Interpersonal Commitment: The Hidden Power of Face-to-Face Diplomacy.

This article examines interpersonal commitment as a crucial yet underexplored form of power in diplomacy, emphasizing its role in advancing statespersons' professional aims through relational practices. Drawing on interviews and autobiographies of senior Israeli diplomats and political figures, it identifies two primary pathways to generate commitment: fostering gratitude through personal favors, which creates a "thin" and often temporary indebtedness, and cultivating friendship, which leads to a "thick," enduring commitment based on ongoing social bonding. The study highlights various relational practices—such as personal gestures, informal interactions, shared activities, and self-disclosure—that statespersons employ to nurture these commitments, while also discussing contextual factors that facilitate or constrain their development. Ultimately, the article argues that interpersonal commitment mediates the influence statespersons have over counterparts, operating alongside traditional forms of power like coercion, authority, and persuasion, but is balanced by professional loyalty and national interests.