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Old Dominion University ODU Digital Commons Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Graduate Program in International Studies Dissertations Summer 2013 Soft oP wer Strategies in US Foreign Policy: Assessing the Impact of Citizen Diplomacy on Foreign States' Behavior Stephen Macharia Magu Old Dominion University Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gpis_etds Part of the International Relations Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Magu, Stephen M.. "Soft oP wer Strategies in US Foreign Policy: Assessing the Impact of Citizen Diplomacy on Foreign States' Behavior" (2013). Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), dissertation, International Studies, Old Dominion University, DOI: 10.25777/ e917-dr45 https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/gpis_etds/66 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Program in International Studies at ODU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ODU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SOFT POWER STRATEGIES iN US FOREIGN POL-ICY: ASSESSING THE IMPAC'l OF CITIZEN DIPLOMACY ON FOREIGN STATES’ BEHAVIOR by Stephen Machaiia Magu B.Ed (A) October 1999. Kenyatta University, Nairobi M.S.W. August 2007. Washington University, St. Louis A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Old Dominion University' in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY INTERNATIONAL STUDIES OLD DOMINION UNIVERSITY August 2013 DiwyU/f arnest (Director) Glen Sussman (Member) Heidi SchlipphacKe (Member) ABSTRACT SOFT POWER STRATEGIES IN US FOREIGN POLICY: ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF CITIZEN DIPLOMACY ON FOREIGN STATES’ BEHAVIOR Stephen Macharia Magu Old Dominion University, 2013 Chair: Dr. David C. Earnest This dissertation empirically demonstrates that the isolated effects of citizen diplomacy correlate positively with foreign policy behavior as a non-military, foreign policy strategic option. The dissertation also finds that soft power, of which citizen diplomacy is a key component, is a viable foreign policy strategy. The findings are important to the academy and to the foreign policy-making process for states in search of effective, non-military strategies that leverage foreign state needs and attributes to achieve their foreign policy goals. Using a mixed methods approach, the dissertation investigates the correlation between Peace Corps Volunteers (citizen diplomat) placement and congruent voting with the US at the UN General Assembly. The question of interest is, do citizen diplomat recipient countries vote more with the US at the UN General Assembly? Is there a difference in countries’ voting patterns on key votes than on all votes, and what are the implications of congruent voting behavior for US foreign policy? I develop several hypotheses and test for the effects of citizen diplomacy through four models: the omnibus, factors of bilateral attraction, host country variables and temporal and regional effects models. Using data from two sources, first, Voeten and Strehnev and second, Dreher, Strum and Vreeland, I find that in twelve of the sixteen models, citizen diplomacy is positively correlated with congruent voting with the US at the UN General Assembly. Countries vote more with the US at the UN on key votes than they do on all UN General Assembly votes (observed in seven of eight models). The level of democracy is positively correlated with congruent voting in four of eight models and also positively signed. The level of globalization. GDP per capita and region are important explanans for voting in congruence with the US at the UN General Assembly. As expected, failed states vote less in congruence with the US at the UN. These findings are augmented by case studies based on three qualitative models. The issue linkages model finds that the US links citizen diplomacy to its national security interests. The interpersonal model finds that citizen diplomats affect foreign policy through individuals and elites. The foreign policy approach finds that cit'zen diplomats have contributed to building and changing national infrastructure and development and thereby countries’ foreign policy trajectory. The dissertation concludes that citizen diplomacy matters: there is a positive and strong correlation between citizen diplomacy and foreign policy behavior of recipient states towards the US. As a soft-power strategy, citizen diplomacy is a viable foreign policy option. V To my mother, Mary Wanjiku Magu who represents the utmost faith and the noblest of dreams that a mother can have for her child. Thank you for always loving and supporting me. To Gideon, ■ LvdiahV & Grace even though you did not understand why I did this And to my many, beloved nephews and nieces for bringing constant joy to those that I care for most and to myself; And to my rather populous and geographically distributed family for the support, the laughter, the tears the shared and missed moments ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am especially indebted to my dissertation committee under Dr. David Earnest’s chairmanship - thank you, sir. for guiding and working with me through the constant panic. Thank you, Drs. Sussman and Schlipphacke for facilitating this journey. I am eternally grateful to my parents, Mr. & Mrs. Mary & James Magu, and Rugongo Primary School where it all started. Thank you, Starehe and the late Dr. Griffin, also: Peter, Joseph, Isaac and Philip -Ex-Rugongo Starehians. My sponsors, Charles & Brenda Symmons, Jette Fogelstrom and Save the Children Fund, and friends such as Joyce and George, and Githaiga; KU German classmates and Salekans - Ann, Huini, Wambui and my 1-4F class, to Washington University f for the Richard & Kathleen Parvis Scholarship), Njeri and Habiba for that airport pickup, C. Hounmenou, for your kindness, Kathleen, Comfort, Mohammed, Abena and Bernice for welcoming me to St. Louis, Mark H. X. Glenshaw, at Brown School OFF, and David and Elizabeth, my roommates. My gratitude to Washington University’s Global Service Institute, for the genesis of this dissertation; Community Connections and Amy Muhlbach’s Team; especially to Julia and Sarah & Mike (thank you; Sedgwick was pure furry therapy!). To many wonderful people I met in Norfolk, who inspired me: Patsy and Jansen Butler. Miriam, Oz, Alan. Regina & Aaron Karp. Louise, Valerie, Charisse, ODU MUN Society and ALL my Model United Nations class students and Margo Stamblek - I promised. Finally, to ALL my classmates at ODU, especially my sister Dr. Omar Hawthorne, and Dr. Swaminathan. And finally, to ODU’s Perry Library for providing a vastly improved space in which to contemplate citizen diplomacy and other mysteries. ABBREVIATIONS DSV Dreher, Sturm & Vreeland (data) FDI Foreign Direct Investments FP A Foreign Pol icy A nalysis H.DI Human Development Indicators IRI International Republican Institute NAM Non-AIigned Movement NCIV National Council o f International Visitors NDI National Democratic Institute OCED Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development PCV Peace Corps Volunteers UN United Nations UNGA United Nations General Assembly USAID United States Agency for International Development VS Voeten-Strezhnev (data) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES...............................................................................................................................x Chapter I. INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 CHAPTER OVERVIEW ...................................................................................................... I STUDY BACKGROUND................................................................................................... 3 RESEARCH FOCUS.............................................................................................................8 RESEARCH PROBLEM ....................................................................................................11 APPROACHES AND DATA............................................................................................13 CITIZEN DIPLOMACY ................................................................................................... 14 DEFINITION OF TERMS ................................................................................................34 SOFT POWER: NEW WINE IN OLD WINESKINS?...............................................34 CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARSHIP ON SOFT POWER...................................... 40 OVERVIEW OF THE DISSERTATION.......................................................................43 II. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK............... 47 INTRODUCTION AND CHAPTER ORGANIZATION..........................................47 FOREIGN POLICY MAKING PROCESSES............................................................. 48 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS................................................................................. 55 GAPS IN THE LITERATURE......................................................................................... 84 III. HYPOTHESES............................................................................................................................89 INTRODUCTION AND CHAPTER ORGANIZATION.......................................... 89 OVERVIEW OF THE SELECTED VARIABLES......................................................90 HYPOTHESES ORGANIZATION.................................................................................94

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