How did this profession come about?

For many centuries, diplomacy was understood as official relations between states. What we can see through state channels of information: meetings of ministers, exchange of official documents between them, negotiations between people in strict suits, in a word, complete "officialdom". Such diplomacy is now called traditional. As one classic textbook says, diplomacy is “the conduct of international relations through negotiations; the method by which these relationships are regulated and conducted by ambassadors and envoys; work or art of a diplomat. "

But in recent decades, the world has changed globally. Billions of people have gained access to information thanks to the media, the Internet and social media. They can study the politics of a country or relations between countries - from open sources or listening to someone else's point of view. And based on this data, make up your own opinion. And most importantly, with the help of modern tools, society has begun to influence politics and the adoption of certain decisions by the leaders of states.

To influence public opinion, especially in the field of international relations, public diplomacy arose. Its main task is to create a positive image of the country, the state in the eyes of people - both within the country and in other countries. Especially those who are not in the best relations with your country. After all, it is not enough for the professional diplomats of another country to understand the policy of your country - it is important that the widest layers of its society understand it. On the other hand, public diplomacy seeks to arouse an interest in the culture of their country, in its achievements, in the lives of ordinary people in the international community, in social media users.

Therefore, the actors of public diplomacy are not states and diplomats, but individuals, groups, institutions that participate in intercultural exchange and that influence international relations. The ability to influence the international arena and win public opinion to one side is called “soft power”. This is the perfect diplomatic formula: if you act tough and rude, you will not be treated with sympathy, and if you are able to interest the interlocutor and win him over, then there is a high probability that he will take your side.

Thus, a public diplomacy specialist works in different fields with different people, organizations and institutions and uses his knowledge and expertise to achieve the set goals. Let's see where exactly such an expert can apply his competencies.

In what areas does a public diplomacy specialist work?

Strategies for Official Diplomacy

In our time, most officials have had to come out of the shadows. Even the President of the United States has Twitter, not to mention other heads of state, officials, diplomats and other representatives of the state. The presence of officials in the public space has already become the norm. The task of a public diplomacy specialist is to create the image of state representatives, from official speeches to posts on social networks, to think over and correct their behavior and words. Its main guideline here is how society will react to certain words and actions.

Media Consulting

Mass media is one of the main instruments of influence on public opinion. The public diplomacy specialist consults with independent journalists and bloggers, on the one hand, and with the editors of the most influential publications, on the other. He gives advice, expresses the point of view of officials on what accents to put and what to pay attention to when covering certain events in international relations. Or events within the country, which may affect public opinion in other countries.

Marketing and PR projects

International relations cover all spheres of life in the global world. First of all - the economy, production and trade. Positive and fruitful economic cooperation between countries allows maintaining stability and peace in all regions of the planet. Here, image and influence are also of great importance. International affairs specialists oversee major international contracts, help build a dialogue between representatives of different cultures and conclude mutually beneficial contracts.

Cultural exchange

The most important instrument of public diplomacy is contacts at the cultural level. After all, culture is the main thing that creates the image of this or that country in our minds. From what world masterpieces of painting and architecture she is famous for, to what and how people in this country eat and how they arrange their everyday life. Therefore, a specialist in international diplomacy promotes cultural exchange between countries - the organization of art exhibitions, concerts, cultural and public forums.

For example, one of the popular formats is the organization of a mutual “year of culture” between the two countries. For example, "Year of Italy in Russia" and "Year of Russia in Italy" - when in