New Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century: A Comparative Study of Policy and Practice

Public diplomacy is the communication of an international actor’s policies to citizens of foreign countries. These citizens might include civil society representatives, nongovernmental organisations, multinationals, journalists and media institutions, specialists across different sectors of industry, politics and culture, and members of the general public. They are typically engaged by actors like foreign ministries, nongovernmental organisations and civil society organisations through communication methods such as media outreach, conferences and events, collaborative projects, and exchanges of culture, personnel, or students. If diplomacy is the ‘management of change’ in the international environment through engagement with foreign governments, public diplomacy is the management of that changing environment through engagement with public actors. At its core lies the implicit objective of influencing government-to-government relations in a given area of foreign affairs by engagement with citizens and groups whose opinions, values, activities, and interests may help sway another government’s position.