Latest Must-Reads in Public Diplomacy: November 2017

Nicholas J. Cull, “Soft Power’s Next Steppe: National Projection at the Astana Expo,” Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, 2017, 13:269-272. Cull (University of Southern California) evaluates national pavilions and spaces at Kazakhstan’s recent international expo. Its theme: “future energy.” He offers brief descriptions and judgments on their strengths and limitations and usefully frames his essay in the context of “world” and “specialized” expos of the past. Expos, for Cull, reflect the competitive use of soft power, place branding and public diplomacy by states. He awards high marks to Austria, the UK, Japan and France. He gives kudos to Kazakhstan for hosting the event and planning for long-term use of the site (reserving judgment on its return on investment). And credit to the U.S. for its excellent deployment of engaging Russian-language qualified student guides (shades of the Cold War), a film portraying American vitality and diversity as the source of its energy (avoiding the issue of U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord), a popular cardboard Hollywood sign for selfies (in the social media competition), and the “miracle” that the U.S. found resources to “deliver a solid contribution.”

Dina Smeltz, Ivo Daalder, Karl Friedhoff and Craig Kafura, What Americans Think About America First, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 2017. The Chicago Council’s survey, led by experienced public opinion analyst Dina Smeltz, tested the appeal of President Trump’s slogans and ideas among the American public. They found that, aside from his core supporters, most Americans continue to endorse an active role in world affairs and maintaining alliances. A record number say international trade is good for consumers, the economy and job creation. The perceived threat from immigration has gone down, and support for citizenship opportunities has gone up. A majority supports the Paris Climate Agreement. Overall, they conclude, most Americans favor sustaining policies of engagement typical of U.S. administrations of both political parties since World War II.

R.S. Zaharna, “Diversity in Publics and Diplomacy,” Working Paper, Project "Diplomacy in the 21st Century," No. 15, September 2017. Zaharna (American University) argues “Western diplomacy needs an expansive vision of communication to match the global reach of its communication tools.” Diplomatic actors need to give the same intensive attention to what makes communication meaningful as they do to digital communication tools. She urges greater attention in particular to mediating identity and emotion in relations with diverse publics and political actors. Her five-page paper is a menu for further research.

The full list is available here.