Public Diplomacy Goals Research Articles

Личный бренд студента-спортсмена как инструмент публичной дипломатии

The purpose of the study is to substantiate the need and expediency of supplementing the competence of international activities with the competence of public sports diplomacy of specialists in physical culture and sports for productive participation in the implementation of international sports cooperation programs. The article complements the political, humanitarian, cultural prerequisites for the implementation of public diplomacy in the field of physical culture at the level of mass and amateur sports, recorded in international and Russian documents. The goals of public diplomacy in the field of youth policy and student sports are clarified, aimed at creating a positive image, business reputation and a productive personal and corporate brand. Based on the concept of “sports well-being”, the structure of its components and their content, the content of the phenomenon “personal brand of a student-athlete” is substantiated. The structure of the components of the personal brand of a student-athlete as an actor of public diplomacy was modeled. Methodology for designing a personal brand of a student-athlete is presented. Recommendations have been formulated for designing the content of the educational program of additional education, the advanced training course “Strategies, tactics and techniques of public diplomacy in the field of physical culture and sports”, integrating knowledge in the field of foreign policy, world sports, sociology, social psychology, intercultural communication, public relations and journalism, collectively necessary and sufficient to assume the social role of “actor of public sports diplomacy”.

Exploring Religion as a Tool of Nigeria’s Public Diplomacy

On April 26, 2016, former United States Secretary of State, John Kerr, emphasized the link between religion and foreign policy. He underscored how religion can have either a positive or a destabilizing influence on world affairs. Religion today remains deeply consequential, affecting the values, actions, choices, and worldview of people in every walk of life on every continent. This paper argues that religion, which is often considered a cultural element of soft power, has become an inevitable and important factor in the furtherance of public diplomacy goals in this day and age. It conceptualizes religious institutions as non-state public diplomacy actors. To this end, the influence of religion on Nigeria’s relations with the international community is examined. The study also examined the global engagement efforts of Nigeria’s religious institutions and how they can be better utilized as a constructive instrument for the country’s public diplomacy.

Olympic Truce during the Nagano Olympics: Between Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy of the International Olympic Committee

The activities undertaken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to realize the Olympic Truce initiative during the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano in 1998 offer a great opportunity to analyze how the IOC leadership communicated with the UN officials and political leaders of states. These endeavors included an attempt to secure vast support for the Olympic Truce resolution during the Nagano Olympics in the UN General Assembly (GA) and an attempt to secure the observance of the Olympic Truce in the light of the situation in Iraq and its conflict with the UN over the weapon of mass destruction inspections. In reference to both goals, specific patterns included communication through the intermediation of Olympic officials and communication directly by the IOC leadership. The Olympic Truce exemplifies how an international non-governmental organization, in pursuit of realizing its public diplomacy goals, engages in activities typical for traditional diplomacy.

SUBJECTS OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY OF UKRAINE IN QATAR, KUWAIT AND UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The article defines the main components that form modern public diplomacy, traces the role of public diplomacy subjects of Ukraine in the realization of the goals of public diplomacy in Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, updates the issue of optimizing the interaction of public diplomacy subjects of Ukraine in Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE. It has been clarified that in the 21st century, the issue of establishing long-term relationships that create favorable conditions for state policy, in particular the influence on public opinion and those who shape it, is urgent. Public diplomacy has become an important factor in the international life of the vast majority of developed countries. It was revealed that the new rules of political interaction, which provide for openness and publicity, can be turned to advantage with the help of a well-thought-out strategy of public diplomacy, the results of which are measured not only by the positive image of the state in the world, but also by success in promoting foreign policy interests on the international arena. The key goals of public diplomacy are: strengthening the country's image, promoting its brand; ensuring a favorable environment in the field of international communication; development of two-way communication, partnership network; broadcast of political, cultural and other values (including through education); formation of public opinion by one state in another. It has been established that a complex of measures aimed at forming messages aimed at informing target audiences and certain groups of people abroad is of great importance for the effective implementation of the goals of public diplomacy in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE. It has been proven that Ukrainian public diplomacy in Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE has significantly intensified in recent years, as evidenced by a number of successfully implemented projects by diplomatic representatives. The spectrum of such events includes a decent presentation of Ukrainian fields of culture, education, sports, science, tourism, etc It was revealed that the fundamental renewal of the institutional foundations of the cooperation of Ukrainian diplomats in Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE with the Ukrainian diaspora in these countries will give impetus to raising public diplomacy of Ukraine in the Gulf subregion to a new level.

“New Migrant” Organisations and the Chinese Diaspora State(s) in the Twenty-first Century: The Case of Japan

In the last two decades, local Chinese governments have become involved in the foundation of “new migrant” voluntary organisations abroad, which have increasingly served economic and diplomatic goals. Using the case study of the establishment of the federation-style New Overseas Chinese and Ethnic Chinese Association in Japan (NOCECAJ) in 2003, this article argues that the main new organisations in Japan have specifically supported regional talent recruitment in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and public diplomacy goals and, more recently, the agenda of the “serving” and “caring” Chinese state. Because of the troubled history of Sino-Japanese relations, these organisations have furthermore worked for the betterment of bilateral relations. This article makes the case that, despite unification and co-optation efforts, the expansion of the immersion of local governments and diaspora engagement offices at provincial and city levels urges us to disaggregate the “diaspora state” in favour of an intricate and shifting set of interactions between a wide range of diasporic actors at multiple levels. Moving beyond both “state-led transnationalism” and “networked governance,” it hence posits that “assemblage” as an approach can better help us grasp the convolutions of Chinese diaspora engagement in the twenty-first century.

Classifying foreign publics: Examining the relationships behavioral experience, symbolic environment, and communication behaviors among key foreign publics

AbstractThis study applies Tam and Kim's 2019 taxonomy to alumni data for the Global Korea Scholarship in order to segment key foreign publics and understand their communication behaviors toward South Korea in the context of public diplomacy. In this study, key foreign publics refer to groups of foreign publics who are positioned to impact the public diplomacy goals of a nation. They have a direct behavioral relationship with a foreign host country and maintain communication and relationships with those in their home country. The findings of this study provide empirical results that identify four types of foreign publics, showing that the new segmentation taxonomy of foreign publics by Tam and Kim is applicable in public diplomacy. The results also indicate that each public type acts differently in terms of positive megaphoning, negative megaphoning, and likelihood of recommending of South Korea, further supporting the typology's behavioral descriptions.Related Articles in this Special IssueAyhan, Kadir Jun, and Nancy Snow. 2021. “Introduction to the Special Issue—Global Korea Scholarship: Empirical Evaluation of a non‐Western Scholarship Program from a Public Diplomacy Perspective.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1282–1291. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12440.Hong, Moon Suk, Minjeong Jeon, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “International Scholarship for Social Change? Re‐contextualizing Global Korea Scholarship Alumni's Perceptions of Justice and Diversity in South Korea.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1359–1390. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12435.Tam, Lisa, and Kadir Jun Ayhan. 2021. “Evaluations of People, Affection, and Recommendation for a Host Country: A Study of Global Korea Scholarship (GKS) Recipients.” Politics & Policy 49(6): 1292–1307. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12438.

Note from the Editor

Note from the Editor

The New Colombo Plan: addressing the barriers to scholarship recipients’ contributing to Australia’s public diplomacy goals in China

Australia’s New Colombo Plan (NCP), as a public diplomacy initiative, is about refreshing the nation’s brand by providing imagery of a modern, innovative and secure country that is ready and willing to lead and do business. The Chinese Communist Party continues to report that Australia is a mouthpiece for the U.S. and the Australian Prime Minister’s attack against China’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak has increased tensions. This article investigates the research question: What barriers need to be addressed to maximise the New Colombo Plan alumni’s contribution to Australia’s public diplomacy in China? Recommendations to practitioners are offered, including the need for higher language skills and increased collaboration between the NCP and the Australian Studies Centres. The findings support current studies tracking alumni stories to combat inevitable criticism of funding domestic students to study abroad. Future success requires, the continued high-profile support by the Foreign Minister. Interviewees reported that the NCP has received positive comments in-country but measurable outcomes will be slow in coming. Addressing the barriers to achieving the program’s objectives is a way to address any criticism of using funding to support international education as public diplomacy as the implications of defunding such programs could be much worse.

Культурні проєкти як інструменти цифрової дипломатії

Мета статті – з’ясування ролі медіа у реалізації культурних ініціатив як ефективних інструментів цифрової дипломатії. Методологія дослідження ґрунтується на застосуванні загальнонаукових принципів пізнання соціокультурних процесів, а також міждисциплінарного підходу у сфері культурології і менеджменту.Наукова новизна полягає в доведенні ролі культурних проєктів як ефективних інструментів цифрової дипломатії.Результати та висновки. Наголошено на вкрай високій значущості в сучасних соціокультурних процесах медіа, що впливає на сприйняття громадськістю соціокультурної реальності і задає моделі культурної поведінки. Це робить медіа важливим інструментом цифрової дипломатії, в реалізації якої особливу роль відіграють культурні проєкти, ініційовані недержавними структурами з використанням потенціалу мережі Інтернет. Наведено дані звіту Digital 2020, згідно з яким кількість осіб, які користуються інтернетом, невпинно зростає і глобальна комунікація може стати всеосяжною за умови збереження наведеної у звіті динаміки. Це вимагає врахування в реалізації культурних проєктів можливостей глобальної мережі, зокрема медіа як ефективних інструментів цифрової дипломатії. На прикладі мегапроєкту «Пісня об’єднує нас» звернено увагу на потребу популяризації багатого надбання українського народу, зокрема із залученням інтернет-ЗМІ, які є активним актором формування соціокультурного простору, слугуючи не лише засобом передання інформації, а й механізмом становлення особливої реальності – медіа­-простору. Зроблено висновок, що реалізація заходів публічної дипломатії з використанням інтернет-ЗМІ, як одного із головних засобів організації інформаційного співтовариства, сприяє залученню ширшого кола структур до лобіювання українських інтересів у новому глобальному світі, дає змогу на більш системній основі забезпечувати комунікацію з населенням країни тощо. Сьогодні цифрова дипломатія перетворюється на потужний інструмент реалізації значної кількості цілей публічної дипломатії. Вперше в історії традиційної дипломатії цифрові технології стали відігравати основну, а не допоміжну роль. Виразним прикладом впливу на розвиток культурного різноманіття, сприяння інтеграції суб’єктів культурної діяльності є телемарафон «Пісня об’єднує нас» – зразок підтримки необхідної культурної активності, привернення уваги до актуальних проблем соціокультурного розвитку, створення сприятливих умов для саморозвитку культурного життя за допомогою активізації креативного середовища.

Compassion versus manipulation; narratives versus rational arguments: a PD radar to chart the terrain of public diplomacy

Public diplomacy (PD) as a field of practice and as scholarly subject appears to be extremely fragmented. The goal of the current research is to develop a dual framework, named a PD Radar, in an attempt to bring coherence, interconnectedness, and systematicity to our understanding of the terrain of PD practices and theories. The main framework of the PD Radar consists of two crossing axes representing ethics (compassion and manipulation) and efficacy (narratives and rational arguments), and five concentric circles that represent goals of PD, power of PD, “worldviews” underlying PD practices, and relevant theories. The sub-framework depicts basic components of a PD program and their relationship to the main framework. The PD Radar is a descriptive and normative model. It can be used to evaluate a PD program, PD tendency of a nation, and PD trends in the world.

The status quo of evaluation in public diplomacy: insights from the US State Department

PurposeIn recent years, expectations for demonstrating the impact of public diplomacy programs have dramatically increased. Despite increased calls for enhanced monitoring and evaluation, what texts exist on the subject suggest the state of practice is grim. However, while the current debate is based mostly on practice reports, conceptual work from academics or anecdotal evidence, we are missing empirical insights on current views of monitoring and evaluation from practitioners. Such a practice-level perspective is central for better understanding factors that may actually drive or hamper performance evaluation in day-to-day public diplomacy work. The purpose of this paper is to update knowledge on the state of evaluation practice within public diplomacy from the perspectives of practitioners themselves.Design/methodology/approachThis study assesses the state of evaluation in public diplomacy through qualitative interviews with public diplomacy officers working for the US Department of State – a method heretofore unused in studies of the topic. In total, 25 in-depth interviews were conducted with officers in Washington, DC and at posts around the world.FindingsThe interviews suggest that practitioners see evaluation as underfunded despite increased demands for accountability. Further, the results show a previously not discussed tension between diplomacy practitioners in Washington, DC and those in the field. Practitioners are also unclear about the goals of public diplomacy, which has implications for the enactment of targeted evaluations.Originality/valueThe research uncovers the perceptions of evaluation from the voices of those who must practice it, and elaborates on the common obstacles in the enactment of public diplomacy, the influence of multiple actors and stakeholders on evaluation practice, as well as the perceived goals of public diplomacy programming. No empirical research has considered the state of evaluation practice. Moreover, the study uses qualitative interview data from public diplomacy officers themselves, an under-used method in public diplomacy research. The findings provide insights that contribute to future public diplomacy strategy and performance management.

Identifying Sports Diplomacy Resources as Soft Power Tools

Although hosting international high-profile sporting events such as the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup are attractive soft power tools for governments to achieve public diplomacy goals, not all sports diplomacy efforts are mega-sporting events. This study explores the use of sports diplomacy by nations and attempts to identify the most applicable sports diplomacy resources available to governments to employ as soft power tools. The data for this research are composed of 30 online surveys completed by international experts in the fields of sports and public diplomacy. The responses were qualitatively analyzed using the fuzzy Delphi method (FDM). After running two rounds of fuzzy Delphi, sports diplomacy resources were classified into three categories: “Sports Events,” “Sports Human Capitals,” and “Sports Products.” Further, “sports players”; “women’s sports”; “hosting/participating in regional, international, continental, or global events”; “coaches”; and “authentic sports leagues” were identified as the most important sports diplomacy resources.

Global health diplomacy and humanitarian assistance: understanding the intentional divide between military and non-military actors

Often known as ‘globalhealth diplomacy’, the provision of medical care to accomplish strategic objectives, advance public diplomacy goals and enhance soft power is increasingly emphasised in international affairs and military...

Culture as soft power: Digital branding by Catalonia, the Basque Country and Scotland

Abstract The purpose of this article is to emphasize autonomous and separatist regions in the nation branding and public diplomacy communication literature, and to highlight how promoting culture can convey soft power. In particular, the short article illuminates the practical aspects of branding: especially the visual element that has received limited attention in prior public diplomacy studies. Examples from government websites of Catalonia, the Basque Country and Scotland are used to illustrate the concepts. The examples counter concerns that nation branding homogenizes global cultures. In fact, emphases on cultures convey distinctive identities. The three regions’ soft power is also generated by communicating ideals such as innovativeness, collaboration, social justice and government transparency. As the Catalan crisis indicated, branding is vital to both international and domestic audiences to achieve public diplomacy goals.

Can nation branding be successful tool for the practice of public diplomacy? A Maltese case study

This article asks whether nation branding can be a successful tool in achieving public diplomacy goals using the recent experience of Malta in the field of cultural diplomacy as a case study. The approach of the small island state towards developing nation branding in order to address public diplomacy aims through politics, public relations and culture is assessed. This analysis is carried out in the framework of the occurrence of a series of international events the country has been preparing to organize and celebrate. These include its participation at the EXPO in Milan in 2015, the hosting of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in the same year, presiding over the Council of the European Union (EU) in 2017 and hosting the European Capital of Culture in Valletta in 2018. The increased attention Malta has given to nation branding in order to support its practice of public diplomacy will be reviewed in relation to that of its international relations since Independence in 1964 and its adhesion to the EU in 2004.

Public Diplomacy in the Public Interest

As public diplomacy becomes a more collaborative, socially conscious enterprise with increased focus on global issues, problem-solving and shared goals, public interest communications--or strategic communication efforts to influence outcomes on issues that transcend the particular interests of any single organization (Fessmann, 2016)--will become an increasingly important aspect of public diplomacy practice. This article explores public diplomacy’s expanding role and impact in global society, identifying key ways in which public diplomacy serves the public interest. It then recommends a research agenda to help explain how public interest communications works (or might work) in achieving public diplomacy goals that extend beyond national borders. The emphasis is on communication models, publics, ethics, and measurement.

Strategic Practices of Public Diplomacy Policies in Educational Field and Turkey's Potential for Cultural Diplomacy

Public Diplomacy has become a primarily preferred strategic factor in the new international system in which strategic value of communication has grown, the concept of public diplomacy has become prominent, the accurate information and persuasion have gained importance. Unlike traditional diplomacy, public diplomacy that prioritizes affecting other countries’ public opinion aims non-state actors and public opinions. These are goals of public diplomacy: Informing and manipulating foreign public opinions; increasing this effect; correcting misunderstanding and establishing the ground for a deep inter-society dialogue. Public Diplomacy management, based on mutual communication and interaction, largely benefits from the elements of soft power such as culture, education, sport and etc. for creating mutual sympathy. This paper explains the role of public diplomacy in the new century, underlines the success of strategies practiced in educational field and emphasizes on the Turkey's potential for cultural diplomacy.

Configuring the foreign correspondent: New questions about China’s public diplomacy

The perennial narrative of foreign correspondents’ misadventures in China alerts us to a blind spot in current examinations of China’s public diplomacy efforts. Much work has been done to indicate the level of efforts on the part of the state actors in their engagement of public diplomacy exercises. However, how foreign media shapes the success or failure of public diplomacy is not at all clear. Yet knowing the answer to this question is crucial if we are to understand the depth and breadth of the challenges facing China’s public diplomacy goals. Concerned with this question, this article, combining institutional and historical analyses, centres upon the figure of the foreign correspondent in China, and raises the empirical and conceptual question of the role of the foreign correspondent in China’s public diplomacy agenda. The article’s main objective is to chart a new direction in the examination of China’s soft power, public diplomacy and communication strategies.

Refocusing Public Diplomacy: The Need for Strategic Discursive Public Diplomacy

This article concerns itself with the agenda, the instruments, and the goals of public diplomacy (PD). Taking into account the current state of PD that concentrates predominantly on forging cultural and educational links and promoting values, but not policies, it refocuses PD in two substantial ways: driving it, first, to focus on the most significant global issues and, second, to employ profound discursive processes. The emphasis then shifts to how PD can strengthen the global public sphere with regard to the profoundly political and critical issues of the present era. It argues in favour of strategic discursive PD and suggests ways to enhance both the legitimacy and efficiency of states' foreign policies on the handling of the Greek economic crisis and the issue of economic governance.

Public diplomacy games: a comparative study of American and Japanese responses to the interplay of nationalism, ideology and Chinese soft power strategies around the 2008 Beijing Olympics

The Olympic Games are global communication events that offer host-nations the unique opportunity to promote a soft power agenda by allowing them to construct global messages about their cultural identities and work towards public diplomacy goals that may be more difficult to achieve under normal circumstances. At the same time, however, the Olympics accentuate nationalist and patriotic sentiment, especially in host-nations. Nationalist conviction must be conceptually differentiated from support for the national government. Indeed, we suggest that one of the tasks of governments of Olympic host cities is to manage strong nationalist emotions in order that they support the public diplomacy efforts associated with the Olympic Games. In this paper, American and Japanese media responses to the interplay of China's 2008 Olympics public diplomacy efforts and Chinese nationalism are comparatively analyzed for each of three periods: 1) the international torch relay; 2) the 2008 Sichuan earthquake; 3) the Olympic Games. Our findings suggest that in the West, the Chinese nationalism that was prompted by a controversial torch relay overpowered other aspects of the Games and that thus the Olympic Games ultimately gave new power to familiar discourses emphasizing a fear of China. In Japan, on the other hand, the Olympics presented modest, albeit important, new opportunities to test and promote positive portrayals of Sino-Japanese relations