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Diplomacy Readings (Public Diplomacy and Soft Power - Nye, 2008 (Defines…
Diplomacy Readings
- Public Diplomacy and Soft Power - Nye, 2008
Defines soft power: ability to affect others to obtain the outcomes one wants through attraction rather than coercion or payment.
A smart power strategy combines both hard and soft power e.g. Nye (2012) and China's hunt for Superpower status
- Therefore smart public diplomacy is an important arsenal of smart power but requires understanding of credibility, self-criticism and civil society to generate this.
- Public diplomacy is an instrument that governments beyond simply the appeasement of government officials, but the public sphere. Yet it has opprtunities to be undercut such as polls indicating U.S soft power decline post Iraq invasion by the New York Times, 2007 as a negative influence on international affairs.
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Civil Society
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Effective diplomacy lies beyond attempting to get others doing what you want. It's a two way street and requires listening to the audience.
Concluding statement
The nation state has been the most orthodox of diplomatic relations but globalisation has challenge autonomy beyond the state from multilateral organisations such as the G8 or WTO to active citizens of agency.
Cold War
Smart public diplomacy used when special radios were added such as Radio Liberty in the Eastern bloc creating a cultural "trickle down" effect and eroding faith in communism behind the Iron Curtain.
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Simon, 1998 states we live in a "paradox of plenty"
Where the abundance of information can lead to scarcity in attention. Those able to distinguish themselves amongst the background clutter hold the power and agency of influence.
Credibility (Nye, 2008)
Thus governments now compete for credibility not only with other governments but alternative agencies such as news media (#fakenews) to NGOs to G8 summits.
Exaggerated claims of Suddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction may have rallied US and British domestic backing due to the fear and lack of time imposed, but dealt a heavily blow to its international credibility.
"The effectiveness of credibility is by minds changed, not dollars spent"
Nye, 2008 - Concluding statements
Hard and soft power is smart power and public diplomacy is a smart arsenal for this, but requires credibility, self-criticism and civil society to generate soft power.
Friedman, 2005 states that the internet has levelled the playing field of actors having access to more level information, increasing citizen agency and political influence.