Wars are won by words not weapons.

For centuries people have tried to solve their problems by negotiation. To escape conflicts and wars they have used words to persuade their opponents. That’s where diplomacy begins.

As is known to everyone, diplomacy is an intellectual activity and decision–making derived from on–going analysis of current situations. Diplomacy includes the combination of ways and abilities which any state can use for its worthy existence in the world and for establishing cooperation with other members of international community.

However who plays the main role in diplomacy? Of course it’s a diplomat.

A diplomat is the only person who can win the war by words, not weapons. That’s what makes him one of the most important people in any country’s government. I would also like to mention that not any diplomat is able to play and win the game of international intrigue. It’s common knowledge that a perfect diplomat should possess a combination of endless ingenuity, wit and common sense comparable to, for example, Confucius’s wisdom. Moreover, diplomats must be highly qualified experts to be able to solve any problem even in an unpredictable situation.

Once Abraham Lincoln said: “I don’t think much of people who are not flexible.” Flexibility is a very important quality of a diplomat.

Turning to my final point I should say that only the possession of all the characteristics I’ve mentioned above can turn an ordinary person into a professional diplomat and let him win any political game on national or international scale. (Olga Ignatyeva, Faculty of World Politics)

Now read dictionary definitions for “diplomacy” and compare them with those given above.

a. The art and practice of conducting negotiations between nations for the attainment of mutually satisfactory terms; adroitness or artfulness in securing advantages without arousing hostility: address or tact in conduct of affairs. (Webster’s dictionary).

b. The profession or skill of preserving or creating friendly relationships between countries; the ability to deal with people in a sensitive way that does not upset or offend them. (Macmillan English dictionary).

c. The management of relations between countries (Cambridge Dictionary).

d. The profession, activity or skill of managing international relations, typically by a country’s representatives abroad (Oxford Dictionary).

3. Read the excerpt about the origin of the term “diplomacy” and answer the questions:

The word “diplomacy” stems from the Greek word “ diploma ”, which literally means “folded in two”. In ancient Greece, a diploma was a document certifying completion of a course of study, typically folded in two. In the days of the Roman Empire, the word diploma was used to describe official travel documents, such as passports and passes for imperial roads that were stamped on double metal plates. Later, the meaning was extended to cover other official documents such as treaties with foreign tribes. In the 1700s the French called their body of officials attached to foreign legations the corps “ diplomatique”. The word “diplomacy” was first introduced into the English language by the British philosopher Edmund Burke in 1796.

a. What is the literal meaning of the word “diploma”?

b. What did the word “diploma” mean in ancient Greece and Roman Empire?

c. When did the French begin using the term “diplomatic (diplomatique) corps’?

d. Who introduced the word ‘diplomacy” into the English language?

4. Look at the following diplomatic terms and classify them into four categories (use dictionary if necessary):

Ambassador, consul, diplomatic note, diplomatic immunities, Vienna Convention, diplomatic ranks, diplomatic calls, calling cards, persona non grata, embassy, visa, diplomatic protocol, diplomatic agent, representative, exchange of notes, extradition, foreign affairs ministry, minister, mission, communiqué, consulate, declaration, delegation, diplomatic correspondence, to present letters of credence