Abstract
This chapter takes the unfashionable position that ‘public diplomacy’ is what we call our propaganda, while ‘propaganda’ is what the other side does. Irrespective of the label, its aim is to influence foreign governments indirectly by appealing over their heads to the people with influence upon them—whether the mass of the population or just ‘the influential few’. Nevertheless, it varies enormously in its style as well as its targets; less so in the vehicles it employs—now chiefly the internet and its associated social media tools, shortwave radio, and satellite television. The lead in ‘public diplomacy’ is frequently given to foreign ministries, and is now probably the most important duty of ambassadors—although, for other embassy staff, only one task among many.
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Further Reading
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Berridge, G.R. (2022). Public Diplomacy. In: Diplomacy. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85931-2_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85931-2_13
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