How we frame the argument --- Thank you for pointing us to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, Petru, and for summarising the main aims of diplomacy. Since most of the activities that you enumerate are carried out through language, I would be reluctant to say that they occur 'beyond' language.

You have been very helpful in confirming the main point of this lecture, which is that any attempt to create a words VERSUS action divide is potentially misleading. I say 'potentially' because in certain cases (broken promises, empty apologies, false assurances) a conflict between words and action does arise.

Source author: Biljana Scott biscott@diplomacy.edu