I'm convinced there's a small room in the attic of the Foreign Office where future diplomats are taught to stammer.
There's the one thing no nation can ever accuse us of and that is secret diplomacy. Our foreign are an open book, generally a check book.
Take the diplomacy out of war and the thing would fall flat in a week.
Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie' until you can find a rock.
In archaeology you uncover the unknown. In diplomacy you cover the known.
A diplomat... is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.
A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.