Diplomats at war

The November 2010 publication of over 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables by the Wikileaks organisation put the spotlight of the world's attention on American diplomats. Beyond various sensationalist headlines, perhaps the most remarkable insight these releases provide is the tale of diligent, thoughtful and professional diplomats from the United States and other nations conducting the bidding of their governments; diplomacy, often in times of acute crisis brought on by war. The forebears of those currently assigned to Kabul and Baghdad, and London and Beijing, have an equally compelling tale to tell. In 'Diplomatic Investigations' (1966) British historian Herbert Butterfield sagely remarked that "Diplomacy may include anything short of actual war, therefore, and sometimes the kindest thing that one can say of it is that it is better than having the guns actually firing." 0Also part of series: History of International Relations Library; 36.