Diplomacy involves the informed and structured interactions of sovereign states to advance their strategic interests, relationships, and foreign policy objectives. Its practice encompasses a wide range of political engagements at the highest governmental levels, from brokering peace to signing free-trade agreements to reaching consensus on global sustainability challenges like climate change.
Regardless of the formal settings or elaborate protocol, at the core of diplomatic relations are individuals with families and histories, values, and perspectives that differ from those of their counterparts. Recognizing the human layer of diplomatic relations enables us to see that diplomacy is not just an abstract tool for power-sharing but a scaled-up version of the way human communities have long learned to live together and manage shared resources.
In its earliest form, the art of diplomacy was primarily bilateral. Throughout the centuries, it was the responsibility of monarchies to establish and staff embassies abroad. In the early modern era, embassy staffs expanded as European powers increasingly needed specialized diplomats with expertise in other countries and languages. The demand for diplomats also generated the study of international law, French, and history in universities.
Diplomatic relations are governed by treaties, agreements, and other forms of mutual recognition, with each party agreeing to uphold certain standards in return for the advantages of diplomatic status. For example, diplomatic immunity is a common privilege that allows diplomats to avoid paying local taxes on personal items that they bring with them into a country for their own use. Diplomatic representatives are also exempt from paying tariffs on goods they purchase for personal use within a country’s territory.