Measuring Diplomatic Capacity as a Source of National Power

Diplomacy is a critical tool of governments as they pursue their national interests. Diplomacy in the form of summitry between leaders and brokered agreements is often celebrated and closely studied; however, the significance of diplomacy as a routine instrument of national power in international affairs is undervalued. The study of diplomatic process constitutes an important area of scholarly inquiry, and analyses of “soft power” have proliferated in recent years. However, efforts to measure the capacity of a country to pursue its international interests through the assets and efforts it dedicates to diplomacy have been limited to date. This article introduces an effort to measure and compare diplomatic capacity and considers how the resources that states devote to diplomatic activities may alter calculations of states’ relative international capabilities.