The Trade of Diplomacy

Abstract

IT is possible to admire much about the Duncan Report on the future of the British diplomatic service and yet to be dismayed by its central idea and surprised by the reasoning behind it.' ' Nothing that has happened could of course affect the first priority of external policy which is to maintain the security of this country; and our representation overseas will continue to have an important part to play in this. However, the balance of their work load should now reflect the clear precedence that belongs to the commercial objective in the day-to-day conduct of Britain's relations with other countries (p. 10). The Duncan Committee appears to have two reasons for this novel view of the role of the diplomatic service. The explicit reason is 'the towering importance' of achieving a surplus in Britain's balance of payments and the contribution which the diplomatic service could make to this' (p. 10). This line of thought, the more vulnerable of the two, will be considered in the latter part of this article. Meanwhile, it is permissible from the whole tone of the Report to guess at another reason. It is a negative but nonetheless powerful one. It is that the Committee, despite various protestations to the contrary, were unable to identify in the changed conditions of today any other vigorous and distinctive role for the Service than the promotion of the country's exports. They mention peace and security but it is commerce that they endlessly discuss.