The UK’s public and cultural
diplomacy is an ambitious work in
progress which needs some improvements. The UK has interests to pursue and to
protect and a position to maintain but may need to learn from others. Public
and cultural diplomacy are useful tools in the armoury in order to develop
strategies and put them in place so that they can work to achieve these aims.
Since the sun set on the Empire the narrative has been about managing diminishing resources
as well as possible. Managing resources at home and seeking them abroad and
doing these tasks well.
The ‘deep, deep sleep of England
from which I sometimes fear that we shall never wake till we are jerked out of
it by the roar of bombs.’ So wrote George Orwell of the state of ‘England’. Along the way it has become clear
as the diplomatic crystal that change and transformation of the existing
arrangements is fundamental. The ‘decolonising of the mind of accepted truths
and received wisdom’ (Mark Curtis,p323,
Unpeople) is required to help rein in the excesses. It is in our interest at this time to liberate and self-educate
with this end in mind.
In this essay I aim to explore
the ways that public and cultural diplomacy contribute to the maintenance costs
of keeping Britannia afloat on the high seas. I will also look at the relative
importance of the UK and how this is managed.
Public diplomacy has taken the
mantle of responsibility for what was propaganda. The UK has had an
‘exceptional’ position in the world from the days of Empire to the Commonwealth.
This has been helped by a strategic approach, one of Wilton Park Conferences,
Diplomacy Reviews, diplomacy boards and many examples of modern fusion. Whilst
it is good that there is public discourse of public diplomacy the last thing
our Westminster elite want is for the public to start dictating policy through
new channels of communication. This is a threat to the established elite, the
educated elites. After all ‘they’ know what is best for all of us and ‘they’
know how to put on a show with a bit of pomp and circumstance. As Bill Hicks
might have said, ‘Go back to bed (you
Brits) your ‘Homes are safe’.
The British Council (BC) is an excellent vehicle for the UK’s image
abroad. It has an unrivalled collection of art in its vaults that can be
transported around the world on a constant mission of attracting the
sympathetic traveller to our shores. There are over 960 original works in the
collection. (The British Collection, 1984) It is a great collection of
representative art from the UK. Artists are often prepared to give their work
to the BC. ‘The principle aim of the British Council is to promote overseas an
enduring understanding and appreciation of UK through cultural, educational and
technical cooperation’. (p9, BC)
And we have so many ways to
show the world that we are good at putting on events. A royal wedding this
year, followed next year by the Diamond Jubilee
then the Olympics. Meanwhile most of us continue to look at the rising
price of a loaf of bread and the cost of a litre of petrol .
Public Diplomacy was once
propaganda but as the broadcaster Ed Murrow once said ‘Truth is the best
propaganda’.
The independence of the BBC
World Service is understood and it is needed to maintain the UK’s reputation.
This took a knock doing the Iraq WMD[1]
claims that lead to the Iraq war and involved the BBC itself in a prime example
of public diplomacy in action.
‘Always it is important to
keep the end purpose clear’ John Lenczowski (2007)
To harness and influence create
a positive view of the UK and its people, culture, policies to encourage more
cooperation and to change the policies of others, and other nations and to
impact their influence to bring about ‘political and cultural influence in
foreign lands.’(J.Michael Waller, 2007).
The enemy of clear language is
insincerity. All issues are political and politics is a mass of lies evasions,
folly, hatred and schizophrenia.
So with this in mind we seek
to spread the word and image of the UK abroad through the British Council and
the BBC World Service.
Recent rules on immigration
have done harm to this countries cultural perceptions. Recently arts
organisations in London have been forced to
cancel performances by artists who have been caught in the clampdown on
immigration since the Coalition government started. A staggering 42% of groups
polled by the GLA in March 2011 said that changes to the immigration system had
affected their ability to put on performances by foreign artists. Kristin
Ostling, Polina Semionora and Huang Xu have all suffered because of the
stupidity of a lack of joined-up government. Temporary visas refused for
artists engaged in cultural diplomacy that affects the way we see the US,
Russia and China and affect the way artists will view the UK. Lord Clancarty
said that “artists visiting Britain on temporary basis is not an immigration
issue but about cultural exchange and it is our worldwide reputation for this
which is being damaged. (21.3.2011, Rob Parsons, Evening Standard)
To Bismarck public diplomacy
was about ‘manipulating the media to
communicate to a public audience in a one directional way about Germany’s
foreign policy’. Succesful PD today is all about more sophisticated forms
of inter-cultural communication. (Pigman, 2010)
Presenting the UK as modern and
vibrant and as a potential sports hub to the world is very much a part of the
new message for the world. London has a strong image all ready. (Pigman,p127)
Many previous Prime Ministers and Home Secretaries have helped this aim in many
ways by selling the UK abroad with the help of investment, tourism and trade
using access to the sporting contests of the world. The Olympics 2012 is aiming to create a
sporting legacy for the UK.
But managing cultural
diplomacy is a difficult process which can be upset by Fatwas and teddy bears.
But then it can be improved by sending the head of state and carefully
selected members of that family to do some diplomatic carpentry.
In 2007 the Queen went to
Kentucky to watch the races with President Bush and received some gifts. The
exchanging of gifts being seen as important and symbolic, and of culturally
significance.
In cultural terms in the arts
it is sometimes difficult to know what works effectively. The investment cannot
always be so clearly connected to outcomes in PD.
Sports is a binding force for
change ‘a mediation of the estrangement between peoples’, the British have had
huge impact in the origins of sporting cultural diplomacy in the world. To list
a few that the UK helped create but may not have any control over any more
there is FIFA, the ICC, International Rugby and the International Tennis
Federation. But this does sometimes throw up awkward international diplomacy
situations such as the recent England cricket tour of Zimbabwe which was called into
question and lead to England's withdrawal from the proposed tour.
The Church of England’s
mediating role is a useful cultural peace-making role. In as much as diplomacy
has an important role in reducing the possibility of war, conflict, in reducing
poverty and inequality. More cultural exchanges are needed but preferably
without the involvement of the government. Independence is key to these successful
enterprises. When the FCO[2]
tries to take the credit the public and cultural diplomacy message stalls.
As a young diplomat Carne Ross had a mission
to show that big structural organisations do not have all the solutions or the ability
to help the smaller state. Not all politics is local. But some would disagree.
To Carne Ross the ‘discourse of diplomacy has to be returned to earth’ to get
the pretentious and confused terminologies out of the way.
It is better to see what that
quality of homogenisation in the world does for PD.
As Ross says ‘there is nothing
special about diplomacy. It requires no particular genius to practise, The
doors of (public) diplomacy are closed in part to obscure this truth’. ( Carne
Ross, 2007)
Carne Ross points out that
diplomats were afraid of the consequences of the Freedom of Information Act. To
help improve PD in maintaining itself it should be required that UK ambassadors
are accountable and have to address an annual parliamentary PD committee.
Ross suggests the abolition of
the top cadre of diplomat altogether because 1) their ‘position reaffirms the
separate nature of diplomacy and international relations when they are
inextricably linked’( Ross p209). 2) Diplomatists are generalists such that
often scientific ideas are beyond diplomats comprehension.
3) The wishes and needs of a
country are needlessly bound up in one diplomatic embassy and ambassador which
is often too much centralised power centred in one. 4) Promoting multiple links
at multiple levels between. 5) Diplomats on the ground are no good at spotting
seismic shifts on the ground as happened in Tehran in 1979 under the Shah
and concerning the rise of Ahmadinejad
in Iran in 2005. 6) The absurd unbowed allegiance to the mystique of diplomacy.
7) Diplomacy reaffirms the
state centric realist way of thinking about international relations. For
example specialists thrashed out an agreed list of banned exports to Iraq, banned
substances which diplomats could not, at the time, agree on.
8) The amorality of diplomacy
is an issue. The moral sensibility tends to go out of the window at times.
State morality needs some back bone to it.
9) In Europe embassies look
more like bus terminals delivering a service. This is no bad thing but not very
British so far
10) The culture of self-serving
elitism and fake omnipotence of the world’s diplomats creates the illusion that
they are in control. ‘The pact of irresponsibility must end’ (Carne Ross).
Corporations all have diplomatic
missions. Being effective in promoting labour rights or environmental standards
requires coalitions of actors in the private sector, civil society,
communicating in concert to be effective,
NGO Global Witness ran a very
effective campaign on “conflict diamonds” and its role is still outside the mainstream but is
still valid and important.
Cutural diplomacy is separate
and distinctive from the tasks of embassies.
The British Council (BC) is
the UK’s “main vehicle for cultural
relations with other countries”(Juergen Kleiner, 2010)
We have the advantage of a language
that is international which makes some cultural work easier.
The new diplomacy is public
diplomacy (Rana, 2005) It is all about influencing other publics or the ‘elite
opinion of another country’.
To the UK government and its
diplomacy their situation is not so different to other nations when it comes to
news and its effect on diplomacy. [3]
It was Mrs Thatcher that
brought in changes for the way that diplomats work abroad and made the FCO
become more strategic in its PD and Cultural diplomacy. The ‘BFO and other depts. publish detailed
documents on policy goals and actual performances in meeting predetermined
targets which are quantified and enumerated.’[4]
Why should consular work
involve a consul/ambassador when a computer could do the job?( Rana 2005) Just
simply making updated changes to free up the important crisis time management would
be beneficial. Routine commercial work is seldom done by the ambassador.
Embassies leave a lasting impression, making them as accessible as high street banks could help
with customer satisfaction and might help improve the UK’s reputation for bureaucratic efficiency.
‘The priveliged being of the
future is the travel agent’ Nancy Mitford.
The era of Pax Britannica quickly made way for
Pax Americana and the emancipation and change wrought by the Commonwealth has some
significant role in the way things are done. ‘The image of diplomats as
licensed spies’ has changed. There are
now 3000 NGO’s on the world stage in 2008 there were 750 NGO’s at the WTO in
Geneva to ‘advise, inform, lobby and observe’.
PD and the FCO: ‘No other
agency private or official is in a better position to cultivate cross cultural
skills and long term relationships and in an overall view of the situation.’
(p16, Melissen)
The bombing of a consulate in
2003 lead to changes. Consul General Roger Short and others lead to an increased commitment to
security in posts abroad and an increase to the security budget of £50 million.
It was discovered that 75% of
UK travellers go to EU to the North
America. Other less stable destinations create a need for the FCO to help their
‘subjects’ abroad. Frameworks need to be in place to help deliver a range of
assistance to travellers. The demand for consular services due to increased
trips abroad rose from 55 million in 1999/2000 to 70 million 2004/5 with about
86,000 cases for consuls to manage. This requires the flexibility of 1800
foreign office staff in 259 embassies. (Dickie, 2008) It is a formidable team
to maintain. There are a further 15 million Britons living and working abroad (
(Dickie, 2008)
With
the closing down of posts the Honorary Consul is being revived. The sharing of consular facilities, staff and
functions and there is scope for efficiency in times of crisis. Closer
partnerships have developed with the private sector. After 9/11 and the Bali bomb FCO
communications had to be overhauled so that anxious parents could be helped and
advised.
Added
to the role of task needed on the international stage are: forging
partnerships, managing networks, shaping opinions, building coalitions, helping
to protect the earth's resources, to compete, to invest and to attract investment.
How
can you project yourself abroad if you have no significance in power terms?
The
diplomat has a rucksack and blackberry, he/she is, or should be, a ‘Street wise lobbyist’ (p150,Copeland,
2009) Battling for relevancy in a fast paced world.
Cultural
relations enrich experience and enlarge understanding. But how measurable are
they. ‘Cool Britannia’ in the 1990’s created a few good covers and was useful
on popular cultural level but did it influence hearts and minds abroad. Did it
make them want to visit Manchester? I doubt it somehow.
Gradually
diplomats are changing as Hocking said from being ‘gatekeepers’ to being
‘boundary spanners’ who have cross culturally attuned advocacy skills. Measuring
up in skills terms with 6 elements required in their armoury: dynamism,
indispensability, professionalism, adaptability, commitment and expertise.
These
days the UK is a lesser player on the world stage. Process has made way for
outcome. Sometimes the rationale for keeping an embassy may not be realistic to
UK goals.
The UK
has many challenges in the face of the dominance of the US and forces outside
of its control. Nancy Snow’s 7 point
plan for international change is a
useful guide as to where PD should be working on improving its emphasis.
The UK
diplomacy should aim to achieve something like Snow’s vision of ‘a global civic
society that values genuine democracy’. (Snow p143)
Some
refocusing of the foreign office is required. (Gerard Russell). London is the
capital of dissidents. The FCO could do with talking and comparing notes with
such emigres where they do not have the knowledge on the ground. It would be useful
to have the Foreign Secretary more accountable in relation to his conversations
with foreign persons that are part of diasporas.
Cameron
is changing what UK plc does by making
diplomacy work as if it were touting for business constantly. The Coalition
have (to date) improved relations and connections with European partners France, Germany
and the Netherlands.
In the
words of Sir Francis Bacon 1620 we would do well to remember ‘ it is well to
observe the force, virtue and consequences of discovery’. By bearing this in
mind PD in the UK can prosper as well by following the advice of Carne Ross and
Nancy Snow.
Bibliography
Branigan, Tania, ‘Cameron goes to China’, The
Guardian, Nov. 8th, 2011
Parsons, Rob. ‘Denying artists visas ‘is threat
to London’s cultural reputation’, Evening Standard, March 21st, 2011
Scott, Biljana. ‘A clash of professional
cultures: The David Kelly Affair, Intercultural Communication and Diplomacy,
Finn, H. K. (2003) ‘The case for Cultural
Diplomacy’, Foreign Affairs Vol 82, No. 6.
The British Council Collection, (1984) British
Council, London
Waller, J.Michael, (2007) The Public Diplomacy
Reader, The Institute of World Politics Press, Washington DC
Embassy of Germany website
Pigman, G.A. (2010) Contemporary Diplomacy,
Polity Press, UK
Ross, Carne. (2007) Independent Diplomat,
C.Hurst & Co, UK
Kleiner, J. (2010) Diplomatic Practice, World
Scientific Publ Co, Singapore
Rana. K.S, (2005) The 21st Century
Ambassador, OUP, Oxford
Barston, R.P. (2006) Modern Diplomacy, Pearson Education Ltd
Hamilton, K & Langhorne, R (2011) The
Practice of Diplomacy, Routledge
Dickie, J. (2008) The British Consul, Columbia
University Press, USA
Garton Ash, T. (2004) Free World, Allen Lane
Melissen, J. (1999) Innovation in Diplomatic
Practice, Macmillan Press
Leguey-Feilleux, J.R. (2009) The Dynamics of
Diplomacy, Lynne Rienner Publ, Colorado
Copeland, Daryl. (2009) Guerilla Diplomacy,
Lynne Reiner, Colorado
Rana, K.S. & Kurbalija, J (2007) Foreign
Ministries, Diplo Foundation, Malta
Intercultural Communication and Diplomacy
(2004) Diplo Foundation, Malta
Snow, Nancy (2010) Propaganda Inc, Seven
Stories Press
Public and Cultural Diplomacy module lecture notes
Lord Carter of Coles Report, 2005
Curtis, Mark (1995) The Ambiguities of Power,
Zed Books
Roy, A. (2004) The Chequebook and the cruise
missile, Harper Perennial, London
Curtis, Mark (2004) Unpeople, Verso, London
http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2005/12_december/15/carter.shtml
[1] Weapons
of Mass Destruction [2] Foreign
and Commonwealth Office [3] ‘CNN
is the enemy of today’s ambassador’[4] Embassies
always try to foster direct contact with the host country’s public. (footnote:
distributing magazines, borchures, organize elctures and seminars, set up
friendship associations and give interviews to the media. Plus the addition of
the internet.
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