Diplomacy, Foreign Policy and Media

Question 1

What is public diplomacy?

Answer 1

• Relatively new concept and little consensus exists
• “The public, interactive dimension of diplomacy… through which nations foster mutual trust and productive relationships and has become crucial to building a secure global environment”
• a la Public relations
• Transparent means by which a country communicates with publics in other counties to inform/influence national interest and policy goals
• Usually focused on improving the countries image or reputation

Question 2

What does public diplomacy include?

Answer 2

• Educational exchanges
• Visitor programs
• Language training
• Cultural events/exchanges
• Ratio/TV broadcasting

Question 3

What is official DFAT strategy?

Answer 3

• Promote trade/investment
• Integration into local region
• Strengthen influence

Question 4

How is diplomacy soft power?

Answer 4

• Soft power vs actual force
• Hard power nowadays is too costly
• ‘Co-optive’ power
• Influence: make everybody want what you want
• Importance
  
  • Making country/ideology/culture attractive: creating ability to establish international norms it favours
  • Aesthetic Cues: royal family etc
• Public diplomacy is one tool of soft power
  
  • Alongside aid, trade, cultural exchange, multilateral agreements

Question 5

How does diplomacy as soft power manifest?

Answer 5

• (Trade) Events (dressed up as cultural showcases)
• Digital diplomacy
• ‘Old’ media relations
• FDI
• International broadcasting
• Cultural diplomacy

Question 6

What is the point of using diplomacy as soft power?

Answer 6

• If a country/s culture and ideology are attractive, others will more willingly follow

Question 7

What is digital diplomacy?

Answer 7

• Two-level
  
  • Audiences: foreign governments and domestic population
  • Conflict between the two; can’t necessarily maximise both advantages
  • Issues are generally either irrelevant to one group or disagreed on
  • e.g. tariffs
• Conventional
  
  • Commissioners/diplomats with social media
• Less common
  
  • Direct attacks

Question 8

What are the effects of digital diplomacy?

Answer 8

• Media effects models
• Constant framing
• Encoding/decoding
• Agenda setting/priming
• Uses & gratifications

Question 9

What are ‘old’ media relations?

Answer 9

• Straight up public relations
• Press briefings
• Pursuing media outreach
• USA: aggressive in directing US coverage in foreign press
• AUS: softer touch - international media visits etc - softer touch

Question 10

What defines the media/foreign policy trade off?

Answer 10

• Two Level Games

* CNN Effect

Question 11

What are two level games?

Answer 11

• e.g. Iraq war? TPP?
• Domestic vs International
• Always a trade off

Question 12

What are the specifics of CNN effect?

Answer 12

• By covering events (Setting agendas, framing issues and priming viewers) the media becomes three things.
• Not mutually exclusive roles
• Decision making times are compressed
• ‘No response’ becomes impossible
• Urgency as a frame
  
  • Focus on the idea of ‘having to respond’

Question 13

What things does the media become in CCN effects?

Answer 13

• 1. A policy agenda-setting agent
     - Emotional, compelling coverage of atrocities or crises reorder foreign policy priorities
• 2. A impediment to the achievement off desired policy goals
     - Emotional - grisly coverage undermined morale - Gov may limit access, attempt to sanitise
     - Global, real time media constitute a threat to operational security
• 3. An accelerant to policy decision making
     - Media shortens decision making response times
     - Television diplomacy
     - Live TV may offer potential security-intelligence risks
     - Media as force multiplier - method of sending signals