GUIDE TO DIPLOMATIC PRACTICE

BY SIR ERNEST MASON SATOW

An overview by Ksenia Makhynia and Dyakovych

Yaroslav
 BIOGRAPHY

Recruited straight from university, Ernest

Satow (1843–1929) became one of the most
respected British diplomats, particularly in
Japan, where he is still remembered. After a
career spent mostly in the rapidly
developing Far East, he retired in 1906.
Satow's work was first published in 1917.
His work was pioneering, there being at that
time no comprehensive study in English of
diplomacy. It covers the history of
international diplomacy, its practice and
legal matters, and is notable for the author's
clear language, and the inclusion of often
whimsical anecdotes to illustrate a point in
discussion. Writing at a time before WWI ,
Satow provides an illuminating insight into
diplomacy before the age of big changes.
 O V E RV I E W

Since 1917, however, the practice of diplomacy

has evolved quite a lot, and it continues to do
so at a now accelerated pace. Satow quite
understood the transient nature of diplomacy.
He had conceived of the idea of his book well
before 1914. But the outbreak of what would
become a WWI made it all the more necessary
to re-examine diplomacy as the vital part of
international relations and a key element of
international stability. All wars eventually
come to an end, and, in writing his diplomatic
manual, Satow was motivated by the fact that
an eventual peace conference required proper
preparation. This also explains the space that is
devoted to congresses and conferences in his
work. 
The book contains many examples of the
challenges diplomats meet in their careers:
representatives interference in the internal
affairs of the country (caused by direct
instructions from the government) or due to
the negligence they had committed. Also in
the book are tips from experienced
diplomats to those who are just embarking
on this path. The features of diplomatic
practice during the conduct of hostilities are
shown. It touches on issues related to the
use of the language of the host country, the
importance of the diplomat’s awareness in
international relations. This work became a
must have classic in many diplomat's,
historians and lawyers libraries all across the
world.