ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts covered in the subsequent chapters of this book. The chapters attempts to build on the work of Watt and Kennedy by illustrating how the conduct of British foreign policy can be better understood by looking at a broad range of actors other than the 'usual suspects' of government ministers and ambassadors and also by moving beyond a mere analysis of day-to-day diplomacy to look at the influence of culture and society. The career of Alfred de Rothschild of the banking dynasty, and the focus of Thomas Otte's chapter, is perhaps indicative of this process. Otte demonstrates that bankers did play a role on the fringes of diplomacy and occasionally, as in Rothschild's case, acted either as a go-between or provided hospitality in convivial surroundings, where diplomats and politicians met to discuss pressing issues.
