DIPLOMACY AND GLOBALISATION IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AFRICA

Abstract

Diplomacy and globalisation are two defining processes of contemporary international relations. Diplomacy refers broadly to the negotiation, communication, representation, and peaceful management of relations among states and other international actors. Globalisation, bycontrast, describes the increasing intensity, speed, and scope of economic, political, social, cultural, and technological interactions across national borders. Although these processes are analytically distinct, they are deeply interconnected. This paper argues that globalisation has not rendered diplomacy obsolete. Instead, it has transformed diplomatic actors, agendas, instruments, and institutional environments while simultaneously increasing the need for negotiation and international cooperation. Drawing on Complex Interdependence Theory and the English School of International Relations, the paper compares diplomacy and globalisation according to their principal actors, objectives, instruments, spatial characteristics, and temporal dynamics. It also examines their historical development through the post-Second World War international order and considers three contemporary cases: the World Trade Organization, the Paris Agreement, and digital regulatory governance. Particular attention is given to Africa, whose relationship with globalisation has been shaped by slavery, colonialism, unequal trade, economic dependency, and technological disparities. The paper argues that African states should move beyond passive participation in globalisation and use regional and multilateral diplomacy to influence the rules governing international economic, political, technological, environmental, and health affairs. The African Continental Free Trade Area, climate diplomacy, and health diplomacy provide important opportunities for such engagement. Ultimately, the central challenge of contemporary international relations is not whether diplomacy or globalisation will prevail, but how diplomacy can adapt to govern an increasingly interconnected and unequal world. Keywords: Africa, AfCFTA, Complex interdependence, Diplomacy, English school, Globalisation, International relations, Multilateralism