Ambassador

An ambassador, rarely embassador, is a diplomatic official accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization, to serve as the official representative of his or her own. In everyday usage it applies to the ranking plenipotentiary minister stationed in a foreign capital. The host country typically allows the ambassador control of specific territory called an embassy, whose territory, staff, and even vehicles are generally afforded diplomatic immunity from most laws of the host country.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The senior diplomatic officers among members of the Commonwealth of Nations are known as High Commissioners, who are the heads of High Commissions. Representatives of the Holy See are known as Papal or Apostolic Nuncios, while the head of a Libyan People's Bureau is a Secretary.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Historically, officials representing their countries abroad were termed ministers, but this term was also applied to diplomats of the second rank. The Congress of Vienna of 1815 formalized the system of diplomatic rank under international law:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ambassadors are ministers of the highest rank, with plenipotentiary authority to represent their head of state. An Ordinary Ambassador is one heading a permanent diplomatic mission, for instance the senior professional diplomat in an embassy. An Extraordinary Ambassador could be appointed for special purposes or for an indefinite term; politically appointed ambassadors would fall under this category.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Moreover, a Resident Ambassador is one who resides within the country to which s/he is accredited. A Non-Resident Ambassador is one who does not reside within the country to which s/he is accredited, but lives in a nearby country. Thus a resident ambassador to a country might at the same time also be a non-resident ambassador to several other countries.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Among European powers, the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary (French ambassadeur extraordinaire et pl?nipotentiaire or German ausserordentlicher und bevollm?chtigter Botschafter) was deemed the personal representative of the sovereign, and the custom of dispatching ambassadors to the head of state rather than the government has persisted. For example, ambassadors to and from the United Kingdom are accredited to or from the Royal Court of St. James's, rather than to the State.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Because members of the Commonwealth of Nations have or had a common head of state, they do not exchange ambassadors, but instead have High Commissioners which represent the government rather than the head of state.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ranking below full ambassador are the rank of envoy, minister resident and charg? d'affaires. They represent their government rather than their head of state. For further details, see diplomatic rank.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

International organization: :For the political science journal, see: International Organization...

Plenipotentiary: The term plenipotentiary (from the Latin, plenus + potens, full + power) refers to a person who has "full powers." In particular, the term is commonly used to refer to a diplomat or ambassador who is fully authorised to represent his government....

Capital: :This article concerns places that serve as centers of government and politics. For alternative meanings see capital (disambiguation)...

Ambassador related Images and Photos (experimental)

Ambassador, The	Ambassador Bill Top Center: Will Rogers 1931	The Venetian Ambassador's Room Knole 1888	Ambassador Bill Marguerite Churchill Will Rogers Greta Nissen on Window Card 1931
The Turkish Ambassador and His Entourage at the Court of Naples	Salon for an Ambassador Project for the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs in 1925	Portrait of Asker-Khan Ambassador of Persia in Paris in 1808 1809	The Italian Ambassador Calvuci Drawing the Falcons of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich 1889
US President Barack Obama talks to new US Ambassador in Mexico Carlos Pascual	The Dey of Algiers Hussein Ibn El Hussein Strikes the French Ambassador M. Deval	A Sudanese Family is Seen Inside Their Thatched Hut During the Visit of Unicef Goodwill Ambassador