Diplomatic relations are interactions between sovereign states, governed by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and based on mutual consent. They represent the core of managing foreign policy and are a major focus of the work of government-based diplomatic institutions, such as ministries of foreign affairs, embassies, consulates, and ambassadors.
As such, they are inherently shaped by power dynamics – whether weaker parties navigating relationships with stronger ones or major powers negotiating spheres of influence. But they also involve complex strategies drawing on political science theories of alliances and deterrence, and reflect underlying philosophical differences, like contrasting views of the nature of the state or humanity’s relationship with the natural environment.
For smaller countries, bilateral diplomacy can be especially relevant to their foreign policies – for example, to promote economic opportunities, secure military support, or gain access to global markets. It can even be essential to their survival.
Bilateral diplomacy is the formal interaction between a home country and individual foreign states, one at a time. It is distinct from multilateral diplomacy, which involves multiple foreign partners and the work of intergovernmental bodies like the United Nations.
The practice has a long history, spanning many historical contexts. It has included client state relationships – when weaker states seek protection from a patron in exchange for the favor of a role in setting its policies – and gunboat diplomacy, a use of conspicuous displays of military might near the edge of peace or war. In the modern era, it has also been supplemented by grassroots diplomacy – where students, tourists, and other citizens of one nation travel abroad as informal representatives of their countries.
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