The Need For Sound Diplomacy In Nigeria’s Relations With Africa And The Rest Of The World Research Paper Examples

Diplomacy is the art of negotiation between states. States follow diplomacy to maintain cordial relationships with one another, prevent war, boost its image outside of its borders, and win favorable trade agreements and many more. Although the art of diplomacy has been around and practiced since nation states have been formed, the discipline has never been accorded the importance that is given to other fields of study in international relations. According to Paul Sharp, “the study of diplomacy remains marginal to and almost disconnected from the rest of the field”. Barry H. Steiner goes further and argues that, “no area of world politics has reflected a greater gap between experience and theory than diplomatic statecraft”. The nature of the nation state and international relations has changed and so too has diplomacy. With the end of cold war and the onslaught of technology that blurs traditional borders and cross border terrorism, diplomacy between countries becomes all the more important. Nigeria ever since its independence has had a chequered diplomatic history with its neighbors as well as the rest of the world. With internal strife and the looming threat of Boko Haram, it is time Nigeria get out of its past diplomatic errors and practiced a sound diplomacy that would help tackle the problem of terrorism and also put the state on the global map. With falling oil prices and low revenue from oil Nigeria has to look at other trade options and diplomacy will come handy.
Nigeria got independence in the year 1960 and officially started its diplomatic relations with other countries as an independent country. It was a member of the UN, a member of the commonwealth and also a member of the Organization of African Unity. It also played an important role in the liberation struggles of countries like South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique and Angola. However its diplomatic relations and international status has always been strained owing to foreign policy blunders and the practices of the military regime of the country. Relations with the UN soured due to the human rights violations in the country and the receiving of Gaddafi as a state guest. Its membership within the commonwealth was suspended when it refused the clemency plea of the nine Ogoni people it executed in 1995. Other countries such as Canada, the European Union and the United States also imposed certain sanctions on Nigeria due to its continuing human right violations. Nigeria made another huge diplomatic blunder in 2003 when some of the northern states refused Polio Vaccinations from the WHO. As a result of this the Polio eradication program came to a standstill and Polio was also spread to many parts of Africa, Middle-east and Asia. Nigeria has long been suffering from internal crisis and civil unrest as a result of its colonial legacy. The religious and ethnic-clan differences still continue to this day and plays a large role in affecting its diplomatic relations with other countries too, especially its neighbors.
One of the main factors in diplomacy is credibility and Nigerian leaders are not exactly known for that. In March 2015, former president Goodluck Jonathan created a diplomatic blunder when news came out of his phone call with the Sultan of Morocco asking for support of the Muslim population during the presidential election. Although no call ever took place, it took a long time for the president to clarify this and as a result the Moroccan government called back its ambassador as a sign of protest. This is but one recent example of how Nigerian diplomacy or the lack of it damages the image of the country. Image cultivation is one of the aspects of diplomacy and it is one way a country can assert its existence and power. Turkey after the Ottoman Empire, France and many other countries have used diplomacy effectively to cultivate their image. This is something that Nigeria has failed to do and something it needs to focus on to empower the new regime as well as salvage the damaged image of the country.
Nigeria currently faces not only long standing internal conflicts but also a greater threat in the form of the terrorist organization Boko Haram. Although its African neighbors have come in to help to fight Boko Haram, it is largely to curb the terrorists from expanding outside of Nigeria’s borders and not because Nigeria has good diplomatic relations with them. Canada, France and the US are also supporting the African countries in tackling the problem and this is an opportunity for Nigeria to play its diplomatic cards properly. Any wrong move by Nigeria at this juncture would make it a pariah in the eyes of the world as cross border and international terrorism has become the biggest menace the world is facing right now. Nigeria also needs to strengthen its diplomatic missions around the world as its citizens have come under attack lately in many countries, largely owing to drug and other illicit activities. The new regime in Nigeria and the country as a whole is in acute need of an image makeover and sound diplomacy is the right way to do it.
Sound diplomacy does not mean giving up its sovereign rights but working along with other countries, especially its neighbors in Africa. Diplomacy and foreign policy is interrelated and Nigeria needs to work on both in order to get political, military and economic support from the UN, US, EU and other countries. Foreign aid in the military and economic spheres is useful in the wake of falling oil prices as well as the changing world. Nigeria needs to get out of its past diplomatic errors and strive for a path where it can maintain cordial relations with other countries.

References

Sharp, P 1999, ‘For Diplomacy: Representation and the Study of International Relations’, International Studies Review, Vol. 1, no.1, pp. 34.
Steiner, B.H. 20004, ‘Diplomacy and International Theory’, Review of International Studies, Vol. 30, no. 4, pp 493.