Consulate §
Historical Development of Consulate §
- Origin: from international trade in mediteranian seas by European countries
- Cargo vessels from far lands brings people with unfamiliar habbits, drunkenness, and strange language who represent their origin country
- Commercial dealing and civil and criminal laws are different across regions
- A consulate was a spokesperson for the merchants, representing the country of origin
- Hired by merchants, not representing the states’ interest
- Sometimes given political duties by government
- Britain in 1650s asserts control over consuls
- To take more responsibilities: organization of naval supplies
- Place national interests first and become public servant
- 1900s: Need to differential between Diplomats and Consulates where
- Diplomats required refined manners, self-assurance, and skill at field sports from aristocratic lineage or roots in the landed gentry
- Consulates only needed middle-class background working in seaports with
- Knowledge of business
- Basic understanding of law
- Common sense
- Late 1900s: differences between consolates and diplomats were ending
- Consulate at an important post was doing similar duties to diplomats in authorities dealing with the central government
- But consuls were treated with much more disrespect
- Consulates pushed for unification of consulate and embassy into a unified foreign service
- Attitudes changed and people accepted qualified people even with ‘wrong’ social class (US and UK)
- Consuls could be promoted to diplomats
Differences between diplomatic and consulate officials §
| Consulate | Diplomats |
|---|
| Deals with normal individuals | Deal with high-ranking officials |
| Working conditions aren’t always great | Luxurious hotels/restaurant |
| Knowledge about local laws, culture, … | High qualifications (degrees from preist) |
| Knowledge of international polics not needed | Knowledge about international politics |
| High family and social status |
| Partial diplomatic immunity | Full diplomatic immunity |
Functions of Consulate §
- Commercial work: assisting foreign business people with investing, opening business in host state
- Assistance to own nationals: who travel abroad with renewing passports, birth/death registration
- People might suffer from distress like accidents, illness, crime, arrest, in natural disaster, seeking security from threats and oppression
- Consuls are to arrange help, advise, or help directly
- Problem: But people have too many and high expectations
- Entry clearance: checking documents of people coming into the country
- Verifying validity of documents, investigating irregularities of people coming in
- Issue visas
- Multiple Consular offices can be opened in different regions
- Diplomacy
- Secret intelligence: collecting information of host country from all branches of the host-country to report back to sending-country
- More for powerful countries
Career vs Honarary §
- Career consuls are those who works the job of a consulate
- Honarary consuls: are those who gets the honarary title, symbolic status, and prestige of a consulate, without conducting its work
- Can be elected: stars, celebrity, to gain promotion, to represent country
- Acting as a bridge between the people and the government
References §
- DTAP-Diplomacy theory and practice By Geoff BerridgeC09: Consulate
