In an increasingly polarised world, it seems we all could use a little more diplomacy. 

And yet, diplomats are becoming scarcer, their resourcing constrained. 

So, Geraldine Doogue set out to find out why diplomacy matters.

Is it more than cocktails, canapes and tuxedos, a familiar caricature? What can (and can't) diplomacy realistically achieve? 

Why do we hear so much more from the security boys and girls these days, than those within diplomacy?

Four prominent diplomats answer her questions in a four-part Saturday Extra series, beginning today. 

Then, travel back in time and learn how a hankering for salt transformed the Australian landscape. 

Or, delve into the origin story of women's gymnastics — once a pioneering sport for women, now overshadowed by a culture of abuse.

The clues to gymnastics' tumble from grace were there from the outset — if we only cared to look.

Until next week,

Annika Blau, RN digital editor

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Too often, diplomacy seems arcane, abstract and wholly disconnected from day-to-day life. Consequently, it's under-rated; yet it goes back a long way, writes Geraldine Doogue.

When salt rations ran out in Australia, colonists were determined to avoid "insipid" food. Here's how we got — and kept — our taste for salt.

Justine was proud of herself for getting down to the pool for the first time since giving birth. But a stranger's jibe changed that.

The Russian circus, outdated gender ideals and the 1952 Olympic Games all have something to do with the complicated history of women's gymnastics.

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