The English School, Herbert Butterfield and Diplomacy

This paper examines Herbert Butterfield's contribution to the English School approach to diplomacy. It argues that a broader reading of Butterfield's output, which incorporates his writings on Christianity, International Relations and History, provides the foundation for a rethinking of his work. In particular, it is suggested that there is a gap between the overly prescriptive approach of some of his writings on diplomacy and the more nuanced attitude to the subject evident in his publications as an international historian. This latter consideration points to an interpretation of diplomacy as a means of mitigating some of the excesses of power politics and ideological conflict which may potentially prove fruitful in the current broader re-examination of English School thinking.