Understanding diplomacy. Definition and differences to foreign policy and international relations

Essay from the year 2017 in the subject Politics - International Politics - General and Theories, grade: B, ( Atlantic International University ), language: English, abstract: In the diplomacy literature, both practitioners of and theorists regarding diplomacy provide several definitions of diplomacy that are state-centric, omitting non-state actors. However, any definition of diplomacy has to be inclusive because non-state actors also participate in diplomacy. There are also misconceptions about the differences between diplomacy, foreign policy, and international relations (IR).

Therefore, this essay provides a comprehensive definition of diplomacy and explains the differences between diplomacy, foreign policy, and IR. The diplomacy literature is reviewed in order to achieve these aims.