ABSTRACT
The common perception of diplomacy is one of formal state-to-state communication. That is certainly the meaning given in the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Diplomacy in world politics refers to a communications process between international actors that seeks through negotiation to resolve conflict short of war. Andrew Cooper coined the term 'niche diplomacy' in the mid-1990s and, at state level, he discussed a range of 'middle powers' and how they differ in their diplomatic approach to international relations. The main body of contemporary academic literature on coercion, deterrence and compellence stems from the bipolar world of the last century. Maritime or naval diplomacy is therefore a niche that many choose to exploit. It follows that a reasonable definition is that naval diplomacy is a subset of general diplomacy and a means of communication by maritime actors, both state and non-state, in pursuit of their interests.
