French diplomacy is often portrayed as formal, rigid, and arrogant. Yet, the current French ambassador to the United States, Gérard Araud, has shaken up the staid diplomatic world with his openness and his use of social media.

Maureen Dowd recently wrote a column for the New York Times on Gérard Araud and his Twitter diplomacy.

Communication strategies have always been crucial to diplomatic activity, and French diplomats have been constructing theories of diplomatic methods since the sixteenth century.

Researchers and students of French history, political culture, and early modern diplomacy will find Araud’s methods interesting.

Dowd’s column is available at the New York Times.