Today, the diplomatic method has less to do with a sense of political history and the persuasive powers of its practitioners. Important as these tools are, the vital role of the diplomat in today’s globalized world has been radically altered by the complexities of techno-economic multilateralism. Meeting the challenge of instant news, instant analysis, and instant decisions require alertness and mental agility of a very high order. Sadly, as we have seen yesterday, the threat posed by non-state actors, ranging from conventional terrorists to hackers and white-collar criminals, has also raised the bar for our representatives abroad. Crafting a balance between traditional modes of diplomatic negotiation with the need for instant responses is a specific challenge that must be dealt with
