Public diplomacy (PD) permits nation-states to influence attitudes abroad toward their foreign policy positions, while moderating the divisive effects of polarization. Cultural and economic globalization, and global tensions between authoritarian and liberal regimes continue to shape and reshape PD strategies. Shifts are particularly salient in East Asia where diplomats, local and national, must manage new challenges to military, medical, information, cultural and “human” security. This Session tracks evolving patterns of diplomacy in the region. Among the latter, the rise of local diplomacy in tandem with national diplomacy draws close attention.
Looking within to emerging patterns of state governance, we examine institutions of state and civil society shaping “knowledge diplomacy in flows of ideas, or market diplomacy in economic relations, and their recent policy initiatives. Evolving concepts of soft power and the developmental state provide direction. Case studies bring theory to practice, concept to case. We share a dual priority of advancing theories of the state role in shaping exchanges, while we bring to light critical developments in the direction and content of public diplomacy.
Diplomacy includes national and local jurisdictions, bilateral relations among states, and regional integration particularly important in contemporary inter-Asian affairs. Ranging across the multiple dimensions of diplomatic ties, we provide theoretically substantive and policy relevant analysis. We address three questions. What strategies old and new distinguish regional cultural and social diplomacy? What historical legacies promote or discourage more assertive diplomacy in the Asian region? How will resource diplomacy extend the understanding and acceptance of environmental initiatives? The panel will help define the current role of diplomacy in the region’s international relations.
