Abstract
Diplomacy is the art of dealing with other governments by communication — as opposed to war, military deterrence, subversion, propaganda and so on. We use the same word for how a government deals with other governments (as in ‘British diplomacy in Europe’) and for the craft and profession of the officials (‘diplomats’) who specialise in this function.1 Your responsibilities as a diplomat include representing your own nation and government to others; also helping your government to identify, evaluate and respond to external approaches, threats and opportunities. In its most elevated form, diplomacy aims to influence the behaviour of foreign governments and their agents.
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© 2004 Ronald A. Walker
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Walker, R.A. (2004). The Purposes of Multilateralism. In: Multilateral Conferences. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230514423_2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230514423_2
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-51654-4
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-51442-3
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