The Palgrave Handbook of Diplomatic Thought and Practice in the Digital Age

This handbook offers important perspectives on the theory and practice of diplomacy in the age of rapid technological change. Focusing on African and international politics, the authors examine tools, case studies, and first-hand experiences in a masterful collection.
- Dr. Lise Howard, Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown University and President of the Academic Council on the United Nations System.

This valuable handbook asks us to reconceptualise the theory and practice of diplomacy in the context of global technological revolution. It offers a useful corrective to previous Eurocentric theories, with a diverse set of contributors, perspectives and case studies. It will be vital reading for those interested in the evolution of the field of diplomacy.
- Professor Pádraig Carmody, Department of Geography, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

This handbook integrates a range of conceptual and empirical approaches to diplomacy in the context of ongoing technological and societal change.  Technological and societal disruptions affect modern diplomacy, altering its character and reforming its way.  In light of such changes, this book offers both historical foundations and contemporary perspectives in the field. By doing so, it demonstrates how contemporary change impacts the work of diplomats representing sovereign states. Global diplomatic services will forever be affected by the digitalization of engagement between states during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. In this rapidly changing culture, with burgeoning geopolitical and geostrategic realignment among global powers, the tools of diplomacy have changed.  The state’s foreign policy astuteness and responses to these changes could have long-term impacts. All this culminates in opportunities for improving the management of diplomatic services and efficiency of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of various states.  This book provides useful insights into how modern diplomacy works, especially the integration of informalities into formal diplomatic practices in complex peace and security environments, within such a framework of change.

Francis Onditi is Associate Professor at Riara University, Kenya.
Katharina McLarren is senior research fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Germany..
Gilad Ben-Nun is Alfred Grosser Professor at Sciences-Po, Paris, France.
Yannis A. Stivachtis is Professor at Virginia Tech, USA.
Pontian G. Okoth is Professor at Masinde Muliro University of Science & Technology, Kenya.