An intact public diplomacy
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Şubat 11, 2009 00:00
It’s very hard nowadays to catch Foreign Minister Ali Babacan in Turkey. He passed through Ankara late afternoon on Monday when he returned from Baku to meet his Ethiopian counterpart. Then he, on the same day, left for Luxembourg to hold talks and deliver a speech at a conference. He has spent his weekend in Munich where he attended the famous international security conference. He had the chance to meet with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and other top officials, a first encounter since Barack Obama resumed his post last month.
It is very natural for a foreign minister to travel a lot as he is tasked to handle all foreign issues. He is doing what he has to do: diplomacy.
However, in today’s world, diplomacy can only be meaningful and efficient if it goes hand in hand with public diplomacy. This term was first used by an American academic Edmund Gullion in 1965 who described it as:
"Public diplomacy deals with the influence of public attitudes on the formation and execution of foreign policies. It encompasses dimensions of international relations beyond traditional diplomacy; the cultivation by governments of public opinion in other countries; the interaction of private groups and interests in one country with those of another; the reporting of foreign affairs and its impact on policy; communication between those whose job is communication, as between diplomats and foreign correspondents; and the processes of intercultural communications."
It further says, "central to public diplomacy is the transnational flow of information and ideas." Or, something that our foreign policy executors are never intended to do.
Our foreign minister and his close advisers could consider brief press conferences or taking a few columnists abroad to allow for enough of a flow of information on thick foreign policy issues. Thanks to frequent passengers of Babacan’s aircraft, the public is becoming informed about where Babacan is and where he is heading. This understanding neither complies with the government’s goals of implementing "active regional and beyond regional policies." Because Prime Minister Erdoğan and his right hand man, Ahmet Davutoğlu’s foreign policy implementation also envisages "a good amount of public diplomacy notion."
Given the fact that it was Erdoğan himself who wished to come together with Israeli President Shimon Peres at a conference, his spat at Davos could perfectly be considered as a good sample of the cultivation of public opinion at home and in other countries. It needs to be said, he does not always give good samples of public diplomacy, just like in the case of bashing diplomats to praise his own way of diplomacy.
At a time when diplomats are under pressure, the foreign minister should take more initiative on that front.
However, in today’s world, diplomacy can only be meaningful and efficient if it goes hand in hand with public diplomacy. This term was first used by an American academic Edmund Gullion in 1965 who described it as:
"Public diplomacy deals with the influence of public attitudes on the formation and execution of foreign policies. It encompasses dimensions of international relations beyond traditional diplomacy; the cultivation by governments of public opinion in other countries; the interaction of private groups and interests in one country with those of another; the reporting of foreign affairs and its impact on policy; communication between those whose job is communication, as between diplomats and foreign correspondents; and the processes of intercultural communications."
It further says, "central to public diplomacy is the transnational flow of information and ideas." Or, something that our foreign policy executors are never intended to do.
Our foreign minister and his close advisers could consider brief press conferences or taking a few columnists abroad to allow for enough of a flow of information on thick foreign policy issues. Thanks to frequent passengers of Babacan’s aircraft, the public is becoming informed about where Babacan is and where he is heading. This understanding neither complies with the government’s goals of implementing "active regional and beyond regional policies." Because Prime Minister Erdoğan and his right hand man, Ahmet Davutoğlu’s foreign policy implementation also envisages "a good amount of public diplomacy notion."
Given the fact that it was Erdoğan himself who wished to come together with Israeli President Shimon Peres at a conference, his spat at Davos could perfectly be considered as a good sample of the cultivation of public opinion at home and in other countries. It needs to be said, he does not always give good samples of public diplomacy, just like in the case of bashing diplomats to praise his own way of diplomacy.
At a time when diplomats are under pressure, the foreign minister should take more initiative on that front.