We tend to associate diplomacy with embassies, international relations and high politics, but it is more than a skill set for politicians. It involves an understanding of the many facets of human nature that can undermine agreement and stoke conflict, and a willingness to unpick them with foresight and grace. It conducts the passage from protest to menace, dialogue to negotiation, ultimatum to reprisal and, if necessary, war to peace and reconciliation with other states.
In its broadest sense, diplomacy relates to the overall goals and strategies that govern a state’s relationship with the rest of the world, including international treaties, agreements and alliances. These are usually the result of diplomatic negotiations and processes, although they also often take the form of formal arbitrations and mediations, such as the International Court of Justice at The Hague or various informal commissions, agencies and tribunals working under the umbrella of the United Nations.
A true diplomat has the courage to break from established patterns, even if it means disappointing his or her own political base, as Anwar Sadat and Jim Baker did when they worked with Zhou Enlai on opening to China or George HW Bush and Henry Kissinger did when they brokered the Middle East peace process. It also requires a high degree of intelligence, not just test scores or grades, but wisdom and the ability to understand other people. Diplomats don’t humiliate their opposite number by wrong-footing them, making them feel small or insignificant, exposing their weaknesses or gloating over their mistakes, because such tactics do nothing to bring about a lasting or robust agreement.