Alteration in the Practioce of Tradition Diplomacy
The origins of old diplomacy can be traced back to ancient Greece, from which some of the diplomatic vocabulary and practices emanate. Roman law and later Italian customs,as well,shaped much of the diplomatic practice in old diplomacy.The basic assumption was the acceptance of rivalry between international units,with secrecy forming a natural part of diplomatic practice. Public opinion was rarely taken into consideration(except during crises and wars) since diplomacy was viewed as an art based on tradition and historical precedents,practiced by diplomatic elites with a"trained intuition" (Berridge 1995: 4; Eban 1983: 333-344).