Professor Zeev Professor Zeev Maoz Winter 2005Maoz Winter 2005

Diplomacy is the art of representing a Diplomacy is the art of representing a nation’s national interests abroad, nation’s national interests abroad, through the use of peaceful measuresthrough the use of peaceful measures

The art of diplomacy can be treated as:The art of diplomacy can be treated as:

• A profession that requires a set of A profession that requires a set of skills and competencies to performskills and competencies to perform

• A unique process the essence of A unique process the essence of which is negotiationwhich is negotiation

• A process of international A process of international cooperation centered on the making cooperation centered on the making and maintaining agreements among and maintaining agreements among nationsnations

We have little documentation about We have little documentation about diplomatic activities or about events diplomatic activities or about events entailing diplomacy and negotiations in entailing diplomacy and negotiations in ancient times.ancient times.

For example, the alliance between For example, the alliance between Abraham and the four kings, leading to Abraham and the four kings, leading to the war against the five kings (Genesis the war against the five kings (Genesis 11),11),

The summit meeting between King The summit meeting between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheeba, etc.Solomon and the Queen of Sheeba, etc.

The history of ancient Greece (due to The history of ancient Greece (due to sources such as Thucydides’s sources such as Thucydides’s The The Peloponnesian WarsPeloponnesian Wars)) is full of accounts is full of accounts of diplomatic activity, e.g., exchange of of diplomatic activity, e.g., exchange of ambassadors, military alliances, peace ambassadors, military alliances, peace treaties, etc.treaties, etc.In the middle ages, the practice of In the middle ages, the practice of diplomacy was reduced to minimum with diplomacy was reduced to minimum with the practical disappearance of the state. the practical disappearance of the state. Yet diplomatic practice re-emerged Yet diplomatic practice re-emerged during the Renaissance, and preceded during the Renaissance, and preceded the formation of the modern nation-state the formation of the modern nation-state in Europein Europe