Business Diplomat: Older Than Nations

The name looks modern. The practice is not. In this part of its interview series, Business Diplomat presents the opening of Prof. Dr. Ragıp Kutay Karaca’s answer, which places business diplomacy in a very long history.

First observation: new name, old practice
“Although business diplomacy appears to be a current term, it is in essence an example that has worked since the period when nation-states did not yet exist.”
Karaca separates the label from the practice. The phrase “business diplomacy” may be fashionable, but the activity it describes has deep roots, older than the state form that dominates today.

Second observation: trade as a foreign policy priority
“Because trade, or more precisely reciprocal trade, has always been one of the priorities of countries’ foreign policies.”
The word “reciprocal” matters. Trade between states depends on both sides gaining. That is why governments have always taken a direct interest in it, and why it has always belonged to foreign policy and not only to commerce.

Third observation: the Athenian example
“That is why, when there were not yet nation-states, customs were set up among the Athenian city-states.”
Customs are one of the oldest instruments of economic diplomacy: arrangements between political communities about how goods may cross their borders. The example shows that states managed trade through agreements long before the modern nation-state.

The logic of the assessment
The name is recent, but the practice is old. The reason is that trade has always been a foreign-policy priority. The evidence is the customs arrangements of ancient city-states.

The role of Business Diplomat
The platform’s mission is to give young people experience, bring a diplomatic order to the business world, and benefit states by revitalising the economy. Karaca’s historical view shows that the platform continues a long tradition and does not invent a new one. Business Diplomat can give young professionals this historical perspective.

Conclusion
Business diplomacy is as old as organised trade between political communities. Business Diplomat aims to bring that long tradition to a new generation.