BY ANANDA VARSHINI
INTERN
Introduction:
Public diplomacy can be understood as activities undertaken by a country in order to favourably influence the public of foreign nations and the international community at large, to its foreign policy and goals. It aims at creating an image and reputation which projects the nation in a positive light. Through public diplomacy an idea of the country is created in the minds of the foreign public which attracts them to the country. This, in turn, helps in promoting soft power resources, boosting tourism, trade and investment in the country.
Traditionally, public diplomacy efforts include exchange programmes, cultural programmes, celebrations of shared marked events, media coverage and broadcasting, all of which directly reach and impact the general masses. In recent times, these efforts have expanded to include broadcasting and communicating through social media, engaging private companies and civil society for wider reach, events that specifically target the younger population, among other things. This also means that public diplomacy is longer strictly restricted between two states and now includes more actors such as think tanks, private companies and NGOs.
Public diplomacy in India:
Lately, with the change of dynamics in India’s foreign policy, there has been a significant rise in public diplomacy engagement. Indian public diplomacy has been majorly characterised by initiatives such as, promotion of Indian culture and art forms, values and practices, development partnership programmes with countries like Afghanistan, Bhutan in the form of technical and financial assistance, which help enhance India’s image in the eyes of the world. An important feature of Indian public diplomacy is the promotion of an idea of India with Indian culture at its core. Especially now, there has been a great emphasis on Indian cultural products such as Ayurveda, yoga, Gandhian values, Indian music, dance and literature, among other things. This helps promote Indian values and norms, and projects India as a peaceful, diverse and united country with a strongly rooted and rich history. Another recent trend is the increased engagement with the Indian diaspora around the world, informing them of Indian policies and rallying support for the same. All of this combinedly generates an agreeable image which places India in a favourable position in the minds of people as well as in the world political order.
Public diplomacy in the European Union (EU): Takeaways for India:
Public diplomacy in the EU is mainly carried out by the Directorate General for Communication (DG) under the European Commission. Its responsibilities include defining and monitoring the corporate image of the EU, communicating with the public and media regarding matters of political importance and informing the Commission on public opinion and any reputational risks faced by it. This public diplomacy includes efforts of interacting with EU citizens, prospective EU members and the international community about EU policies, culture, norms and values.
One of the key features of the EU’s public diplomacy is the emphasis on dialogue and two- way communication rather than merely providing information. This way the public directly connects with the EU without any bureaucratic ambiguities. The public is also looked on to influence EU’s policies wherein initiatives such as the Eurobarometer help in understanding the public’s opinion and trust in EU’s activities and goals.
The DG’s public diplomacy is implemented in a planned manner with the formulation of action plans and reports. For instance, the Strategic Plan for 2020-2024 focuses mainly on communicating on COVID recovery programmes, the European Green deal and adapting to new digital developments. Also, the plan stresses that any message delivered must be concise and the opinions of citizens on matters must also be necessarily listened to and play a role in policy making. Thus, there are dedicated efforts and clear guidelines on improving public diplomacy of the EU.
With regard to India, there is no one nodal institution involved in public diplomacy but a number of divisions under the Ministry of External affairs: External Publicity and Public diplomacy (XPD) division and Development Partnership Administration Division and Overseas Indian Affairs Division. The XPD Division is dedicated with the task of publicity of India’s foreign policy through documentaries, publications etc., maintenance of the Ministry’s website and facilitation of foreign media based in India. In fact, the Ministry of External Affairs’ website has a separate section called “Public Diplomacy” consisting of lectures, documentaries, articles which promote Indian cuisine, tourism, personalities, culture and practices (India Perspectives), all of which provide a flattering depiction of the country. The Indian diaspora is also engaged through the Overseas Indian Affairs division through scholarship programmes, the Know India Programme for the young overseas Indians and with celebrations of events such as Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
However, in the case of India, there is a lack of direct engagement with the public, which is a marked characteristic of EU public diplomacy, and thus popular trends and opinions are ignored while promoting public diplomacy. Efforts of public diplomacy tend to take a distant informative tone through publications and documentaries rather than listening and attending to specific contextual needs of the public with regard to matters of foreign policy. The government ends up promoting a generic image of the country stressing on its values and history, which is indeed of some use, but does not provide clear and accessible messages regarding its foreign policy goals, positions and objectives. This vacuum in necessary information leads to the foreign public being largely uninformed on matters concerning India’s foreign policy and national interest. With the rise in India’s power and position in the world order, it is of utmost importance that there is a parallel rise in public diplomacy, which would help in gaining the support of the international community for India’s actions in the arena of foreign relations. There needs to be clear planning and infrastructure for the enforcement of public diplomacy, which lay down the objectives to be achieved and effective means to achieve the same. The means employed must be unequivocal in expressing the goals, intentions and stand of the country in foreign policy issues and engage the public in a way that their opinions are taken into consideration.
Conclusion:
The following are the key takeaways for India from EU’s public diplomacy:
- Creation of initiatives which specifically address pressing matters of public concern and importance in a manner which is attractive and accessible to the public.
- Generation of simple, brief and clear content on foreign policy goals and objectives.
- Promotion of dialogue with the public and understanding public opinion and trends in order to accommodate the same in policy making.
References :
Arijit Mazumdar, India’s Public Diplomacy in the Twenty-First Century: Components, Objectives and Challenges, SAGE, 24, 25, (2020)
EUROPEAN COMMISSION, https://ec.europa.eu/info/departments/communication_en, (last visited Sep 13, 2021)
EUROPEAN UNION, https://europa.eu/eurobarometer/surveys/detail/2532, (last visited Sep 13, 2021)
STRATEGIC PLAN 2020-2024, DG COMMUNICATION, p 7, (2020)
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, https://www.mea.gov.in/divisions.htm, (last visited Sep 13, 2021)
MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS, https://www.mea.gov.in/diaspora-engagement.htm, (last visited Sep 13, 2021)
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