Essential elements of contemporary diplomacy

Programme: MA in Security, Intelligence and Diplomacy

To what degree may we argue that essential elements of contemporary diplomacy were present in ancient times?

Professor: Dr. Louis Armstrong

Student: Raluca Ghenghea(1400326)

Winter term 2014

Abstract

The purpose of this essay is to identify and examine the essential elements of contemporary diplomacy inherited from ancient times, and of course to analyze to what degree they are still present. The paper shows that many of these elements had existed in ancient societies like: ancient Middle East, China, India. Greece and Rome. The knowledge of the beginning of diplomacy may be limited, but one can still identify the foundation of it and be convinced that the history of diplomacy demonstrates continuity. Because diplomacy it is a changing process, in ancient times the essential elements are encountered in various forms.

Table of Content

Abstract......................................................................................................................2

Introduction....................................................................................................4

Essential elements of contemporary diplomacy.............................................5

2.1 The diplomatic immunity.......................................................................5

Diplomacy (book)

English: Logo of the Diplomatic Corps Institute. A...

English: Indian Diplomatic Personnel

2.2 The diplomatic treaties...........................................................................6

2.3 The diplomatic protocol..........................................................................8

2.4 The functions of diplomacy.....................................................................9

Conclusion....................................................................................................11

References...............................................................................................................12

Introduction

Because it is practically impossible to talk about the history of diplomacy in a few pages, this paper will present in a succinct way the origin of the word "diplomacy" and the earliest known writings that have shown the diplomatic practice.

The word "diplomacy" originally comes from the Greek word for a piece of paper folded into two that conferred a privilege, but Cicero, Seneca, and Tacitus were the ones who gave the word "diploma" a currency which evolved into its present meaning. A precise definition of diplomacy is that of Hedley Bull 'diplomacy is the conduct of relations between states and other entities with standing in world politics by official agents and by peaceful means'.[2: Jeremy Black, A history of Diplomacy,2008]

It is said that the practice of diplomacy began in the...