Public and Cultural Diplomacy: Historical Perspectives

Public and Cultural Diplomacy: Historical Perspectives

Professor Jan Melissen Head of the Diplomatic Studies Programme at the Netherlands Institute of International Relations would timeframe the origins of public diplomacy as far back as the Bible or international relations in ancient Rome, Greece and Byzantium. However I must agree with Prof Melissen that the “real” public diplomacy started with the invention of the printing press, which certainly helps to enhance the communication with the foreign public. ‘It was not until the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century that the scale of official communication with foreign publics potentially altered.’ (Melissen 2007:3)There is often a certain amount of confusion (since the printing press was invented) in differentiating between public diplomacy and propaganda, Public Diplomacy seeks to promote the national interest of the state through understanding, informing and influencing foreign audiences; understandably this could be confusing, because i would argue that propaganda is aiming the same goals. Wilson Dizard, author of the book “Inventing Public Diplomacy” argues ‘that since propaganda can be based on fact, public diplomacy can be equated with propaganda i.e. ideas, information, or other material disseminated to win people over to a given doctrine. If based on falsehoods and untruths, while still propaganda, it is best described as "disinformation.’ Once again, Prof Melisen would argue that public diplomacy is ‘more than a form of propaganda conducted by diplomats.’ (Melissen 2007:11) I quite agree with the definition of public diplomacy – which in a way distinguishes public diplomacy from propaganda – by Professor and Head of Political Science at University of Minnesota: ‘public diplomacy is the process by which direct relations with people in a country are pursued to advance the interests and extend the values of those being represented’. In regards to cultural diplomacy, there is no connection between cultural diplomacy and propaganda, the clue is in the definition – which I did find quite interesting and comprehensive – by political scientist Milton C. Cummings ‘the exchange of ideas , information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture with the intention of fostering mutual understanding.’ (http://www.culturaldiplomacy.org/index.php?en_culturaldiplomacy) But than again, as always when we are talking about international relations (in the last twenty years) I would differentiate – especially talking about PCD – between the period of time during the Cold War and the Post-Cold War period; any kind of information in the time of the Cold War was used as a weapon, diplomatic communication was limited or hugely influenced by the “cold relationship” between the West and East, and I would argue, that the PCD was conducted more as a propaganda in a sense as propaganda is defined; “information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.”


I would recommend Wilson Dizard’s book as an interesting reading about Public Diplomacy, there is no need to buy this book, it is possible to read it online at googlebooks :)