Public Diplomacy: a Conceptual Framework
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PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Joumane Chahine Graduate Program in Communications Department of Art History & Communication Studies McGill University Montreal August 2010 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfilment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy ©Joumane Chahine 2010 ABSTRACT Since its much publicized deployment in the wake of the September 11th attacks and during the subsequent so-called ―War on Terror,‖ public diplomacy has generated a substantial body of critical discourse emanating from both the professional and academic spheres. These analyses, however, have been for the most part empirical studies, aimed at strengthening the efficiency of the practice by identifying potential flaws or weaknesses in its current conception or application and offering possible correctives. Significant enquiries into the conceptual origins and evolution of the practice, on the other hand, have generally been rare and limited. This thesis proposes to remedy, in part, this lack by situating public diplomacy within a broader and deeper conceptual context. The term ―public diplomacy‖ only entered the lexicon of political and international affairs in the Cold War environment of the mid-1960s. It could however be argued that the essence of the practice –government communication with foreign publics— is as old as history itself. The primary purpose of this dissertation is to argue that public diplomacy, as the specific form taken by the practice of government communication with a foreign audience in the latter half of the twentieth century, is a distinctive product of the development and ultimate intersection of several discrete though somehow connected concepts in social and political thought. We shall seek to substantiate this claim by identifying three fundamental concepts that lie at the heart of the idea of public diplomacy –public opinion, civil society and the information age-- and charting their historical trajectory and various points of interaction. The main body of the dissertation will therefore be divided into three genealogical chapters, one for each of the elected concepts cited above. Throughout, and increasingly as the thesis progresses, these various evolutional paths will be correlated, their points of convergence highlighted, so as to gradually situate the birth of public diplomacy at the intersection of their trajectories. The conclusion will offer further reflections on the continued influence of this collection of notions on the more recent development of public diplomacy, and the implications these might entail for its future. iii RÉSUMÉ La notion de ―diplomatie publique‖ a inspiré un nombre considérable d‘études critiques, aussi bien professionnelles qu‘académiques, suite à sa mise en pratique particulièrement publicisée durant la ―guerre contre le terrorisme‖ déclarée par l‘administration Bush. Ces analyses, cependant, semblent s‘être principalement cantonnées à des considérations empiriques et prescriptives, cherchant surtout à identifier les faiblesses et mésinterprétations qui marqueraient l‘application actuelle de la "diplomatie publique", et à proposer certaines mesures correctives. Les recherches substantielles quant aux origines conceptuelles de la pratique, en revanche, ont été, d‘une manière générale, rares ou du moins limitées. Cette thèse tente de remédier à cette lacune en cherchant à placer l‘idée de "diplomatie publique" dans un contexte conceptuel plus étendu et approfondi. Si la diplomatie traditionnelle exprime l‘effort d‘un état pour rallier à sa cause un ou plusieurs autres états, la "diplomatie publique", elle, consiste pour un état à faire passer son point de vue, non parmi ses homologues sur la scène internationale, mais au sein de la population de ces derniers. Bien que l‘essence de la pratique ne soit pas nécessairement récente, l‘appellation "diplomatie publique" (qui manque à ce jour d‘équivalent exact en français) est relativement jeune, ayant fait son entrée dans le lexique de la politique internationale aux Etats-Unis dans les années soixante, en pleine Guerre Froide. L‘objectif principal de cette thèse est de démontrer que la "diplomatie publique," comme forme singulièrement contemporaine de communication entre un gouvernement et un public étranger, est le produit distinct du développement et des entrecroisements de plusieurs concepts fondamentaux de la pensée politique et sociale. Afin de justifier cette proposition, nous identifierons trois concepts essentiels à l‘idée de "diplomatie publique" –l‘opinion publique, la société civile, et "l‘âge de l‘information"-- et soumettrons chacune de ses notions à une étude généalogique détaillée. Au fur et à mesure que la thèse avancera, ces différents cheminements conceptuels seront corrélés, leurs points de convergence mis en évidence, de manière à progressivement situer la genèse de la "diplomatie publique" à l'intersection de leurs trajectoires. S‘appuyant sur ces observations, la conclusion ouvrira un nouveau champ de réflexion en examinant leurs retombées possibles sur le futur de la pratique. iv To J. G. H., in memoriam ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A PhD thesis may be a long and solitary journey, but its accomplishment relies vastly upon the continuous, at times even abused, support and generosity of others. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Will Straw, whose unwavering encouragement and fortifying rigor steered me throughout. Continually present, he egged me on when my enthusiasm ebbed, and reined me in when it threatened to lead me astray. I know his patience must have been tried during the process, even if he would never let it be felt. The inspiration, the challenge, and the complicity he constantly provided not only made this thesis possible, but also tremendously rewarding. I feel greatly fortunate to have been able to pursue my research in the stimulating and welcoming environment of the Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University. I am particularly grateful to Jenny Burman and Becky Lentz for their critical input at an early stage, to Darin Barney for an invigorating exchange on ―the network society,‖ and to Don McGregor for awakening my interest in political propaganda and other forms of ―strategic influence,‖ and thereby changing the course of my academic and professional trajectory. Although that was not perhaps his initial intent, Grant McCracken inspired me to look at the Middle East and its intractable ills from a fresh angle and for that I shall always remember him. The subject may not appear relevant to this dissertation at first sight, but it is, in many ways, the cornerstone of its circuitous genesis. Scholarship is a privileged pursuit that allows one to lose sight, at times, of the tedium of practical realities and bureaucratic concerns. Thankfully, Maureen Coote was always there to ensure requirements were met, forms were filled, and administrative anxieties kept at bay. Heather Empey and Charles Fletcher provided invaluable technical help when technology failed me, as it often tends to, in the final stages. I must also thank the irreplaceable E. K. for allowing me to experience at first hand, and in a uniquely stimulating and at times surreal environment, the trials and tribulations of public diplomacy and political communication in the Middle East. The experience was all the more enriched by my Beirut colleagues and accomplices Michael Karam, Erja Kaikkonen, Adib Basbous, Nadim Shehadi, and the late Samir Kassir who, along with too many others, paid a heavy price for his political engagement in a region where disapproval from above is still allowed to translate, with obscene frequency, into assassination. vii These acknowledgements would not be complete, of course, without recognition of the wide array of contributions by family and friends whom I feel compelled to list alphabetically for lack of an appropriate alternative: Karim Basbous, Ingrid Bejerman, Brian Bitar, Tamara Chalabi, Renée Chidiac, Janie Duquette, Lina El-Baker, Ioana Georgescu, Emmanuelle Jordan, Charles Mardini, Marco Müller, Yasmine Nachabe, Fouad Nahas, Tom Streithorst, and Tom Wilder. A special mention is due to Dem and Lenny who were always by my side. I am also terribly thankful to my beautiful and spirited step-children, Mathew, Rachel, Margo and Elizabeth, for keeping me grounded in an always eventful reality. Finally, none of this would have been possible without Claude and John, my mother and husband, who, throughout this project, gave much and got little in return, from a faraway daughter and a largely absent wife. And without my father, who left early and abruptly, but whose irrevocable absence has become a continuous form of presence. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract iii Résumé iv Acknowledgements vii Table of Contents ix Preface 1 Chapter I. An Introduction to Public Diplomacy 7 Chapter II. Public Opinion 63 Chapter III. Civil Society 129 Chapter IV. The Information Age 191 Chapter V. Concluding Remarks 251 Bibliography 263 ix PREFACE As genealogical considerations will be central to this dissertation, it is perhaps fitting to begin with a few words about its own genesis. In the spring of 2004, one year after the invasion of Iraq by the US-led coalition and having just completed my PhD course work, I was offered a post at an institutional communications firm based in Beirut. The company operated throughout the Middle East and, during the final interview, my future boss, whose demeanour still bore traces of his former incarnation as an advertising