Since then, diplomacy has evolved greatly, coming to mean different things, to different people, at different times, ranging from the elegant (‘the management of relations between independent states by the process of negotiations’: Harold Nicolson) to the inelegant (‘the art of saying nice “doggie” until you can find a rock’: Wynn Catlin). Whatever one’s definition, few could doubt that the course and consequences of the major events of modern international diplomacy have shaped and changed the global world in which we live. It is the purpose of this book to introduce the general reader to the subject and study of diplomacy, from an historical perspective.
i think it means: everyone can reject every definiton, and there is not only one definition" am I right?
