Xenophobia, extreme right wing sentiments, populism and the use/abuse of technology and social media, have made modern day diplomacy quite complex. Due to the pervasive use of social media, power is more at the hands of the masses and this keeps diplomatic circles busy. Diplomacy is evolving everywhere and Bangladesh is no exception.

Former Bangladesh high commissioner to India, Liaqat Ali Chowdhury, said: “The basic challenge of diplomacy has remained the same but the format has changed.”

When he was a serving diplomat, he explained, aggressive nationalism and cheap populism were not so ubiquitous.

Regarding social media, he said: “Communication at present is swift. This is a challenge for many and an opportunity for others.”

'It is imperative to drive diplomacy now with a liberal attitude; at the same time, we need diplomats who can think out of the box and make judicious decisions', he added.

'Bangladesh has come out of the bracket of the least developed country and so we need to join a new alliance.' he said.

Echoing the sentiment, former Bangladesh ambassador to China, Munshi Foyez Ahmed, said: “Earlier, diplomacy was between two countries. Now it’s done for the people.”

Stressing on the need to have one's own foreign policy instead of copying others, he added: “We must formulate a foreign policy as per our capability and use expatriates to achieve our objectives.”

But diplomats could not be victims of political polarization within the country, he cautioned.

Alluding to the need for track two diplomacy, he commented: “To extend trade, sport or cultural diplomacy, the sole usage of government officials is over .Businessmen, sports personalities, artists and actors can also be used as tools of diplomacy."