As a diplomat, should one focus on furthering the interests of their home country, or creating the best possible outcome for the global community? The answer should be a little of both. The duty of a diplomat is to represent their home country and the opinions of its people or leaders in making decisions that affect the world as a whole. Therefore, it is logical that diplomats should not solely focus on the interests of their countries, barring crises and disasters. They should help their country when engaged in acts of negotiation and diplomacy, but should not do so at a negative cost to others outside their country.
Unfortunately, diplomacy has not always focused on the international well being as much as it should. Paul Sharp wrote in his article, "Who Needs Diplomats? The Problem of Diplomatic Representation", that "Failures of diplomacy...involved over-ambitious attempts at international management for which no consensus existed...". In other words, diplomacy doesn't work if one uses it just for their own benefit. Therefore it is essential that a diplomat act in the world's interests, not the interests of themselves.
Sharp, Paul. "Who Needs Diplomats? The Problem with Diplomatic Representation." Web. 21 Aug. 2010.
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