India’s World, Volume 2, Issue 9, September 2026

Diplomacy as ‘Drama’: Posts, Likes, Negotiations

Diplomacy was once conducted largely behind closed doors, through carefully worded cables, private conversations and painstaking negotiations. Today, the negotiating room has a window facing the street. Social media has transformed how diplomacy is practised, communicated and contested, making posts, images and public reactions an increasingly important part of statecraft. This issue of India’s World examines what happens when diplomacy becomes performance—and whether visibility strengthens diplomacy or risks overwhelming substance.

In his editorial note, Happymon Jacob reflects on the widening gap between producing diplomatic outcomes and controlling the narrative around them. Ajay Bisaria opens the issue by tracing the transformation from secret cables to open screens, arguing that the target of diplomatic persuasion has increasingly shifted from governments to publics.

The cover story explores this transformation from multiple perspectives. Syed Akbaruddin looks at the long history of public communication in diplomacy, while Vikas Swarup examines the role of personal chemistry and social media. Ali Mamouri considers how posts can precede policy, and Svitlana Kovalchuk explores the power of digital communication during wartime. Manu Sharma and Gazala Fareedi examine the changing relationship between diplomatic practice and the media.

The issue also looks beyond the feed—to West Asia’s emerging security order, diplomatic history, global alliances, geopolitics, books, film and culture, including Korea’s Naatu Naatu moment and Kerala’s enduring fascination with Latin America.