Soft power at home and abroad: Sport diplomacy, politics and peace-building

2013 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 235-243 ◽  
Author(s):  
Håvard Mokleiv Nygård ◽  
Scott Gates
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Peace Building ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
Image Building ◽  
The One ◽  
Playing Fields

Soft power is the power to persuade whereby one actor in a non-coercive manner convinces another to want the same things he/she wants. Sport can be used as tool of soft power both internationally and domestically. Peace-building and nation-building can be achieved through four mechanisms of sport diplomacy and politics: image-building; building a platform for dialogue; trust-building; and reconciliation, integration and anti-racism. These mechanisms are not deterministically controllable and can have unintended consequences. On the one hand, sporting events can be used as a means of building trust between adversaries. On the other, the hostilities between peoples can be mirrored on playing fields. This article examines the intended and unintended consequences of each mechanism. It also examines the role of confounding economic factors. Each article comprising this Special Issue explores a different mechanism of sport politics and public diplomacy.

Maximising Soft Power: the Role of Digital Diplomacy in Building Trust with Nation-Branding

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Jess Gosling
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Essential Role ◽  
Nation Branding ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
The Creation ◽  
Digital Diplomacy

Perceptions of attractiveness and trustworthiness impact the prosperity and influence of countries. A country's soft power is not guaranteed. Countries have their brands, an image shaped by the behaviour of governments, by what they do and say, whom they associate with, and how they conduct themselves on the global stage. Increasingly, digital diplomacy plays a crucial role in the creation and application of soft power. This paper argues that digital diplomacy is increasingly vital in the articulation of soft power. Digital diplomacy is a new way of conducting public diplomacy, offering new and unparalleled ways of building trust with previously disengaged audiences. Soft power is now the driving force behind reputation and influence on the global stage, where increasingly digital diplomacy plays an essential role.

Ichiro the Public Diplomat: Professional Sport as Cultural Intermediary in Configuring US-Japan Relations

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-104
Author(s):  
Derek Moscato
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Baseball ◽  
Policy Issues ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Engagement ◽  
Public Sentiment ◽  
Survey Responses

Summary This study examines the confluence of sport and soft power within public diplomacy. It analyses professional baseball player Ichiro Suzuki’s role in the United States as a sporting ambassador from Japan — potentially catalysing goodwill, cultural interest, perceptions of national personality traits and even views of policy issues such as international trade and country relations. In doing so, this research draws from non-state public diplomacy, which considers the transnational impacts of non-traditional communication vehicles such as cultural and sporting exchanges. It measures US public sentiment towards Japan through quantitative analysis of survey responses collected by Pew Research Center in conjunction with the Sasakawa Peace Foundation. The success of Japan’s cultural and sporting exports highlights their potential and realised role in binding national ties. Furthermore, Tokyo’s hosting of the Summer Olympiad emphasises the role of sport not only as a vehicle for competition and entertainment but also its utility in global engagement.

8. The twenty-first century and smart power

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph S. Nye
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Us Foreign Policy ◽  
First Century ◽  
Global Information ◽  
Smart Power ◽  
Twenty First Century

This chapter examines US foreign policy as ‘smart power’, a combnation of hard and soft power, in the twenty-first century. The beginning of the twenty-first century saw George W. Bush place a strong emphasis on hard power, as exemplifed by the invasion and occupation of Iraq. This was evident after 9/11. While the war in Iraq showcased America’s hard military power that removed a tyrant, it failed to resolve US vulnerability to terrorism; on the contrary, it may have increased it. The chapter first considers the Obama administration’s reference to its foreign policy as ‘smart power’ before discussing Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ policy, the role of power in a global information age, soft power in US foreign policy, and how public diplomacy has been incorporated into US foreign policy.

scholarly journals The EU’s Potential Role in the Six Party Talks and the North Korean Nuclear Crisis

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew S. Millard ◽  
Chae-Deug Yi
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Northeast Asia ◽  
Nuclear Program ◽  
Building Trust ◽  
The North ◽  
Nuclear Crisis ◽  
The Eu

AbstractDiscourse on the Six Party Talks has focused solely on denuclearisation. Through the power struggles of the members and the refusal of the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) to return to negotiations, the Six Party Talks have been stalled since 2008. Due to current increased tensions and the use of brinkmanship tactics the Talks must be restarted, albeit under a reformed shape. This paper analyses the potential role of the EU in furthering the peace process in Northeast Asia. This paper suggests that the EU needs to be more assertive and the Talks should focus on building trust and cooperation, not on the DPRK’s nuclear program. With its impartiality, experience in integration and use of soft power, the EU can act as an effective mediator building trust.

scholarly journals ROLE OF ISLAM IN MALAYSIA’S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: ABDULLAH BADAWI ADMINISTRATIONS

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Nur Fareha
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Policy Making ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Prime Minister ◽  
Constructivist Approach ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Common ◽  
Common Perception ◽  
International Events

This paper investigates the role of Islam in Malaysia’s as a reform on soft power tools under the leaderships of Malaysia’s fifth Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Badawi. The study emphasis the reform in policy making, philosophies and approaches of the premiers in developing an understanding of the importance of Islam’s role in Malaysia’s public diplomacy. The research also determines the influence of international events in the public diplomacy policies. The study takes a constructivist approach and includes faith diplomacy into the realm of public diplomacy. This study has achieved its objective of understanding Islamic public diplomacy in Malaysia’s administration and should be useful for developing future policies of public diplomacy for domestic and international consumption. It is an interesting reflection of this study that the common perception that Abdullah’s public diplomacy was not successful is incorrect; this perception is founded on the labelling that Abdullah’s version carried, which is because Abdullah, true to his character and personality, embraced and enriched previous premiership Islamization principles, without wanting to change them. Though there are arguments as discussed that Islam Hadhari declined, it only declined in the domestic context. In the international arena it appealed to a much wider audience.

scholarly journals The Role of Iran’s «Soft Power» in Confronting Iranophobia

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 216-238
Author(s):  
S. M. Mirmohammad Sadeghi ◽  
R. Hajimineh
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
American Foreign Policy ◽  
International System ◽  
Islamic Republic ◽  
Domestic Sphere ◽  
Islamic Republic Of Iran

«Soft power» is a set of activities designed by a government or regional and international actors aimed to influence external public opinion, promote external image or attract support for a particular policy, which is implemented through all the available tools and new technologies. The non-governmental actors also play an effective and important role in this diplomacy. Considering the public diplomacy and soft power of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a deliberate and conscious approach can be of great importance in the country's grand strategies that will strengthen national interests in the domestic sphere and influence them at regional and global levels. The article analyzes the role of Iran’s soft power in confronting Iranophobia. The study is aimed at presenting a theoretical definition of public diplomacy and soft power in foreign policy and international system, and then examines its role in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran with an emphasis on confronting Iranophobia.The authors answer the research question: “What is the role of soft power in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in confronting Iranophobia?” The research method is descriptive-analytical based on historical evidence, documents, and analytical issues of theorists, authors, and media being expressed in the theoretical framework of soft power. The paper is based on a synthesis of Stephen Walt’s “balance of threat” theory with Alexander Wendt’s social constructivism to explain the Iranian “threat” in American foreign policy.The findings of this research show that without the use of force and disturbing the balance in the international relations, using a variety of tools and instruments the Iranian public diplomacy and soft power might be effective to reduce the global and regional atmosphere of Iranophobia and undermine anti-Iranian solidarity.

scholarly journals The role of museums in Russia’s and China’s cultural diplomacies

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 865-882
Author(s):  
Vladimir I. Fokin ◽  
Elena E. Elts
Keyword(s):  
Soft Power ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
One Belt One Road ◽  
Cultural Exchanges ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Moment ◽  
The One ◽  
Revolutionary History

Russia and China have both shown increasing interest in the promotion their cultural achievements and have utilized culture as essential soft-power resource. Moreover, the concept of ‘soft power’ has gained popularity in Russia’s and China’s academic and political discourse. Russian-Chinese cultural cooperation is gaining momentum due to this exchange, and the scale and the depth of the cultural projects have expanded. At the moment, museums are involved in development of diplomatic relations, including within the framework of friendship societies, and through the development of the Russian-Chinese tourism. ‘Red tourism’ (it means visiting the monuments of the revolutionary history of Russia) in particular has expanded through the implementation of cultural seasons, Cross-Years of Culture, and the promotion of cultural exchanges of contemporary art. As shown in the case of Hermitage, Moscow Kremlin Museums, National Museum of China, Palace Museum ‘Gugong’ in Beijing, famous world museums have been carrying out the ambitious development programmes, scaling up their resource capacities, and since the beginning of the 21st century have begun to promote their brand. The article considers the potential for museums to participate in the development of bilateral relations, and in improving the foreign-policy image of both countries. The authors’ research reveals the features of museum diplomacy, areas of museums’ international activities that enhanced the efficiency of Russia’s and China’s soft power and identifies the common avenues for disseminating the neoliberal messages in museum sphere. Moreover, particular attention is paid by the authors’ to ‘soft power’ rankings and to lists of the most visited museums. Furthermore, new modalities of international museum cooperation are discussed by the authors, with a focus on areas of joint collaboration within the framework of SCO, BRICS, and the “One belt, one road” initiative. The authors conclude that there is a need to improve the legal framework for Russian-Chinese museum cooperation in response to the deepening interaction and transformation of the role of museums in both international and bilateral relations.

scholarly journals Ambassadeurs op het sportfront : Sport, politiek en diplomatie tijdens de Spaanse Burgeroorlog (1936-1939)

2021 ◽  
Vol 133 (4) ◽  
pp. 639-658
Author(s):  
Enrico Castro Montes
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Spanish Civil War ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Sporting Events ◽  
Left Wing ◽  
Sports History ◽  
Nation States ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Ambassadors on the Sports Front: Sports, Politics and Diplomacy during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939)This article examines the role of sports in the international politics and diplomacy of nation states in wartime. Through a case study on public diplomacy during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), this article shows how sport could influence international public opinion. By focussing on some lesser-known international sporting events from this period, such as the 1937 Labour Olympiad in Antwerp, this article will move away from the dominant focus in sports history on mega-events such as the Olympic Games. Although research about the relationship between sports and diplomacy has grown in recent years, it has barely taken into account the influence of a war context on sport and diplomacy. This article attempts to fill this gap by analysing left-wing Belgian and Spanish newspapers, archives of the Belgian workers' sports movement, and unused source material from the FIFA archive.

scholarly journals PERAN DIPLOMASI PUBLIK DALAM MEMPERKUAT HUBUNGAN BILATERAL INDONESIA - AMERIKA SERIKAT PADA MASA PEMERINTAHAN SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO (2004 – 2014)

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina Puspita Plehanku
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Main Principle ◽  
Positive Image ◽  
Bilateral Relations ◽  
American Society

Abstract Public Diplomacy as a part of soft power has been the main principle of Indonesia’s diplomacy under President Yudhoyono. Due to the ineffectiveness of Track 1 Diplomacy, Government-to-Government (G2G) relations, in promoting the positive image of Indonesia, the role of public diplomacy becomes important. Thus, public diplomacy practice which involves all aspects of society; Government to Government (G2G), Government to People Contact (G2P), and People to People Contact (P2P), is relevant in order to promote Indonesia to American society and strengthening its bilateral relations as well. This research, therefore, is trying to discuss the role of public diplomacy in strengthening the RI-US bilateral relations and its benefits to Indonesia’s foreign policy. The findings show that public diplomacy contributes in strengthening RI-US bilateral relations by the use of public diplomacy instruments such as cultural and educational exchanges, official visits and social media. Keywords: Soft Power, Public Diplomacy, RI-US Bilateral Relations.

scholarly journals Diplomasi Publik Pemerintah Kabupaten Samosir melalui Festival Samosir Music International 2018

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Daniel Walman Hutasoit ◽  
Windy Dermawan
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Research ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Soft Power ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
Strategic Communication ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Music Community

The purpose of this article is to describe how public diplomacy is carried out by the Samosir Regency Government through the festival Samosir Music International 2018. The concepts used in this article are the three dimensions of public diplomacy by Joseph Nye; Soft Power; and Sub-Actors national in Public Diplomacy. This research used qualitative research methods. This research found that festival Samosir Music International 2018 had utilizied the role of mass media as a daily communication. In order to create more efficient and targeted communication, the Samosir Regency Government had conducted a series of events and the Indonesian music community as a strategic communication medium. In the end, the relationships between related actors, such as national and international music communities, artists, and media partners were the supporters of the creation of sustainable long-term Relationships.  Artikel ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan diplomasi publik yang dilakukan Pemerintah Kabupetan Samosir melalui festival Samosir Music International 2018. Konsep yang digunakan ialah: tiga dimensi publik oleh Joseph Nye (Komunikasi Sehari-hari, Komunikasi Strategis, dan Pembangunan Hubungan Jangka Panjang), Soft Power, dan Aktor Sub-nasional dalam Diplomasi Publik. Artikel ini menggunakan metode kualitatif deskriptif. Artikel ini menemukan bahwa festival Samosir Music International tahun 2018 memanfaatkan peran media massa sebagai media komunikasi sehari-hari. Demi menciptakan komunikasi yang lebih efisien dan terarah, Pemerintah Kabupaten Samosir melakukan rangkaian acara dan para komunitas musik Indonesia sebagai media komunikasi strategis. Pada akhirnya, hubungan yang terjalin atara aktor-aktor terkait, seperti para komunitas musik nasional maupun internasional, artis, dan media partner yang menjadi pendukung terciptanya pembangunan hubungan jangka panjang yang berkesinambungan

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