More Nation-states
In earlier times, diplomacy was a relatively simple and straight forward process. It has since become more difficult and complicated. At one time – if you dealt with the British government, you were essentially dealing with all of Britain’s dominions, colonies, and protectorates. Now, all of those “others” are now countries and they need to be contacted and dealt with individually.
The world now has 193 recognized countries and that makes diplomacy much more difficult and problematic.
More Perspectives and Priorities
Another problem is that each of those 193 different countries each has its own perspectives and priorities. Diplomats must now communicate the needs, wants, and expectations of their respective countries, but they have to understand the needs, wants, and expectations of the other countries in the world. This makes diplomacy a very sensitive and often slow process.
We will discuss the UN in greater detail later, but this is one of the reasons that the UN was established.