ABSTRACT
Diplomacy still is the art of dealing with the uncertain, the unknown and unknowable; it is the art of dealing with the foreign, it is the art of reaching out and of seeking understanding, trust, and compromise. The growing interconnectedness and interdependence of persons, societies, and states has not lessened to the need for such skills. The fact that in foreign services such bureaucratic inertia had begun to melt is thus proof of the exceptionally strong pressure exerted upon these services. The task of global governance implies dealing with diversity, uncertainty, and risks. It implies the search for cooperation on many levels and with many players. Political bridge-builders engaged in that task need helpers who can reach out to both of these conflicting sides. The working culture and the formal and informal bureaucratic structures used to be very hierarchic. Only those diplomats at the top had full knowledge on an issue, with their underlings just holding bits and pieces.
