U.S. Public Diplomacy Towards China

"The US-China relationship is the critical driving force of contemporary world order, and public diplomacy is a vital tool for creating better understanding and reducing tensions between the two powers. Based on original research, this book is not only an important contribution to the academic literature on public diplomacy, but also an invaluable guide for analysts and policymakers in explaining why US cultural and education programs have had limited success, and how to improve them."

• Amitav Acharya, Distinguished Professor, American University, USA

This book aims to understand public diplomacy by examining its practice. In particular, it focuses on the implementation of educational and exchange programs by the US Departments of State and Defense toward China. Implementation is the focal point of this study and is utilized both as a practical process and a methodology. It refers to the process of translating a public diplomacy policy goal-the specificorder given to a governmental institution in order to achieve a general foreign policy objective-into public diplomacy practices and impact. In addition, it refers to a research method that centers implementation and accepts the prerequisite of discretion from studies of policy implementation. This book maps out where and by whom implementation discretion is exercised in public diplomacy. It argues that public diplomacy is in the eye of the beholder, and that its meanings can vary significantly according to different actors.

Di Wu is Assistant Professor at Tongji University, China. Her research sits at the intersection of foreign policy and strategic communication, with geographic interests in China and the US. Wu has published on soft power, public diplomacy, and US-China relations.

Auteur

Di Wu is Assistant Professor at Tongji University, China. Her research sits at the intersection of foreign policy and strategic communication, with geographic interests in China and the US. Wu has published on soft power, public diplomacy, and US-China relations.

Texte du rabat

This book aims to understand public diplomacy by examining its practice. In particular, it focuses on the implementation of educational and exchange programs by the US Departments of State and Defense toward China. Implementation is the focal point of this study and is utilized both as a practical process and a methodology. It refers to the process of translating a public diplomacy policy goal-the specific order given to a governmental institution in order to achieve a general foreign policy objective-into public diplomacy practices and impact. In addition, it refers to a research method that centers implementation and accepts the prerequisite of discretion from studies of policy implementation. This book maps out where and by whom implementation discretion is exercised in public diplomacy. It argues that public diplomacy is in the eye of the beholder, and that its meanings can vary significantly according to different actors.

Contenu

Chapter 1. Implementation Discretion in Public Diplomacy: An Introduction

• US Public Diplomacy Towards China
• Rebalance to the Asia-Pacific
• Why Implementation?
• Methodological Issues

• A Roadmap to the Rest of the BookChapter 2. Programs at Departments of State and Defense

• Defining Public Diplomacy in Practice
• Public Diplomacy Programs at Two Departments
• Programs and Their Goals

• ConclusionChapter 3. Implementation and Public Diplomacy

• Implementation's Duo Role
• Meanings of Public Diplomacy in Theory
• Ideal Public Diplomacy without Discretion

• ConclusionChapter 4. Mixed Impacts of Organizational Culture

• Effects of Organizational Culture
• "Defense is from Mars and State is from Venus"
• Process-Oriented and Elitist Tendencies in DoS
• Result-Oriented and Hierarchical Tendencies in DoD

• ConclusionChapter 5. Public Diplomacy becomes Measurable Outcomes

• Displacing Ambiguous Goals with Measurables
• Public Diplomacy's Ambiguous Goals and Evaluation
• Preference of Measurable in DoS
• Preference of Measurables in DoS
• Measurable Goals in DoD

• ConclusionChapter 6. Public Diplomacy Constrained by Limited Resources

• Effect of Inadequate Resources on Implementation
• Public-Private Partnerships in DoS
• Various Resource Constraints of DoD

• ConclusionChapter 7. Public Diplomacy in the Eye of the Beholder

• Exercising Discretion in Public Diplomacy
• Public Diplomacy and Implementation
• Some Exceptions and Alternative Explanations
• Connecting to the Literature
• Looking into the Future