This article argues that interpersonal commitment is statespersons’ most highly coveted aim, the greatest benefit that interpersonal relations can yield in diplomacy. Accordingly, statespersons employ a range of relational practices in encounters with counterparts, seeking to create and harness commitment that will advance professional aims. We argue that statespersons can follow one of two paths to generate commitment: (1) creating feelings of gratitude and providing help that makes a counterpart feel indebted; or (2) cultivating friendly relations. Both demand the successful implementation of relational practices. On the basis of thirty semistructured interviews with past and present senior Israeli statespersons and an analysis of fifteen autobiographies written by senior Israeli diplomats and political figures, we demonstrate to what extent statespersons acknowledge the importance of interpersonal commitment and its ramifications; identify the relational practices that statespersons employ to elicit commitment from a counterpart; and discuss the conditions that facilitate the emergence of such a commitment. We conclude by discussing the differences between thin and thick interpersonal commitments and underlining the importance of interpersonal relations in diplomacy.

中文翻译：

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人际承诺：面对面外交的隐藏力量


本文认为，人际关系承诺是政治家最梦寐以求的目标，也是人际关系在外交中可以产生的最大好处。因此，政治家在与同行的会面中采用一系列关系实践，寻求创造和利用承诺，从而推进职业目标。我们认为，政治家可以遵循以下两种途径之一来产生承诺：（1） 创造感恩之情并提供帮助，使对方感到亏欠;或 （2） 培养友好关系。两者都要求成功实施关系实践。基于对过去和现在的以色列高级政治家的 30 次半结构化采访以及对以色列高级外交官和政治人物撰写的 15 篇自传的分析，我们展示了政治家在多大程度上承认人际承诺的重要性及其后果;确定政治家为获得对方承诺而采用的关系实践;并讨论促进这种承诺出现的条件。最后，我们讨论了薄薄和厚的人际承诺之间的差异，并强调了人际关系在外交中的重要性。