Abstract
From ancient times until comparatively recently, all messages, including diplomatic messages, were carried by hand. In the twenty-first century, diplomatic couriers are still employed for the delivery of certain top-secret packages, together with crates of sensitive equipment and even construction materials. But since the middle of the nineteenth century, diplomatic messages have been increasingly carried by telecommunication: any mode of communication over a long distance (tele is Greek for ‘far’) that requires human agency only in the sending and reception of the message it contains and not, as with a courier, in its conveyance. This chapter will consider the advantages and disadvantages of the different kinds of telecommunication. It will also give some emphasis to crisis diplomacy, because it is in this activity that telecommunication is often held to be of greatest value, and it is certainly here that it has received the greatest attention.
Keywords
Telephone Call Foreign Ministry Telephone Conversation Security Council Resolution Friendly StatePreview
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