A diplomat is someone involved in diplomacy between two countries; the collective term for a group of diplomats from a single country is a diplomatic mission.
Since the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, diplomats have had diplomatic immunity which protects them from being persecuted or prosecuted while on a diplomatic mission.
In times of hostility diplomats are often withdrawn for reasons of personal safety, and in some cases diplomats are withdrawn when the host country is friendly but there is a threat from internal dissidents. Ambassadors and other diplomats are also sometimes recalled by their home countries as a statement of displeasure with the country they have been serving in.
Famous diplomats include:
- Henry Kissinger (United States)
- James Bryce (United Kingdom)
- Joseph Marie De Maistre (France)
- Dag Hammarskjold (Sweden)
- Hubert Languet (France)
- Raoul Wallenberg (Sweden)
- Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand (France)
