Diplomatic relations are the formal communication channels and agreements that facilitate international peace, trade, and governance. They also play a key role in ending conflicts, encouraging discussion and dialogue, and finding common ground and resolution. Diplomacy spans many disciplines: political science provides the framework of state behavior and international systems; history offers crucial context revealing patterns of cooperation and conflict; law defines the rules and institutions governing international conduct; and economics sheds light on the material interests and power dynamics that shape negotiations, particularly those concerning resource distribution and trade.
Diplomacy can take many forms, from a quiet exchange between neighbors sharing a garden boundary to large international conferences that bring together dozens of heads-of-state and thousands of professional diplomats and nongovernmental representatives. Some of these meetings are devoted to specific issues, such as climate change or migration or borders, but others deal with broad, long-term goals or challenges, such as human rights or economic development. Diplomacy is increasingly supplemented by informal, grassroots interactions between national publics, made possible by globalized travel and communications technologies.
Diplomats must immerse themselves in the culture of the countries with which they interact. This helps them understand the peoples with whom they work and communicate more effectively. The cultural understanding that diplomats develop is a fundamental part of what makes the international community so valuable. This is especially true in the era of globalization, when it is important to avoid misinterpretation and miscommunication between countries based on different languages, cultures, and traditions.