We have seen the world change in a number of ways within the past couple of years. From Ebola and Arab Spring and the rise of ISIS to the reemergence of debt issues with Greece as well as the current situation in Yemen, international relations seems to be changing more rapidly than ever before as well as becoming more unpredictable. While these issues may make for interesting reading or spirited debate, they can be an absolute nightmare for the people who live and work in today’s word- embassy.
Originally, the word “embassy” comes from the Latin ambactus, meaning “servant,” which is sensible because an embassy serves both nationals in a foreign country as well as foreigners who have dealings with a specific state. From Latin, the word entered the English lexicon in the 16th century through the French ambasse. And one of the first written references comes from Shakespare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost , 1598 “Here comes in Embassy the French king’s daughter.” Aside from basic etymology, it’s interesting to note that the original spelling of “embassy” was, in fact, “ambassy,” in order to note the place where an ambassador lived, though, other than just simple English pronunciation, it’s unknown why or how the “a” changed to an “e.”
Beyond the spelling, it appears the embassies are destined to, in the short term, become even more confusing: as budgets and staff are being cut, globalisation is demanding more of the embassy system and faster. In the UK for example, though global trade is expanding, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s budget has been cut for 3 straight years and now is 6% less than the 2010-2011 baseline, representing less than 1% of government departmental spending. Bucking this trend, though, is the EU, whose External Action Service seems to be growing- to €509 million in 2013.
