Since the emergence of state system in Europe, diplomats have had proper respect and immunities. First time, the role of diplomat was thoroughly defined in the Congress of Vienna. Since then diplomats started their efforts to outlaw war between nations. The League of Nations was also established for prevention of war. However, such efforts did not prevent wars. Later, the United Nations (UN) was established with a relatively realistic foundation that war couldn’t be outlawed. Therefore, certain rules and regulations were defined in the UN Charter for fighting a war. There are numerous successes of diplomacy in preventing war. The most recent example is an agreement signed between Iran and P5+1, which averted a war between Iran and the US.
Numerous mechanisms have been adopted by international community to prevent war since 1945. Appointment of special envoys, establishment of observer groups and bilateral and multilateral diplomacy are some of the well-known and frequently used mechanisms for averting war between nations. However, the negative role of political governments often creates challenges for diplomats to prevent war. Moreover, role of electronic and social media has also enhanced challenges for diplomats to defuse tensions between two nations. The most recent example of such a challenge can be viewed in Pakistan-India tensions; Indian electronic and Pakistani social media has created a hype, which in turn has created numerous challenges for diplomats to defuse the tension.
Moreover, there is a general perception that diplomats do not have a role in war. However, the role of diplomats does not end during a conflict. The role of diplomats is to manage the conflict as soon as possible to avoid major violations of human rights. Apart from the UN, major powers and regional influential players, the role of leadership is very important to defuse tensions between nations by initiating diplomatic channels with warring parties. One example is of the then Pakistan’s president, Pervez Musharraf who shook hands with the then Indian prime minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during the 11th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit, an act that somewhat defused tensions between Pakistan and India.
Though power politics has affected the universal diplomatic body, the UN, but it still has a significant role to play during war between two hostile nations. Moreover, influence of regional powers also maneuvers the direction of a conflict. The role of diplomats entirely depends upon the willingness of conflicting parties. Usually, war breaks the communication between two countries, and therefore, it is the duty of diplomats to establish communication channels between the two hostile nations.
However, every conflict cannot be handled with a single barometer. There are different variables for each conflict therefore a single formula of peace building cannot be applied on all disputes. Different variables such as the number of parties involved in a conflict, duration of a conflict, respective force level of the hostile nation, objectives of the belligerent, nature of influence of regional players and volume of commitment of major powers to end the conflict are some of the most important factors that shape the direction of a conflict and often pose challenges to diplomats.
It is the duty of diplomats to facilitate their government in rehabilitation and reconstruction of the infrastructure of the country in the post-conflict period. Moreover, diplomats have to ensure effective arrangement of ceasefire between the two warring nations. Negotiations for demilitarisation of captured parts should be initiated by diplomats after the end of a conflict. Challenges for diplomats during the post-conflict situation often emerge in the shape of building trust among donors and investors after a conflict. Furthermore, unwillingness of rival parties to agree to lasting peace through an agreement also sometimes becomes a challenge for diplomats. The most recent examples of such challenges are Israel and India, states that are not willing to end the Palestinian and Kashmir conflicts.
It can be concluded that diplomacy never ends. It is a most effective and continuous process that takes time in establishing peace and stability. Moreover, traditionally, the role of diplomats has been defined to conduct external affairs of their country, whereas the experience and expertise of diplomats especially in negotiations and conflict resolution could also be effectively utilised in internal conflicts of diplomats’ own country.
The writer is a researcher at the Islamabad Policy Research Institute