Public diplomacy 2.0 as a soft power resource

Soft power is no easy feat to accomplish. Rather, to me, it seems like a balancing act, making sure you are generating a positive image without being coercive. Joseph Nye explains soft power as "getting other to want the outcomes that you want," which is obviously helpful in that "if I can get you to want to do what I want, then I do not have to force you to do what you do not want." Nye continues to say that soft power is more than persuasion, but is the ability to entice and attract.

James Glassman, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, said Public Diplomacy 2.0, consisting of social media, is an approach, not a technology. He believes this approach can combat terrorism and Al-Qaeda by "creating an environment hostile to extremism and encouraging young people to follow productive paths that lead away from terrorism." He hopes that the interactivity of social media will provide a conversation that will engage, inform, and influence foreign publics.

I think public diplomacy 2.0 will give an outlet to foreign audiences to voice perceptions and values that they share with the American public, but maybe didn't realize. One example of this is a contest the State Department formed with other partners like NBC Universal consisting of video entries with the title "Democracy Is...". Entries were 3 minutes long and a visual representation of what people believe democracy is. Entries can contain many different cultural perceptions and values while all pertaining to the idea democracy. This collection of entries can show others how one idea of "democracy" is shared by many, but perhaps through different means of achieving it.

The State Department also has a Digital Outreach Team who engages conversations with foreign audiences in Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu about U.S. policies. I think it is important for the U.S. government to take this proactive approach in telling foreign publics that we care about what they are thinking, and that we want to understand them better. Conversation can lead to the identification of common value and perceptions, which is the root of achieving soft power.