When Diplomacy Goes Wrong

Diplomacy efforts can always be tricky, consisting as they do of balancing the considerations of different cultures whilst getting your point across, and in volatile situations can be even more so. The recent British effort in Libya can definitely be marked as a colossal failure, but aside from making the Foreign Secretary look stupid there could be major consequences. This has massive implications for any future diplomatic efforts in this region.  

 

   

It has been recognised that the use of both soft and hard power within diplomacy helps to ensure a nation’s position on the international stage. This catastrophic British mission, which saw eight SAS soldiers detained by rebel Libyan fighters, has seriously harmed the British government’s ability to use soft and hard power on the international stage. It has made British elite forces look incompetent which may make the threat of hard power from Britain seem insignificant. It could also weaken the ability to use soft power as they were caught whilst acting covertly which may be perceived by other nations as a reason to be suspicious of British diplomacy.

This embarrassing episode could have greater impact on British diplomacy, far beyond making William Hague look just a little silly.  

Sources from:
Image credited from http://www.politics.co.uk/news/economy-and-finance/william-hague-labels-labour-weak-and-washed-out--$1242623.htm
Video From ITV World Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSUPAD9JNZA

Other Sources:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/british-special-forces-team-released-after-botched-mission-2234233.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12658054