Globalization and the Formation of Diplomats; reflections on the 7th Meeting of Latin American and Caribbean Diplomatic Academies

Ernesto Sosa features how globalization has changed the way of seeing and interpreting the world, and consequently, the way of relating. For him, the enormous development of communication technology, the preponderance of the economy and the new world configuration put the role of the diplomat, and the needs involved in diplomatic formation and updating, on the table for discussion. For Sosa, globalization imposes radical changes on the exercise of diplomacy: for example, faced with the avalanche of information available, the modern diplomat must have the ability and knowledge to choose the information useful to the short-and long-term priorities and objectives of the foreign policy he defends; he must also understand the international reality and the directions of change that characterize it in order to be able to move effectively in this circle. In this sense, the author spotlights some of the ideas that, based on Latin American experience and needs in the field of diplomatic formation, were set out in the 7th Meeting of Latin American and Caribbean Diplomatic Academies held in Mexico in December, 1999: the reform of study plans, greater dynamism in diplomatic and consular formation and updating courses, the importance of national cultural values and traditions and of the rich cultural spectrum they form, and the need for wide social support for the diplomat’s work and international cooperation, among the most important.