The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) was signed at the height of the Cold War more than fifty years ago. The agreement and its negotiation have become a cornerstone of diplomatic law.

A Cornerstone of Modern Diplomacy, which is based on archival research in the National Archives (London), the Austrian State Archives (Vienna) and the Political Archive (Berlin), delivers the first study of the British policy during the negotiation of the key convention governing diplomatic privileges and immunities: the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. The book provides a complete commentary on the political aspects of the codification process of diplomatic law. By clearly presenting the case with accessible analysis, author Kai Bruns makes the relations between international law and politics understandable, stressing the impact of the emergence of the third world in UN diplomacy.

This unique study is a crucial piece of scholarship, shedding light on the practice of United Nations conference diplomacy and the codification of diplomatic law at the height of the Cold War.

Bruns presents the fruits of an impressive archival research effort ... [and] swiftly combines insights in history, international relations, diplomacy studies and law ... [This book] will be of interest both to legal historians and a wider audience of students of diplomacy. * The Hague Journal of Diplomacy *
This analysis of the genesis of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations is both fascinating and enlightening. It offers a highly readable and substantial contribution to the history of international law and diplomacy ... [F]or anyone with an interest in the processes by which international law is shaped or in techniques of successful diplomacy it offers excellent value. * British Yearbook of International Law *
This book serves two important functions – adding to the literature about the making of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and providing an account of the UK’s role in its creation. Scholars in both will find it compelling and useful. * Richard Langhorne, Professor of Political Science, Buckingham University, UK and author of Diplomacy (2004, with Christer Jonsson) and The Essentials of Global Politics (2006) *

Kai Bruns is Assistant Professor at American University in the Emirates, UAE.