Ask The Consulate - On Protocol
December 2008
GENERAL DEFINITION OF PROTOCOL:
In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state. The U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver uses protocol daily in interactions with the other consulates in Vancouver and with the Province of British Columbia.
A protocol is a rule which guides how an activity should be performed, especially in the field of diplomacy. In the diplomatic and government fields of responsibility protocols are often unwritten guidelines. Protocols specify the proper and generally-accepted behavior in matters of state and diplomacy, such as showing appropriate respect to a head of state and ranking diplomats in chronological order of their accreditation. Due to these chronological rules, the current Dean of the Consular Corps in Vancouver is the Consul General of Italy.
"Protocol is commonly described as a set of international courtesy rules. These well-established and time-honored rules have made it easier for nations and people to live and work together. Part of protocol has always been the acknowledgment of the hierarchical standing of all present. Protocol rules are based on the principles of civility."--as defined by Dr. P.M. Forni on behalf of the International Association of Protocol Consultants.
Protocol makes diplomatic work easier by facilitating our relations as a mission team, making our interactions with diplomatic communities more predictable, and by providing a basic social framework and hierarchy.
PROTOCOL AND DIPLOMATIC RANK:
Until the early 19th Century, each European nation had its own system of diplomatic rank. The relative ranks of diplomats from different nations had been a source of considerable dispute, made more so by the insistence of major nations to have their diplomats ranked higher than those of minor nations, to be reflected in such things as table seatings.
In an attempt to resolve the problem, the Congress of Vienna of 1815 formally established an international system of diplomatic ranks. The first rank within the system is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, or simply Ambassador, who is usually limited to a country. Then comes the Ambassador-at-large who is entrusted to operate in several usually neighboring countries, a region or sometimes a seat of international organizations like the United Nations/ European Union. Next comes the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, who is a diplomatic representative with full authority to represent the head of state, but ranking below an Ambassador. While common before World War II, the title is now effectively obsolete.
The Resident Minister, or simply Minister, is the, now extremely rare, lowest rank of full diplomatic mission chief, only above chargé d'affaires (who is considered an extraordinary substitute). And finally, the Chargé d'affaires, or simply Chargé. As the French title suggests, a chargé d'affaires would be in charge of an embassy's affairs in the (usually temporary) absence of a more senior diplomat. A chargé d'affaires ad interim or simply "a.i." is generally serving as head of mission during the temporary absence of the head of mission, while the chargé d'affaires e.p. or en pied maintains the same functions and duties as an ambassador, and is accredited not to the head of state but to the minister of foreign relations of the receiving state.
A diplomatic Mission headed by an ambassador would be known as an Embassy. Ambassadors are representatives of the head of their country and are entitled to use the title "His/Her Excellency" from the government and the people of the country they are appointed to. The current U.S. Ambassador to Canada is David Wilkins. The U.S. Consulate-General in Vancouver is a representative of the Embassy, and is defined by the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The current Consul General is Phillip Chicola.
PROTOCOL ASSISTANCE:
The Chief of Protocol is an officer of the United States Department of State responsible for advising the President of the United States, the Vice President, and the Secretary of State on matters of national and international diplomatic protocol. The Chief arranges itineraries for foreign dignitaries visiting the United States and accompanies the President on all official international travel. Additionally, the Office of the Chief of Protocol is responsible for accrediting foreign diplomats and publishing the list of foreign consular offices in the United States, organizing ceremonies for treaty signings, conducting ambassadorial swearing-in and State Arrival Ceremonies, and maintaining Blair House, the official guest house for state visitors.
Many ambassadors have a Protocol Assistant on staff who is familiar with local customs and protocol eccentricities. The Protocol Assistant will also assist the ambassador with diplomatic correspondence (a Diplomatic Note) with the foreign ministry of the host government at posts and other foreign office representatives.
PROTOCOL TRIVIA:
Perhaps the best-known U.S. Chief of Protocol is former child actress and Ambassador Shirley Temple Black, who attained the office during the Ford Administration.
Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, the current U.S. Chief of Protocol, is also the founder of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Breast Cancer Foundation.
REFERENCES:
The most used reference book in the Foreign Service is PROTOCOL: The Complete Handbook of Diplomatic, Official and Social Usage, 25th Anniversary Edition by Mary Jane McCaffree, Pauline Innis and Richard M. Sand.
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