Abstract
If the role of the resident ambassador was modified in the course of the twentieth century, this is partly because of the explosion in the number of conferences attended by three or more states — multilateral diplomacy. These conferences vary hugely in subject, scope, size, level of attendance, longevity, and extent of bureaucratization. At one extreme is an ad hoc conference on a mundane topic lasting perhaps for a week, and attended at the level of officials and experts; in between will be found an ‘informal forum’ like the two-day meetings of the Group of 20’s finance ministers and central bank governors; and, at the other extreme, a major permanent conference, or international organization, such as the United Nations, grappling with many topics of great importance. This chapter will consider why the enormous expansion in multilateral diplomacy has occurred, and examine its characteristic procedures.
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© 2015 G. R. Berridge
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Berridge, G.R. (2015). Conferences. In: Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137445520_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137445520_12
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