PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

1 PUBLIC diplomacy : A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Joumane Chahine Graduate Program in Communications Department of Art History & Communication Studies McGill University Montreal August 2010 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfilment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Joumane Chahine 2010 iii ABSTRACT Since its much publicized deployment in the wake of the September 11th attacks and during the subsequent so-called War on Terror, PUBLIC diplomacy has generated a substantial body of critical discourse emanating from both the professional and academic spheres. These analyses, however, have been for the most part empirical studies, aimed at strengthening the efficiency of the practice by identifying potential flaws or weaknesses in its current conception or application and offering possible correctives. Significant enquiries into the CONCEPTUAL origins and evolution of the practice, on the other hand, have generally been rare and limited.

2 This thesis proposes to remedy, in part, this lack by situating PUBLIC diplomacy within a broader and deeper CONCEPTUAL context. The term PUBLIC diplomacy only entered the lexicon of political and international affairs in the Cold War environment of the mid-1960s. It could however be argued that the essence of the practice government communication with foreign publics is as old as history itself. The primary purpose of this dissertation is to argue that PUBLIC diplomacy , as the specific form taken by the practice of government communication with a foreign audience in the latter half of the twentieth century, is a distinctive product of the development and ultimate intersection of several discrete though somehow connected concepts in social and political thought. We shall seek to substantiate this claim by identifying three fundamental concepts that lie at the heart of the idea of PUBLIC diplomacy PUBLIC opinion, civil society and the information age-- and charting their historical trajectory and various points of interaction.

3 The main body of the dissertation will therefore be divided into three genealogical chapters, one for each of the elected concepts cited above. Throughout, and increasingly as the thesis progresses, these various evolutional paths will be correlated, their points of convergence highlighted, so as to gradually situate the birth of PUBLIC diplomacy at the intersection of their trajectories. The conclusion will offer further reflections on the continued influence of this collection of notions on the more recent development of PUBLIC diplomacy , and the implications these might entail for its future. iv R SUM La notion de diplomatie publique a inspir un nombre consid rable d tudes critiques, aussi bien professionnelles qu acad miques, suite sa mise en pratique particuli rement publicis e durant la guerre contre le terrorisme d clar e par l administration Bush. Ces analyses, cependant, semblent s tre principalement cantonn es des consid rations empiriques et prescriptives, cherchant surtout identifier les faiblesses et m sinterpr tations qui marqueraient l application actuelle de la "diplomatie publique", et proposer certaines mesures correctives.

4 Les recherches substantielles quant aux origines conceptuelles de la pratique, en revanche, ont t , d une mani re g n rale, rares ou du moins limit es. Cette th se tente de rem dier cette lacune en cherchant placer l id e de "diplomatie publique" dans un contexte conceptuel plus tendu et approfondi. Si la diplomatie traditionnelle exprime l effort d un tat pour rallier sa cause un ou plusieurs autres tats, la "diplomatie publique", elle, consiste pour un tat faire passer son point de vue, non parmi ses homologues sur la sc ne internationale, mais au sein de la population de ces derniers. Bien que l essence de la pratique ne soit pas n cessairement r cente, l appellation "diplomatie publique" (qui manque ce jour d quivalent exact en fran ais) est relativement jeune, ayant fait son entr e dans le lexique de la politique internationale aux Etats-Unis dans les ann es soixante, en pleine Guerre Froide.

5 L objectif principal de cette th se est de d montrer que la "diplomatie publique," comme forme singuli rement contemporaine de communication entre un gouvernement et un PUBLIC tranger, est le produit distinct du d veloppement et des entrecroisements de plusieurs concepts fondamentaux de la pens e politique et sociale. Afin de justifier cette proposition, nous identifierons trois concepts essentiels l id e de "diplomatie publique" l opinion publique, la soci t civile, et "l ge de l information"-- et soumettrons chacune de ses notions une tude g n alogique d taill e. Au fur et mesure que la th se avancera, ces diff rents cheminements conceptuels seront corr l s, leurs points de convergence mis en vidence, de mani re progressivement situer la gen se de la "diplomatie publique" l'intersection de leurs trajectoires. S appuyant sur ces observations, la conclusion ouvrira un nouveau champ de r flexion en examinant leurs retomb es possibles sur le futur de la pratique.

6 To J. G. H., in memoriam vii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A PhD thesis may be a long and solitary journey, but its accomplishment relies vastly upon the continuous, at times even abused, support and generosity of others. My deepest gratitude goes to my supervisor, Will Straw, whose unwavering encouragement and fortifying rigor steered me throughout. Continually present, he egged me on when my enthusiasm ebbed, and reined me in when it threatened to lead me astray. I know his patience must have been tried during the process, even if he would never let it be felt. The inspiration, the challenge, and the complicity he constantly provided not only made this thesis possible, but also tremendously rewarding. I feel greatly fortunate to have been able to pursue my research in the stimulating and welcoming environment of the Department of Art History and Communication Studies at McGill University. I am particularly grateful to Jenny Burman and Becky Lentz for their critical input at an early stage, to Darin Barney for an invigorating exchange on the network society, and to Don McGregor for awakening my interest in political propaganda and other forms of strategic influence, and thereby changing the course of my academic and professional trajectory.

7 Although that was not perhaps his initial intent, Grant McCracken inspired me to look at the Middle East and its intractable ills from a fresh angle and for that I shall always remember him. The subject may not appear relevant to this dissertation at first sight, but it is, in many ways, the cornerstone of its circuitous genesis. Scholarship is a privileged pursuit that allows one to lose sight, at times, of the tedium of practical realities and bureaucratic concerns. Thankfully, Maureen Coote was always there to ensure requirements were met, forms were filled, and administrative anxieties kept at bay. Heather Empey and Charles Fletcher provided invaluable technical help when technology failed me, as it often tends to, in the final stages. I must also thank the irreplaceable E. K. for allowing me to experience at first hand, and in a uniquely stimulating and at times surreal environment, the trials and tribulations of PUBLIC diplomacy and political communication in the Middle East.

8 The experience was all the more enriched by my Beirut colleagues and accomplices Michael Karam, Erja Kaikkonen, Adib Basbous, Nadim Shehadi, and the late Samir Kassir who, along with too many others, paid a heavy price for his political engagement in a region where disapproval from above is still allowed to translate, with obscene frequency, into assassination. viii These acknowledgements would not be complete, of course, without recognition of the wide array of contributions by family and friends whom I feel compelled to list alphabetically for lack of an appropriate alternative: Karim Basbous, Ingrid Bejerman, Brian Bitar, Tamara Chalabi, Ren e Chidiac, Janie Duquette, Lina El-Baker, Ioana Georgescu, Emmanuelle Jordan, Charles Mardini, Marco M ller, Yasmine Nachabe, Fouad Nahas, Tom Streithorst, and Tom Wilder. A special mention is due to Dem and Lenny who were always by my side. I am also terribly thankful to my beautiful and spirited step-children, Mathew, Rachel, Margo and Elizabeth, for keeping me grounded in an always eventful reality.

9 Finally, none of this would have been possible without Claude and John, my mother and husband, who, throughout this project, gave much and got little in return, from a faraway daughter and a largely absent wife. And without my father, who left early and abruptly, but whose irrevocable absence has become a continuous form of presence. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract iii R sum iv Acknowledgements vii Table of Contents ix Preface 1 Chapter I. An Introduction to PUBLIC diplomacy 7 Chapter II. PUBLIC Opinion 63 Chapter III. Civil Society 129 Chapter IV. The Information Age 191 Chapter V. Concluding Remarks 251 Bibliography 263 1 PREFACE As genealogical considerations will be central to this dissertation, it is perhaps fitting to begin with a few words about its own genesis. In the spring of 2004, one year after the invasion of Iraq by the US-led coalition and having just completed my PhD course work, I was offered a post at an institutional communications firm based in Beirut.

10 The company operated throughout the Middle East and, during the final interview, my future boss, whose demeanour still bore traces of his former incarnation as an advertising mogul, proudly unveiled a slide show of some of his most successful recent campaigns. It was an eclectic and extremely polished reel that ranged from the image makeovers of local politicians to nation branding exercises for the governments of Jordan or Morocco. There were efforts to quell corruption and promote transparency in the region, sponsored by international NGOs, and calls for increased freedom of press and decreased religious fundamentalism signed by indigenous civil society groups. There were also adverts showcasing Americans and Arabs joined in a common battle against fundamentalism and images of a stable and thriving future Iraq. As you can see, he said wrapping up, you will be dealing primarily with PUBLIC diplomacy operations and international PUBLIC relations.