The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy edited by Andrew Cooper, Jorge Heine, Ramesh Thakur

This book aims to display the importance of diplomacy along with its attendant capacity – albeit with many constraints and frustrations – for adaptation. Diplomacy today takes place among multiple sites of authority, power, and influence: mainly states, but also including religious organizations, non-governmental organizations, multinational corporations, and even individuals, whether they be celebrities, philanthropists, or terrorists. With chapters written by contributors from across the world, this volume is intended for a global audience. It underlines the global scope and multilateral nature and solutions for today’s most pressing problems. The various sections highlight the many complex areas at play in modern diplomacy. The articles are designed to show how the theory and practice of diplomacy are attempting to deal with each specific issue area and to identify changes in the field in relation to the intersection of club and network diplomacy. Through the use of pertinent case studies, the book highlights the complex challenges facing the modern practitioner of this ancient profession. The questions that will be addressed in this volume include the following: What is the role and nature of diplomacy in twenty-first century? What are the key features that have remained constant? How do the increased number of actors involved in diplomacy interact and get things done? What are the implications for diplomacy of the dynamic nature of the interactions between bilateral, regional, and multilateral diplomacy, and of the linkages across issue areas?