Jan Melissen is Head of the Diplomatic Studies Programme, Netherlands of Institute of International Relations ‘Clingendael’ and Professor of Diplomacy at the University of Antwerp. He is Co-Editor of The Hague Journal of Diplomacy. His latest book (co-ed.) is Public Diplomacy and Soft Power in East Asia (2011). Ana Mar Fernández is senior lecturer in Politics at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and associate researcher at Sciences Po Paris (CEE). Her recent work has focused on the transformation of European institutional dynamics.

"While the papers range across submissions from nine countries, each does, in its course, address two central shared interests. First, when and how has the consular function been integrated into the larger diplomatic corps in various foreign services? Second, what roles have consular officers played in foreign affairs throughout their history and what roles are theirs today? The emphasis is on citizen services. [. . . .] For readers who are strangers to consular affairs, these papers capture the extent of the demanding, complex nature of consular work that is built on a combination of human need and legal constraints. For experienced consular officers, the book is an opportunity to trace and recognize themselves in the common threads of history and current challenges across multiple foreign services." - June Kunsman, in: AmericanDiplomacy.org

• 1. The Consular Dimension of Diplomacy: An Introduction, Jan Melissen I. Themes in Contemporary Consular Affairs 2. Changes in Consular Assistance and the Emergence of Consular Diplomacy, Maaike Okano-Heijmans 3. Risk, Populism and the Evolution of Consular Responsibilities, William Maley 4. Honorary Consuls in an Era of Globalization, Trade and Investment, Kevin D. Stringer 5. Consular Affairs in an Integrated Europe, Ana Mar Fernandez 6. New Trends in European Consular Services: Visa Policy in the EU Neighbourhood, Mara Wesseling and Jerome Boniface II. The Consular Services of the Great Powers 7. The Transformation of Consular Affairs: The United States' Experience, Donna Hamilton 8. The Consular Service in Russia: Past Problems, New Challenges, Tatiana Zonova 9. China's Consular Service Reform and Changes in Diplomacy, Xia Liping III. The History of the Consular Institution 10. The Many Past Lives of the Consul, Halvard Leira and Iver B. Neumann 11. A History of the Spanish Consular Service: An Institution in its Own Right, Jesus Nunez Hernandez 12. The Dutch Consular Service: In the Interests of a Colonial and Commercial Nation, Albert Kersten and Bert van der Zwan 13. A History of the French Consular Services, Jorg Ulbert Index