ABSTRACT
The chapter intends to trace the genesis of the notion of diplomacy, succinctly defining the historical context within which it evolved and expanding its application in diverse spheres. It focuses on the role diplomacy has always played – and more and more plays – in a variety of contexts related to the sensitive and politically charged topic of water. Ever since it existed, diplomacy has sustained a profound transformation; more so lately as the world’s fast-changing geopolitical dynamics, new technologies, climate change, and energy transition have altered old assumptions and introduced an array of new and disruptive trends. The chapter looks at how digital communication and public diplomacy have introduced previously unknown modalities, altering the role and the rules of diplomacy. The terms of reference, the functions, and the required qualifications of a modern diplomat had to be adapted to the new, emerging landscape. The job of a diplomat today is at the intersection of many avenues where politics meets business, academia meets philanthropy, and the non-governmental sector pursues projects contracted by the government. Equity, inclusion, and cultural diversity are some of the drivers of modern diplomacy, assuming influential roles that were previously unthinkable. We seek to analyze the specific dynamics of new trends but also to measure the impact on the water sector of the combined mass of all, sometimes as a force that favors the public good, other times as a risk to be contained. It concludes with a few practical bits of advice, specifically focused on water diplomacy, originating from the experience, professional passion, and moral aspirations of those who worked long years in water diplomacy, both in the bilateral and multilateral flanks (and had to attempt navigating waters that were rarely placid).
