Mike Pompeo’s influence on American diplomacy: A research of the relationship between China and the United States

Abstract

La investigación muestra que si las comunicaciones diplomáticas de Pompeo a través de las redes sociales son realmente tan consistentes y coherentes como lo han sido las convenciones tradicionales del lenguaje diplomático a lo largo de la historia, podría representar una ruptura con los patrones, las normas y las reglas de la diplomacia para comenzar a ser fundamentalmente diferentes. La tesis es exploratoria, con características históricas, analíticas e interpretativas. Se realizó recopilación de datos y el análisis de las influencias de la diplomacia pública de Pompeo en la diplomacia estadounidense tradicional, así como en el análisis de la diplomacia estadounidense y su comportamiento en las teorías de las relaciones internacionales; se comparó la diplomacia de Pompeo y su predecesor Rex Tillerson y cómo la política exterior estuvo dirigida por Pompeo. La conclusión es que las influencias de Pompeo en la diplomacia estadounidense, aplicada al caso de China vs Estados Unidos, permite inferir que los cambios en el estilo y estrategia de la diplomacia de US durante los últimos tres años es una representación o una réplica simbólica de la intención de Mike Pompeo de asegurar la hegemonía política, económica y militar de US en el campo de las relaciones internacionales, independientemente de los costos o consecuencias globales que el mantenimiento de este propósito pueda generar.

This research aims to analyze the practice of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in diplomacy. Specifically, I will focus on how his public diplomatic strategy has changed traditional American diplomacy, more precisely in the international relations between China and the United States. So, the main question is: What are the influences of Pompeo´s diplomacy on American diplomatic relations, specifically the relationship between China and the United States? So, I used qualitative data. The type of thesis is exploratory, with historical, analytical, and interpretative characteristics. I will focus on data collection and the analysis of Pompeo public diplomacy's influences on traditional American diplomacy, as well as analyze American diplomacy and Pompeo behavior into International relations theories; The diplomacy of Pompeo and his predecessor Rex Tillerson will be compared. Likewise, Trump's foreign policy was directed by Pompeo. The research shows that if Pompeo's diplomatic communications through social networks are really as consistent and coherent as traditional conventions of diplomatic language have been throughout history, there are two possibilities. First of all, the style of diplomacy of social media could destabilize and even replace traditional diplomatic practices and potentially provoke conflicts in international relations. Secondly, it can lead to the development of new rules or agreements in digital diplomacy. All of this could take the form of gradual change and adaptation within existing frameworks and principles concerning traditional diplomacy. It could represent a fundamental break with accepted patterns of behavior, norms, and diplomacy rules to begin to be fundamentally different. Thus, to be more specific about Pompeo's diplomacy against China, Pompeo may negatively use his private diplomacy. Both countries need to be realistic about how close their bilateral relationship may be at any given time and control their disagreements by avoiding any conflict that could threaten their overall peace and prosperity. That is why maintaining the balance between China and the United States will remain the most important bilateral relationship in the world for many years. Finally, the conclusion is that the influences of Pompeo´s diplomacy in the American diplomacy, applied to the case of China vs the United States, allows us to infer that the changes in the style and strategy of diplomacy by the United States during the last three years is a representation or a symbolic replica of Mike Pompeo's intention to ensure political, economic and military hegemony of the United States in the field of international relations, regardless of the global costs or consequences that the maintenance of this purpose may generate.