THE FUNCTIONS OF DIPLOMATS

Aside from the main role of diplomats in bargaining and communicating informa­tion between governments, they perform several other duties that should be mentioned briefly. These can be classified under the headings of (1) protection of nationals and their property abroad, (2) symbolic representation, (3) obtaining information, and (4) providing advice and making overall policies.

⁶ Most Communist governments and the United States still restrict the travel privileges of each others' diplomats. Certain areas of the United States, for instance, cannot be visited by Russian diplomats.

⁷ For an analysis of the shoddiness of cold-war diplomatic practices in comparison to those of the nineteenth century, see Lord Vansittart, "The Decline of Diplomacy," Foreign Affairs, 28 (1950), 177-88.

Protection of Nationals

This function, which involves protecting the lives and promoting the interests of nationals residing or travelling abroad, is a routine task, although during catastrophes or civil disorders, the role of diplomats in this capacity may become very important. Nationals have to be protected or evacuated if necessary, they must be represented by legal counsel if jailed, and their property or other inter­ests abroad must be protected if the local government does not provide such service. It is the general practice among major powers to assign consular agents rather than embassy personnel to perform these duties. Consulates, which may be established in many cities in a country, are diplomatic substations that serve travelers to and from the host country with regard to visas and other information, protect the interests of their own citizens when on foreign soil, and assist in commercial transactions. Consular agents occasionally perform the other three major functions of diplomats, but only when normal diplomatic communication has been disrupted.

Symbolic Representation

In their role as symbolic representatives, diplomats of other eras seldom did more than attend court ceremonies; today, however, ambassadors, in addition to attending ceremonial and social occasions, must address foreign groups and be present at all events with which their country is somehow connected, no matter how remotely. If a Soviet ballet group visits Paris, the Russian ambassador is expected to be on hand for the opening performance; if the United States has constructed a medical center for children in some developing country, the American ambassador must not only attend its opening but also display a continu­ing interest in its activities. Whether in agriculture, medicine, music, physics, or military policies, if their government has some stake in a project, diplomats must symbolize that stake by their physical presence and continuing concern. In their symbolic capacity, ambassadors are concerned with the totality of rela­tions—whether political or not—between their own country and the one to which they have been sent.

Obtaining Information

Because information and data are the raw materials of foreign policy, the gather­ing of information—by official acts, at cocktail parties, or by covert means—is the most important task of the diplomat, aside from his bargaining activities. Precise information must be made available to those who formulate policy if there is to be a minimum discrepancy between the objective environment and the image of the environment held by policy makers. Data concerning military potential, personalities, and economic trends or problems may be supplied by intelligence units abroad; but intelligence experts work under limitations when it comes to assessment of trends, intentions, responses, attitudes, and motiva-

170 The Instruments of Policy: Diplomatic Bargaining

dons. Although diplomats may also provide a large quantity of raw data in their reports, their main role in providing information is to use their skill and familiarity with the foreign society to interpret the data and make reliable assess­ments and forecasts of responses of the receiving government toward their own government's policies. They might be asked to predict answers to some of the following questions: What are the implications for the host government's foreign policy if a new party is elected to power or a military junta gains control through a coup d'etat? What is the influence of a certain columnist or radio commentator upon official policy and public opinion? What tactics are likely to be adopted by the foreign government in forthcoming negotiations over the allocation of foreign-aid grants? How would the foreign government react to a major diplo­matic maneuver by the diplomat's government in another area of the world? What position might the foreign government take in a future international confer­ence on tariffs, or on the regulation of narcotics, or on an issue before the General Assembly of the United Nations?

The success of diplomats in answering and assessing such questions will depend upon the scope and variety of sources of information they are able to cultivate among party leaders, government officials, trade unions, the press, and the military. Ambassadors or diplomats who rely too heavily upon one official source of information are likely to obtain only a distorted version of reality.

How do diplomatic officials obtain vital information? Most of it comes from reading and examining reports, debates, and newspaper articles published in the country where they are stationed. Since the volume of information in these sources is normally beyond the capacity of any one individual to assess, ambassadors rely on extensive staff assistance and full-time specialists concerned with a particular range of problems. Commercial attaches not only negotiate trade agreements and promote trade relations but also have the responsibility for knowing in detail the development, structure, problems, and leaders of the foreign country's economy. Cultural, agricultural, labor, scientific, and military attaches perform the same duties within their respective areas of competence, while intelligence officials attached to the embassy have the responsibility for obtaining more covert information.

Information is also obtained through informal means. "Entertainment," one diplomat claimed, "oils the hinges of man's office door." Although legislators and taxpayers frequently disparage diplomats for the time and money they spend on cocktail parties and dinners, there are definite advantages to these informal occasions. In a light setting it is often easier to persuade and obtain vital informa­tion. The strain of rigid protocol is removed and unofficial views can be ex­changed, while the element of personal acquaintance—and sometimes plentiful quantities of liquor—may increase confidence and trust. Rumors can be assessed and verified, personal reactions elicited, and all types of interesting information obtained more easily at social functions than during official calls and in official communications.

Providing Advice

Поиск по сайту: