Term
Accession
The procedure by which a nation becomes a party to an agreement already in force between other nations.
Diplomatic Encyclopedia
Learn to Speak the Language of Diplomacy
The world of diplomacy is full of unique terminology. The Diplomatic Encyclopedia defines some of these key terms, people, places, and practices so you can better understand how diplomacy works.
TERM
Refugee
A person who is forced to leave their country due to conflict, persecution, or natural disaster and has crossed an international border in order to find safety in another country.
When Saigon fell in 1975, the rest of South Vietnam was also evacuating as quickly as possible. Approximately 100 miles away in Cần Thơ, Consul General Francis Terry McNamara saved hundreds of Vietnamese refugees by devising and leading a risky evacuation. Photo courtesy of the National Museum of American Diplomacy.
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Term
Accords
Another word for treaties. Originally referred to international agreements thought to be for lesser subjects than those covered by treaties.
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Term
Agrément
A host government accepting the nomination of a foreign ambassador to the host country.
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Term
Alliance
A union formed for mutual benefit by two or more states to engage in cooperative action in specified circumstances.
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Term
Ambassador
The chief of a diplomatic mission; the highest-ranking diplomatic representative of one country to another country to which they are appointed; An ambassador is considered the personal representative of their country’s head of state to the head of state of the host country.
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Term
Ambassador extraordinaire and plenipotentiary
A diplomatic agent who is the personal representative of the head of one state accredited to the head of another state.
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Places
American Institute in Taiwan
In 1979, the United States changed its diplomatic recognition of China from Taipei to Beijing. In the U.S.-People’s Republic of China Joint Communique that announced…
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Term
American Presence Posts (APP)
A special purpose overseas diplomatic post with limited staffing and responsibilities established as a consulate under the Vienna Convention. APPs are located in cities outside the capital that are important but do not host a U.S. consulate. Typically, these posts do not have any consular services on site, so the APP’s activities are limited or narrowly focused on priorities such as public outreach, business facilitation, and issue advocacy. Examples of American Presence Posts include Bordeaux, France; Winnipeg, Canada; Medan, Indonesia, and Busan, Korea.
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Term
Annexation
The formal act of a state incorporating conquered foreign territory into its own jurisdiction; the forcible acquisition of a territory by one state at the expense of another done by either a unilateral declaration and conquering of territory or by the conclusion of a treaty.
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Term
Armistice
An agreement made by opposing sides in a war to suspend hostilities for a certain timeframe.
