Diplomacy is a principal activity of heads of states, governments and special bodies of external relations in implementation of goals, objectives of state's foreign policy, as well as protection of rights and interests of state abroad

It is a method to manipulate or influencing the decisions and behaviour of foreign governments and peoples through dialogue, negotiation, and other measures short of war or violence.

It is a conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, war, economics, culture, environment, and human rights.

International treaties are usually negotiated by diplomats prior to endorsement by national politicians.

In an informal or social sense, diplomacy is the employment of tact to gain strategic advantage or to find mutually acceptable solutions to a common challenge, one set of tools being the phrasing of statements in a non-confrontational or polite manner.

The scholarly discipline of diplomatic, dealing with the study of old documents derives its name from the same source, but its modern meaning is quite distinct from the activity of diplomacy.

HISTORY OF DIPLOMACY

Ancient India, with its epics, kingdoms and dynasties, had a long tradition of diplomacy.

The diplomacy is mentioned in Indian epic like Ramayana and Mahabharata. Lord Rama, in the epic Ramayana, sent his envoy to Lanka to negotiate with his adversary before the war.

It is also good to note that Lord Krishna, in the epic Mahabharata, acted as a divine diplomat and statesman between the Kuru and Pandava dynasties. The oldest treatise on statecraft and diplomacy, Arthashastra, is attributed to Chanakya, who was the principal adviser to Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of the Maurya dynasty who ruled in the 3rd century BC.

Arthashastra is a complete work on the art of kingship, with long chapters on taxation and on the raising and maintenance of armies.

It graded state power with respect to five factors and emphasized espionage, diplomatic manoeuvre, and contention by 12 categories of states within a complex geopolitical matrix.

It also posited four expedients of statecraft (conciliation, seduction, subversion, and coercion) and six forms of state policy (peace, war, nonalignment, alliances, shows of force, and double-dealing).

It also incorporates a theory of diplomacy, of how in a situation of mutually contesting kingdoms, the wise king builds alliances and tries to checkmate his adversaries.

The envoys sent at the time to the courts of other kingdoms tended to reside for extended periods of time, and Arthashastra contains advice on the deportment of the envoy, including the trenchant suggestion that 'he should sleep alone'.

The highest morality for the king is that his kingdom should prosper.

NATURE OF DIPLOMACY

• Diplomacy is not immoral
• Diplomacy is a means of International Relations
• Diplomacy is machinery for action
• Diplomacy acts through Settled Procedures
• Bilateral as well as Multilateral in Form
• Diplomacy handles all types of Matters
• Breakdown of Diplomacy always leads to Crisis
• Diplomacy operates both in times of Peace as well as War
• Diplomacy works in an environment characterised both by Conflict and Cooperation
• Diplomacy always works for securing national interests of the nation it represents
• Diplomacy is backed by National Power

TYPES OF DIPLOMACY:

There are a variety of diplomatic categories and diplomatic strategies employed by organizations and governments to achieve their aims, each with its own advantages and disadvantages.

• APPEASEMENT:

Appeasement is a policy of making concessions to an aggressor in order to avoid confrontation.

• SOFT POWER:

Soft power, sometimes called hearts and minds diplomacy, as defined by Joseph Nye, is the cultivation of relationships, respect, or even admiration from others in order to gain influence, as opposed to more coercive approaches.

• MONETARY DIPLOMACY:

Monetary diplomacy is the use of foreign aid or other types of monetary policy as a means to achieve a diplomatic agenda.

• GUNBOAT DIPLOMACY:

Gunboat diplomacy is the use of conspicuous displays of military strength as a means of intimidation in order to influence others.

• PUBLIC DIPLOMACY:

Public diplomacy is exercising influence through communication with the general public in another nation, rather than attempting to influence the nation's government directly.

This communication may take the form of propaganda, or more benign forms such as citizen diplomacy, individual interactions between average citizens of two or more nations.

• NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY:

Nuclear diplomacy is the area of diplomacy related to preventing nuclear proliferation and nuclear war.

One of the most well-known (and most controversial) philosophies of nuclear diplomacy is Mutually Assured Destruct ion (MAD).

OBJECTIVES OF DIPLOMACY:

Diplomacy seeks to secure two types of primary objectives for the nation it represents. These are:

• Political Objectives;
• Non-political Objectives.

POLITICAL OBJECTIVES:

• Diplomacy always works to secure the goals of national interest as defined by the foreign policy. It always works for increasing the influence of the state over other states. It uses persuasion, promises of rewards and other such means for this purpose.

  Through rational negotiations, it seeks to justify the objectives of the foreign policy of the nation. It seeks to promote friendship and cooperation with other nations.

NON-POLITICAL OBJECTIVES:

• The interdependence among nations is the most important and valuable fact of international living.

  Each nation depends upon others for economic and industrial links and trade.

  Diplomacy always seeks to promote the economic, commercial and cultural links of the nation with other nations.

  Diplomacy depends upon peaceful means, persuasive methods for promoting the interests of the nation and this is indeed an important non-political objective of Diplomacy.

DIPLOMATIC RESOLUTIONS OF PROBLEMS:

Various processes and procedures have evolved over time for handling diplomatic issues and disputes.

ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION:

• Nations sometimes resort to international arbitration when faced with a specific quest ion or point of content ion in need of resolution.

• For most of history, there were no official or formal procedures for such proceedings. They were generally accepted to abide by general principles and protocols related to international law and justice.

• Sometimes these took the form of formal arbitrations and mediations. In such cases a commission of diplomats might be convened to hear all sides of an issue, and to come some sort of ruling based on international law.

• In the modern era, much of this work is often carried out by the International Court of Justice at The Hague, or other formal commissions, agencies and tribunals, working under the United Nations.

CONFERENCES:

• Other times, resolutions were sought through the convening of international conferences.

• In such cases, there are fewer ground rules, and fewer formal applications of international law. However, participants are expected to guide themselves through principles of international fairness, logic, and protocol.

NEGOTIATIONS:

Sometimes nations convene official negotiation processes to set t le a specific dispute or specific issue between several nations which are parties to a dispute. These are similar to the conferences mentioned above, as there are technically no established rules or procedures. However, there are general principles and precedents which help define a course for such proceedings.

WHY STUDY THE WORK OF DIPLOMATS IN YOUR CLASSROOM?

First, diplomats (known in the U.S. as Foreign Service officers) are front-seat witnesses to many world history events, serving our nation 24/7 around the globe in often dangerous or unhealthy situations, or working with highly complex societies where knowledge of the local language and culture is essential for success. The work of our diplomats is largely unsung, often occurring behind closed doors or in far-flung locations inaccessible to the general public. Reading their oral histories is a way to illuminate the world of American diplomacy. It engages students in history through storytelling.Foreign Service officers work on a broad range of important issues that relate directly to curricula, such as environmental issues, climate change, counterterrorism, women's rights,

Conflict resolution, human trafficking, and the need to preserve cultural and intellectual property. Diplomats promote business to create new and better paying jobs, and they help foreign countries protect basic human rights like freedom of speech, religion, and fair judicial systems.

Foreign Service officers are often the first on the scene during natural disasters around the world, and save people who get lost or sick or who have been victims of crimes. To do their jobs well, diplomats become experts in the languages, politics, economics, history, culture, and traditions of the country to which they are assigned. Diplomats work with a fascinating range of people, from artists and musicians, to journalists and scientists. They conduct high-level discussions with foreign leaders, analyze political and economic developments, write speeches for their ambassadors, and connect with foreign citizens through social media. Above all, they are masters at communicating across cultures.