Information technologies and transnational interest groups: The challenge for diplomacy

Phenomenal advances in communication and information technologies (CITs) have increased the participation of interest groups in foreign policymaking, transcending geographic boundaries and laying siege to the traditional art of diplomacy. This article analyzes the context, characteristics, and impact of CITs and argues that three separate but interrelated, causal relationships are changing the way foreign policy is made: between CITs and interest groups, between CITs and the propensity of interest groups to internationalize, and between internationalized groups and the ability of national governments to manage their foreign relations.