WHAT IS DIPLOMACY?

Diplomacy is known as the art and practice of conducting

negotiations between representatives of groups and states.

It is the skill of forging a relationship without resorting to arguments

or conflicts.

It usually refers to international diplomacy, the conduct of

international relations through the intercession of professional
diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, trade, wars,
economics, cultures, environment and human rights.

Diplomacy is usually used in reference to foreign policies or external

affairs.

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 nonconfrontational or polite manner.

Foreign ambassadors or envoys are specially designated to

negotiate on matters of bilateral or multilateral interests to nations,
and also to discuss on laws and agreements which can affect their
nation.

Diplomacy defers from an aggressive approach, and uses an

assertive approach in dealing with the people.

The goal of diplomacy on an international level is to safeguard the

national interests, foster trade and promote the culture and
economy between nations.

The word comes from the Greek word diploma which literally
means folded in two

In old Greece, a diploma was a certificate for completion of a course,

quite akin to the way it is used in present times too

Diplomacy has the following types:

Bilateral Diplomacy: Between two nations and interests. Mutual

benefit or relations are the only ones which are considered
important. It is in some measure the basis for other more complex
relationships.

Multilateral Diplomacy: This was a more resent development with

its origins dating near or after the end of the First World War. Its
various types are;

War Diplomacy A form of diplomacy adopted when there is

no alternative to war.

Preventive Diplomacy This is an extremely delicate

process as it requires the most trust and confidence between
antagonists. It also requires extreme patience and an

independence from coercion

Developmental Diplomacy This is more an economic form

of diplomacy which seeks a promotion of economic interests.

Multi Track Diplomacy A more pragmatic and modern
approach which encompasses all the other diplomacy types

and focuses on the issue at hand from the rivals point of view.
Public Diplomacy One which encompasses government
and public relations. (Social networking diplomacy, Facebook

diplomacy)
Informal Diplomacy Sometimes called Track II diplomacy
has been used for centuries to communicate between powers.
Most diplomats work to recruit figures in other nations who
might be able to give informal access to a countrys
leadership. Non-officials (academic scholars, retired civil and
military officials, public figures, social activists) engage in

dialogue, with the aim of conflict resolution, or confidence

building.
Para Diplomacy refers to the international relations
conducted by subnational, regional, local or non-central
governments. The most ordinary case of paradiplomatic
relation refer to co-operation between bordering political

entities.
Cultural Diplomacy encourages people to learn
interdisciplinary and intercultural relations of human

communications such identities, linguistics and trade.

Economic Diplomacy WTO
Gunboat Diplomacy
Ping Pong Diplomacy, Panda Diplomacy
Shuttle Diplomacy
Football Diplomacy
Etc.

Diplomats and Diplomatic Missions

The collective term for a group of diplomats from a single country

who reside in another country is a diplomatic mission.

Ambassador is the most senior diplomatic rank; a diplomatic mission

headed by an ambassador is known as an embassy, with the
exception of permanent missions at the United Nations or other
multilateral organizations, which are also headed by ambassadors.

The collective body of all diplomats of particular country is called

that country's diplomatic services. The collective body of all
diplomats assigned to a particular country is the diplomatic corps.

Changing Diplomacy

Globalization and economic interdependence alters diplomacy and

therefore changes the skill-set needed for diplomats.

While in the past, diplomats negotiated with the political ideology

and military alliance of their government in mind, today economic

and business benefits and transparency towards the public are

behind negotiations.

Whereas in traditional diplomacy before globalization, the most

important features of a diplomat were his or her family and social
status, combined with military experience, today it is specialized
education in business and public relations.

In this new globalized political-economic environment, the only way

to conduct successful diplomacy is to adjust to the new game.

Language and Diplomacy

An old and funny catchphrase says that one should use many
languages to be properly understood:

speaking to God, Latin;

to the military, German;

to the merchants, Greek and Arabic;

to the musicians, Italian;

to his cook, Chinese;

to the sailors and engineers, English;

to the artists, Russian;

to friends, Spanish;

to enemies Dutch or Hungarian;

to his girl-friend, French;

to his wife, Japanese...

Language is one of our most basic instincts. From birth humans

communicate, at first in order to survive - to ensure that needs are

met. But at an amazing rate communication becomes refined into

language, one of the defining characteristics of human beings.

Language is what allows us to build on the work of others, benefiting

from their knowledge and collaborating to achieve more than one
person can alone. The processes of diplomacy - communicating,
negotiating, reaching and formulating agreements, collecting,
creating, transmitting and recording knowledge - all depend on
language.

Studies of diplomacy usually concentrate on the message rather

than the means. However, examination of language use in
diplomacy can lead to a better understanding of the way diplomacy
functions and why some diplomatic processes are more successful
than others.

Through careful and critical attention to various aspects of

diplomatic language we can improve our understanding of both the
explicit and implicit messages world leaders and other political
figures send out, and improve our own ability to communicate in the
most effective and appropriate ways

Communication and Diplomacy

Communication is at the heart of any relationship, whether between

two people or two nation states.

But although communication can translate across languages, it

cannot necessarily transcend language, which is inextricably bound
up with thought and culture.

How, then, can communication between two parties personal,

political or national ever escape the weight of thought, history and
culture that fills and defines their respective languages?

Is it really possible to reach the common understanding that

diplomacy strives towards? Can there be a neutral language of
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diplomacy perhaps not a common end, but at least a common

means?

The lingua franca of diplomatic language was French. The reasons

for French occupying this significant position as the language of
diplomacy are largely historical: it was already in common use
throughout Europe from the eighteenth century onwards, during
which time it was exported even further by Napoleon.

In addition, an inherent linguistic wealth in terms of employing a

greater amount of adverbs, determiners and conjunctions than
English to clarify the relationships between words and phrases
perhaps made French ideally suited to clarifying the relationship
between different diplomatic positions.

This was only furthered by its relationship to Latin and reputation as

the language of the thinking classes

French has left its debris on the linguistic battlefield, with words such
as coup detat, regime, etiquette and rapprochement still prominent

in the diplomatic vocabulary.

But its use in international treaties waned as the US emerged on to
the global diplomatic field following the First World War, as
illustrated by the Treaty of Versailles being written in both French

and English.
In the same way that Latin and by virtue of its linguistic branch
French once reflected enlightened intellectualism, so does English
today, except intellectualism has been replaced by technology,
business and the World Wide Web, challenging the historical

boundaries of diplomacy.
Communication is no longer just an important factor in diplomatic
relations: technological advances and the freedoms these have
afforded mean that diplomacy is defined by communication and its

means, not the other way around.

Technology may have obliterated the differences in intercultural
communication and cut the cords with history, at last providing a
culturally neutral and objective means of exchange: we all now see
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the world through a digital screen, through the same search engines

and applications.
In other words, the world and how we view it has been reconfigured.
The correspondence between words and their material reality has
changed because material reality has split into virtual and non-

virtual worlds
But can one simply conclude that the language of international
communication and therefore the language of diplomacy is
English? And conversely, has English become culturally neutral

through its employment in business and technology?

Perhaps looking for a simple answer to the language of diplomacy in
the literal sense of the word is misguided rather than trying to
negate culture and dislodge it from the semantic fields in which
diplomatic communication grows, we should be looking at culture

itself as the language of diplomacy

There is a wealth of study on gender and communication.
It has often been suggested that women are better communicators,
that their grasp of language occurs earlier in developmental terms,
and that they are encouraged to listen, empathise and use words
that do not hurt, rather than fight with the sticks and stones of

young boys.
Perhaps the view that men are bad communicators (especially with
respect to their feelings) is an old-fashioned and over-generalised
one

FIVE RULES FOR POLITE AND DIPLOMATIC LANGUAGE

This presentation can be useful to establish a respectful and polite

relationship between speakers. This is particularly relevant in
business negotiations in which subtle changes in tone can have an
effect on the rapport between the counterparts, which in turn affects
the outcome of the meeting.

Whether you use direct language or not depends on what kind of

relationship you wish to have with your counterparts. Sometimes
directness can be an effective negotiating style. Nevertheless, using

indirect and diplomatic language is a way to avoid sounding

aggressive, which can put people off.

It can allow you to say something negative while still maintaining a

positive attitude, and generally it can help to create an atmosphere
of respect in which reasonable agreement can be reached.

Using hedging and indirectness in statements is something native

speakers take for granted. But learners of English have a tougher
time producing this kind of diplomatic language.

It could be a cultural thing, or perhaps it is because polite language

is often more complex due to the vocabulary and grammatical
structures used when hedging statements

Here is the list of rules for polite and diplomatic language:

1. Listen and be understanding:

If you show other people that you are listening to them, and that
you understand them, they will be more willing to listen to you and
accept your opinion. Dont just say I disagree, show them that
you are listening and that you understand them before you explain

your opinion.
You can do this by using statements like:
Yes, but
I see what you mean, but
I agree up to a point, .
Example 1:
A: I think we should wait until a better opportunity comes
along.
B: Yes, but we might not get another opportunity like this for a

while.
Example 2:
A: I think we should ask for a 20% discount because it will show

them that we are serious.

B: I see what you mean, but I think 20% might be a bit too much. It

might put them off.

2. Avoid negative words instead use positive words in a negative

form:

People react to positive sounding words, even if they are used with
a negative auxiliary verb.
Do not say: I think that`s a bad idea.
Say: I don`t think that`s such a good idea.
Example:

A: Lets go for a good cop, bad cop approach in this negotiation!

B: I dont think thats such a good idea. They might see through it.

3. Say the magic word: Sorry!

This word can be used in many ways: to interrupt, to apologise, to show
you dont understand, to disagree. It defuses tension and it allows you to
start a statement more comfortably.

Sorry, but can I just say something here?

Sorry, but I don`t really agree.

Sorry, but I think that`s out of the question

4. Use little words to soften your statements

Break down negative sentences with some softeners.

Don`t say: I don`t like it.

Say: I don`t really like it, I`m afraid.

Don`t say: Can I say something?

Say: Can I just say something here?

Don`t say: I didn`t catch that.

Say: Sorry, I didn`t quite catch that

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5. Avoid finger pointing statements with the word you

This is aggressive and too direct. Try to avoid saying you and put
the focus on I or we.

Dont say: You dont understand me.

Say: Perhaps Im not making myself clear.

Dont say: You didnt explain this point.

Say: I didnt understand this point.

Dont say: You need to give us a better price.

Say: Were looking for a better price

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