As nations work to manage shared resources, they need a way to communicate with each other and negotiate agreements. The process of this communication and negotiation is called diplomacy.
Diplomacy is traditionally understood to be a tool of the sovereign state. In recent years, however, the term has been expanded to include unofficial interactions between governments and peoples facilitated by globalized travel and modern communication technologies. The emergence of multilateral diplomatic efforts that focus on topics such as economic standards, intellectual property, international trade, labor laws, and science demonstrate this newer form of diplomacy.
The practice of diplomacy is rooted in human experience. Consider the quiet exchange between neighbors sharing a garden, agreeing who plants what or how to manage the flow of water. This is the very seed of diplomatic relations. Scaled up to the global level, countries find themselves with shared “gardens,” such as the global atmosphere, vast oceans, migratory paths for wildlife, and the flow of digital information. This necessitates conversations and agreements, giving rise to the formal structures of diplomacy.
Diplomatic norms emerged through practice, and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations codified many of these practices. These include treaties governing the rights and conduct of diplomats, such as not being arrested or prosecuted while on a diplomatic mission in another country (although they may be declared persona non grata). In addition to these bilateral negotiations, countries also use outside mediators to assist with a dispute. While mediation carries certain risks — parties might lose respect for an outside mediator who fails to facilitate a deal, or they may resume fighting if compromise seems impossible — it can increase the efficiency of negotiations and help nations reach their goals.
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