The evaluation of Government 2.0 initiatives using a network analysis approach, has demonstrated the importance of understanding the type of the network which is being engaged through social media. The value of consciously considering whether the initiative will be centralised around Government or dispersed throughout society should not be overlooked. This may unlock the potential … Read More “#g2g” »
Category: Public Diplomacy
The ISA panel session; Bridging the gap between theory and practice in Public Diplomacy provided a useful opportunity to discuss how links could be strengthened between academics and practitioners. Accepting the premise that there is a gap between academics and practitioners I considered the means to create a bridge for theoretical perspectives to enter practice, … Read More “Networked R&D” »
New tech is changing the face of engaging with foreign populations, whether you’d like to call it PD 2.0 or not. Craig Hayden‘s post on CPD blog raises some important questions in this area and one of the key questions for different organisations will be through which of the spaces, platforms or technologies should they … Read More “To tweet or not to tweet, what is the question?” »
Came across this provocative analysis of British foreign policy and instruments such as The British Council. It suggests, amidst other media comment that “what British still has in spades is cultural powerâ€, that: The Council’s purpose is not to extend soft power; it is to build trust, engagement, and the genuine exchange of ideas. The alternative … Read More “Folly of soft power?” »
There have been many attempts to pin down what Public Diplomacy is about, and as I’m currently finishing editing The Trials of Public Diplomacy, this has been at the forefront of my mind. Rather than seeking another definition to encapsulate (or exclude) certain actors, methodologies, or bureaucracies, I’ve been seeking to think about what PD … Read More “Public Diplomacy is Changing the Odds” »
Like a marathon runner turning on to the Mall in London, the US election campaign has nearly reached the finish. As in 2004 , this election cycle has demonstrated the growing importance of online engagement and highlights the potential for PD organisations seeking to target the US, as more key influencers emerge and engage on … Read More “Engaging America Online” »
John Worne‘s International Relations Positioning Spectrum (IRPS), and Nick Cull‘s response provide interesting perspectives on the Cultural Relations / Public Diplomacy ‘divide’ and how work in the field is to be articulated. The IRPS appears a useful tool at the national level to help mediate in interdepartmental turf wars. However, the IRPS contains national peculiarities, … Read More “THE SPECTRUM OF SPECTRUMS: A REVIEW OF THE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS POSITIONING SPECTRUM” »
Today when funds in many countries are being restricted or greater impact demanded from the same level of funding, partnerships are seen as one way of responding to the escalating demands on Public Diplomacy. However, how far can a partnership go, and what is the ultimate demonstration of success? The example of the British Council … Read More “Partnership or enduring relationships, what's the most that can be expected?” »
James Glassman has been in the UK for the last couple of days, and along with marking 9/11 he has been celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Fulbright Programme at Downing Street, speaking at Chatham House and appearing on the Today Programme. Whilst his view of the rhetoric in the years immediately after 9/11 is … Read More “Glassman in the UK” »
John Brown’s Public Diplomacy press and blog review is back. Version 1 was a valuable resource and so far version 2 looks even better.