Public Diplomacy

Public diplomacy of some sort has existed for many years, and is as such not a new thing. States have for a long time been concerned with how other states and the peoples of other states perceive them and what they think of them. Yet, with globalisation and the advent of new technology, public diplomacy has taken a new turn and its value has become different. Whereas earlier a state would be concerned with its prestige in terms of power and courage, there seems to be more value placed on soft power issues and pursuing the right policies.
However, the branding of nation states must take a very fine line as there is a delicate balance between what can be perceived by foreign publics positively and what will be seen as propaganda. The Shared Values Initiative which was launched by the United States after the September 11 attacks, which included TV spots to be broadcast in the Middle East and other Muslim countries, was widely perceived in the targeted countries as propaganda. Hence, this initiative did nothing directly to improve the image of the United States in the Middle East, and according to Belinda Chan, the United States actually lost credibility and Anti-Americanism increased.
While the United States spent a lot of money and effort during the Cold War in order to convince foreign publics that liberal democracy and capitalism was preferable to communism, with the end of the Cold War the budget designated towards public diplomacy initiatives has dramatically decreased. According to Helena Finn, the policy makers in the United States during the Cold War had realised the importance of winning the hearts of foreign publics as means of winning the Cold War. However, with their response to the terrorist attacks on the United States, policy makers tend to have placed emphasis on military force in trying to win the ‘war on terror.’ If the people of Afghanistan and Iraq do not approve or identify with the values which the United States stands for and tries to impose on these countries, their effort to win the wars is unlikely to prove successful. Although the factors which play a role in influencing the image of countries abroad are increasingly out of control of central government institutions, efforts by government to promote their country positively abroad could prove to be decisive in influencing outcomes in world affairs. Even though the United States, or any other country, might not have a legitimate right to impose their will on another country using public diplomacy (propaganda) or military force, one tactic might work better in achieving their aims.