Eleanor Finch
Diplomacy is the principal substitute for the use of force or underhanded means in statecraft. It is a key mechanism through which nations foster mutual trust and productive relationships, and it has become crucial to building a secure global environment. The term diplomacy is derived from the 18th-century French term diplomate (diplomat or diplomatist), based on the ancient Greek diploma, which means an object folded in two. This reflected the practice of sovereigns providing a folded document to confer some official privilege. The practice of diplomacy has evolved to include a variety of diplomatic categories and strategies employed by organizations and governments to achieve their aims, such as economic diplomacy, preventive diplomacy, and public diplomacy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Nature and development | International relations, agreements, treaties, and negotiations |
| Changes in diplomatic practices | International dialogue, unofficial diplomacy, summit meetings, international conferences, parliamentary diplomacy, and the work of international civil servants |
| Theoretical and empirical approaches | Foreign policy, international law, international cooperation, and conflict resolution |
| Issues in global diplomacy | Economic diplomacy, gunboats, hostage diplomacy, preventive diplomacy, public diplomacy, small state diplomacy, and transformational diplomacy |
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What You'll Learn
The history of diplomacy
The term diplomacy is derived from the 18th-century French word "diplomate", which itself originates from the ancient Greek "diploma", meaning "folded in two". This term was used to refer to the practice of sovereigns providing a folded document, which, prior to the invention of the envelope, served to protect the privacy of its content.
While the view that the first diplomats in late medieval Europe were "messengers from heaven to earth" is perhaps fanciful, some elements of diplomacy do predate recorded history. Early societies had some attributes of states, and the first international law arose from intertribal relations. Tribes negotiated marriages and regulations on trade and hunting, and women were often used as envoys because of their perceived mysterious sanctity.
The greatest knowledge of early diplomacy comes from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, China, and India. Records of treaties between Mesopotamian city-states date back to around 2850 BCE. Thereafter, Akkadian (Babylonian) became the first diplomatic language, serving as the international tongue of the Middle East until it was replaced by Aramaic. There are traces of Egyptian diplomacy dating to the 14th century BCE, and some of the earliest known diplomatic records are the Amarna letters written between the pharaohs of the eighteenth dynasty of Egypt and the Amurru rulers of Canaan during this time. Inscriptions on the walls of abandoned Mayan cities indicate that exchanges of envoys were frequent, though little is known about the substance or style of Mayan and other pre-Columbian Central American diplomacy. In South America, the expanding Inca empire dispatched envoys, but this appears to have been a prelude to conquest rather than bargaining between sovereigns.
In the context of the Byzantine Empire, diplomacy was a form of war by other means. The empire's security depended on activist diplomacy, and its "Bureau of Barbarians" was the first foreign intelligence agency.
In the modern era, the Congress of Vienna of 1815 established an international system of diplomatic rank after the fall of Napoleon. Disputes on precedence among nations and the appropriate diplomatic ranks to be used persisted until after World War II, when the rank of ambassador became the norm. Modern diplomatic practices are a product of the post-Renaissance European state system, and by the 20th century, diplomatic practices pioneered in Europe had been adopted throughout the world. Diplomacy now covers summit meetings, international conferences, parliamentary diplomacy, the international activities of supranational and subnational entities, unofficial diplomacy by non-governmental elements, and the work of international civil servants.
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International relations
Diplomacy is the main mechanism through which nations foster mutual trust and productive relationships. It is the principal substitute for the use of force or underhanded means in statecraft. Diplomacy is how comprehensive national power is applied to the peaceful adjustment of differences between states. It is often confused with foreign policy, but the terms are not synonymous. Foreign policy is set by political leaders, who may be advised by diplomats, and establishes goals, prescribes strategies, and sets the broad tactics to be used in their accomplishment.
Economic diplomacy involves the use of aid or other economic policies to achieve diplomatic goals. Public diplomacy, coined in the mid-1960s, involves engaging with foreign audiences to strengthen ties, build trust, and promote cooperation. It has become increasingly important with the democratization of information and the rise of new media and communication technologies, which have empowered non-state actors and elevated their role in international politics. Preventive diplomacy is a peaceful approach to dispute resolution, aiming to prevent conflicts from escalating into armed confrontations. Small-state diplomacy, meanwhile, refers to the strategies employed by smaller states to ensure their interests and goals are addressed in the global arena, particularly regarding issues like climate change, water security, and shifts in the global economy.
The practice of diplomacy has evolved over time, with modern diplomatic practices originating in post-Renaissance Europe and later expanding globally. Today, diplomacy encompasses a range of activities, including summit meetings, international conferences, parliamentary diplomacy, the work of international civil servants, and more.
Overall, diplomacy in international relations is a complex and dynamic field, involving various actors and strategies, and it continues to evolve in response to changing global contexts and challenges.
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Foreign policy
Diplomacy is often confused with foreign policy, but the two are not synonymous. Foreign policy is set by political leaders, though diplomats, military and intelligence officers may advise them. Foreign policy establishes goals, prescribes strategies, and sets the broad tactics to be used in their accomplishment. It may employ secret agents, subversion, war, or other forms of violence as well as diplomacy to achieve its objectives.
The purpose of foreign policy is to further a state's interests, which are derived from geography, history, economics, and the distribution of international power. Foreign policy is publicly enunciated, while diplomacy is conducted in confidence, though both the fact that it is in progress and its results are almost always made public.
The State Department of the United States has four main foreign policy goals:
- Support US diplomats, government officials, and other personnel at home and abroad who make these goals a reality.
- Protecting America – diplomacy is one of the best ways to protect the United States and its people. Diplomacy is used to deal with challenges that cross national boundaries, such as environmental degradation, and to prevent terrorist attacks and strengthen international alliances to defeat global terrorism.
- Promoting mutual understanding – the State Department engages international audiences on issues of foreign policy, society, and values to help create an environment receptive to US national interests.
- Democracy and human rights – promoting freedom and democracy and protecting human rights around the world are central to US foreign policy. The US supports those who long to live in freedom and under democratic governments that protect universally accepted human rights.
Migration diplomacy is the use of human migration in a state's foreign policy. Nuclear diplomacy is the area of diplomacy related to preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear war. One of the most well-known (and most controversial) philosophies of nuclear diplomacy is mutually assured destruction (MAD). Preventive diplomacy is carried out through quiet means, as opposed to "gunboat diplomacy", which is backed by the threat of force.
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Economic diplomacy
Diplomacy is the principal substitute for the use of force or underhanded means in statecraft. It is how comprehensive national power is applied to the peaceful adjustment of differences between states. It involves international dialogue and negotiation, conducted by accredited envoys and other political leaders.
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Public diplomacy
Diplomacy is the principal substitute for the use of force or underhanded means in statecraft. It is how comprehensive national power is applied to the peaceful adjustment of differences between states. The term diplomacy is derived from the 18th-century French term "diplomate" ("diplomat" or "diplomatist"), based on the ancient Greek "diploma", which means "an object folded in two". This reflected the practice of sovereigns providing a folded document to confer some official privilege.
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Frequently asked questions
Diplomacy is the principal substitute for the use of force or underhanded means in statecraft. It is how comprehensive national power is applied to the peaceful adjustment of differences between states. Diplomacy is often confused with foreign policy, but the terms are not synonymous. Foreign policy is set by political leaders, who may be advised by diplomats.
Global diplomacy is the practice of engaging with foreign audiences to strengthen ties, build trust, and promote cooperation. It involves a multitude of actors and networks.
Some diplomatic strategies include economic diplomacy, gunboat diplomacy, and hostage diplomacy. Economic diplomacy uses aid or other types of economic policy to achieve a diplomatic agenda. Gunboat diplomacy involves conspicuous displays of military power to intimidate and influence others. Hostage diplomacy is the taking of hostages by a state or quasi-state actor to fulfill diplomatic goals.
