foreign ministry

…trained, career diplomats serve their foreign ministry abroad or staff it at home. Foreign ministries are similarly organized. They are led by the foreign minister, who is usually a member of the cabinet or dominant political body. In most countries, except those governed by dictatorships, he often belongs to the…

The foreign ministry (perhaps with cabinet involvement) also specifies the diplomatic strategy to be used. Usually this is specific to the goals and circumstances. For example, the Marshall Plan, through which the United States provided several western and southern European countries with financial assistance after World…

The first modern foreign ministry was established in 1626 in France by Cardinal Richelieu. Richelieu saw diplomacy as a continuous process of negotiation, arguing that a diplomat should have one master and one policy. He created the Ministry of External Affairs…