ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the modern diplomatic system of states which remains of great importance to how international relations are conducted today. The first section begins by considering the historical origins of the system in Europe with the emergence of permanent diplomatic missions in Italy between the 14th and 15th centuries, the restriction of diplomatic representation mainly to sovereign states between the 16th to 17th centuries, and implementation of Richelieu’s ideas about “continuous relations” and professionalized ministries of foreign affairs in the 17th century. The second section then considers the evolution and systematization of the modern diplomatic system through the Vienna Regulation in 1814–15, the Versailles Settlement in 1919–20, and the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) and Consular Relations (VCCR) in 1961 and 1963 respectively, focusing on the emergence of rule-governed conference diplomacy. The final section then examines the key institutions of modern diplomatic system and how these have been challenged by the demands of 21st-century diplomacy, before concluding that the modern diplomatic system remains important as a matter of fact and valuable as a guide to how diplomatic relations ought to be conducted even in a world which is moving beyond Europe’s system of sovereign states.
