ABSTRACT
Multilateralism is a primary, interrelated norm of diplomatic culture, along with use of force only as a last resort and in self-defense, continuous bilateral dialogue between officially recognized representatives, dialogue that is as open and transparent as possible, and civility and tact as the essence of diplomatic discourse. Part of the difficulty in understanding multilateralism's diplomatic underpinnings, or foundational assumptions, is that multilateralism is what constructivist theorists call a taken-for-granted norm. Diplomacy may be seen in a wide sense as an institution that helps provide order in the international society of states and in a narrow sense as the process by which individual sovereign states or other entities with standing conduct relations by peaceful means. Among those who study diplomacy, there is widespread agreement that even if the sovereign state remains the key actor, nonstate actors increase the complexity of diplomacy and diversify the way in which it is carried out.
