Main Page | Month Archive | Email Updates | RSS Feed | Print Version
The Public Diplomacy Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School.
SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS OR CULTURAL RELATIONS?
SEP 23, 2008 - 11:59PM PDT
Posted by John Worne
All posts by this author
At the British Council – the UK’s international cultural and educational body – we’ve been thinking about what we call the International Relations Positioning Spectrum. It draws on work by Nick Cull and work done by Ali Fisher and Counterpoint, our cultural relations think tank on ‘'Options for Influence’. The spectrum sets out in broad terms what we think a nation can do in the world and how what we do – cultural relations - fits into it.  FULL TEXT
Read Comments (6) | Add Your Own
Read Comments:
Nick Cull on September 24, 2008 @ 8:13 pm:
This is an interesting blog post but it raises questions. First is the claim implicit in the diagram that there is a distinction between CR and PD. Historically the British Council has made this claim but I rather thought that this one was surrendered by the Council back at the first Wilton Park review and it was accepted that the Cultural Relations or at least the part of that rested within the British Council was a sub-activity of PD. the diagram suggests they are merely overlapping. Is this a change of direction? If as the Foreign Office maintains PD is the conduct of foreign policy by engaging with foreign audiences, what part of the British Council's Cultural Relations does NOT fall under that? Is Worne thinking of the bit that is not PAID for by the FCO?
One might argue that the non-FCO funded portion of British Council activity is public diplomacy none the less -- with the BC acting as a quasi-NGO actor on the international stage in its own right?
I think we need a clearer idea here of exactly where Worne draws the line between PD and CD/CR. Maybe RATHER than having the activity in the white box you should have the name of the agency - THAT makes sense of the distinction so it is clear that the Foreign Office PD folks have one role and the BC has another albeit with some over lap.
I find the Fisher spectrum outlined in Fisher's options for influence book useful (downloadable for free from
http://www.counterpoint-online.org/download/587/Options_for_influence_PDF_download.pdf )
But elements here seem hard to reconcile with that work of Cull (2007). Ali Fisher and I are pretty much agreed on a spectrum which runs from
listening - facilitation - exchange - cultural diplomacy - broadcasting - advocacy.
Worne seems to have lopped off listening which I feel is the beginning of wise PD and an alarming thing for the BC to do.
I'm not sure that Nye's Hard/Soft power dichotomy sits well here as while Worne places aid at the most benign end of the spectrum and hard power at the other. Aid is surely a form of hard power since it requires material resources to happen. In the old paradigm of moving the donkey aid is one form of carrot, military force and sanctions are the stick.
mandy johnson on September 25, 2008 @ 7:14 pm:
Cultural relations appeals to many people that the British Council works with across the world as it suggests a two way process for mutual benefit. It's true that there is an overlap with PD, and both are important in their own context, but in practice PD can often been seen to sit much closer to the 'broadcasting' approach. Incidentally, the British Council is not funded by the FCO, it has funded directly by the Treasury.
Note from the CPD Editor on September 26, 2008 @ 12:30 pm:
To read Ali Fisher's thoughtful response to the IRPS on CPD's website, go to: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.com/index.php/newsroom/pdblog_detail/the_spectrum_of_spectrums_a_review_of_the_international_relations_positioni/
richard on March 17, 2009 @ 5:38 am:
A diverse variety of ethnic races live in the approximately 200 countries dotted around the globe. Each country and region enjoys its own unique religions and cultures, some of which surpass the imagination of the rest of us. An awareness of other cultures constitutes the first step towards learning about the world, and heightens our awareness of our own culture, history and local environment. The School conducts comparative research into these kinds of differences, and offers courses that encompass languages, lifestyles, and culture in general, with the aim of establishing mutual understanding and harmony among nations.
(Assignment, Dissertation Service and Essay Writing Help )
moncler on July 12, 2010 @ 2:06 am:
Cultural relations appeals to many people that the British Council works with across the world as it suggests a two way process for mutual benefit. It's true that there is an overlap with PD, and both are important in their own context, but in practice PD can often been seen to sit much closer to the 'broadcasting' approach. Incidentally, the British Council is not funded by the FCO, it has funded directly by the Treasury.
links london links london
cybel reamonne on August 22, 2010 @ 4:15 am:
Yes, the social, cultural and educational tendencies among cultural groups in UK are rather mixed. One of the modern trends inherent to ethnic youth is that they are less inclined to habits of racial and ethnic segregation than their parents. Today, young Muslims, for instance, easily make friends with Muslims of other ethnic origins and races. Moreover, they easily communicate and make friends with Christians, Jews, secular and even anti-religious people. If their parents attempt to prevent such friendships by reminding religious postulates, they are more likely to separate their children from their ethnic religion than from their friends. essay writing
Add a Comment:
 |
SEND TO FRIENDS
