Uncivil Tongues: Populism, Norm Disruption and The Informalization Of Diplomatic Discourse in The Digital Era

The past two decades have witnessed a striking transformation in the language of international diplomacy. Once governed by strict protocols, carefully calibrated formality, and a shared grammar of restraint, diplomatic discourse has increasingly been colonized by the rhetorical habits of populism — blunt, emotive, adversarial, and relentlessly oriented toward domestic audiences. This article examines how the rise of populist political movements, combined with the structural affordances of digital communication platforms, has disrupted long-standing norms of formal diplomatic exchange. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and theories of mediatization, the study analyzes specific instances of populist diplomatic communication from the United States, Brazil, Hungary, and the United Kingdom, arguing that what appears as mere stylistic informality carries profound consequences for the architecture of international norms, multilateral institutions, and global governance. The findings suggest that the informalization of diplomatic discourse is not a temporary aberration but a structural reconfiguration with lasting implications for how states communicate, negotiate, and signal intent on the world stage.

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