Diplomacy means different things to different people, the definitions ranging from the elegant ("the management of relations between independent states by the process of negotiations") to the jocular ("the art of saying 'nice doggie' until you can find a rock"). Written by Joseph M. Siracusa, an internationally recognized expert, this lively volume introduces the subject of diplomacy from a historical perspective, providing examples from significant historical phases and episodes to illustrate the art of diplomacy in action, highlighting the milestones in its evolution. The book shows that, like war, diplomacy has been around a very long time, at least since the Bronze Age. It was primitive by today's standards, there were few rules, but it was a recognizable form of diplomacy. Since then, diplomacy has evolved greatly, to the extent that the major events of modern international diplomacy have dramatically shaped the world in which we live. Indeed, the case studies chosen here demonstrate that diplomacy was and remains a key element of statecraft, and that without skilful diplomacy political success may remain elusive.

外交对不同的人意味着不同的事情，其定义从优雅的（"通过谈判过程管理独立国家之间的关系"）到戏谑的（"说'好狗'直到你能找到一块石头的艺术"）。本书由国际公认的专家约瑟夫-M-西拉库萨（Joseph M. Siracusa）撰写，这本生动的书从历史的角度介绍了外交的主题，提供了重要历史阶段和事件的例子来说明外交艺术的作用，突出了其演变中的里程碑。该书表明，与战争一样，外交也存在了很长时间，至少从青铜时代开始。按照今天的标准，它是原始的，没有什么规则，但它是一种可识别的外交形式。从那时起，外交已经有了很大的发展，以至于现代国际外交的重大事件极大地塑造了我们生活的世界。事实上，这里选择的案例研究表明，外交过去和现在都是治国之道的关键因素，如果没有娴熟的外交，政治上的成功可能仍然难以企及。