One of the earlier of these theories belongs to Nicollo Machiavelli. Diplomacy, according to Machiavelli, must be permanent, in the sense that states should have diplomatic representatives, at least in those countries that they have high interests whether they are allies or enemies. Still even though he himself was a diplomat, Machiavelli believed that military power was more important than diplomacy. But because not all states had enough military power to pursue their aims, they needed diplomacy. Diplomacy according to Machiavelli is based on deception. This assumption of diplomacy is closely related to Machiavelli’s conception of human nature which he defines as “For it can be said about men in general that they are ungrateful, fickle, dissembling, hypocritical, cowardly, and greedy.” The correct answer is Choice D.