The diplomatic world seems to have one of the most rigid rules-based system of any profession. Centuries-old protocol & etiquette guide the diplomat, from what they say, how they eat, whom they can meet, and even where they sit.

The diplomat is taught there are certain things that should not be mentioned in polite company: a person’s medical condition, the children (or lack thereof), a person’s natural ‘endowments’, among the many.

Then there is the fine dining etiquette – the fork to be used, the positioning of the soup spoon once the soup is finished, the placement of the different-sized glassware.

A diplomat’s person is never his own, which is why even their social life is regulated. An ambassador-designate (a person who has yet to present his credentials to the host country) is strictly prohibited from attending the host country’s official dinners and events, a serving senior ministry official should not ‘call on’ an ambassador at his home, and fraternizing with the enemy will send every espionage alarm ringing.

Anyone who has had to do the seating arrangement for diplomats would know that there is a very strict hierarchical structure that must be observed. Whichever ambassador presented his credentials first would be seated first, and the rest would follow according to their date of presentation of credentials. This is why you might see a very very senior ambassador sitting waaaay in the back – because he had only recently taken up his post at the host country. This is also why – unless there are very compelling reasons – the dean of the diplomatic corps is the ambassador who has served in that country longest.

Yet in reality, only two overarching treaties rule the diplomatic world:

• The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961
  • https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdf; and
• The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, 1963
  • https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_2_1963.pdf

Everything else are norms, or things that arise out of practice.

Extremely important things, such as the immunity of a diplomat, or the inviolability of the person, is contained in these conventions. However, the extent of the immunity depends whether the diplomat is a diplomatic agent (under the 1961 Convention), or a consular officer (under the 1963 Convention). There are small and not-so small differences between the two; any person who will be posted abroad would need to know both with some degree of familiarity.