Correspondence: Daryl Copeland, E-mail: daryl.copeland@guerrilladiplomacy.com

¹is an analyst, author and commentator who has written and spoken widely as an independent scholar on issues of foreign policy, global issues, diplomacy and public management. His first book, Guerrilla Diplomacy: Rethinking International Relations is forthcoming in 2009 from Lynne Rienner Publishers. For more information, please visit: http://www.guerrilladiplomacy.com

Received 4 February 2009; Revised 4 February 2009.

Abstract

In many Western capitals, and not least in Washington and London, the political leadership has made clear that diplomacy is back as a preferred tool of statecraft. To deliver on those declarations, however, it will first be necessary to fix foreign ministries, which most everywhere are still grappling with the complex challenges engendered by globalisation. Many of these problems – ranging from climate change, to pandemic disease, to alternative energy – as well as their solutions are rooted in science and driven by technology. Most diplomats and international policy managers, however, lack the skills, the experience and the business model required to respond effectively in addressing the full suite of twenty-first century issues. Transformational public diplomacy, by contributing to global development and security through a relentless dedication to meaningful dialogue, cross-cultural understanding and network connectivity, offers one way forward.