The Relationship of an Embassy

The Relationship of an Embassy

9/4/13

Embassies are important establishments because they are instruments that are used to keep relationships open between countries.  Their presence within another country allows everyone from the average citizen to the leader of that country know that the level of communication between those said countries is still intact.  It is also important to understand that the policy of these embassies does not change in order to keep the peace and stabilization between these countries.  However, as we have witnessed over the past decades it is a popular trend to attack these embassies from those who do not agree with the stance that the represented countries have taken, this is also a picture that has been painted on an individual level as well and we must understand that even though we are not overseas, all of us represent God in our lives and we have become targets in this same manner.

Anyone who has studied a course in government will have the basic concepts of an embassy and the importance of having this establishment present within other countries.  The embassy of a country is actually a physical state within a country, the property is actually of the represented country and acts as the official messenger of the represented country to the country that it built within.  This is a fantastic example of a country trying to establish relations with another country.  It also gives the people of both countries an opportunity to understand each other and what each represents and provides to the world. 

An embassy begins with a selected piece of property that is usually located within the capital of the country.  This means that the host country actually gives up a part of their sovereign land in order to have another country build a complex in which to communicate with the host country.  The land actually is a part of the country who is establishing a relationship with the host country.  Now if you think about it countries really do not like to give up any part of their established territory, in fact many wars have begun over arguments concerning land.  So, why do people believe that it is important enough to voluntarily give up a portion of their land in order to understand and establish a relationship with another group of people?  It is because the current leaders of the host country believe that it is important that some type of formal communication be instilled between the two countries, at least on the surface.

After the piece of property has been purchased, the invited country begins to build the building or buildings that will house the staff members that will conduct the daily business.  The formal embassy staff is represented by the invited country but many of the other workers within the embassy complex are actually people who have been born and raised in the host country.  This practice has been found to be very helpful in learning about the host country and how it operates even down to an individual level.  It is the desire of the embassy and invited country to gain as much trust with the host country as possible in order to provide the necessary building blocks to secure the foundation of a solid relationship between the countries and a great way to forge this process is to include as many people from the host country as possible.

The building of the embassy complex takes time and it can sometimes seem like forever before the project is complete.  The actual building of the embassy complex is done with the materials that the host country has available including much of the manpower needed to complete the large task.  Many details are placed within the complex for security, relaxation, formal business meetings, along with other contingencies that make up the complex.  All of which is designed to proclaim the cultures of the invited country and to give an example of how people are tied together even though they believe differently.  The building of relationships between countries also takes time and once these relationships are assembled they can provide an accurate account of said country’s actions towards the host country.  The same is true of the host country towards the invited country as well in which the invited country is learning as much about their hosts as possible as well; the two form a circle in which constant monitoring is of the norm.

Once the embassy has been established an announcement is made between the two countries in which formal ties and recognition of each country is proclaimed.  I have always found this statement funny since it has to be declared to the world’s ears that two countries actually recognize each other before it becomes official.  Can’t one see that a country exists before it has to make a public statement about its existence?  In truth, this proclamation actually occurs more often than one thinks since humans have both a physical and spiritual side our existence yet many of us do not formally recognize the spiritual aspects of our lives or deem them not important enough to acknowledge.  Yet the procedure is followed and the two countries officially declare relations with each other and the process of building that relationship begins.

As with any relationship the two counties involved in this relationship will go through tough times.  These tough times may be one sided or they may actually be between each other but it is guaranteed that something will occur.  Even though the tough times may present themselves the embassy and its personnel are supposed to be committed in the relationship and under no presentable circumstances be obligated to feel the need to close the embassy for any reason.  Once again we see and know that this perfect situation can and usually will be tarnished by the human and their actions towards others.  We have just recently witnessed such tragedies within some of our embassies around the world and these examples of killings and closures are strictly the opposite of what these relationship tools were meant to represent.

Humans have also turned the tables within this embassy accord in that the host countries have used the invited embassy as a mechanism to direct opposition towards the governments that the invited embassies typify.  We all understand that countries will have some sort of leadership change within a certain amount of time and one must include philosophical ideologies in this category as well.  Humans like to go with the flow of others and do not like to be different from others when it comes to worldly acceptance.  The policies of each embassy reflect these changes within the invited embassy’s administration and when these changes occur, they are sometimes met with violent opposition.  It does not take too much research for this scene to be refreshed in our memories either, but for the younger audience please remember that these events do happen and they have recently occurred and unless something drastically happens, this type of scene will continue to unfold across the globe.

Since an embassy is usually centrally located within the capital of the host country the accessibility of the embassy is exclusively known to the majority of the country’s inhabitants.  The embassy usually serves as a main attraction to the locals and if a person sits by and watches the comings and goings of people, they would soon realize that the traffic around the embassy is quite heavy.  This is not surprising and is considered to be normal in most circumstances it is also a time when those that do not believe in the existence of the embassy to try to cause damage as possible.  Even though an embassy is considered to be in friendly territory the embassy staff should never let down their guard for any reason and should keep their eyes and ears tuned into their surroundings, for it is only a moment’s notice away that disaster could strike.

I find that the relationship foundations of an embassy have basically the same groundwork as a marriage.  It is two entities coming together and trying to blend in together on one level.  Both examples are of great importance and the ideas that two people trying to work together to achieve one goal is a noble gesture.  But as in any relationship if it is built upon a faulty foundation then there is no way possible that the relationship can be sustained.  This maintenance of the relationship must be continually monitored from the foundation upwards and it must be based upon the mutual respect of each party not to become wary of the other party’s examination.  For if one party does resent the inspection then the trust issues between the two parties involved becomes torn and the breakdown begins.

Each embassy has a foundation both physical and symbolic and it is important for each foundation to be maintained and examined on a regular basis.  Both countries have territory to claim and even though one is a host and the other is invited, both countries share the same responsibility of pursuing the process of honesty and trust, even if governmental or regime changes occur.  These changes pose challenges to each side of the equation and as we all know that sometimes these changes are too great and the relationship between these two countries become strained or even break apart.  The important thing to remember is that the relationship between these two countries is to be maintained at any cost for the benefit of not only both countries but for worldwide stabilization as well.

If one takes a guided look at each country around the world one will find that the majority of these countries have embassies planted within most of the defined countries in the world.  It is the true desire to have relations with one another even though the possibility of differences does exist.  The planting of embassies around the world is not just for so called civilized or developed countries but each country throughout the world has the opportunity to organize an embassy in as many countries as they wish in order to continue the dialogue with other cultures.  We have witnessed over the decades that when certain events arise that closing of such embassies is needed because some of the people, or in a number of instances the majority of the people, do not wish to have ties with a particular country.  For the most part it is the differences with the ideologies with other countries that this situation is drafted and then executed, but it has always been man’s choice to elect governments and ideas.

It has been proven over and over that it is in the best interests of every government to have direct communication links with other countries, however it has also been proven that sometimes the building of these communication avenues represent only heartache and failure.  Still, the presentation of an embassy in a foreign land is the best opportunity to bring the physical realm of governments together even when the cultural backgrounds of each country differ.  Many people would question this ideology and even go as far to say that every embassy should be closed so that all of the differences between people would return to their own structured orders.  The human mind cannot function in that manner and should be willing to learn everything it can about other cultures, for if we do not learn things then one day we might never know how to adequately defend ourselves.

In short, an embassy is a permanent structure that is built by a foreign yet invited guest on the given land of a host country.  The complex is built by host country materials and then decorated by the inhabitants of the embassy.  The embassy is a place where the people of the host country can get direct information about the invited guests and vice versa.  The embassy is the official meeting place of the leader of the invited guest and the chosen representatives of the host country.  The embassy complex itself does not belong to the host country but to the guest country which represents a person or group that is on site but not actually a part of the surrounding area.  The embassy serves as the most direct and important tool in getting the message out to the host country of its true intentions towards the host country, which is the ultimate function of such a method of relationship.

As this series of articles continues, I hope to convey the importance of understanding why embassies are important and the missions that they represent to our world.  These missions not only are on a physical level but on a spiritual level as well and it is this spiritual level that needs to be explained in order to accomplish the true mission that we humans have.  This article has laid the foundation of the governmental embassy that most of us are familiar with but we also need to understand that God has an embassy here on earth as well and this will be the topic of the next article.

DLB