Modern Diplomats as Civil Servants: Capabilities, Competencies, and Education – A Case Study of the Foreign Service in Poland

For centuries, “classic” diplomacy was mainly understood as the art of dialogue and negotiation aimed at achieving a state’s foreign policy goals. Diplomat education was, therefore, focused on history, philosophy, political science or law, etc. The chapter is about contemporary education of diplomats in a way they can acquire the competencies crucial for their work in a modern world. The main questions posed are: What capabilities and competencies are important for diplomats today? How they should be educated to acquire these? The example of the foreign service in Poland is given, with its educational practices and legal instruments analyzed. The chapter begins with a brief introduction to the origins and legal framework of the Polish foreign service. Next, the relevant educational models within the country are described, and finally, the profile of a modern diplomat is set out. Traditional functions are still the core of “classic” diplomacy, but new ones, such as the use of digital technologies (digital diplomacy), have emerged also, and nowadays they are extremely significant for both the foreign policies of states and diplomats. The main argument is that it is mainly those diplomats who are also public servants that have a chance to be equipped with key competencies, as a result of their educational background. In today’s world, therefore, a foreign service should be professional (meaning it should employ civil servants, with a small number of exceptions, such as ambassadors, who can be scholars or former politicians) if it is to be effective and represent a state successfully.