Editing Diplomat (section)

== Status and public image ==
Diplomats have generally been considered members of an exclusive and prestigious profession. The public image of diplomats has been described as "a caricature of pinstriped men gliding their way around a never-ending global cocktail party".<ref>Allan Gyngell and Michael Wesley, ''Making Australian Foreign Policy'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003), p. 106.</ref> J. W. Burton has noted that "despite the absence of any specific professional training, diplomacy has a high professional status, due perhaps to a degree of secrecy and mystery that its practitioners self-consciously promote."<ref>J. W. Burton, ''Systems, States, Diplomacy and Rules'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1968), p. 206.</ref> The state supports the high status, privileges, and [[self-esteem]] of its diplomats in order to support its own international status and position.

The high regard for diplomats is also due to most countries' conspicuous selection of diplomats, with regard to their professionalism and ability to behave according to a certain [[etiquette]], in order to effectively promote their interests. Also, [[international law]] grants diplomats extensive privileges and [[diplomatic immunity|immunities]], which further distinguishes the diplomat from the status of an ordinary [[citizen]].