Traditional diplomacy and popular diplomacy

Ahmed Aqeel Abdel

Diplomacy, like other fields of knowledge, has witnessed several developments over its long history. Public diplomacy is one of the forms of modern diplomacy. Around the world, the term "popular diplomacy" is used to describe its activities directed towards foreign peoples. Based on the foregoing, this paper examines the nature of the relationship between traditional diplomacy practiced by countries since ancient times and popular diplomacy, which is relatively recent.

First: traditional diplomacy

Diplomacy is one of the tools for implementing foreign policy and the main means of communication between states. It is also an essential part of the rationale that justifies the existence of (international relations). It grants its bearer some privileges  , and was used in the French language to refer to the work of the negotiator  , and the word (diplomacy) was not used to refer to the meaning that we know today, which is “the management of international relations” except at the end of the second half of the eighteenth century  , and diplomacy It is “science and art” together, as it is a science because it “requires knowledge of the legal and political relations of various countries, their interests, their historical traditions, and the provisions of treaties.” And the (Oxford) dictionary defines diplomacy as: “the management of international relations through negotiations, and the methods followed by ambassadors and envoys in managing and settling relations between states”  . From the foregoing, we conclude that diplomacy is the peaceful means upon which states rely to implement their goals and achieve their interests, and it is represented in the work of ambassadors and diplomatic envoys and the negotiations that they carry out.

Second: popular diplomacy

Public diplomacy is one of the forms of modern diplomacy, and as a result of the developments that traditional diplomacy went through  , and it expresses the development and expansion of the process of diplomatic communication after World War II to include (people), and transcend the boundaries of traditional diplomacy  .

Before addressing the definition of popular diplomacy, it should be noted that popular diplomacy has gone through two basic stages: the first is the stage of practice before the term is circulated and then the crystallization of its concept in academic studies, although the term popular diplomacy is relatively new, but we find that the practice of Popular diplomacy is ancient and has deep historical roots  , as man tends by nature to transfer his culture and beliefs to the other in order to influence him, and one of the examples of methods of communication with other peoples and winning their minds and hearts is the dealings of the first Muslim merchants with sincerity, honesty and respect with the peoples of Southeast Asia, which led To the influence of the peoples of those countries - some of which are known today as Indonesia and Malaysia - by Muslims, and then their conversion to the Islamic religion  .

There are those who attribute the practice of popular diplomacy to the idea of private international unions that appeared in the nineteenth century, specifically in the year (1840), which are unions characterized by their international character, established by groups of different peoples for the purpose of achieving common interests at the international level, through Holding international conferences, and examples of these unions are: the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the International Law Society, and the International Committee of the Red Cross  .

In subsequent ages, the practices of popular diplomacy increased as a result of the emergence of printing, as the political literature indicates that the emergence of the practice of popular diplomacy is linked to the emergence of printing in the fifteenth century, which helped spread ideas and culture, and then enabled states to contact many foreign peoples  , for example For example, we find that (Napoleon Bonaparte) had established a press agency known as (Monitor) and directed other newspapers to imitate them in their news and comments, and he also worked to control foreign newspapers, especially the English and German ones, through his diplomatic and administrative apparatus in those countries  .Based on the foregoing, popular diplomacy is described in much political literature as: “old wine put in a new bottle” ( ) indicating that the practice of popular diplomacy preceded the emergence of the term and its academic popularity by many decades.

As for the second stage, it is the stage of the emergence of the term popular diplomacy and the crystallization of its concept academically, as we find that the term popular diplomacy has been used since the middle of the nineteenth century onwards. In an article published in the London newspaper The Times on January 15, 1856, it was mentioned The term popular diplomacy in the context of talking about good example, dealing well with people, and criticizing the positions of former US President Franklin Pierce, as the term popular diplomacy came in a US government report quoted by The New York Times in January of the year (1871) In it, Samuel Cox, a member of the Democratic Party, addressed the hostile conspiracies of the Dominican State, and indicated that he believed in the followers of popular diplomacy. media ethics.

The term "popular diplomacy" appeared as an academic field in the United States of America in the year (1965), when (Edmund Gullion), a diplomat and dean of the Faculty of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, established the (Edward R. Murrow) Center whose publications described diplomacy Popularity is defined as: “the influence of public attitudes on the formation and implementation of foreign policy, and includes dimensions of international relations that lie outside traditional diplomacy, such as government formation of public opinion in other countries, interaction between special interest groups from different countries, and people’s awareness of international affairs and their impact on domestic politics, And communication between those whose job is to communicate, such as diplomats and foreign journalists, and the process of intercultural communication”  .

At the time, the term popular diplomacy received special attention within the United States of America, and the reason for this interest is due to the fact that the United States was in dire need of a new alternative to terms such as (propaganda) and (psychological warfare), in order to distinguish its activities directed at peoples abroad from the policies that Followed by the former Soviet Union, as well as the US Information Agency (United States Information Agency) welcomed the term of granting its members the status of diplomats, as they did not enjoy high positions in the diplomatic corps  .

The diplomat (G. R. Berridge) believes that the most important reason behind the spread and circulation of the term popular diplomacy is the ambiguity of the term itself. It is (the US Information Agency)” ( ), and in the 1990s, many State Departments began to use the term public diplomacy to describe their activities directed towards foreign peoples ( ).

We conclude from the foregoing that the practice of popular diplomacy preceded the emergence of the term by decades, and that the term popular diplomacy was circulated without referring to its concept, as the concept was crystallized by academics and practitioners in the late stages of using the term.

Definition of public diplomacy

Popular diplomacy does not have a single definition agreed upon globally, as we find that most countries formulate their own definition of popular diplomacy based on the goals of their foreign policy and national interest  , and we also find researchers and diplomats each setting his own definition of popular diplomacy according to his vision and analysis of it.

We find that the Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California defines public diplomacy as: “a transparent means through which a state communicates with people in other countries, with the aim of educating and influencing them, with the aim of promoting the national interest and achieving the goals of its foreign policy.” . Nicholas J. Cull, a professor of public diplomacy at the University of Southern California, defines public diplomacy as: "a method of practicing foreign policy, which takes place through engagement and immersion in dealing with the masses in other countries”.

As defined by the diplomat (Hans N. Tuch), who is considered one of the founding fathers of American popular diplomacy, as: "the process of communicating governments with foreign peoples for the purpose of explaining their policies and national goals, and achieving an understanding of their values and the activities of their institutions and culture". And defined by the US State Department as: "government-sponsored programs aimed at informing or influencing public opinion in other countries”.

We conclude from the foregoing that popular diplomacy is: "the process of government communication with foreign peoples through the media, exchanges, and events, with the aim of forming a public opinion within their countries that is accepting, understanding, and supportive of the policies and objectives of the state that practices popular diplomacy."

Elements of public diplomacy

Public diplomacy consists of five main elements that can be identified as follows:

1- Listening: By listening, what is meant by listening is to understand the peoples who are being addressed and targeted by popular diplomacy programmes. In other words, it is not enough to deliver the message, but rather to listen to the opinions of the party to which the message is sent.

2- International Broadcasting: International broadcasting is an important element in the work of popular diplomacy, through which the targeted peoples are addressed, through television, radio stations, publications and publications, or social media.

3- Exchanges: Personnel exchanges between countries contribute to creating an environment of dialogue and understanding between the citizens of the country practicing popular diplomacy and the target peoples.

4- Cultural diplomacy: Cultural diplomacy helps in attracting the attention and interest of the targeted peoples by highlighting the country's culture, history, arts and language, and thus increasing its attractiveness abroad.

5- Advocacy: Advocacy is meant to gain support for the issues and objectives of the state by explaining and justifying its policies, behavior, and interests to foreign peoples.

Third: The nature of the relationship between traditional diplomacy and popular diplomacy

Countries were and still are following traditional diplomacy, which aims to establish relations with foreign governments and their diplomatic representatives. Thus, their embassies and governments, and this is what has become known as popular diplomacy. And the countries' emphasis on following popular diplomacy in their foreign policy does not mean that popular diplomacy will replace traditional diplomacy between countries, but it will affect the way ministries of foreign affairs and diplomats work. Here, the Center on Public Diplomacy believes that diplomats need to go beyond Bilateral diplomacy and multilateral diplomacy, building and establishing relationships with new global actors. Based on this, it can be said that popular diplomacy is symbiotic in its work with traditional diplomacy  , and that it aims to “create the appropriate environment” to achieve the goals pursued by traditional diplomacy  , and then it acts as a facilitator for traditional diplomacy, and believes (Nicholas J. Cull) ) that traditional diplomacy is the state's attempt to manage the international environment through participation with another country, while popular diplomacy is the state's attempt to manage the international environment by dealing with foreign peoples ( ), and here we find that traditional diplomacy and popular diplomacy share the same goal, which is ( International Environmental Management). Undoubtedly, traditional diplomacy differs in several respects from popular diplomacy, and the most prominent aspects of the differences between them can be identified as follows:

1- One of the essential differences between popular diplomacy and traditional diplomacy is that the direct goal of popular diplomacy is (people) in other countries, meaning that it seeks to contact foreign people, while we find that the goal of traditional diplomacy is (governments), as it seeks to contact governments And diplomatic representatives in countries  .

2- Popular diplomacy relies on the indirect method in its work, while we find traditional diplomacy characterized by its direct method  .

3- Popular diplomacy is characterized by transparency ( ) and is practiced openly ( ), while we find that traditional diplomacy exercises part of its work in secret.

4- Popular diplomacy often expresses many different opinions of individuals, organizations, and institutions, in addition to the official government views, and therefore its activity is broader in scope, less organized, and is not subject to the laws and protocols that govern the activity of traditional diplomacy of states  .

5- The period required by most of the activities of popular diplomacy is longer than the period of traditional diplomacy  .

6- Popular diplomacy involves a large number of actors such as international organizations, non-governmental organizations, companies and individuals, in contrast to traditional diplomacy carried out by official institutions in the state.

Conclusion

From the foregoing, it is clear to us that countries adopt popular diplomacy in addition to their traditional diplomacy in their foreign policy. Popular diplomacy is not a substitute for traditional diplomacy and will not replace it. Rather, it cooperates with it and works alongside it to achieve the goals that the state seeks.