Diplomacy is the architecture that translates power, interests, and norms into stable expectations and binding commitments. It is how treaties are made, sanctions designed and lifted, export controls negotiated, and cross-border enforcement cooperation established. It is the platform on which leaders meet to discuss and resolve international disputes, enabling dialogue rather than escalation toward full-scale war.
It requires enormous stamina: long days and nights of negotiating, often with very little sleep. It also requires great courage, not the boldness of a warrior but the kind demonstrated by people like Anwar Sadat, Jimmy Carter, and George H.W. Bush when they worked with the opponents they inherited (or Kissinger and Crocker with China, Aronson with Colombia, Eizenstat with Iran). The best diplomats have a gift for envisioning a new outcome to a status quo that may not please their political base, as well as the wisdom and courage to implement it for the benefit of all.
And diplomacy demands a keen sense of courtesy. It is important to greet your counterpart with a handshake and a smile, introduce yourself in an appropriate manner, show respect for your host, and thank your hosts at every opportunity. These small courtesies will help soften the impact of disagreement and make your colleagues more receptive to your point of view. They will also increase your credibility as an ambassador. These skills can be used both in a foreign mission and in your everyday life.
