Protocol (diplomacy)

This article is about the etiquette of diplomacy. For international agreements, see Treaty § Protocols.
U.S. secretary of state John Kerry and French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault leave the French Foreign Ministry at Quai d'Orsay after Ayrault awarded the secretary the Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur, the second-highest level of the French award, during a ceremony on December 10, 2016.

In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state. It may also refer to an international agreement that supplements or amends a treaty. A protocol is a rule which describes how an activity should be performed, especially in the field of diplomacy. In diplomatic services and governmental fields of endeavor protocols are often unwritten guidelines. Protocols specify the proper and generally accepted behavior in matters of state and diplomacy, such as showing appropriate respect to a head of state, ranking diplomats in chronological order of their accreditation at court, and so on. One definition is:

Protocol is commonly described as a set of international courtesy rules. These well-established and time-honored rules have made it easier for nations and people to live and work together. Part of protocol has always been the acknowledgment of the hierarchical standing of all present. Protocol rules are based on the principles of civility.—Dr. P.M. Forni on behalf of the International Association of Protocol Consultants and Officers.