diplomat

A diplomat is an official who represents a country abroad and manages international relations. They typically work within the foreign service or ministry and may be career civil servants or political appointees.

Core duties include representing the government in negotiations, protecting citizens abroad, issuing visas and providing consular services, and promoting national interests. Diplomats also gather information and report developments back to their government.

Diplomatic ranks include ambassadors, who head missions; other positions such as chargé d'affaires, minister, counselor, attaché, and consul. Diplomats serve at embassies, consulates, or permanent missions to international organizations.

The legal framework for diplomacy is grounded in the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which establishes the privileges and immunities of diplomats, inviolability of persons and official correspondence, and protections for the diplomatic bag. Consular relations are governed by parallel rules and practice, aimed at protecting citizens and facilitating normal state-to-state relations.

Skills and training typically include education in international relations, law, or related fields, fluency in foreign languages, and experience in foreign service or government. Career progression often involves assessments, security clearances, and multiple overseas postings.

In contemporary practice, diplomats engage in multilateral diplomacy at international organizations, pursue public diplomacy, crisis management, and negotiations on trade, security, and humanitarian issues. They operate within a framework that seeks to maintain peaceful relations, manage disputes, and advance their country’s interests while respecting international norms.