Cable diplomacy

Cable’ has an interesting epystemological life in diplomacy. The term “cable” originates from the use of telegraph cables for international communication. Howerver, ‘cable’ remains alive in diplomatic parlance till these very days when telegraph are not used any more. The most frequent use of term ‘cable’ is for internal reports within diplomatic services. However, cables played an important role in internatoinal negotiations. Thus, ‘cable diplomacy’ was deeply involved in various turning points in diplomatic history.

The leaking of confidential diplomatic cables can lead to significant consequences for diplomacy, as it may expose sensitive information, strain relationships between countries, or cause embarrassment to the parties involved. One notable example is the 2010 leak of US diplomatic cables by WikiLeaks, which had a significant impact on US foreign relations and diplomacy. Cable diplomacy is a term used to describe the use of telegraphy to communicate with distant countries or colonies. One of the most famous examples of cable diplomacy occurred in 1898 during the Spanish-American War. On July 3rd, 1898, President William McKinley sent a telegram to Spain’s Queen Regent Maria Christina, proposing an armistice and an end to the war. The Queen was so impressed by the President’s diplomatic cable that she accepted the proposal, and the war was over within days. This event demonstrated the power of cable diplomacy and helped to shape the future of international relations.

Resources

2019

Diplomacy and Secret Service

Intelligence officers working under diplomatic protection are rarely out of the news for long, and the last two years have been no exception. How did the relationship between diplomacy and secret intelligence come about? What was the impact on it of the bureaucratizati... Read more...

Histories