Diplomacy has continually changed in the international system, in states and in societies. For decades, foreign ministries and other government groups have focused on projecting national images for a variety of purposes. The increase in integration of economies and societies has improved the perceived need to project national brands in a competitive global environment. But alongside this, another perspective on public diplomacy is emerging, which views it in terms of a different way of conducting international policy. This recognises both the need to operate within more complex domestic and international setup and, at the same time, the challenges the environment poses. Working with a more diverse set of stakeholders raises questions about the structures and processes of national diplomatic systems and their policy ability. More fundamentally, it touches on the principles and norms underpinning a world order in instability.
Current obsession with public diplomacy are not hard to understand. Events following the wave of terrorist attacks that began in September 2001 have focused attention on the centrality of identities and values in world politics and, on the significance of images and ideas. Add to this the impact of globalisation, the proliferation of actors seeking a voice on the world stage, and the dramatic changes in communications and information technology underpinning these developments, and it is clear that the business of diplomacy is far more complex than it was even a quarter of a century ago.
As is the case with so much in a fast transforming environment, the implications of change are not always easy to interpret. Nevertheless, it is possible to identify two interlinked but individual images of diplomacy emerging within the discourse of public diplomacy. One of these flows from a traditional conception of diplomacy as a mainly hierarchical and intergovernmental process.
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