The Diplomat as Victim: Diplomatic Inviolability

Abstract

Although diplonapping as a specific terrorist technique appears to be a relatively new phenomenon, its effectiveness is based on some very old and very simple realities: essentially, that if there are to be international relations between sovereign states they have to be carried on through some sort of regularized political intercourse or “diplomacy.” In turn, if diplomacy is to be more than an abstract model of inter-state negotiations, it has to be conducted by men. These men have come to be called diplomats. To ensure the continuity of diplomatic contacts between themselves, states early recognized that their diplomatic agents would have to be secure both in their persons and in their residences. Hence, the concept of diplomatic privileges and immunities developed in tandem with the growth of diplomacy itself.