There have been tensions between the U.S and the Middle East and with the advent of the 9/11 bombings and the building tensions in Israeli – Palestinian relations are serving to further compound the problems, which have transcended from regional into global issues .
Berridge is of the idea that public diplomacy does not exist and that it is mere propaganda. The realist school of thought according to Riordan(2003) also asserts that “ Messages , in so far as they exist, are simply exercises in propaganda, designed to demonstrate the superiority of a given nations position .”(Riordan: 2003:121) However, linking this to Obama’s speech addressed to Cairo University, that simply does not hold water. In this speech he addresses not only Egyptians but the Middle-eastern world in general, drawing upon the significant input of the middle eastern region into modern civilization , the peaceful message of Islam and how these commonalities with Americas egalitarian principles should forge peace and not the descent into war .
Propaganda is the dispersion of a view that is biased in the midst of various voices stating the opposite, whereas this speech is in line with the truth as he engages in a dialogue with that part of the world. He also acknowledges the role of the West in destabilizing the middle east through colonialism and the cold war and talks of partnership, bridging the gap between the two cultures and aligning American policy to pursue peace . From this example we can see how Joseph Nye’s 1997 explanation of soft power as “…convincing others to follow, or getting them to agree to , norms and institutions that produce the desired behaviour ”( Riordan ;2003:120) links in with the use of public diplomacy to engage in dialogue and understanding with foreign publics.
Source
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8082862.stm speech
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8082730.stm-
The New Diplomacy, Shaun Riordan 2003 Polity Press
The Dynamics of Diplomacy, Jean- Robert Leguey –Feilleux , 2009, Lynne Rienner Publishers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8082730.stm-
The New Diplomacy, Shaun Riordan 2003 Polity Press
The Dynamics of Diplomacy, Jean- Robert Leguey –Feilleux , 2009, Lynne Rienner Publishers
President Obama's Cairo speech was a great diplomatic move. The way in which the president used public diplomacy to address he muslim world shows how far diplomacy have come in terms of using new evolved tools to interact. I disagree with Berridge is his argument that public diplomacy is solely propaganda. With this argument he is claiming that every single state is using propaganda in promoting their state. Thats is not true. The president was trying to engage in new dialog with them muslim world and the used the tool of public diplomacy , and I will argue that it is not propaganda.
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