Diplomacy is a peaceful art used by States to maintain official

relationships with other neighboring states. The development of

diplomacy is parallel to the development of International Law.

Diplomacy exists from the Ancient Era and can be dated to 1

stBillion BC. With the advent of the Renaissance, the concept

of envoys was added, and diplomacy underwent huge changes,

and with time, diplomacy became a distinct subject. The most

challenging phase in the development of the subject was during

the 2nd world wars. However, diplomacy prevailed, and the

growth continued. The era of globalization further entangled

diplomacy and the complex structure is rapidly developing as

the countries are preparing new methods of making diplomatic

relations. Presently, diplomacy exists in many forms and is one

of the primary tools of negotiation between nations in the

subject of International Law and a Barricade between peace

and law.

Summary

Diplomacy or the art of negotiation has been in existence from

a very ancient time. The era of 1

st billion BC witnessed some

of the drastic developments in the patterns of diploacy. The

early Roman empires sent envoys to the neighboring empires

to extend cordial relations. Other early traces include the Middle

East regions which were fast emerging. Treaties began to be

drafted between many Mesopotamian states and 'Akkadian' or

more popularly known as 'Babylonian' was developed as the

first diplomatic language. The language was spread throughout

the Middle East and was later replaced by Aramaic. With the

development of Islamic States, the concept of diplomacy

flourished and became a tool for promoting international trade.

The European States which were under the control of the

Roman Empire, on the other hand, witnessed the breakup of

the Empire and the resultant was the division into many small

Kingdoms. These kingdoms continued the practice of exchanging

diplomats as a method of peacekeeping. Another common

practice was the system of appointing temporary diplomats by

the Kingdoms for temporary purposes. However, Italy was the

first state to develop the system of permanent diplomats, and

this system has relevance in the modern day politics.

The period of Renaissance bought with it the industrial

revolution which changed the notion of Entire Europe. Treaty

of Westphalia signed in 1648 bought balance of power within

Europe making it mandatory for them to follow a system of

diplomacy. Later on, the French Revolution paved the way for

the system of 'Ambassadors' in European Nations. However,

the Asian countries were unaware of the systematic diplomatic

ways, and it was the colonization of most of the Asian and

African countries by Britain, which introduced the concept to

them. Colonies practicing diplomacy were under the direct

control of the Monarch (Britain), and Ambassadors were

appointed directly by the Queen (Sovereign Head). The

Ambassadors thus enjoyed a special position and formed an

elite group in their respective colonies. China presented one of

the best examples to understand the role of these

Ambassadors. They acted in favor of the colony taking more

trading right and reported both to their local Government and

the Monarchial Government.

These methods continued for long until diplomacy faced its

worth enemy in the form of the First World War which

affected peace relations between nations considerably.