I have argued that it is possible to identify a diplomatic tradition of international thought which is distinct from the other traditions as these are conventionally represented. This tradition is drawn from the experience of diplomats and those acting diplomatically when peoples encounter one another, begin to discover things about each other, and decide to remain in contact, though at arm's length, through a process of re-encounters which maintain their separate identities. There are two key elements to the tradition.

The first is its account of why we need diplomacy and diplomats built on claims about the plural condition in which human beings live. Whether we like it or not, we live in groups and mostly we seem to like it. The term “groups” covers polities, societies and communities which exist for many purposes and may be said to exist for themselves, but it can also cover associations and enterprises which are created, at least, for simpler, more instrumental and private purposes. The historical record suggests that the distinction between these two classes of actors need not be as firm as it is at present and so, wherever possible, I have used the terms “people” and “peoples” to reflect this breadth of meaning. We have a stronger sense of obligation to, and connectedness with, members of our own people than others. As a result, relations between peoples are different from relations within them.