diplmatikí

Diplomacy is the management of international relations through dialogue, negotiation, and other peaceful means. Its purpose is to advance a state's interests while maintaining peaceful relations and resolving disputes without force. Diplomacy operates through formal channels—such as embassies and resident ambassadors—and through bilateral and multilateral negotiations, as well as informal contacts among officials, experts, and civil society.

Historically, diplomacy developed from early envoy networks and matured into a professional practice with the rise of modern states in the early modern era. The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) codified the legal framework for diplomatic exchange, defining privileges and immunities for diplomats and setting norms for interaction among states. Today diplomacy also unfolds within international organizations and regional blocs, addressing issues from security and trade to human rights and climate policy.

Key subfields include political diplomacy, economic diplomacy, public diplomacy, and cultural diplomacy. Its tools include negotiation, mediation, treaty-making, sanctions, development aid, information gathering, and public messaging. Diplomatic activity ranges from formal negotiations and treaty drafting to back-channel talks and shuttle diplomacy, and has been augmented by digital diplomacy—using social media and other online platforms to engage foreign publics and respond to events.

Actors include state governments and foreign ministries, as well as international organizations (such as the United Nations), regional bodies, non-governmental organizations, corporations, and experts. While evolving with technology and power dynamics, diplomacy remains the principal means of peaceful problem-solving and shaping international norms and cooperation.