diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

, an attaché () is a person who is assigned ("to be attached") to the diplomatic or administrative staff of a higher placed person or another service or agency. Although a

loanword A loanword (also a loan word, loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language (the recipient or target language), through the process of borrowing. Borrowing is a metaphorical term t ...

from French, in English the word is not modified according to

gender Gender is the range of social, psychological, cultural, and behavioral aspects of being a man (or boy), woman (or girl), or third gender. Although gender often corresponds to sex, a transgender person may identify with a gender other tha ...

. An attaché is normally an official, who serves either as a

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

or as a member of the support staff, under the authority of an

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or so ...

or other head of a

diplomatic mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes ...

, mostly in

intergovernmental organizations An international organization, also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is an organization that is established by a treaty or other type of instrument governed by international law and possesses its own leg ...

or international non-governmental organisations or agencies. Attachés monitor various issues related to their area of specialty (see examples below) that may require some action. To this end, attachés may undertake the planning for events to be attended, decisions which will be taken, managing arrangements and agendas, conducting research, and acting as a representative of the interests of their state when necessary, to the types of organizations mentioned above, and also to national academies and to industry. Sometimes an attaché has special responsibilities or expertise. Examples include a

cultural attaché Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...

, customs attaché, police officer attaché, labor attaché, legal attaché, liaison officer attaché, military/defense attaché, press attaché,

agricultural attaché An agricultural attaché is a diplomat who collects, analyzes, and acts on information on agriculture, agribusiness, food, and other related spheres in a foreign country or countries. Agricultural attachés may be directly employed by the sending c ...

, commercial attaché, maritime attaché and

science attaché A science attaché (also known as a scientific attaché or a technical attaché) is a member of a diplomatic mission, usually an embassy. A science attaché traditionally had three primary functions: advise the ambassador on scientific and techni ...

Military attaché

Typically, a military attaché serves on the diplomatic staff of an embassy or consulate while retaining a military commission.

Science attaché

A science attaché advises on issues pertaining to science and technology.

Health attaché

A health attaché advises on global health issues and may serve multiple functions. A "diplomat who collects, analyzes, and acts on information concerning health in a foreign country or countries and provides critical links between public health and foreign affairs stakeholders." Earlier known more as ''Medical Attaché. Health attaches are the missing link for global diplomacy.''

Holy See

The title is also used in reference to diplomacy and in the hierarchical administration of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, specifically in the

Roman Curia The Roman Curia () comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See and the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use ...

, in cases where a priest, usually in the diplomatic corps of the Holy See or else released for service to the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

, serves in a nunciature in a given country or to an international or

intergovernmental organization Globalization is social change associated with increased connectivity among societies and their elements and the explosive evolution of transportation and telecommunication technologies to facilitate international cultural and economic exchange. ...

. Especially in the latter cases, the official often provides a particular expertise in the service of the Church, thus, legal or otherwise.

Notes and references

Bibliography

* Craig, Gordon A. (1949) "Military diplomats in the Prussian and German service: the attachés, 1816-1914." ''Political Science Quarterly'' (1949): 65-9
online
* Cullen, Glen T. (1999)
"Preparing for battle: Learning Lessons in the US Army during World War I."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College ( CGSC)
Combined Arms Research Library
* ---. Office of the Chief of Staff, Second (military) Information Division. (1906). ''Reports of the Military Observers attached to the Armies in Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War'', Vol. I; (1907). Vol. II. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. * Sisemore, James D. (2003).
"The Russo-Japanese War, Lessons Not Learned."
CGSC. * ---. (1907). ''The Russo-Japanese War, Reports from British Officers Attached to the Japanese Forces in the Field'', Vol. I; (1908). Vol. II. London: General Staff. {{DEFAULTSORT:Attache Diplomatic ranks Public relations people by role Government occupations Titles

Military attaché

Science attaché

Health attaché

Holy See

See also

Notes and references

Bibliography