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The system of diplomatic rank has over time been formalised on an international basis.

Contents

Traditional diplomacy

Until the early 19th century, each European nation had its own system of diplomatic rank. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar The relative ranks of diplomats from different nations had been a source of considerable dispute, made more so by the insistence of major nations to have their diplomats ranked higher than those of minor nations, to be reflected in such things as table seatings.

In an attempt to resolve the problem, the Congress of Vienna of 1815 formally established an international system of diplomatic ranks. The Congress of Vienna was a conference of ambassadors of the major powers of Europe, chaired by the Austrian statesman Clemens Wenzel von Metternich Year 1815 ( MDCCCXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year [1] The four ranks within the system:

1. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, or simply Ambassador, who is a representative of the head of state. An ambassador is the highest ranking Diplomat who represents their country Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state Equivalent, and in some traditions primus inter pares, is the Papal nuncio. Primus inter pares ( Latin) or First among equals is a phrase which indicates that a person is the most senior of a group of people Nuncio is an ecclesiastical Diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word Nuntius, meaning "envoy Amongst Commonwealth countries, the equivalent title High Commissioner (who represents the government rather than the head of state) is normally used instead. High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking special executive positions held by a commission of appointment

A diplomatic mission headed by an ambassador would be known as an Embassy; one headed by a high commissioner is called a High Commission. A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one State or an international Inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one State or an international Inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in High Commissioner is the title of various high-ranking special executive positions held by a commission of appointment Ambassadors and high commissioners are entitled to use the title "His/Her Excellency" from the government and the people of the country they are appointed to. Excellency is a Honorific style given to certain members of an organization or state

2. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Usually just referred to as a Minister, an envoy is a diplomatic representative with plenipotentiary powers (i. The word plenipotentiary (from the Latin, plenus + potens, full + power has two meanings e. full authority to represent the head of state), but ranking below an Ambassador. While Embassies are headed by Ambassadors, Legations are headed by Ministers. A legation was the term used in Diplomacy to denote a diplomatic representative office lower than an Embassy.

3. Minister Resident or Resident Minister, or simply Minister, is the, now extremely rare, lowest rank of full diplomatic mission chief, only above chargé d'affaires (who is considered an extraordinary substitute). A Resident, or in full Resident Minister, is a state official of certain representative -diplomatic and/or colonial- types required to take up permanent residency abroad officially A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one State or an international Inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in In diplomacy chargé d’affaires ( French for “charged with (in charge of matters” is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic

4. Chargé d'affaires, or simply Chargé. As the French title suggests, a chargé d'affaires would be in charge of an embassy's or a legation's affairs in the (usually temporary) absence of a more senior diplomat. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people A chargé d'affaires ad interim or simply "a. i. " is generally serving as head of mission during the temporary absence of the head of mission, while the chargé d'affaires e. In diplomatic usage Head of Mission is the generic term used to refer to the head of a diplomatic representation such as an Ambassador, High Commissioner, Nuncio In diplomatic usage Head of Mission is the generic term used to refer to the head of a diplomatic representation such as an Ambassador, High Commissioner, Nuncio p. or en pied maintains the same functions and duties as an ambassador, and is accredited not to the head of state but to the minister of foreign relations of the receiving state.

As it turned out, this system of diplomatic rank did nothing to solve the problem of the nations' precedence. The appropriate diplomatic ranks used would be determined by the precedence among the nations; thus the exchanges of ambassadors (the highest diplomatic rank) would be reserved among major nations, or close allies and related monarchies. In contrast, a major nation would probably send just an envoy to a minor nation, who in return would send an envoy to the major nation. As a result, the United States did not use the rank of ambassador until their emergence as a major world power at the end of the 19th century. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A great power is a Nation or State that has the ability to exert its influence on a global scale Indeed, until the mid-20th century, the majority of diplomats in the world were of the rank of minister plenipotentiary.

In diplomatic parlance, all the diplomats that are assigned to a nation are known collectively as the diplomatic corps; one of these diplomats is recognized as the primus inter pares—in practice rather a protocolar honor—who acts as the spokesperson for all, known as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps or as Marshal of Diplomacy (generally based on the date of arrival in country or presentation of credentials to the head of state, although in some Catholic nations it is held automatically by the Papal Nuncio). The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign Diplomats accredited to a particular country or body In International politics, protocol is the Etiquette of Diplomacy and affairs of state The diplomatic corps or corps diplomatique is the collective body of foreign Diplomats accredited to a particular country or body

After World War II, it was no longer considered acceptable to treat some nations as inferior to others given the United Nations doctrine of equality of sovereign states; therefore most legations were upgraded to embassies, and the use of the rank of Minister for diplomatic missions' highest-ranking officials gradually ceased. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security The last U. S. Legation, in Sofia, Bulgaria, was upgraded to an Embassy on November 28, 1966. Sofia (София ˈsɔfija is the Capital and largest city of the Republic of Bulgaria, with a population of 1395568 in the Capital Municipality The state of Bulgaria (България transliterated bg-Latn ''Balgaria'' The country preserves the traditions (in ethnic name language and alphabet of the First Bulgarian For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. Where those ranks still exist, their incumbents usually act as embassy section chiefs or Deputy Chief of Mission (deputy to the Ambassador).

Modern diplomats

Bilateral diplomacy

The distinction between managers and officers is not necessarily as apparent. Senior officers (such as first and second secretaries) often manage junior diplomats and locally-hired staff.
The distinction between managers and officers is not necessarily as apparent. Senior officers (such as first and second secretaries) often manage junior diplomats and locally-hired staff.

In modern diplomatic practice there are a number of diplomatic ranks below Ambassador. Since most missions are now headed by an Ambassador, these ranks now rarely indicate a mission's (or its host nation's) relative importance, but rather reflect the diplomat's individual seniority within their own nation's diplomatic career path and in the diplomatic corps in the host nation:

In certain cases, a chargé d'affaires may be appointed for long periods, when a mission is headed by a non-resident ambassador, when countries have established diplomatic relations but not exchanged Ambassadors, or when they have recalled their ambassadors for a period of time (to express displeasure or serious disagreement) but not yet taken the extremely serious step of breaking diplomatic relations. It is not unheard of for chargé d'affaires to remain in place for an indefinite period. Since a chargé d'affaires does not need to present letters of credence to the host head of state, appointing a chargé may avoid a politically sensitive meeting or implying some form of approval or recognition of that head of state or government. A letter of credence is a formal letter sent by one Head of state to another head of state that formally grants Diplomatic accreditation to a named Equally, the receiving country may express displeasure by declining to receive an ambassador, but maintain diplomatic relations by accepting a chargé.

The term attaché is used for any diplomatic agent who does not fit in the standard diplomatic ranks, often because they are not (or were not traditionally) members of the sending country's diplomatic service or foreign ministry, and were therefore only "attached" to the diplomatic mission. A minister for foreign affairs, or foreign minister, is a governmental cabinet minister who helps form the Foreign policy of a sovereign nation The most frequent use is for military attachés, but the diplomatic title may be used for any specific individual or position as required. A military attaché is a Military Expert who is part of a Diplomatic mission; this post is normally filled by a high-ranking officer Since administrative and technical staff benefit from only limited diplomatic immunity, some countries may routinely appoint support staff as attachés. Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments which ensures that Diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not Attaché does not, therefore, connote any rank or position (except in Soviet and post-Soviet diplomatic services, where attaché is the lowest diplomatic rank of a career diplomat). Note that many traditional functionary roles, such as press attaché or cultural attaché, are not formal titles in diplomatic practice, although they may be used as a matter of custom. Attaché is a French term in diplomacy referring to a person who is assigned ('attached' to the administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency A cultural attaché is a diplomat with special responsibility for promoting the culture of his or her homeland

Usage worldwide

Most countries worldwide have some form of internal rank, roughly parallel to the diplomatic ranks, which are used in their foreign service or civil service in general. The correspondence is not exact, however, for various reasons, including the fact that according to diplomatic usage, all Ambassadors are of equal rank, but clearly Ambassadors of more senior rank are sent to more important postings. Some countries may make specific links or comparisons to military ranks.

In the United States Foreign Service

In the United States Foreign Service, a system of personal ranks is applied which roughly corresponds to these diplomatic ranks. The United States Foreign Service is the diplomatic service of the United States government under the aegis of the Department of State. Personal ranks are differentiated as "Senior Foreign Service" (SFS) or "Member of the Foreign Service". [2]

The SFS ranks, in descending order, are Career Ambassador, awarded to career diplomats with extensive and distinguished service; Career Minister, the highest regular senior rank; Minister-Counselor; and Counselor. In U. S. terms, these correspond to 4-, 3-, 2- and 1-star General and Flag officers in the military, respectively. An officer of 4 star rank is a very senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-9. An officer of 3 star rank is a very senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-8. An officer of 2 star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. An officer of 1 star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-6. A flag officer is a commissioned officer who is senior enough to be entitled to fly a Flag to represent where he exercises command Officers at these ranks may serve as Ambassadors and the most senior positions in diplomatic missions.

Members of the Foreign Service consists of two groups, Foreign Service Officers and Foreign Service Specialists. Ranks descend from FS-1, equivalent to a full Colonel in the military, to FS-9, the lowest rank in the U. General Schedule (or GS) is the name used to describe a payscale utilized by the majority of White collar personnel in the Civil service of the Federal Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country S. Foreign Service personnel system. [3] (Most Foreign Service Member Career Candidates begin at the FS-5 or FS-6 level. ) Personal rank is distinct from and should not be confused with the diplomatic or consular rank assigned at the time of appointment to a particular diplomatic or consular mission.

In a large mission, several Senior Foreign Service Officers may serve under the Ambassador as Minister-Counselors, Counselors, First Secretaries, and Attaches; in a small mission, an FS-2 may serve as the lone Minister-Counselor of Embassy.

In the British Diplomatic Service

As in the US Foreign Service, the British Diplomatic Service differentiates between officers in the "Senior Management Structure" (SMS; equivalent to the Senior Civil Service grades of the Home Civil Service) and those in the "delegated grades". SMS officers are classified into three pay-bands, and will serve in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London as (in descending order of seniority) Permanent Under-Secretary, Directors-General, Directors, or Heads of Group; overseas they will be Ambassadors (High Commissioners in Commonwealth countries), or Consuls-General, Deputy Heads of Mission or Counsellors for larger posts. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting (Deputy Heads of Mission at the historically most significant Embassies, for example those in Washington and Paris, are known as Ministers. )

In the "delegated grades", officers are graded by number from 1 to 7; the grades are grouped into bands lettered A-D (grades 1 and 2 are in Band A; 3 in B; 4 and 5 in C; and 6 and 7 in D). Overseas, B3-grade officers are Third Secretaries; C4s are Second Secretaries; and C5s and D6s are First Secretaries. D7 officers are usually Deputy Heads of Mission in medium-sized posts or Heads of Mission in small posts.

In the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

As with other Commonwealth public servants, officers from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) are graded into four broadbands (BB1 to BB4), with the Senior Executive Service (SES Band 1 to SES Band 3) following above. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade ( DFAT) is a department of the Commonwealth Government charged with advancing the interests of Australia and

Ambassadors, High Commissioners and Consuls-General usually come from the Senior Executive Service, although in smaller posts the head of mission may be a BB4 officer. Generally speaking (and there are variation in ranking and nomenclature between posts and positions), Counsellors are represented by BB4 officers; Consuls and First and Second Secretaries are BB3 officers and Third Secretaries and Vice Consuls are BB2 officers. DFAT only posts a limited number of low level BB1 staff abroad. In large missions an SES officer who is not the head of mission could be posted with the rank of Minister. Australian diplomatic missions are posts representing the Commonwealth of Australia in foreign countries

Multilateral diplomacy

Furthermore, outside this traditional pattern of bilateral diplomacy, as a rule on a permanent residency basis (though sometimes doubling elsewhere), certain ranks and positions were created specifically for multilateral diplomacy:

  • To help with the Northern Ireland peace process, the United States has appointed a Special Envoy to Northern Ireland with the diplomatic rank of Ambassador. When discussing the History of Northern Ireland, the " peace process " is generally considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican The United States of America —commonly referred to as the As of 2006, the position was occupied by Mitchell Reiss. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Mitchell Reiss is a senior American Diplomat and Dean of International Studies at The College of William and Mary.
  • During the 2006 democracy movement in Nepal, India sent on April 18 Karan Singh, who is related to royalty in both predominantly Hindu countries, as Special Envoy to neighbouring Nepal where increasingly violent opposition started its successful challenge of the king's autocratic rule. The 2006 Democracy Movement ( Nepali: लोकतन्त्र आन्दोलन Loktantra Āndolan) is a name given to the ongoing political agitations against India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Events 1025 - Bolesław Chrobry is crowned in Gniezno, becoming the first King of Poland. Major-General Shriman Rajrajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Shri Dr Karan Singh Indar Mahindar Bahadur Sipar-i-Sultanat (1931- is an Indian Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia.
  • In 2005, Belgium created a former cabinet member, Pierre Chevalier Special Envoy of the OSCE presidency—in fact ahead of its 2006 turn as rotatory Chairman-in-Office of the organisation; the post was never formally created—to mediate in the Gazprom natural gas-pipeline crisis involving Russia, Ukraine and the EU. Pierre Chevalier (1905 – 2001 was a well-known Caver and mountaineer from France with many alpine ascents and cave explorations to his credit OJSC Gazprom, (Газпром long version Открытое Aкционерное Oбщество Газпром sometimes transcribed as Gasprom is the largest Russian company

Consular counterpart

Formally the consular career (ranking in descending order: Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, Consular Agent; equivalents without diplomatic immunity include Honorary Consul-General, Honorary Consul, and Honorary Vice-Consul) forms a separate hierarchy. Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments which ensures that Diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not Many countries do not internally have a separate consular path or stream, and the meaning of "consular" responsibilities and functions will differ from country to country. Other titles, including "Vice Consul-General", have existed in the past. Consular titles may be used concurrently with diplomatic titles if the individual is assigned to an embassy. Diplomatic immunity is more limited for consular officials without other diplomatic accreditation, and broadly limited to immunity with respect to their official duties.

At a separate consular post, the official will have only a consular title. Officials at consular posts may therefore have consular titles, but not be involved in traditional consular activities, and actually be responsible for trade, cultural, or other matters.

Consular officers, being nominally more distant from the politically sensitive aspects of diplomacy, can more easily render a wide range of services to private citizens, enterprises, et cetera. They may be more numerous since diplomatic missions are posted only in a nation's capital, while consular officials are stationed in various other cities as well. However, it is not uncommon for individuals to be transferred from one hierarchy to the other, and for consular officials to serve in a capital carrying out strictly consular duties within the 'consular section' of a diplomatic post, e. g. within an embassy. Some countries routinely provide their Embassy officials with consular commissions, including those without formal consular responsibilities, since a consular commission allows the individual to legalize documents, sign certain documents, and undertake certain other necessary functions.

Depending on the practice of the individual country, "consular services" may be limited to services provided for citizens or residents of the sending country, or extended to include, for example, visa services for nationals of the host country.

See also

Sources and references

  1. ^ "Réglement du 19 Mars 1815 sur le Rang entre les Agents Diplomatiques," http://pcombal.club.fr/rang.html (in French); later appended to the "Acte du Congrès de Vienne du 9 Juin 1815", Article 118. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting Negotiations between representatives of groups or states Nuncio is an ecclesiastical Diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word Nuntius, meaning "envoy Nuncio is an ecclesiastical Diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin word Nuntius, meaning "envoy 17
  2. ^ 3 FAM 2230 Appointments - Categories of Foreign Service Personnel
  3. ^ Microsoft Word - 15fam0260.doc
The Realencyclopädie der Classischen Altertumswissenschaft, commonly called the "Pauly-Wissowa", is a German Encyclopedia of
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