Diplomatic Immunity: Privileges & Abuses

To conduct foreign relations and promote the interest of their nationals located abroad, diplomatic and consular officers must be free to represent their respective states without hindrance by their hosts. Recognising this, states receiving foreign diplomats and consular officers have long accorded such persons with certain privileges and immunities on the basis of comity, reciprocity and international agreement. This book describes the privileges and immunities generally owed by the U.S. to foreign diplomatic, consular and international organisation personnel under treaties and statutes, as well as the corresponding abuses that have been uncovered.