A Bilateral Dialogue Regime: US-Vietnamese Relations after the Fall of Saigon

Abstract

In the absence of diplomatic relations the opportunities for adequate exchange between states are limited. Without them a sending state is often denied inter alia the benefit of experienced personnel on the spot furnishing it with informed reports on conditions in the receiving state and enjoying easy access to representatives of the host government. Furthermore, in circumstances of nonrecognition the problems of contact are compounded since no agreement can be made with a government or state whose very existence is denied. Even in cases of extreme estrangement, however, the obstacles to dialogue need not be insurmountable. States may choose to approach each other, for example, through the diplomatic corps of third states or international organizations. They may receive and send special missions or envoys or signal each other from afar by subtle use of alternative modes of communication. While marvelling at the sophistication of these unconventional diplomatic methods most writers have nevertheless subscribed to the view that such communication is somehow inferior to its conventional counterpart, representing no more than a pitstop on the way to something more substantial.