Upon many bad that the corona has brought, there lies one good thing ie. e-diplomacy, which is creating a major impact in the world of diplomacy and relations among countries.
Since the pandemic had spread affecting the whole world a new way for diplomacy has developed among countries. One of such is the SAARC summit that was initiated by PM Modi, to make a collective effort to tackle the pandemic. We have also seen the India-Australia, the G20 and the WHO taking the same initiative of virtual summit rather than the usual traditional old diplomacy.
The arising of e-diplomacy provides an advantages in terms of safety, which is the most prioritized concern in any diplomatic meeting. It also drastically declines the cost in terms of travelling and organizing such events. Thirdly it brings the extra time consumption, which can be utilized in other public welfare programs.
But the traditional diplomacy has always been a more impactful as it creates a physical relationship among the nations, these also helps in overcoming bitter relations when some crises occurs. Taking an example of President Donald Trump visits to India which helped in creating of better ties and also has an impact on the public opinion. In most of the cases traditional diplomacy helps in giving out a substantial results.
Whereas e-diplomacy lacks in getting high profile events and it outcomes is always in doubt.Also the biggest concern in e-diplomacy is the cyber security, where no guarantee can be provided on it confidentiality. Virtual meeting is always in danger of cyber attacks. But in these pandemic it is only the way out to carry on diplomacy. We have seen the meeting of PM Modi and PM Scott Morrison which gave a fruitful outcomes in signing of disaster management, maritime and defense cooperation etc. At last, It’s the only way to maintain bilateral relations.
