ContentslistsavailableatScienceDirect
Public
Relations
Review
Pathways
of
connection:
An
analytical
approach
to
the
impacts
of
public
diplomacy
Efe
Sevin
DepartmentofPublicRelationsandInformation,KadirHasUniversity,CibaliKampüsüKadirHasCaddesiFatih, ˙Istanbul,Turkey
a
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t
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c
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Articlehistory:
Received12January2015
Receivedinrevisedform22June2015
Accepted3July2015 Keywords: Publicdiplomacy Evaluation Measurement Pathwaysofconnection Softpower Publicrelations
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Publicdiplomacy,albeititsfunctionalsimilaritieswithpublicrelationsandother corpo-ratecommunicationtools,isinherentlyaforeignpolicytool,usedbypractitionerstates toadvancetheirnationalinterestsandachievetheirforeignpolicygoals.Thepurposeof thistheoreticalarticleistoprovideaframeworktoanalyzetheimpactsofpublic diplo-macyprojectsbyacknowledgingbothitscommunicationaspectandpoliticalnature.The pathwaysofconnectionframeworkisbuiltintwo-steps.First,thepublicdiplomacyconcept issituatedininternationalpoliticsbyevaluatingtheconceptthroughmainstream inter-nationalrelationstheories.Thisevaluationyieldsthreeareasonwhichpublicdiplomacy projectsmighthaveanimpact.Second,theexistingacademicandpracticalmeasurement modelsarecategorizedundertheseareasandtwopathwaysperareaarepresented.The theoreticalframeworkcanbeusedtounderstanddifferentoutcomesofpublicdiplomacy projectsandtoprovideamoreaccuratemeasurementoftheirsuccess.
©2015ElsevierInc.Allrightsreserved.
1. Introduction
Howcanweseetheunseenandobservetheunobservable?Thisquestionsummarizesthechallengesfacedbythescholars andpractitionersintheirattemptstoassessandevaluatetheoutcomesofpublicdiplomacyprojects.Measurementisknown tobeatroublesometaskinpublicdiplomacy.Projectstendtoyieldchangesonintangibleconcepts–suchasawarenessand attitudes–andthesechangesoccuroveralong-timeperiodandcannotbedirectlyattributedtothem(foramoreinclusive listofchallengesinevaluation,cf.Banks,2011).Eventhoughaprojectmightbeabletocontributetoamorepositivepublic opiniontowardsapractitionerstate,thischangemighttakeplaceoveryears–orevendecades–andinconjunctionwith othervariablessuchaschangesinworldpoliticsorotherdiplomatictransformations.Asthesechangesaredifficultto capture,itisnotsurprisingtoobservethelackofrobustmeasurementmechanismsbutratherthepresenceofattempts measuringtheoutputsofprojects(Pamment,2013).
Publicdiplomacy,despitealackofagreementonitsdefinition,isusuallyseenasafundamentalcommunicationand publicrelationsactivitycarriedoutbystates(Fitzpatrick,Fullerton,&Kendrick,2013).Thefunctionalsimilaritiesamong theseconceptsencouragetheuseofpublicrelationstheoriesandmodelstoexaminetheimpactsofpublicdiplomacy projects.Yet,asitwillbearguedthroughoutthispaper,suchamono-disciplinaryapproachhastheinherentdangerof becomingtheproverbial“Maslow’shammer.”1
E-mailaddress:[email protected]
1 AbrahamMaslowiscreditedwiththesaying“Tothemanwhoonlyhasahammer,everythingheencountersbeginstolooklikeanail.”
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2015.07.003
andinternationalenvironmentbyconnectingitscommunicationaspectwithplausibleimpactsonforeignpolicy.Public diplomacyworksasatooltohelpachieveforeignpolicygoalsofthepractitionercountries(Djerejian,2003)andoperates withintheinternationalpoliticalenvironment.Practitionercountriesuseavarietyofpublicdiplomacyprojects–suchas internationalbroadcastingandstudentexchanges–withthepenultimateobjectiveofreachingouttoforeignpublicsand ultimateobjectiveofadvancingtheirowninterests.
Thetheoreticalargumentsarepresentedintwosteps.First,publicdiplomacyisconceptualizedasaforeignpolicytooland itsexpectedimpactsareevaluatedthroughthelensofmainstreaminternationalrelationstheories.Inthisstep,itisargued thatagivenpublicdiplomacyprojectmightmanifestitsimpactinthreedifferentareas.Second,theexistingmeasurement practicesandacademicmodelsarecategorizedundertheseareastocreatesixpathwaysofconnectionbetweenprojects andforeignpolicyobjectives.
Therestofthisarticleisstructuredinfoursections.First,aworkingdefinitionofpublicdiplomacyispresentedforthis research.Second,thedefinitionisevaluatedthroughmajorinternationalrelationstheoriestoidentifyareasonwhichthe impactofpublicdiplomacycanbeobserved.Third,sixpathwaysofconnectionareintroduced.Thearticleconcludesby arguingforthecontributionsofthesixpathwaysofconnectionframework.
2. Workingdefinitionofpublicdiplomacy
Thefieldofpublicdiplomacyhasgonethrougharapidgrowth,welcomingcontributionsfromanumberofdisciplines. Itisneithernecessarynorbeneficialtodeviseauniversaldefinitionoforapproachtopublicdiplomacyaseachandevery disciplinehasitsownstrengthsandweakness.Similarly,thedefinitionusedinthisresearchisnotproposedasauniversal def-initiontoreplacetheexistingapproachesintheliterature.Theobjectiveistohighlightcommunicationandpolitics-relevant characteristicsoftheconceptbybothacknowledgingpublicdiplomacyasapublicrelationsfunctionandemphasizingits connectionwithforeignpolicy
Publicdiplomacyisfundamentallyacommunicationtoolusedbystatestoreachforeignpublics(Plavsak,2002).Public relationsscholartendtoseeitasanactivityconductedbynationsaswellasotherinternationalorganizationsand nongovern-mentalorganizationsthatentailmediarelations,promotionalandpersuasivestrategies(L’Etang,2009,p.610).International relationsscholarshighlighttheroleofpowerdynamicsandconceptualizepublicdiplomacyasaninstrumentthat govern-mentsuseto“communicatewithandattractthepublicsofothercountries,ratherthanmerelytheirgovernments”(Nye, 2008,p.95).Forthepurposesofthisresearch,adefinitionthatacknowledgestheroleofcommunication,actorsinvolved inthecommunicationactivities,statefunctions,andtheexpectedoutcomesofsuchactivitiesisrequired.Itispossibleto conceptualizepublicdiplomacyasreferringtothecommunication-basedactivitiesofstatesandstate-sanctionedactorsaimed atnon-stategroupsinothercountrieswiththeexpectationofachievingforeignpolicygoalsandobjectives.Withinthisdefinition, publicdiplomacyisanextensionoftraditionaldiplomacyintermsoftheactorsandobjectives,andisaforeignpolicytool.
3. Impactsofpublicdiplomacy
ThisstudyexpandsonYunandToth’s(2009)workthatdefinesrealistandliberalist[sic]publicdiplomacyconcepts.The authorsusetheaforementionedinternationalrelationstheoriestopresentexpectedoutcomeofpublicdiplomacyproject. Inadditiontorealismandliberalism,constructivismisalsointroducedasthethirdmajorinternationalrelationstheoryto createamoreinclusivepictureofpublicdiplomacyactivities.
AccordingtoYunandToth(2009),realistpublicdiplomacycannotseeforeignpublicsasthetargetaudiences.This counter-intuitiveargumentisinlinewiththemaintenetsofrealisttheorythatseesinternationalrelationsprimarilyasa powerplaybetweenstatesintheinternationalsystemassovereignstates,ignoringtheroleofotheractors.Publicdiplomacy projectsareexpectedtochangetheattitudesoftheforeignaudiencestoinfluencethestatebehavior.Themainassumption isthatthepublicisimportantinforeignpolicyonlyduetothecapacityofpublicopiniontochangethestatebehaviorand notasanindependentactorperse.
Thepublicdiplomacymeasurementandassessmentpracticealsosupportstheideathatinfluencingpublicopinionmight beseenasamethodtocreateimpactinforeignpolicy.Forinstance,GoldsmithandHoriuchi(2012)usepublicopinionas avariableintheirassessmentofAmericanpublicdiplomacyandforeignpolicy.Similarly,thePublicDiplomacyModelfor theAssessmentofPerformance(PD-MAP)presentedbytheAdvisoryCommissiononPublicDiplomacy(ACPD)putspublic opinionunderspotlight.PD-MAPaimsto“evaluatetargetaudience’sperception,favorability,orunderstandingpriorto andaftera[publicdiplomacy]effort”(ACPD,2010,p.26).PD-MAPpositsthatpublicdiplomacyisexpectedtoincrease theunderstandingoftheUnitedStates,favorability,andinfluenceamongforeignpublics.Thisfavorablepublicopinionis expectedtochangethebehaviorofthestates–theonlyimportantactorininternationalaffairsaccordingtorealismand realistpublicdiplomacy–andsubsequentlytohaveanimpactonforeignpolicy.
Aliberalapproachtopublicdiplomacyoperatesundertheassumptionthatstatesarenottheonlyimportantactorsin worldpolitics(Yun&Toth,2009).Liberalismtheoryarguesthatinter-staterelationscannotbeseenasindependentfrom otheractorsintheinternationalarena.Thus,foreignaffairsandpoliticsarenotonlyinfluencedbystatesbutalsobythe interactionsofnon-stateactorsthattheycalltransnationalactors(Keohane&Nye,1972).Statesarestillthedominantand
Table1
Summaryofthepathwaysofconnection.
Areas/scopeofexplanation Largerimpact Focusedimpact
Publicopinion Attraction Benefitofthedoubt
Relationshipdynamics Socialization Directinfluence
Publicdebates Agenda-setting Framing
powerful–probablythemostpowerful–actorsintheinternationalarenahowevertheyarenolongerthesoleactors.Public diplomacyisthusaplatformtointeractwiththenewnon-stateactors.
TheNorthAtlanticTreaty Organization(NATO)’sframework forplanningand evaluatingpublicdiplomacyprojects includesspecificguidelinesforpeople-to-peopleengagement.Itisarguedthatpeople-to-peopleengagementisakeyaspect ofNATO’soutreachenablingtheAlliancetobuildrelationshipswithindividuals,influencers,andthetargetaudiencesof whichtheyareapart(JointAnalysisandLessonsLearnedCentre,2013,p.48).Themeasurementpracticeisdesignedtolook atthenumberofpeoplereachedandofindividualswhokeepincontactwithNATOafterapublicdiplomacyproject(Joint AnalysisandLessonsLearnedCentre,2013,p.B-3).Thisrelationship-basedapproachalsoincreasedtheinteresttosocial networkanalysisasamethodtomeasuretheimpactsofprojects.Forinstance,FisherandMontez(2011)analyzedtheonline networksduringPresidentBarackObama’svisittoBrazilinMarch2011.TheDepartmentofStateandtheAmericanEmbassy inthecountryusedawebsite,andseveralsocialmediaplatforms–suchasTwitter,Orkut,andFacebook–topromotethe eventandengagewiththelocalpopulation,thusaddingapublicdiplomacycomponenttothepresident’strip(Fisher& Montez,2011,pp.8–10).Thesocialnetworkanalysisportrayedhowpublicdiplomacywasabletoengagenon-stateactors duringthepresidentialvisit,arguingthatthedigitalpublicdiplomacyengagementmadeitpossibleforthepresidentialvisit toreachnon-stateactors.Thus,publicdiplomacyprojectsmightbedesignedtoincreaserelationswithnon-stateactors. Liberalismarguesfortheimportanceofamultitudeofactorsinadditiontostatesininternationalaffairs.Publicdiplomacy establishescommunicationbridgeswiththesenon-stateactors.
Thethirdtheory,constructivism,arguesthatinternationalrelationsoperateonstructuresandidentitiesthataresocially created.Materialaspectsofforeignaffairsarenotasimportantasthesocialmeaningtheycarry.Therefore,beingableto influencethesesocialmeaningscanbeseenasasourceofpower(VanHam,2010).Aconstructivistpublicdiplomacy,thus, isbasedonanassumptionthatnorms,values,andidentitiesininternationalrelationsarenotdefinedbymaterialpower sources–suchasmilitarypoweroreconomicinfrastructure–butaresocialconstructs(VanHam,2002).Publicdiplomacy canmanipulatetheseconstructsbyencouragingandinfluencingdiscussionsandisthusatooltoshapethepublicdebatein foreigncountries(Gilboa,2008).
Publicdiplomacyhasthecapacitytochangethediscourse inagiven country.AsthestudyofZhangandCameron (2003)demonstrates,Chinesepublicdiplomacycarriesthisobjectiveinitsattempttoimprovetheimageofthecountryby influencingmediacoverage.ChinacarriedoutacampaignthatincludedatouringculturalexhibitionintheUnitedStatesand aseriesofmediaappearances.ZhangandCameron(2003)arguethattheseprojectsweresuccessfulinreducingthenegative coverageaboutChinaintheUnitedStatesbyencouragingthecoverageofdifferentaspectsofChina.Similarly,Britishpublic diplomacypromoteswomen’sandgirls’empowermentconceptsthroughleadershipprogramsandconferencesinregions withgenderinequalityissues(BritishCouncil,2014).Norwegianpublicdiplomacyintroducestheconceptofcorporate socialresponsibilitytoforeignpublics(MinistryofForeignAffairs,Norway,2009).Priortopublicdiplomacyprojects,these issueswerenotnecessarilypublicallydebatedamongtargetaudiences.Inotherwords,conceptssuchasgenderequality ordemocracywerenotrelevantsocialconstructsinforeignpolicyconductsoftargetcountries.Publicdiplomacyprojects influencethetopicsinpublicdebates.
Publicdiplomacyindeedisatoolintheforeignpolicytoolkitthatmakesitpossibletoreachamultitudeofinfluentialactors (Kelley,2010a)toadvancenationinterestsandtocontributetotheachievementofpolicyobjectives(Malone,2001).The categoriesofrealist,liberal,andconstructivistapproachtopublicdiplomacypositionpublicdiplomacywithininternational relationsparadigmsandclarifytheareasinwhichpublicdiplomacyprojectsmightyieldimpactininternationalaffairs. Theseareasarenamelypublicopinion,relationshipdynamics,andpublicdebates.Thenextsectionusesexistingpractices andmodelstofurtheroperationalizeexpectedimpactsofpublicdiplomacy.
4. Establishingthepathwaysofconnection
Forthisresearch,publicdiplomacyisdefinedasthecommunication-basedactivitiesofstatesandstate-sanctionedactors aimedatnon-stategroupsinothercountrieswiththeexpectationofhelpingachieveforeignpolicygoalsandobjectives. Basedontheconjunctionofthisdefinitionwithinternationalrelationstheories,threeareastoobservetheimpactofpublic diplomacyarepresented:publicopinion,relationshipdynamics,andpublicdebates.Yet,theseareasfallshortinconnecting thepenultimateobjectiveofpublicdiplomacy–reachingthepublic–withtheultimateobjective–reachingforeignpolicy goalsandadvancingnationalinterestsofthepractitionercountries.Inthissection,twosuchpathwaysofconnectionare proposedwithineacharea,onewithalargerimpactinthesaidareaandonewithamorefocusedimpact.Thesixpathways ofconnectionareidentifiedthroughastudyoftheliteratureandthepractice.Table1presentsasummaryofthepathways withinallthreeareas.
changepolicyoutcomesthroughattractionandco-optionasopposedtothroughcoercivehardpowercapabilitiesbyusing theirculture,domesticvaluesandpolicies,andforeignpolicy(Nye,2004).Acountry’sculturecancreateattractionthrough whichforeignpolicyobjectivescanbeachieved.Forinstance,CraigHayden(2012)discusseshowTaroAso,theformer PrimeMinisterofJapan,utilizedJapanesepopularcultureitems–suchasmanga,anime,andJ-pop–toincreaseJapanese presenceintheinternationalarena.Additionally,acountry’sdomesticpoliticalvaluesanditsabilitytoupholdsuchvalues cancreateattraction.China’sproblemswithattractioninandforeignpolicytowardstheWesternworldisusuallyattributed toitsdomesticvaluesandpolicies,suchashumanrightsviolationsandthesingle-partysystem(Wang,2008,p.261).Last, acountry’sforeignpolicydecisionsareinfluentialincreatingattraction.Vickers(2004)introducestheexampleofCanada. Thecountry’smulti-stakeholderunderstandinginitsforeignpolicyisarguedtobeinstrumentalingatheringsupportwhen CanadaaskedforamoreinclusiveUnitedNationsSecurityCouncilinlate1990s(Vickers,2004).Subsequently,theCouncil invitedmembersofacademiaandvariousnongovernmentalorganizations(NGOs)toitsmeetingsforconsultation.Inshort, theattractionpathwayseespublicdiplomacyisseenasatooltobroadcastsoftpowerresourcestotargetaudiencesenmasse (Nye,2011).Publicdiplomacyincreasesacountry’sattractionandcreatesageneralfavorablepublicopiniontowardsitby increasingtheexposureofforeignpublicstoitssoftpowerassets.Foreignpolicyinfluence“happensvia...viewsamongthe masspublic”(Goldsmith&Horiuchi,2012,p.560).
Benefitofthedoubtisthesecondpathwayexplainingamorefocusedimpactofpublicdiplomacyonpublicopinion. Thepathwayproposesthatpublicdiplomacyprojectsandmessageschangethegeneralattitudesofthehostcountryby shapingtheperceptionoftheinterestsofthepractitionercountry.Similartotheattractionpathway,benefitofthedoubtis abouttheperceptionoftargetaudiences.Unliketheattractionpathway,theobjectiveisnottoincreasetheattractiveness ofthepractitionercountryintheeyesofthepublic.Rather,theobjectiveistointroducea‘sharedinterest’understanding betweenthepractitionerandhostcountries.Benefitofthedoubtunderstandingiscommonlyinvokedbypractitionersto emphasizetheroleofpublicdiplomacyprojects,especiallyinthebroaderframeworkofAmericanforeignaffairs.Public diplomacyprojectsareexpectedtoencourage“otherpeopletogivetheUnitedStatesthebenefitofthedoubtonspecific policyissuesorrequestforcollaboration”byestablishingapresumptionofmutualinterestsinthehostcountries(Advisory CommitteeonCulturalDiplomacy,2005,p.16).Practitionersdonotnecessarilytryto“createasympatheticinterestin[a country’s]policy...[butto]induceinfluentialpartsofthehostcountry’spublictogive...thebenefitofthedoubt”(Glade, 2009,p.241).Thus,inthelackoffullevidence–whichislikelytobethecaseinforeignaffairs–theaudiencewillhavea favorablejudgmenttowardsthepractitionercountry.WhenHassanRouhaniwaselectedaspresidentinIran,thecountrywas consideredunfriendlyanddeemednottrustworthy(Mogensen,2015).Publicdiplomacyprojectsfocusedondemonstrating thatIranhadsimilarforeignpolicyinterestswiththerestoftheworld(Mogensen,2015).PresidentRouhanipublically sharedsuchmessagesinaletterpublishedintheWashingtonPostandotherhigh-profilespeeches(Mogensen,2015).Given thefactthatthereisnocompleteinformationaboutthemotivesofIranintheinternationalarena,theseprojectsaimedto encourageforeignpublicstoconsiderthebetteralternativesorexplanations.Foreignpolicyinfluenceoccursbasedonthe audienceperceptionthatpractitionerandhostcountries,moreoftenthannot,havesimilarpolicyinterests.
Socializationpathwayarguesthattheoutputofpublicdiplomacyprojectschangethewaythepractitionercountry inter-actswithotheractorsinthehostsociety.Unlikethepublicopinionmethods,themainaimisnottomakecountrymore favorableintheeyesofthepublic.Theobjectiveistochangethenatureofrelationshipbetweenthepractitionerandhost countrybyundertakingprojects.Publicdiplomacyprojectshelppractitionercountriestoundertakenewfunctionsinthe hostsocietyandtoincrease theirlevelsofactivities.Socializationisbasedonasocialnetworkanalysisunderstanding wherethequalityandquantityofinteractionbetweenactorsareimportantandpositsthatpublicdiplomacycanbeused toincreasethevolumeandbreadthofinteractionbetweenapractitionercountryandtargetaudiences.Forinstance,the EuropeanUnion’sYouthinActionprogramissuchapublicdiplomacyproject.Theprogramfundscivilsocietyactivities bringingyoungEuropeansfromdifferentcountriestogethertoworkonproblemsthataffecttheircountries(BritishCouncil, 2011).Thelocalcivilsocietygroups,thus,interactwiththeEuropeanUnionasapotentialpartnerandfounderfortheir activities.TheUnionbecomesanimportantsupportofyouthandcivilsocietyactivities,asopposedtoasupranational orga-nizationsandaregulatorybody.Moreover,theseprojectsalsoenabletheEuropeanUnionanditsrepresentationsinother countriestoestablishrelationswiththeactorsinsociallife.Socializationpathwayarguesthatpublicdiplomacyprojects changetherelationshipdynamicsbetweenthecountriesbyincreasingthevolumeorlevelofactivitiesandbreadthortopics ofinteractions.Foreignpolicyinfluenceiscreatedthroughthesenewrelationshipsandnewfunctionsundertakenbythe practitionercountries.
Directinfluenceexplainsasmallerimpactandunderlinestheroleofelites,individualsholdingimportantpositionsin policyrelevantdecision-makingprocesses,ingeneratingoutcomes.Publicdiplomacy,asexplainedbythispathway,attempts tocommunicatewiththeseelitesdirectlyandinfluencetheirthinking(Gilboa,2008,pp.64–65).Forinstance,shortlyafter itsdeclarationofindependence,Kosovohiredconsultingcompaniestohelpcommunicatedirectlywithpublicofficialsto getinternationalrecognition(W ¨ahlisch&Xharra,2011,p.18).Directinfluencecampaignsalsotargetindividualswhohave personalaccesstopoliticalleadersandotherdecision-makers,thereforeareabletocontributetopolicyoutcomes(Graham &Kelley,2009).Inthispathway,publicdiplomacybecomesclosertolobbyingandadvocacyactivitiesinwhichpractitioners aimtoinfluencethedecisionsmadebythelegislators.Directinfluencepathwayarguesthatpublicdiplomacyisatoolto reachthepolicy-makersinahostcountry.Publicdiplomacyyieldsanimpactonforeignpolicybychangingthemindsand attitudesofelites.
Table2
Summaryofthepathwaysofconnection.
Model Publicdiplomacyworksby...
Public opin-ion
Attraction Influencingmasspublicopinion
Benefitofthedoubt Creatingtheperceptionthatpractitionerandhostcountrieshavesimilarpolicyinterests Relationshipdynamics Socialization Creatingnewrelationshipsandnewfunctionsundertakenbythepractitionercountries
Directinfluence Changingthemindsandattitudesofelites
Publicdebates Agenda-setting Introducingagivenissueorincreasingitssalienceinmediaorpublicagendasintargetaudiences Framing Changingthecoverageofanissueandhighlightingmorefavorableaspects
Thelasttwopathwaysfocusonpublicdebates.Agenda-settingpathwayreferstotwodifferentunderstandingsof‘agenda’. First,itreferstothemediaagendaandtheroleofmediainshapingthepoliticalrealityinchoosinganddisplayingnews (McCombs&Shaw,1972).Publicdiplomacyprojectscanchangethenewschosenanddisplayedinforeignmedia.The underlyingassumptionisthat“issuesreceivingthemostattentioninthemediawillbeperceivedbythepublicasthe mostimportant”(Gilboa,2008,pp.63–64).Inmediatedagenda-setting,thecountriesmightusetheirowninternational broadcastingagencies,op-eds,interviews,celebrities,andhigh-levelvisitsamongmanyothermechanismstoincreasethe salienceofagivenissueinforeignmedialandscape.Forinstance,Russiausesitsownbroadcastingnetwork,RussiaToday, topromoteagendaitemsthatareimportantfortheirforeignpolicygoals(Simons,2014).RussianPresidentVladimirPutin (2013)publishedanop-edpieceontheNewYorkTimesto“speakdirectlytotheAmericanpeople”andtoputincreasethe importancegiventotheconflictinSyriawithintheAmericanpublic.Second,independentfrommedia,anabstractconcept ofagendamightbedefinedincludingalltheimportantsubjectsdiscussedinthepublicsphereandactorsseektheprivilege tosetthisagendabyintroducingissuesthataredeemedimportantbythem(Kelley,2012).Inotherwords,agenda-setting isnotnecessarilyonlyaboutincreasingtheawarenessofagivenpopulationbutrathertoigniteaction.Forinstance,the InternationalCampaigntoBanLandmines(ICBL)startedatapointwheretheissueoflandmineswasnotevenoninternational agendaandmanagedtobringittotheattentionofinternationalsociety(Kelley,2010b).ICBLwasinstrumentalindrafting andadvocatingfortheConventionontheProhibitionoftheUse,Stockpiling,ProductionandTransferofAnti-Personnel MinesandontheirDestructionortheOttawaTreaty(Cameron,1999).Publicdiplomacymighthelpachieveforeignpolicy goalsbyintroducingagivenissueorincreasingitssalienceinmediaorpublicagendasintargetaudiences.
Framinganalyzeswhichelementsofagivenissueareincludedandexcludedindiscussions(Entman,1993)andisthe “mediaselection,exclusionof,andemphasisoncertainissuesandapproachestopromoteaparticulardefinition, interpre-tation,moralevaluation,orasolution”(Gilboa,2008,p.64).Giventhefactthatitispossibletochangethewayagivenissue iscoveredinmediachannels,publicdiplomacycanbeseenasacountry’sattemptstoexertasmuchcontrolaspossible overtheframingofpolicyissuesinforeignmediaplatforms(Entman,2008,p.89).Moreoftenthannot,itispossibleto frameanissueindifferentways.Forinstance,amilitaryinterventioncanbeframedasapeaceoperationoraninvasion. Theframinghypothesisarguesthatframesencourageaudiencestoaccept“someassumptionsoverother,andimplysome questionswhileignoringothers,”whichthereforemightmakecertainpolicyoptionsmoreplausibleintheeyesofthe public(Jamieson&Cappella,2008,p.6).GolanandCarroll’s(2012)studyofop-edsininternationalnewspapersshowthat governments,politicalfigures,aswellasotherpoliticallyactiveactorshavetriedtoframethe2011Egyptianrevolution differently.TheAmericancontributorshaveattemptedtopresentreplacingtheMubarakregimeasaplausibleoutcome whereasEgyptiancontributorshavefocusedontheneedtochangetheroleofIslamicgroupsinthesociety.Despitethe lackofanorganizedpublicdiplomacycampaignfromeitherside,EgyptiansandAmericanspresentedcontendingframes oftheissueswiththeobjectiveofharnessinginternationalsupport.Publicdiplomacy,withinthisaspect,mightconsistof “targetedmessagesdirectedatattitudinaldriversofpolicysupportoropposition”(Egner,2010,p.99),andworkthrough changingthecoverageofanissueandbyhighlightingmorefavorableaspects.
Succinctlystated,thesixpathwaysofconnectionpresentedinthispaperconstituteaframeworkthatconnectspublic diplomacyprojectswithforeignpolicyobjectives.AsshowninTable2,publicdiplomacyprojectsarecarriedoutwiththe penultimateobjectiveofcommunicatingwithforeignpublic.Theimpactsofthesecommunicationattemptscanbeobserved inthreedifferentareas.Theultimateobjectiveofcontributingtotheachievementofforeignpolicygoalscanbelinkedwith thecommunicationcomponentofpublicdiplomacythroughsixdifferentways.
5. Conclusion
Thispaperstartedoutwithanargumentthatcurrentscholarsandpractitionersarelimitedtorespectivelytheir disci-plinarymodelsandtoprojectoutputswhenassessingpublicdiplomacyprojects.Theseexistingmeasurementattemptsdo notpresentacomprehensivepicture,astheytendtodisregardthecomplexnatureofpublicdiplomacyandglobal poli-tics.Byutilizingmainstreaminternationaltheories,firstthepaperdelineatedtheareasonwhichpublicdiplomacymight demonstrateitsimpact.Subsequently,theexistingtheoriesandmodelsofassessmentwerereevaluatedtocreate‘pathways ofconnection’–statementsthatconnectpublicdiplomacywithitsultimateobjective.
Themainpremiseofthesixpathwaysofconnectionframework(cf.Fig.1)restsontwoarguments.First,itisaccepted thattherootsofpublicdiplomacyareinthepersuasionindustries(Snow,2007,p.9).Initsessence,publicdiplomacyis the“applicationofPRtostrategicrelationshipsoforganizationswithinternationalpublics”(Grunig,1993,p.143).Yet,
Figure1.Sixpathwaysofconnection.
publicdiplomacyisnotonlypublicrelationsorpersuasion.Therefore,thesecondargumentintroducesamulti-disciplinary approach.Specificallyspeaking,publicdiplomacycarriesthelabel‘diplomacy’,signalingitsinherentconnectionto interna-tionalpoliticsandrelations.Aninclusiveapproachtopublicdiplomacyshouldbothacknowledgeitscommunicationand persuasionnatureaswellasitslinkwiththeoverallforeignpolicygoalsandobjectives.
Thesixpathwaysofconnectionframeworkhighlightstwosignificantcontributionsofthisresearch.First,itshouldbe notedthatpublicdiplomacyprojectsattempttochangepolicythroughpublicrelationsandcommunicationfunctions.The ultimateobjectiveistoadvancenationalinterestsandachieve–orhelpachieve–foreignpolicygoals.Theenvironmentin whichpublicdiplomacyoperatesisdifferentfromcorporatecommunicationfunctions.Thefunctionalsimilaritiesbetween publicdiplomacyandpublicrelationsshouldnotovercometheirdifferences.Publicdiplomacyisaforeignpolicytooland cannotbeconceptualizedoutsidetheinternationalrelationscontext.
Second,eventhoughtheoutcomesofpublicdiplomacyprojectsareunobservableperse,itispossibletotracktheir impacts.Thethreeareasofimpact–publicopinion,relationshipdynamics,andpublicdebates–aresuggestedasplacesto observesuchimpacts.Asthevariouscaseexamplesgiventhroughoutthepapersuggest,theseimpactsmightbeobserved inanyoneormoreoftheseareas.Forinstance,abroadcastingprojectisunlikelytochangerelationshipdynamicsbutmight bemoreeffectiveinpublicdebatesorpublicopinion.Ashort-termexchangeprojectwillnotchangethepublicopinionin generalhowevermightinfluencetherelationshipdynamics.Thepathwaysofconnectionshouldbeseenasatemplateto observetheunobservable.Byexplainingthelinkbetweenforeignpolicyandcommunication,thesepathwaysfacilitatethe understandingofhowpublicdiplomacyworks.
Inshort,publicdiplomacyisaconceptthathasbeendevelopedbyvariousdisciplines.Notwithstandingtheintellectual diversitybroughtinbythisinter-disciplinaryendeavor,itisofuttermostimportancetosteerawayfromstretchingthe analogiesbetweenpublicdiplomacyandothersimilarfunctions,includingpublicrelations.Thisarticleproposesananalytical approachthatrecognizesthecontributionsfromotherdisciplinesbutneverthelesstreatspublicdiplomacyasaunique phenomenon.
Acknowledgements
IwouldliketothankDr.CraigHayden,Dr.RhondaZaharna,Dr.RobertKelleyandtheanonymousreviewersforhelpful commentsandcriticism.Dr.NamalieJayasinghehasbeenasoundingboardformewhiledevelopingthesixpathwaysof connectionframeworkandhelpedmecorrectthelanguageofthisarticle.ThisresearchwaspartiallyfundedbytheAmerican University.
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