as well as bi- and multilateral agreements, trade agreements, treaties, unions.

After the Second World War, the whole World needed to build new basics as well as a new Status Quo. Among the post-war measures, the United Nations was founded in order to prevent an other war and to assure peace. The Congress of Europe has been founded in the Hague, which is actually the Council of Europe. An economic reconstruction has been made under the US leadership, essentially with the Marshall Plan and the OEEC (later transformed to OECD). As a space for developed countries’ consultation, the G10, G5 and G7 have been founded and functioned parallel with the IMF, the GATT and the World Bank. Europe created the first steps towards a Common Market and the European Community.

After the Cold War, the Status Quo was again to move and to transform. This period can be considered as the period of the new actors, international organisations and NGOs.Nations started to create a ‘world-wide web’ through agreements, treaties and co-operational pacts. In the new world order, the permanent members of the UN Security Council is China, Japan, the USA, the United Kingdom and Russia. They are the ‘Big Five’ powers. The notion ‘middle power diplomacy’ is created, grouping together the self-declared middle power actors, such as Canada, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Pakistan, Iraq, Iran. The aim is international mediation, peacekeeping and consensus building with international organisations. We know economically based regional organisations, such as the ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations), CARICOM (Carribean Community), Mercosur (Southern Cone Common Market), NAFTA (North-African Free Trade Agreement) and APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation). The economic regionalism became important since 1990, with the aim of promoting and protecting the economic interest of a region, also to facilitate trade and common goals within certain sectors of the economy of the members.

One other important part of today’s diplomacy and communication is the role of the Non-Governmental Organisations. In 1987, a seminar publication by World Development launched NGOs as major objects of development research. In the international field, NGOs are fueled by national governmental economic