Diplomacy is a changing phenomenon; its evolution is due to the circumstances that occur around it (i.e. the media changed the ‘classical’/ ‘secret’ form of diplomacy into a new and arguably ‘open’ form of diplomacy) – hence the recent Copenhagen conference. The pressures of social and technological change are the key characteristics of public diplomacy. It is, however, a way of informing and influencing foreign policy by using information and communication technology (ICT), which allow the public to participate in a rapidly changing world.
There has been a recent update on the United States’ public diplomacy towards Sudan. The Obama administration’s recent policy review toward Sudan has resulted in a comprehensive approach intended to address the humanitarian and security dimensions of the Darfur crisis. A constant social pressure and media reports in the US triggered this change of policy. Students and staffs of the School of Media and Public Affairs of George Washington University played a big role in this policy reform by using online social networking and petitions to campaign against precedent US policies towards Sudan. http://www.gwu.edu/~ipdgc/events/uspdsudan.cfm
I found a really good documentary about the 50th anniversary retrospective of the ‘Kitchen Debate’ that spontaneously broke out between Nixon and Krushchev and the 1959 American exhibition in the USSR during the Cold war, which could be seen as public diplomacy.
Although, according to Hans N. Tuch:
“public diplomacy has been around for a long time, it may not always has been accepted as an intellectual concept, as an academic discipline, or as a profession in which qualifies foreign service officers engage. But as government have come to realise that foreign relations can no longer be managed by traditional diplomatic practices alone, public diplomacy has become an imperative of a nation’s international life.” (Tuch, 1993:3)
Therefore, from past and recent experiences, one could argue that public diplomacy is still very important in international politics.
Hi,
ReplyDeleteThank you for a very interesting post. We have indeed in recent years due to information and communication technology (ICT) experienced a new direction of traditional diplomacy. I do agree with you that this evolution has created a more "open" discussion as you phrase it yourself. Your first article is concerning the students working to influence governments show how far we have reach in this "open" diplomatic relations due to the improvement of (ICT).
Overall, I would like to agree with your last sentence, I also believe that public diplomacy if used effectively can be very important in international politics