Impact of Diplomatic Strategies on Securing External Defense Arrangement in Nigeria

While the war against terrorism in Nigeria is by no means an easy one. Nigeria defense strategy has since combined soft and hard diplomacy to negotiate, persuade and induce both global and regional allies to support her counter terrorism fight. This study examined the impact of diplomatic strategies on securing external defense arrangement in Nigeria. The study adopted mixed research method. The total population covered by this study was 11,535 staff drawn from selected embassies. The study used the Yammane (1967) determination formula to resize and achieve a manageable target population of 400 at (0.05)2 level of precision using the stratified sampling technique to consider the divers characteristics of the population. Analysis was done using simple percentages, tables and textual contents. The study relied heavily on secondary sources of data such as books, journals, articles, periodical, government reports and publications, magazines, unpublished manuscript, and conference papers; also, on primary sources such as interviews and questionnaires. The study found out that a lot still need to be done to improve the strategies and methods of securing diplomatic arrangements in a way that will favor Nigeria in dealing with the effect of terrorism both locally and regionally. It was commended that Nigeria should use professional diplomats to sharpen her negotiation, inducement and persuasion strategy as most time the use of past leaders with diplomatic baggage may ruin well-crafted diplomatic defense planning, and that the Nigerian state must intentionally be seen to be addressing poverty, unemployment and porous borders which seem to be the key root causes of domestic terrorism in Nigeria.