Diplomacy, a word derived from Greek, can be defined as an art - the art of negotiating better outcomes by state representatives. Unfortunately, over the year, the way diplomats and use of this art has been twisted and turned in such a way that states use it as a tool to their advantage. Unfortunately, this is because many a time, states or their representatives (i.e. diplomats), try to give the impression that they have a virtuous character and that they have religious beliefs or principles, which in reality they do not possess. Whilst I do not wish to judge all diplomats and try to portray them as rogue people, I cannot but cite a few examples of why I think this is the case.
Very recently, after the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attacks, world leaders united in Paris in a solidarity march. The aim of this march was to show that they were all for freedom of the press and freedom of speech. However, among those leaders were some who have suppressed freedom of speech and tortured journalists in their country. In fact, many of the countries represented actually have a very poor record when it comes to freedom of speech. What is more shocking to me is that amongst these were also some European heads of state.
It perplexes me how a government can sentence journalists to serve prison sentences and then attend such a rally. While I am all for showing solidarity with France and with the victims of such attacks, I think that many of the Heads of State were there for all the wrong reasons. A part of me thinks that because France is such a strong player on an international level, world leaders could not afford not to be there. It gives them the opportunity to build bilateral relations and could serve as a platform for trade negotiations for instance.
Another example is the one we saw this week, where many dignitaries and diplomats paid their respects to those who were murdered in the work concentrations camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. In this regard, while I agree that we should pay our respects to these innocent people who were brutally murdered, I think that we are missing the point. In my humble opinion, the reason why we commemorate such historic events is to learn from them and avoid the same mistakes. World and European Heads of State especially should remember that while they are weeping for victims who lost their lives more than 70 years ago, many others are currently being killed when mercenaries - the modern monsters and equivalents of historic monsters such as Adolf Hitler - try and traffic them into Europe.
Why diplomats feel the need to put on this show is very much beyond me. Most probably the art of democracy has turned us into modern day twisted politicians with priorities being set in their right order. I believe that people should come before trade and that diplomacy has no place when it comes to humanitarian issues - the right to life is the most fundamental of rights and shouldn't be the subject of any negotiation.
My conclusion from the above is that diplomacy is many times a much nicer word for hypocrisy.
[email protected]