The Status of Agents on Special Mission in Customary International Law

Abstract

As international relations grow in their scope and intensity, it is not surprising to find the traditional modes of diplomatie intercourse, centred around the permanent mission, giving way in many spheres to new forms of contact among nations that are more adapted to the exigencies of modem statecraft. Rapid communications and transportation have rendered superfluous or obsolete many of the functions which historically have been the preserve of the sedentary diplomat. Summit meetings, high level talks, and “shuttle diplomacy” provide a more direct and immediate means of communication which is resorted to with increasing frequency in a time when the world seems confronted with a rapid succession of crises. Moreover, the permanent mission, which evolved at a time when diplomacy was concerned primarily with the maintenance of political representation in foreign capitals, is not always well suited as an agency for participation in international conferences and congresses or negotiations on highly technical or scientific questions. These are matters which in recent years have become of increasing importance in the conduct of international relations.