This paper examines issues of diplomacy in 18th Century Europe using Adam Watson's book "The Evolution of International Society." Watson takes the perspective that all international societies need to have a reason for their functionality, such as a framework or a core premise which motivates them to identify and respond to the pressures of working towards a shared result. Diplomacy, suggests Watson, emerged not as a means for countries to overcome preexisting conditions of conflict and warfare, but rather as a tool through which the countries involved in international negotiations could approach the opposing perspectives of their neighbors to reach a mutually beneficial goal.
