The role of citizen diplomacy in reducing international tensions and problems

Abstract

Global issues such as environmental disasters, malnutrition, poorness, international economic inequalities, local and ethnic conflicts, migration phenomena, globalization paradoxes, and other crises and challenges are so complex that governments and traditional diplomacy cannot tackle them alone. Therefore, diplomacy has expanded beyond the monopoly of governments. One of these new forms of diplomacy is citizen diplomacy or "people-to-people diplomacy." This can involve NGOs, private peacemakers, scholars, or other "bridge builders." Citizen diplomacy takes many forms, such as student/faculty exchanges, church programs bringing conflicting groups together, or cultural/scientific/sporting events that allow disputants to interact cooperatively or competitively. The informality of citizen diplomacy activities gives it a high degree of flexibility. This research aims to demonstrate the effectiveness and importance of citizen diplomacy in today's world, and its role in maintaining peace at the global level. © 2025 by IGI Global. All rights reserved.