Diplomacy is a peaceful art used by States to maintain official
relationships with other neighboring states. The development of
diplomacy is parallel to the development of International Law.
Diplomacy exists from the Ancient Era and can be dated to 1
stBillion BC. With the advent of the Renaissance, the concept
of envoys was added, and diplomacy underwent huge changes,
and with time, diplomacy became a distinct subject. The most
challenging phase in the development of the subject was during
the 2nd world wars. However, diplomacy prevailed, and the
growth continued. The era of globalization further entangled
diplomacy and the complex structure is rapidly developing as
the countries are preparing new methods of making diplomatic
relations. Presently, diplomacy exists in many forms and is one
of the primary tools of negotiation between nations in the
subject of International Law and a Barricade between peace
and law.
Summary
Diplomacy or the art of negotiation has been in existence from
a very ancient time. The era of 1
st billion BC witnessed some
of the drastic developments in the patterns of diploacy. The
early Roman empires sent envoys to the neighboring empires
to extend cordial relations. Other early traces include the Middle
East regions which were fast emerging. Treaties began to be
drafted between many Mesopotamian states and 'Akkadian' or
more popularly known as 'Babylonian' was developed as the
first diplomatic language. The language was spread throughout
the Middle East and was later replaced by Aramaic. With the
development of Islamic States, the concept of diplomacy
flourished and became a tool for promoting international trade.
The European States which were under the control of the
Roman Empire, on the other hand, witnessed the breakup of
the Empire and the resultant was the division into many small
Kingdoms. These kingdoms continued the practice of exchanging
diplomats as a method of peacekeeping. Another common
practice was the system of appointing temporary diplomats by
the Kingdoms for temporary purposes. However, Italy was the
first state to develop the system of permanent diplomats, and
this system has relevance in the modern day politics.
The period of Renaissance bought with it the industrial
revolution which changed the notion of Entire Europe. Treaty
of Westphalia signed in 1648 bought balance of power within
Europe making it mandatory for them to follow a system of
diplomacy. Later on, the French Revolution paved the way for
the system of 'Ambassadors' in European Nations. However,
the Asian countries were unaware of the systematic diplomatic
ways, and it was the colonization of most of the Asian and
African countries by Britain, which introduced the concept to
them. Colonies practicing diplomacy were under the direct
control of the Monarch (Britain), and Ambassadors were
appointed directly by the Queen (Sovereign Head). The
Ambassadors thus enjoyed a special position and formed an
elite group in their respective colonies. China presented one of
the best examples to understand the role of these
Ambassadors. They acted in favor of the colony taking more
trading right and reported both to their local Government and
the Monarchial Government.
These methods continued for long until diplomacy faced its
worth enemy in the form of the First World War which
affected peace relations between nations considerably.
