Public diplomacy: propaganda/public relations

Public diplomacy. It is often difficult to define. It is one state trying to get the public to agree on a certain issue, or inform them about it. But at some point, in informing the public, they try to convince them. This has been seen a lot recently with the public opinion becoming very important and influential. Politicians have to get the public onto their side. As well as diplomats. It is about improving the image of your country.

An example of public diplomacy is Barack Obama's speech on nuclear weapons in Prague in April 2009. It is about going to another country and making it known where the U.S. stands in relation to nuclear weapons. The fact that Obama said he would like to see his grandchildren or great-grandchildren live in a world free from nuclear weapons raised the United States' image because it encouraged people that the U.S. has a goal which the people side with, and gave them a positive view of the U.S. And the fact that it was held in Prague, he was addressing people not only in the Czech Republic, not only in Europe but people all over the world. Public diplomacy rests on getting the public to follow one's ideas, acts, or such. This speech got a lot of support from the public and from people everywhere.

This is the link where you can see Obama's speech:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/7984353.stm

Public diplomacy has a strong relation to soft power. As Joseph Nye says, 'soft power the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments.'

Propaganda might seem like a strong word for public diplomacy, but it is correct to a certain point. Public relations is yet another accurate word because you are trying to establish a bridge of communication between the public and the state. But it could be said that in the end, public diplomacy is selling an image. As Berridge says," 'Public diplomacy' is what we call our propaganda; 'propaganda' is what the other side does."