Public Diplomacy

At a november 12 informal brownbag discussion at the School of media and Public Affairs, Mr.Mark Asquino the deputy chief of mission at he U.S. embassy in Khartoum , Sudan discussed the current situation in Sudan and U.S. public diplomacy towards the region with students and faculty. In discussing some of the challenges of communicating U.S. policy towards Sudan , Asquino explained that the Obama administrations recent policy review had resulted in a comprehensive approach intended to adress the humanitarian and security dimensions of the Darfur crisis ensure the implementation of the referendum called for under the North-South Comprehensive Peace Agreement and support Sudan import efforts in counterterrorism. Questions centered on the prospects for successfully holding referendum on Southern Sudans future status. the modalities of revenue sharing of oil profits between the north and south ,and Sudans continuing critical development challenges.

Public opinion in the age of mass communication plays an increasing role in the political life of the states. For example Dag Hammarskjold, during his tenure as Secretary-General of the United Nations said that public opinion is "a living force in international affairs" and said that it is the "most important new factor in diplomacy". Public diplomacy involves not only creating a better understanding of the political objectives of the sending state and gaining support for its policies , but apart from this they are also creating an appeal for all aspects of its culture. Embassies are in good position to engage in public diplomacy. But unfortunately the spread of terrorism and insecurity of diplomatic premises are affecting these relations between the embassies and the public diplomacy. For example Michael Lewis wrote about the embassy that the United States rebuilt in Kenya after the 1998 bombing: "An embassy can speak to the world of Americas freedom and openness, and about its confidence as with the Kenya Embassy, its fear. And as these buildings change, so will the public face that America presents to the world. Some embassies go too far to keep the services of public relations firms in the host country to conduct outreach campaigns. and this made the lobbying in countries in which this form of political activity is allowed. it calls a growth industry. For example US firms provide a variety of services to foreign governments , including communication strategy, economic image development, export, tourism promotion, media relations, and so on, tasks that usually performed by embassy personnel. These facts shows that Public diplomacy is keep improving and that embassies plays one of the important roles in improving public diplomacy, and public relations between countries. There also links between Propaganda and Public diplomacy, propaganda has long been associated with the systematic spreading of lies. and it needs a euphemism. But public diplomacy was not the first euphemism for propaganda to be employed by governments; public diplomacy is not propaganda but something quite new and together enlightened. In the course of the 1990s more states accepted the euphemism in other words "public diplomacy" to describe their propaganda operations and in our days it is less or more ubiquitous.

Reference:http://www.gwu.edu/~ipdgc/events/

The dynamics of Diplomacy Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, page 191-192

Diplomacy Theory and Practice 4th edition G.R. Berridge,page 179-181