Diplomacy is a set of informal and formal interactions between nations to advance strategic interests, relationships and foreign policy objectives. The process of establishing and maintaining diplomatic relations involves the use of various tactics including statecraft, negotiation and consensus building to achieve mutually beneficial outcomes. It is a highly interdisciplinary field. Political science provides a framework for understanding states and their behavior in international systems, while history offers crucial context, revealing patterns of cooperation and conflict. Law illuminates the rules and institutions that govern diplomatic engagements, while economics offers insight into material interests driving negotiations. Sociology and anthropology provide tools for understanding cultural differences and interpreting the subtle messages conveyed in negotiations.
The practice of diplomacy reaches back to ancient times. Early treaties between cities in Mesopotamia date to 2850 B.C.E, and the first diplomatic envoys—called ambassadors or minister plenipotentiaries—were sent out to establish contacts with other countries. For most of its history, however, diplomacy was focused on bilateral relations, which involve a single country or region negotiating with another. Larger states would usually send and receive a full team of diplomats, while smaller countries might only have one or two envoys.
In modern times, most of the work of diplomacy takes place in multilateral organizations that allow nations to coordinate and collaborate on solutions to global issues. Many of the most serious challenges facing our world — including climate change, terrorism and pandemics — cannot be addressed by a single nation, but need the cooperation of many. Diplomacy can help foster and maintain strong ties between nations, opening doors to trade opportunities, investments and tourism initiatives.