ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of a key concepts discusses in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the reasons for the continuing relevance of diplomacy in the twenty-first century. It explains the centrality of communication to the diplomatic practice. The book also explains why and how we plan to broaden the toolbox available for studying diplomacy by drawing on insights from related disciplines. It introduces the topic and describes the volume's approach to the study of diplomacy. The book traces the evolution of diplomacy from its beginnings in ancient Egypt, Greece and China to our current age of global diplomacy. It also traces the institutionalization of diplomacy in the ancient world and discusses the further evolution of this institutionalization up until World War I. The book addresses the addition of the multilateral layer to diplomacy. It deals with today's widening of the diplomatic field that is the multiplication of issue areas and actors.
