This video was made possible by Dashlane.
Download Dashlane for free so you never lose another password at the link in the description.
You’ve probably seen it in loads of movies—ambassadors above the law—but this is not just another
one of those fake movie myths like how undercover cops have to tell you they’re cops if you
ask or that North Dakota is a real place.
You really, truly can’t arrest an ambassador while they’re abroad or really any diplomatic
staff of any country, but before you go run off and get a job in a diplomatic mission
so you can start your drug empire, don’t worry, there are some caveats.
Like all good things, diplomatic immunity has a United Nations convention, oh actually
you know what, clearly that’s not true because there’s no United Nations convention on
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.
Nonetheless, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations is signed by 191 countries meaning
pretty much every country in the world with a few exceptions like the Solomon Islands
and South Sudan but hey, give them a break!
They only started existing a few years ago!
This treaty sets down a few rules such as…actually, I’m pretty sure this whole listing rules
bit is a bit boring so watch this video of desert wildlife.
This treaty sets down a few rules such as countries can kick diplomats out, countries
cannot enter an embassy without permission ever, countries cannot arrest or detain diplomats,
and the family members of diplomats receive the same special treatment.
What happens when a diplomat gets arrested is nothing, because they literally cannot
be, at least legally.
A police officer may mistakingly attempt to arrest a diplomat, but usually this doesn’t
happen since embassies are well marked and also because, in most countries, diplomats
are issued special license plates that identify their immune status.
The embassy itself and the land it sits on enjoys another special status.
Basically, the countryness of which country a country’s land is in lies on a spectrum.
With the far left being the US and the far right being being France, a US embassy in
France sits around here.
There are places further to the left on this spectrum like the US military cemetery in
Normandy, France which is not part of the US legally but is a perpetual, tax-free concession
to the US from France while the embassy, on the right, is not part of the US even if US
laws apply.
This is actually a major misconception—while the laws of the origin country apply in an
embassy and they cannot be entered by the host country, embassies are still parts of
their host country.
I know, reality is a lot less interesting than internet folk-lore but the whole rule
about not entering an embassy is concrete and non-negotiable.
If a country enters another country’s embassy forcefully, it is considered an act of war.
For example, Julian Assange, creator of Wikileaks, currently has a warrant out for his arrest
in the UK but cannot be arrested because he lives here—in the Embassy of Ecuador in
London.
British Police know exactly where he is but because of that one pesky not starting a war
thing they can’t go in.
Julian Assange can’t leave the embassy without getting arrested, but when diplomats leave
embassies, they sort of having a floating bubble of legal protection around them as
if they were still in their embassy.
If a diplomat commits a crime sufficiently bad, though, say murder, their country would
likely waive their diplomatic immunity in order to not be viewed as being pro-murder.
Most countries, and Half as Interesting as an institution, are staunchly anti-murder.
If a country refuses to waive their diplomats immunity after a crime they might recall the
diplomat to avoid embarrassment, but, if the country of origin truly does nothing after
a crime, the host country can kick diplomats out even with their immunity.
Just as diplomats have little bubbles of political protection wherever they go, diplomatic pouches
do too.
It’s definitley another movie cliche, but embassies and ambassadors often send materials
to and from their home countries through diplomatic pouches which are, just like the embassy,
legally impenetrable.
These are often entrusted to a diplomatic courier who generally takes the pouch on a
commercial flight but, at the airport, the pouch cannot be x-rayed by security and at
customs, it cannot be searched.
Oh, and do people use these bags to smuggle drugs?
Of course people use these bags to smuggle drugs.
Sometimes people will make fake diplomatic pouches while other times diplomats will use
real diplomatic pouches for what would normally be illegal activities.
Just imagine that!
Government officials taking advantage of their positions!
If you want to create an fully legal diplomat drug smuggling ring you’ll probably need
to sign up for an email account, run a website, set up frequent flyer accounts, manage online
bank accounts, and remembering all those passwords can be tough.
Any security expert will recommend having different passwords for different accounts
but honestly, what I really love about Dashlane is how convenient it is.
It stores all your passwords in one super-secure place and then auto-fills them on websites
so you never have to spend time guessing what a younger you thought a good password would
be.
Dashlane also has a password generator that spits out super strong passwords like y0xy1vHCe.
Feel free to use that!
Actually, don’t, but do try Dashlane out because it is totally free at the link in
the description and then if you want some extra special features like syncing your passwords
and login details between all your devices (including iOS, Android, Mac, and Windows),
you can upgrade for 10% off by using the promo code “youtube2018” at checkout.