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Ambassadors, credibility of: The government to which ambassadors are accredited will see them as interpreters of thoughts that are not their own and executors of design handed to them by higher authority. The credibility of ambassadors therefore depends less on their own merits than on the use they know how to make of the fear or confidence inspired by the government they represent.
Ambassador, duty of: "The first duty of an ambassador is exactly the same as that of any other servant of government, that is, to do, say, advise and think whatever may best serve the preservation and aggrandizement of his own state."
— Ermolao Barbaro, c. 1490
Ambassadors, empathy for host nation of: A great ambassador develops empathy for the interests and views of the nation to which he is assigned, but remains the advocate only of those of his own government and nation. He courts good relations with those in authority but never forgets that his object in doing so is to persuade them to accept the views of his capital and that honest disagreement, tactfully presented, can be seen as a mark of friendly concern.
Ambassadors, informants about their country: In ancient times, ambassadors were regarded by the sovereigns to whom they were accredited as a primary source of information about events in their homeland. In modern times, when information on events around the globe is speedily and readily available through the media, ambassadors must still strive to make themselves trusted interpreters of events. They may thereby hope to shape the understanding and guide the responses of their host government to happenings back home and also to lay a basis for an exchange of insights with their interlocutors that will improve the accuracy of their reporting and analysis to their own government.
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Chas W. Freeman Jr. (The Diplomat's Dictionary)