Representation has been traditionally considered a constitutive function of the diplomatic method to the extent that the very recognition of the sovereign status of a political entity (the state, nation, government) has relied on proper accreditation of diplomats by foreign governments. This mode of diplomatic engagement has become increasingly contested in the recent period as representation is no longer viewed as lying within the exclusive competence of the state. On the one side, regional organizations (the European Union, African Union, UNASUR) are in the process of developing their own mechanisms of diplomatic representation in direct competition or complementary to member state representation. On the other hand, private actors (individuals, NGOs, corporations, social movements) have become increasingly vocal in asserting themselves as legitimate participants in international negotiations, crisis management and multilateral conventions.
The objective of this paper is to explore the changing nature of diplomatic agency by examining how regional and private actors compete with traditional diplomats in claiming official status as bearers of public ideas, interests and power. Drawing on the work of John R. Searle’s general theory of institutional facts, I will argue the rising diplomatic relevance of regional organizations and private actors depends on their capacity to advance and legitimize novel deontic powers of diplomatic conduct that is, desire-independent reasons for action regarding the functional roles, normative expectations and conditions of success of diplomatic relations. The paper will empirically unpack deontological mechanisms of diplomatic innovation using the case of current negotiations among state and non-state members of the Artic Council.
