Managing national reputation and international relations in the global era: Public diplomacy revisited

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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to review and re-examine the concept and practice of public diplomacy in light of the incredible pace of change in global politics and communication, and to discuss implications for future research. It first explains the significance of national reputation and its linkage to public diplomacy. It then surveys and assesses a broad range of literature on public diplomacy, characterized by three basic discourses: public diplomacy as policy-driven rather than relationship-based, the primacy of nation-state governments in the structure and process of public diplomacy, and an emphasis on mass media communication. The paper finally suggests and outlines further research efforts based on the existing literature and the evolving contexts.

Section snippets

Between weapons and words: national reputation as “soft power”

National reputation matters in international interactions and transactions. As Jervis (1970, p. 6) wrote, a desired image and reputation can often be “of greater use than a significant increment of military or economic power.” It is hence a form of power and, in Nye, 1990, Nye, 2004 term, “soft power.” Nye extended the argument made by E.H. Carr decades ago, who categorized international power into military, economic, and power over opinion (2004, p. 8). According to Nye (p. x), soft power

Public diplomacy revisited

Diplomatic communication, historically based on “government-to-government” and “diplomat-to-diplomat” interactions, has expanded to include “government-to-people” contacts (e.g., Manheim, 1994, p. 3; Sprout & Sprout, 1962, p. 142). To make sense of this area of inquiry and bring some order to the enterprise, we group the existing literature on public diplomacy into four categories: (1) mass media and public diplomacy, (2) public diplomacy and its intersection with adjacent disciplines, (3)

Research implications

As in the general study of international relations, the field of public diplomacy is inevitably driven by changing events, if not exclusively so (Holsti, 1991, p. 4). Given its currency in contemporary international relations, based on our review, we identify at least three aspects of public diplomacy in need for further exploration. First, managing national reputation is not just about projecting a certain national image but rather negotiating understanding with foreign publics. Such

Conclusions

As Dewey (1938, p. 499) puts it, the most vibrant and useful social research grows “out of actual social needs, tensions, ‘troubles’.” The renewed interest in public diplomacy is clearly attributable to the increasingly diffused centers of interest and power in international politics and the ever more complex communication dynamics. The end of the Cold War did not diminish the role of public diplomacy, but rather made it more significant than ever (Leonard, 2002, p. 48). This review discusses

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