Abstract
Diplomacy is, in many ways, a process that has nonviolence at its heart. Yet many diplomats are bound by the interests of their own governments when it comes to acting in a humane or peace-seeking manner. This often forces a choice between observing diplomatic conventions and breaking them to achieve results. This chapter looks at the role of the maverick and whistleblower in crises involving diplomacy. It focuses on human rights, democratic institution building, and aid and development as the diplomatic mechanisms for peace. It also looks at the role of coercive diplomacy as a tool to avoid, rather than promote, violence. Future opportunities for diplomacy and positive peace are where the agency of the individual is replaced by the agency of collective action through digital diplomacy.