Упрощенная HTML-версия
Электронное приложение к журналу «
Международная жизнь
»
Author : A. Velikaya
Expert, The Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, Candidate of Science (Political Science)
TODAY, many countries rely on public diplomacy (PD) when dealing
with expert communities and civil society in other countries: foreign
policy is growing increasingly personalized all over the world making
PD dealing with specific circles of foreign audiences a useful and
very much needed instrument.
Public diplomacy, American PD being no exception, is closely con-
nected with national interests and national security; this means that
it should "execute campaigns and programs that engage the public
to advance U.S. foreign policy goals.... and provide platforms for pub-
lic engagement that prioritize individuals, facilitate long-term rela-
tionships" between people and the U.S. government with citizens of
other countries.1 This makes public diplomacy a foreign policy in-
strument used by state structures and the structures close to the state.
Barack Obama, who sought greater influence in the Russian World, revived the Voice of America
and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the remnants of the Cold War era, by setting up 35 Russ-
ian-language programs for the post-Soviet space in 2015.
The nation brand of the United States has been and is being formed by the business community,
big companies - the American Chamber of Commerce with its offices in 108 countries, and cul-
tural institutions - from McDonald's, Disney and Hollywood to the Smithsonian Institute and
Carnegie Hall. Many generations of Russian children loved the books about Tom Sawyer, Mau-
rice Gerald, Holden Caulfield, and Natty Bumppo. This allows the United States to actively ex-
ploit cultural diplomacy in its efforts all over the world, the post-Soviet space being no exception.
The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy that provides analytical assistance to Amer-
ica's public diplomacy was set up by the Congress in 1948 to elaborate new PD means and meth-
ods of assessment of their efficiency. Since 2013, it is vested with powers to compile annual
reports for the State Secretary and Congress.
Two hardly compatible tasks of American public diplomacy - attracting allies and opposing rivals
- make it harder to use this foreign policy instrument.
Alexandra Kollontay said in her time that diplomats should win new friends for their country.
This fully applies to PD specialists. The mission of American diplomats in the twenty-first cen-
tury is to help millions of people all over the world realize the American dream.
American Public Diplomacy in a Changing World