statesmanship

Statecraft (also statesmanship) is the art of conducting public affairs. A statesman, stateswoman, or statesperson is someone who practices statecraft. As a contested concept, statecraft is difficult to define.

== Definition and conceptions == The word statecraft, dating from the 1640s, refers to the art of conducting public affairs, which entails leading a state or country. Statecraft is thus said to be the practice of a statesman (derived from the Dutch ), stateswoman, or statesperson. Statecraft is a synonym of statesmanship, but in a narrow form may also be synonymous with public diplomacy. Beyond a superficial level, however, finding an exact definition of statecraft is difficult and it is a contested concept which political scientist Wilfred M. McClay calls "always a tricky, elusive matter—hard to come by, hard to measure, and hard even to define or describe."