THE PHENOMENON OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

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1 THE PHENOMENON OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY Barbora Lesáková Fakulta filozofická, Západočeská univerzita v Plzni Litoměřická 866, Bílina, lesakova@students.zcu.cz Abstract: Public diplomacy nowadays is the key component of the foreign policies of many states and the creation of favourable public opinion is crucial for them. The aim of this article is to summarize the most important facts about public diplomacy and to provide some basic information about the importance of this phenomenon. At the beginning of the article, an explanation of power and concept of soft power is provided. While the practice of public diplomacy is by no means new, the way of defining it is, making is one of the problems academics face at the present time. The article focuses on the historical development of the phrase public diplomacy and on some major features of this significant tool of foreign policy. Keywords: public diplomacy, soft power, foreign policy, propaganda, branding INTRODUCTION Public diplomacy, the main focus of this article, is one of the most significant foreign-political tools of states. Good image and reputation have always been in the centre of interests of states all around the world. Public diplomacy is an ideal way of achieving a positive perception from other actors. Thanks to new media and new ways of communication, we face growing importance of public opinion and the public in general. People want to know about the world and about current strategies of their governments. It must be stated that world leaders are aware of the new information age with new technological tools and they are personally involved in public diplomacy activities. Therefore they are promoting their own nations interests abroad and that is the essence of public diplomacy. 1. POWER AND CONCEPT OF SOFT POWER Before we even start to think about any aspects of diplomacy and foreign policy, we need to clarify what power actually means. Power is one of the most desirable tools states and other actors in the international system can have. It is the ability of state/ actor to shape behaviour of another state/ actor in the international environment. In the work of Mihai-Marcel Neag, power is defined as the ability of an actor to influence one another to do certain actions that would not otherwise be undertaken. (Neag, 162) To achieve such results, one can use threats, payments or attraction. (Nye, 2008) According to Joseph Nye we have to distinguish three types of power: Hard power, soft power and smart power. Hard power is based on the ability to force another actor to do something he wouldn t have willingly done. The tactics behind a successful hard power are military intervention, coercing diplomacy, economic sanctions, etc. (Nye speaks about sticks and carrots as symbols of threats and payments). The actors possessing soft power 1 are able to convince others that they should want exactly the same thing as them. The most valued 1 Joseph Nye introduced a concept of soft power in early 1990s and described public diplomacy as a political expression of soft power. ( Public Diplomacy Digital Diplomacy )

2 feature of a state is, therefore, the ability to attract, persuade and convince others. The absolutely ideal situation for state/ actor is to have the so called smart power which can be seen as a combination of the two forms of power listed above. (Nye, 2004, Neag, 2014) 2. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 2.1 History of public diplomacy Throughout history, it has been a natural characteristic of states in an attempt to attract publics outside their borders and persuade them about their qualities. Thanks to that, we can say that they have been practicing public diplomacy (hereinafter PD) without calling it public diplomacy. The term PD was first coined in January 1856 when it appeared in the London Times. During the Great War, the world was introduced to open diplomacy and finally after the end of the war, the American president Woodrow Wilson mentioned PD in his Four Principles speech to Congress in February The interwar period was, therefore, associated with Wilson s idealistic approach towards PD and newspapers were talking about the era of public diplomacy. (Cull, 2006) Nowadays, many academics ascribe the authorship of the phrase public diplomacy to Edmund Gullion, the former Ambassador to Congo (Cull, 2010) who established the Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy in (Cull, 2006) He saw the growing importance of the international public and the influence it could have on the foreign policy, and started his research in order to properly classify this process of involvement. 2 First of all, he intended to use the phrase total diplomacy, but it seemed to resemble propaganda and its negative connotation (however, we do understand Gullion s definition as more acceptable propaganda). Nevertheless, there is no doubt that thanks to Edmund Gullion PD was resurrected from ashes of the past and its importance is still spreading. (Cull, 2010) The modern conception of PD was influenced by the struggle between capitalism and communism during the Cold War. PD was used again as an alternative to propaganda. (Rasmussen, Merkelsen, 2012) Americans wanted to be associated with PD and Russians, on the other hand, were left only with propaganda. (Cull, 2010) Consequently, PD was, and still is, linked to national security and during the Cold War it had a defensive as well as offensive capacity. (Rasmussen, Merkelsen, 2012) 2.2 Modern practice of public diplomacy During 1990s, PD became more widespread in foreign political circles outside the USA (Cull, 2006) and after the 9/11 attacks, the world registered the appearance of the new public diplomacy (NPD). This NDP was influenced by the appearance of new security risks, new topics and new actors. Rasmussen and Merkelsen presented one interesting suggestion. They basically stated that the new terror threat was caused by a declining reputation of the USA. Therefore, at the beginning of the 21 st century, PD and branding became the essential elements of a solution of this situation. At that time, the world was facing a rebirth of PD with the purpose of boosting the national reputation. (Rasmussen, Merkelsen, 2012) 2.3 Definition 2 He coined this term to describe the process by which international actors tried to achieve their foreign objectives by interacting with audiences in foreign countries. ( Public Diplomacy Digital Diplomacy )

3 To define PD has always been a challenge and we still do not possess one complex definition that would be acceptable for everyone involved in the research of PD. Many academics see PD as a process of influencing foreign publics conducted by the government and reaching far beyond the traditional diplomacy. It is also a process of communication with the public around the world in order to make them understand and value one s vision, ideal, culture, history etc. ( What is Public Diplomacy, 2014) According to Hans N. Tuch, public diplomacy is a government s process of communicating with foreign publics in an attempt to bring about understanding for its nation s ideas and ideals, its institutions and culture, as well as its national goals and current policies. (Rasmussen, Merkelsen, 2012: 811) Currently, there are four basic approaches to PD and its definition: 1. Public diplomacy as the opposite of secret diplomacy: this interpretation is mainly associated with the American president Woodrow Wilson and with the rejection of secret agreements during the Paris Peace Conference after the First World War. 2. Public diplomacy understood as public affairs: the communication with domestic citizens - informing them about diplomatic activities of their state/government. 3. Public diplomacy is just more sophisticated name for propaganda. 4. The process of communication with foreign public: the determination to persuade them about superior qualities of certain state, its culture, institution, society etc. (Peterková, 2008) 2.4 Public diplomacy in practice With the growing importance of world opinion, it became more crucial to conduct PD properly. There are a few steps describing the effective strategy of public diplomacy. The first step with which the best PD begins is listening. Accumulating and analysing the relevant information and opinions from foreign publics this is vital for the success of PD and the foreign policy itself. (Cull, 2010) To complete the strategy of PD the state must set its goals. Usually, the main goal of a newly established public diplomacy campaign is to achieve a desired perception of the state in foreign countries. The next step is to create the profile of a state corresponding with its values and identity. Then, it is necessary to determine the geographical priorities not so many states in the world can afford global presentation, to target everyone. After that, the state must pick a specific target group within some selected region (investors, elites, academia...) and figure out the appropriate form of engagement with this group. Once this is completed, a state must coordinate its efforts within its own administration (e.g. decide who will be responsible for implementing the final campaign) and it must be decided, what the cooperation will look like with the non-governmental subjects look like. After the campaign is implemented and results are known, the following step is to evaluate its effectiveness and successes. (Peterková, 2008) The PD campaigns include certain events that can be recognized as PD in practice. These events are, for example, official presentations, visits of foreign state officials, promoting of culture and traditions, shows, concerts, exhibitions and international conferences etc. (Neag, 2014). PD is exercised through TV, radio, modern communication technologies which enable a global communication, cultural and educational exchange programs, etc. (Peterková, 2008) More and more states launch information campaigns meant to contribute to the achievement

4 of foreign policy priorities, but also to obtain the support of their own societies. (Neag, 2014:160) To summarize the public diplomacy practices we can follow five basic categories (according to Nicholas J. Cull): - Listening: mentioned above; - Advocacy: promotion of a certain policy through international communication; - Cultural diplomacy: spread of one s cultural; - Exchanges: educational or professional exchanges (exchange programs); - International broadcasting: using new technologies (television, radio, internet etc). The ideal strategy consists of all five categories and yet, there are states which focus only on certain ones. ( Public Diplomacy Digital Diplomacy ) It must be mentioned that states are not the only subjects performing PD. Throughout recent years, the non-governmental actors like non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international organizations, private companies, foreign public and individuals etc. became more important. (Peterková, 2008) These subjects are sometimes more influential and important than states and are allowed to play the main role in a PD process. But, there is no exception when it comes to the credibility and all actors implementing PD have to exhibit the credibility and prove that they are able to speak about foreign policy with authority and legitimacy. (Cull, 2010) CONCLUSION Public diplomacy is a very important component of the foreign policies for many states. It is no longer true that only states with hard power are able to succeed in the international system. Big and small states are, nowadays, promoting their positive image in order to influence foreign publics and improve their position. The appearance of new technologies enabled the connection and communication among states and foreign audience. It also provides a space for two-way flow of information the feedback is crucial for public diplomacy and it detaches PD from propaganda and branding! The paper discusses the problem of numerous ways of defining PD and the importance of dialogue, which is more important than the presentation of the state itself. REFERENCES: 1. Cull, Nicholas (2006). Public Diplomacy Before Gullion: The Evolution of a Phrase. USC Center on Public Diplomacy. Retrieved November 2, 2014, from <uscpublicdiplomacy.org/blog/060418_public_diplomacy_before_the_evolution_of_a _phrase>. 2. Cull, Nicholas (2010). Public diplomacy: Seven lessons for its future from its past. Place Branding and Public Diplomacy 6, p Ebsco. Retrieved November 2, Nye, Joseph (2008). Public Diplomacy and Soft Power. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 616, p Ebsco. Retrieved October 30, 2014.

5 4. Nye, Joseph. SOFT POWER - THE MEANS TO SUCCESS IN WORLD POLITICS. PublicAffairs, Neag, Mihai-Marcel (2014). Primoting Security through Public Diplomacy. Renista Academici Fortelor Terestre 19, p Ebsco. Retrieved November 1, Peterková, Jana. Veřejná diplomacie. Plzeň: Aleš Čeněk, Public Diplomacy Digital Diplomacy. Digital Diplomacy. (n.d.) Retrieved November 15, 2014, from 8. Rasmussen, Rasmus, and Henrik Merkelsen (2012). The new PR of states: How nation branding practices affect the security function of public diplomacy. Public Relations Review 38, p Ebsco. Retrieved November 2, What is Public Diplomacy. The Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy. Tufts University, (n.d.) Retrieved November 1, 2014, from <