Public diplomacy has become a very significant facet of world politics. Many states have used public diplomacy in an attempt to influence the population of another state in their favour. This is not by any means a new phenomenon. According to Joseph Nye, “In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, France promoted its culture throughout Europe. French not only became the language of diplomacy but was even used at some foreign courts,...After its defeat in the Franco-Prussian war, the French government sought to repair the nation’s shattered prestige...through the Alliance Francaise...” (Nye, 2004: p. 100) Being a citizen of a former British colony (which was under French rule on seven occasions spanning about 200 years and as a result of fourteen wars being fought), I can attest to the use of French public diplomacy via the Alliance Francaise. In my country, the French are generally viewed as a generous, caring and helpful people because of the work done through the Alliance Francaise and because of our close relations with neighbouring Martinique. Through the Alliance Francaise, the French government has undertaken a number of initiatives including offering free French classes to the public. The Venezuelan government through a sub-office of its embassy called the Venezuelan Institute operates in much the same way as the Alliance Francaise, providing services to the public while promoting its culture. My country has benefited greatly from many of the developmental initiatives offered by these two countries, and enjoys good relations with both of them.
www.alliance-francaise-antilles.org/en/saint-lucia/about-us.html
“The Pyramid” Alliance Francaise Building, Pointe Seraphine, Castries, Saint Lucia
A fairly recent development in the sphere of public diplomacy is celebrity diplomacy. I believe celebrity diplomacy is rather significant because of its potential to reach much further than conventional means of diplomacy. Since many people only participate in politics on a superficial level, they find it easier to embrace an issue if it is brought to their attention by a celebrity they admire than they would if it came from a politician . Since celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt have lent their voices to environmental issues, there has been a rise in awareness of environmental issues even though scientists and NGO’s such as Greenpeace have been talking about them for years. Another celebrity, John Legend has also, been actively singing the praises of the Millennium Promise initiative, aimed at ending extreme poverty in our generation, through his Show Me Campaign. All of these celebrities and others not mentioned here are using their status to mobilise the otherwise inactive citizens to pay attention to and to take part in the process of addressing and in some cases solving these issues, not only in their respective countries but all over the globe.
Brad Pitt
I must argue that celebrity diplomacy isn't really such a recent development. Celebrities have long had an association with political life, as the career of Ronald Reagan, the actor who became U.S. president, can testify. Not mention here the case where Terminator turns to Governator. Nevertheless, I must agree that the number of celebrity diplomats has risen significantly in the recent years. More than ever celebrities are using their fame to draw attention to a variety of charitable and social causes. Moreover, what is novel is the expansion of this activity from the local scene to the global arena. I think also that the global reach of celebrities needs to be taken seriously because celebrities often challenge the very function of traditional diplomacy as many of them have already an access to high range politicians and leaders(Bono). However, I don't think that celebrities who conduct diplomacy can be called real diplomats. I rather agree with Andrew Andrew Cooper, an author of book 'Celebrity Diplomacy', that celebrity diplomacy is more than a passing fad but less then professional diplomacy and is a phenomenon which need to be explored by international relations theorists.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that celebrities shouldn't be called diplomats. In as much as they have influence and engage in some acts of diplomacy, they should not be categorised as diplomats because they are simply identifiable faces attached to a cause and what they do is far less complex and certainly not specialised as opposed to what trained diplomats do. Also, in as much as they may be well intentioned, the title "diplomat" comes with responsibilities which celebrities are ill equiped (and quite possibly have no desire) to shoulder. Absolutely, the title of diplomat should be reserved for the professionals. Celebrity diplomacy will not go away. It is definitely one of those things which IR theorists cannot ignore.
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