Diplomacy is the skill by which nations, groups or individuals conduct their international affairs in ways that safeguard their political, economic and cultural interests while maintaining peaceful relations. It guides us through the passages from protest to menace, dialogue to negotiation, ultimatum to reprisal, and war to peace with other states and societies.
It can be a political strategy to achieve goals in other countries that are important for your nation, such as winning concessions in trade talks or gaining the release of prisoners of war. But it can also be a way to shape policy on more lofty issues, such as protecting human rights or promoting high moral standards. Henry Kissinger and Jimmy Carter both used diplomacy in this way to help shape the world around them.
In the past, diplomacy often took place in face-to-face negotiations between representatives of two different countries. These were called bilateral relations. Larger countries had ambassadors (or ministers plenipotentiary) and smaller ones sent envoys that were ranked a rung below the ambassadors.
A good diplomat must have a variety of skills. One is a willingness to take risks. This can be as small as establishing relationships with enemies (Kissinger in China) or pariah states (Crocker with South Africa and the Iran nuclear talks). It can be as big as negotiating with the other side’s top leaders (Mitchell with Anwar Sadat, Eizenstat with Colombia). Diplomats must have great stamina. They can spend weeks with almost no sleep negotiating, as Kissinger did after the Yom Kippur War, or as Carter did in his work to end the Cold War and resolve the Northern Ireland conflict. They need to be able to see possibilities for success where others may only be seeing failure. Finally, a good diplomat must be able to listen well and empathize with his or her counterparts.