International Relations: Virtual Embassy Literature Review Study

This literature review explores the concept of virtual embassies in international relations, focusing on their role in information sharing and diplomatic relations. It highlights the early adoption of virtual embassies by countries like the Maldives to overcome geographical challenges and the extensive use by the USA to communicate foreign policies and cultural values to countries like Iran. The review also addresses the limited adoption in Africa due to economic constraints, emphasizing the potential for virtual diplomacy to enhance international relations. The document concludes by referencing key studies that examine the impact of technology on international systems and the challenges faced by countries with limited diplomatic missions.

International relations
Virtual embassy
Name
Institution
Professor
Course
Date

International relations
Literature review
Virtual embassy in the world.
Virtual embassy provides a communicative website that targets to share information
all over the world. Basically, the developed world has been in a position to apply the concept
of the virtual embassy successfully thus maintaining appropriate relationships with all the
countries and that lack the diplomatic missions (Archetti, 2012 p.89).
Research shows that the Maldives was one of the first countries to launch the concept of the
virtual embassy on May 22, 3007. This was as the result of the challenges which raised from
the sea crises. The country was unable to acquire the information through the sea. As a result,
this led to the formation of the virtual embassy by the minister of the foreign affairs within
the country (Zhong & Lu,2013 p.67). The virtual embassy was launched to offer a channel
that will help the country to share information to the other countries and at the same time to
provide a platform that will check on the international concern and also promote the
interaction with the international communities.
The concept has been applied in many parts of the world. The research shows that the virtual
embassy is at a high rate in the USA. The online embassy helps the U.S. government to alert
other countries such as the Iranians on any information related to the American foreign
policies, the use of the visa services and American culture and the values. This also assists on
the issue of interactions between the Americans and the Iranians. Reports have been prepared
to show how information and communication technologies have affected the change of the
international system (Lucarelli & Olof, 2011 p.126).
Also to the other countries with the limited diplomatic missions such as the Africa continent
it has been noted that the level of the efficiency of their diplomats will determine the
development of the diplomatic missions. The continent has 54 countries and due to the high

International relations
cost which is needed when setting the diplomatic missions, the states have been highly
underrepresented within the continent (Taylo et al,2013 p.93). The research shows that the
countries within the continent have the low economic growth almost 4%, therefore, limiting
the continent to cooperate with the concepts of the virtual embassy.
The literature review shows that there is a minimal concern of the virtual diplomacy in Africa
as compared to the USA. Opportunities should be added by incorporating the issue of virtual
diplomacy.

International relations
Reference
Archetti, C., 2012. The impact of new media on diplomatic practice: an evolutionary model
of change. The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 7(2), pp.181-206.
Zhong, X. and Lu, J., 2013. Public diplomacy meets social media: A study of the US
Embassy's blogs and micro-blogs. Public Relations Review, 39(5), pp.542-548.
Lucarelli, A. and Olof Berg, P., 2011. City branding: a state-of-the-art review of the research
domain. Journal of place management and development, 4(1), pp.9-27.
Taylor, C.L., Grey, N., and Satterthwaite, J.D., 2013. Assessing the clinical skills of dental
students: a review of the literature. Journal of Education and Learning, 2(1), p.20.