• Home
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Date/Time
  • Login
  • Subscribe

logo

  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
Home
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
  • Home
  • Magazine

Book review: Naked Diplomacy: Power and Statecraft in the Digital Age by Tom Fletcher

by David Patrikarakos / June 16, 2016 / Leave a comment
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

9780008127565William Collins, £18.99

“Diplomacy is Darwinian: its practitioners need to evolve to survive.” This is the first line of Tom Fletcher’s excellent new book on diplomacy—or perhaps more correctly “statecraft.”

Fletcher was a British diplomat for many years serving as ambassador in Lebanon between 2011 and 2015. Early on in the book, he describes the evolution of his career: “When I started, we had to consider how policy would look on the Sky News ticker at the bottom of the screen: 140 words,” he writes. “By the time I left, we were judging how it would look on Twitter: 140 characters.”

At the heart of it all is connectivity. The “tweeting Talleyrands,” as he calls them, need to interact with their audiences. Diplomats must learn the language of this new digital terrain in the way they once learnt Mandarin or Arabic. And for this they need to give their audience information on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter.

But all in moderation. Quoting BuzzFeed founder Jonah Peretti’s dictum that brands are harmed when they give their audience content they don’t want, the reader comes to realise that diplomacy is becoming yet one more “content provider”—and has to play by the rules accordingly. Keep the audience interested; keep them clicking.

The future is digital: hierarchy and traditional authority are being challenged as never before. Fletcher argues that as “Socrates claimed to be ‘not a citizen of Athens or Greece, but of the world,’” so we should be aiming for a period of “citizen diplomacy.” This is a time when Fletcher’s definition of diplomacy—promoting coexistence—is becoming an increasingly important part of everyday life.

YOU’VE HIT THE LIMIT

You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
But don’t worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.

When you register we’ll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we’ll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time







Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

8315832825defd5cea86fa2.40106402

Go to comments

Related articles

Marlon James's new fantasy novel is full of ideas but lacking in convincing characters
Tim Martin / July 14, 2019
The former Booker prize winner's new genre-bending fantasy falls short
Reading the life of Susan Sontag
Lisa Appignanesi / August 30, 2019
Throughout her life, the leading public intellectual refused to behave like a pleasing...
Share with friends
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

Comments

No comments yet

Prospect's free newsletter

The big ideas that are shaping our world—straight to your inbox. PLUS a free e-book and 7 articles of your choosing on the Prospect website.

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information. Click here to learn more about these purposes and how we use your data. You will be able to opt-out of further contact on the next page and in all our communications.

This Month's Magazine

Perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus.

Inside the choice facing voters this General Election—and why the commission that regulates our democracy is struggling to keep up. Plus: Clive James on Wittgenstein, and the real story of Corbynism

Subscribe

Most Popular

  • Read
  • Commented

Is the G7 a dead parrot?

Yes, we should return the Elgin Marbles—and all the other spoils of colonialism

Don't compare Douglas Ford to Donald Trump

Brexiteers hoping that Australia will ride to the rescue are in for a nasty shock

Just how special is human existence? The answer could lie in multiverse theory

Ivan Rogers on Brexit: the worst is yet to come

3 Comments

John le Carré's post-Cold War vision is shot through with a sense of longing

2 Comments

How dare those signed up to hard Brexit lecture Labour on the economy?

2 Comments

Why the London result will decide the next General Election

1 Comments

The precarious success of the national minimum wage

1 Comments

About this author

David Patrikarakos
David Patrikarakos is a freelance writer
More by this author

More by David Patrikarakos

How to achieve long-term goals? One must be both a hedgehog and a fox
June 20, 2018
The secret negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal
August 16, 2017
Trident: how independent is Britain’s nuclear deterrent?
February 2, 2017

Next Prospect events

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - David Lammy

    London, 2020-03-19

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - Jack Shenker

    2020-02-17

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club - Amelia Gentleman

    2020-01-27

See more events

Sponsored features

  • Delivering the UK's invisible infrastructure project

  • Future of Aid: the full report

  • A forest fund for the future

  • A new humanitarianism for the modern age

  • The future of sustainable economic development

PrimeTime

The magazine is owned and supported by the Resolution Group, as part of its not-for-profit, public interest activities.

Follow us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • RSS

Editorial

Editor: Tom Clark
Deputy Editor: Steve Bloomfield
Managing Editor (Arts & Books): Sameer Rahim
Head of Digital: Stephanie Boland
Digital Assistant: Rebecca Liu
Production Editor & Designer: Chris Tilbury
Commissioning Editor: Alex Dean
Creative Director: Mike Turner
US Writer-at-Large: Sam Tanenhaus

Commercial

Commercial Director: Alex Stevenson
Head of Marketing: Paul Mortimer
Marketing and Circulation Executive: Susan Acan
Head of Events: Victoria Jackson
Events Project Manager: Nadine Prospere
Head of Advertising Sales: Adam Kinlan 020 3372 2934
Senior Account Manager: Patrick Lappin 020 3372 2931
Head of Finance and Resources: David de Lange

  • Home
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Acceptable Use Policy
© Prospect Publishing Limited
×
Login
Login with your subscriber account:
You need a valid subscription to login.
I am
Remember Me


Forgotten password?

Or enter with social networking:
Login to post comments using social media accounts.
  • With Twitter
  • Connect
  • With Google +
×
Register Now

Register today and access any 7 articles on the Prospect’s website for FREE in the next 30 days..
PLUS find out about the big ideas that will shape our world—with Prospect’s FREE newsletter sent to your inbox. We'll even send you our e-book—Writing with punch—with some of the finest writing from the Prospect archive, at no extra cost!

Not Now, Thanks

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

×
You’ve got full access!

It looks like you are a Prospect subscriber.

Prospect subscribers have full access to all the great content on our website, including our entire archive.

If you do not know your login details, simply close this pop-up and click 'Login' on the black bar at the top of the screen, then click 'Forgotten password?', enter your email address and press 'Submit'. Your password will then be emailed to you.

Thank you for your support of Prospect and we hope that you enjoy everything the site has to offer.

This site uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using this site, you agree that we can set and use these cookies. For more details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.