Opinion How Twitter became the new medium for diplomacy

Second, the increasing use of regional languages (or non-English vocabulary), especially Hindi, is telling of how the government hopes to connect foreign affairs with popular sentiments — both domestically and abroad. His tweets often speak of productive discussions with heads of other states and areas of collaboration, and sometimes have an anecdotal tone, as seen in a recent, warmly-worded tweet — “aap se baatcheet ke liye tatpar hoon” (“always at hand to have a conversation with you”). This is meant to give the sense of a personalised one-on-one connection with his Hindi-speaking Twitter audience at home. The same principle is at work when Jaishankar tweets in a similar tone in foreign languages to expand the scope of bilateral dialogues. By doing so, the Indian state now speaks not only to other heads of state but also with the people of those countries, adding a new digital dimension to its traditional diplomacy.

Third, a tool of outreach that can fit inside one’s pocket (or is easily outsourced) allows flexibility to personalise one’s way of doing business. It makes diplomacy politically relevant by making it less elitist and easily digestible. Adopting Prime Minister Modi’s style, Jaishankar increasingly uses pictures-in-action attached to his tweets and the word “friend(s)” in different contexts, sometimes to address his counterparts. The count of such tweets has also gone up over the last three years. Placed in context, it flows from what he said in his speech at St Stephan’s College in March 2022 about keeping aside the “learned analysis of the state of the world” and, instead, focusing on “what to an average person is a ‘good’ foreign policy”. Emerging communication tools make it convenient to break from traditional foreign affairs vocabulary and add dimensions of intimacy to it. This was not the case in the past and even now, these tools aren’t accessed by most Opposition parliamentarians. It is especially advantageous for those in charge of the foreign office. It is yet another sign that we live in an era of populism.

In this context, it is worth noting that foreign policy is rarely a matter for discussion on Prime Minister Modi’s Mann Ki Baat (on radio), which reaches the grass roots. On the other hand, the only beneficiaries of this emerging personalised communication are the 23.6 million Twitter users in India, perhaps largely scattered in urban areas with decent literacy levels, which also happen to be the BJP’s political stronghold. Is foreign policy emerging as an effective political mobiliser? That remains to be seen.

The lessons we derive from the Indian case have universal implications. Many in the foreign office are adopting this personalised form of diplomacy. And why shouldn’t they? The popular dividends they derive are tremendous, including internationally. Who in India wouldn’t be pleased to know that the Australian prime minister cooked samosas (in 2020)? This addition of intimacy to foreign relations works both ways (but doesn’t necessarily make the process less opaque). What remains to be seen is if the increased involvement of the populace in foreign affairs leads to its democratisation. Statecraft has traditionally been a specialised, elite job — and for good reasons. A potential politicisation of foreign policy might end up adding more ambiguity to the world order.

Jumle is a public policy student in Berlin, Germany. Jaffrelot is senior research fellow at CERI-Sciences Po/CNRS, Paris, professor of Indian Politics and Sociology at King’s India Institute, London, and non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace