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Cultural Diplomacy Outlook Report 2011 Home > Articles > Articles Articles Articles 2012

Cultural Diplomacy Dictionary

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The Impact of Citizen Diplomacy

Tja!a Sobo"an, Institute for Cultural Diplomacy 04.02.2013
Average Americans, in their natural state, are the best Ambassadors a country can have. The Ugly American The concept of citizen diplomat has come to be used to refer to each individual citizen, who has the opportunity to participate in the process of international relations by representing his/her country most unintentionally. Citizen diplomats are, by definition, autonomous individuals who actively and responsibly participate in initiatives concerning public diplomacy. Other authors define citizen diplomacy as an individual effort to construct and develop international relations; the purpose of citizen diplomacy, therefore, is to represent the broader interests and build a political community or society. This concept interacts with various fields of interest other than politics, such as economics, tourism, leisure, art, and music. So why should states be aware of citizen diplomacy and why should they consider it? Over the years, globalization has unveiled the problem of insufficiency regarding government activities, and there has been an increasing recognition of the role citizen diplomacy can play in contributing to official government efforts to gain international attention. Non-state actors have additionally conquered certain diplomatic skills, including negotiation skills, visible representation, political reporting, use of symbols, effective communication and also access to different media and social channels to attain detailed information. In this way, citizen diplomacy has become a subsector of public diplomacy, allowing the world to acquire a better insight into the characteristics, values and institutions of a certain country. This is most evident in the USA, where the government is trying to incorporate the concept of citizen diplomacy into an active public diplomacy. Citizen diplomacy is closely associated with nation-branding. The average citizens promote their country inadvertently through cultural, athletic or scientific exchange, and by bringing their culture to foreign communities, they are giving these societies an opportunity to form an opinion about their country. Although citizen diplomacy applies to public diplomacy, it does not possess the conventional diplomatic methods and channels for negotiation. It is most useful when all official channels of communication are closed and cannot be overstepped at a particular time or for a particular reason. However, each state should consider this concept closely as it is the easiest way for national promotion and cultural diplomacy. The US, for example, realized the growing potential of citizen diplomacy together with simplified traveling procedures, leading the government to establish the US Center for Citizen Diplomacy. This Center supports activities of US citizens and collects information about different engagements of the US diaspora around the world. The U.S. Department of State with its Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provides financial support to the program and emphasizes the importance of such initiatives. Indeed, it has become a growing trend for states to try and act like multinational corporations in order to become successful and gain recognition. They must shape a clear identity and image, and build their reputation; the most influential way to do this is through culture. Citizens act as a channel for building international relations person to person, because the image we receive from a foreigner is the most long-lasting of all. For example, a state's cultural branding is very similar to company branding; it depends on the perception of the market for its different qualities and characteristics. Even states are faced with competition; if a state is successful in establishing a firm brand in the eyes of the public, its nation-branding automatically becomes more effective. This can be achieved more successfully with citizen diplomacy, as long as states fully recognize the value of such mechanisms. There is also a question of measurability. How do we measure the influence of citizen diplomacy? Can we look at the statistical data for the exchange of students, academics, tourists, experts, and even lobbyists for the common welfare? An example we can consider is that of Slovenian activist, Tomo Kri!nar, who was first sent on a humanitarian mission to Sudan in the name of Slovenia, but was eventually asked to return due to agitation by Sudans authorities. Tomo Kri!nar, however, remained in the country at his own risk, helping the refugees and even making his own documentary movie Darfur - War for Water, in an unofficial capacity of citizen diplomat. There were two indirect effects of this: first, he brought the attention of the modern international community to the human rights situation in Sudan and second, the public started to see Slovenia as an altruist humanitarian country. Of course, the measurability of effects can be very subjective in this context, which is why sometimes this might be considered a less credible characteristic of citizen diplomacy. On the other hand, public diplomacy has become more open and reachable with increased globalization. There are, of course, some theorists and academic experts who see classic diplomacy as something that can only be carried out by the state. For example, Professor Paul Sharp, from the University of Minnesota Duluth, maintains that diplomacy is a rather complex business that is best done by the professional representatives of the state. In other words, only official personnel can be called diplomats. However, despite this traditional way of thinking, the study of modern diplomacy has grown into a vibrant, interdisciplinary field, justifying the existence of citizen diplomacy i.e. new actors on the world stage making a difference through cultural diplomacy.

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Cultural Diplomacy Research | Articles

difference through cultural diplomacy.

2/13/14 11:21 AM

It must be noted that diplomacy, whether classic or modern, is of a changing nature. Therefore, we need extra analytical tools to fully comprehend this multifaceted practice. It is obvious, for example, that the concept of citizen diplomacy is omnipresent. It attracts the classical diplomatic corps as well as the general public in a foreign state. So in a way, personal networking has become interwoven with nation-branding, and the role of the average citizen has assumed greater significance. The purpose of cultural diplomacy, in the context of foreign policy, is to create harmony in the midst of intercultural differences, and prevent conflicts that arise out of political, social, religious and other ideological tensions. Sooner or later, states will realize that citizen diplomacy is becoming an essential component of public diplomacy, and hopefully they will cooperate more actively to promote and engage this concept in the world public arena. Sources Dernov"ek, Tea, Image of a country as tourist destination and its promotion, Faculty of Social Sciences: Ljubljana. (2006) Fenko, Ana Bojinovi# and Jure Po!gan, Cultural diplomacy and culture in international relations: A case study of Slovenian foreign policy, Dru!boslovne razprave, 28 (69), 25-53. (2012) Schneider, Cynthia P, The Unrealized Potential of Cultural Diplomacy: Best Practices and What Could Be, If Only. . The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, 39 (4), 260-79. (2009) Snow, Nancy and Phillip M. Taylor (ed.), Routledge Handbook of a Public Diplomacy, Routledge: New York. (2009) ICD ICD - cdn - cultural diplomacy news

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