Citizen Diplomacy and Me. Student Name: Sarah Go. Professor: Christopher McShane. Date: Oct 25th, 2015

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1 Citizen Diplomacy and Me Student Name: Sarah Go Professor: Christopher McShane Date: Oct 25th, 2015

2 Definition The term, Citizen Diplomacy, has existed for some time in the U.S. It is frequently used by politicians, researchers, the general public and the media. However, to me, it is a concept that is extremely foreign and it is a term that I have not known until first learning about it in our Principle and Practice class. According to the website of U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy, Citizen Diplomacy is the concept that every global citizen has the right, even the responsibility, to engage across cultures and create shared understanding through meaningful person-to-person interactions. Citizen diplomacy is recognized as a powerful force in building and sustaining a secure, economically sound, and socially interconnected world. Different from how a traditional diplomat is defined, citizen diplomats can be students, teachers, athletes, artists, business people, humanitarians, adventurers or tourists. The Initiation and Importance of Citizen Diplomacy In 1959 President Eisenhower stated that, I like to believe that people, in the long run, are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it." Not only politicians, but also the general public has long been aware of the significance of person-toperson interactions in deepening cross-cultural understanding. Traditionally, hard power, such as military intervention, coercive diplomacy and economic sanctions, have not been completely effective in resolving international conflicts. In recognition of the limitation and the negative impact of hard power, the notion that soft power has more capacity to persuade others to do what one wants has garnered the attention of many governments (Wilson, 2008, p.114). It is also commonly agreed that conveying information and selling a positive image is often best

3 accomplished by private citizens. (Nye,S. Jr ) Citizen Diplomacy extends and enhances this notion and this phrase was first coined by David Hoffman in an article about Dr. Fulls effort to alleviate cold war tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union in 1981 (Citizen Diplomacy, Wikipedia). Peace Corps versus Military Bases Since the initiation of Citizen Diplomacy, many programs and organizations have been involved in activities that encourage citizens to foster international and intercultural communication, both domestically and internationally. According to Wikipedia, The military of the United States is deployed in more than 150 countries around the world, with over 156,000 of its active-duty personnel serving outside the United States and its territories and an additional 70,000 deployed in various contingency operations as well as through military attache offices and temporary training assignments in foreign countries. (U.S. Military Deployments, October,2015. Wikipedia). The number of countries where the U.S. military is deployed is dauntingly large considering there are only 196 countries in the world. However, the American Peace Corps, as one of the pioneers in Citizen Diplomacy launched in 1961, has sent American volunteers to over 140 countries to work with the local population in areas such as education, health, environment, community economic development, youth programs and agriculture. Through the interaction of Peace Corps volunteers with people from the host countries, millions of people have transformed their views of America and Americans. What the military destroys, the Peace Corps rebuilds. As U.S Secretary of State, from1997 to 2001, Madeleine Albright said, In an era of bluster and bombs, citizen diplomacy is a builder of bridges. In his remarks at the 25th anniversary of Peace Corps, Bill Moyers said, To be a patriot in this sense means to live out of a recognition that one

4 is a member of a particular culture and society, but so are all other human beings and their kinship and bonds, their sacred places, are important to them as ours are to us. ( A Call To Peace, 2011). Not only does the Peace Corps work to change the negative image of America, but also the Peace Corps volunteers themselves develop their own personal intercultural competence and tolerance. Many returnees have reported how their experiences have transformed their lives and views towards other cultures, which in turn contributes to the making of a more peaceful world. Citizen Diplomacy and Its Impact Citizen Diplomacy serves as an important channel for people across cultures and borders to build trust and mutual understanding. Aside from government sponsored programs, such as the Peace Corps, Fulbright scholars and exchange programs, there are diverse NGO, private sector and individually hosted programs that intend to stimulate cultural exchange and promote positive images from both sides. U.S. embassies around the world host cultural festivals and facilitate English language learning to engage more personal conversations outside diplomacy and policy. Higher education is becoming one of the most influential tools in Citizen Diplomacy as more and more international students come to study in the U.S. and more and more American college students travel abroad to explore culture, language and academic collaboration. The impact of Citizen Diplomacy was examined in a study done by Rajika Bhandari and Raisa Belyavina for the Institute of International Education in Through analyzing twelve case studies for both international and U.S. participants in Citizen Diplomacy programs, the author reported positive results in areas such as intercultural competence, academic development and language skills.

5 However, due to the nature that this qualitative research was done on self-reporting and perceptions about the impact, the result remained somewhat questionable. Citizen Diplomacy and Me When I first went to college years ago, there were not many foreigners in China. There was only one TV channel in English, hosted by China Central TV, which reported filtered international news. The majority of the knowledge I had of the U.S. came from reading textbooks, novels, and from listening to American pop music of the 1970 s and 1980 s. The first time I encountered an American in person was in my Spoken English class as a college freshman. I still vividly remember her blond hair and fair skin. Although we were told students shall not visit foreign professors by themselves, we were so curious about our American teacher that we always wanted to be her guide touring the city during the weekend. Through those moments, I learned more about America than all the information from years of reading. She showed us how to make coffee, how to use a knife and fork, and how to do the funky chicken dance. Because of her, America became a country that was somewhat familiar and friendly to me. Years later, I ended up coming to the U.S. Arriving at the airport, I felt so lost being surrounded by people who spoke a different language and who looked so different from me. An African-American lady approached me with the biggest smile I had ever seen on a stranger s face. She went out of her way to help me. I still vividly remember her as the first American I met in the U.S. Many years later, when I came back a second time to the U.S. for an internship, I began to understand the culture from the people I met at the internship, the people I encountered at the supermarket and by the strangers who helped me when my car broke down in the middle of the road. Many of the Americans who showed their kindness might not recognize themselves as diplomats or might not

6 even know the existence of the phrase. However, their action and their humanistic behavior truly demonstrated the importance of Citizen Diplomacy. When we are in a different culture or in a different country, people perceive us as representatives of our native culture and our native country. In an era when we are so interconnected, whether in person or online through social media, what we do and what we say will have an impact on not only how others view us as individuals, but also as representatives of our culture and country. From this point of view, Citizen Diplomacy is not just a tool that the government can use to expand their power and influence, but truly, a means for us to recognize each other as a global citizen in a world where human kindness is the common language.

7 Reference Bridgeland, J.M., Milano, J.A., Quigley K. F., & Wofford, H. A Call to Peace. (September,2011). Retrieved October 20,2015 from Citizen Diplomacy. (Oct 20th, 2015). In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 20, 2015 from Nye. Jr. S.( 2010). The Pros and Cons of Citizen Diplomacy. Retrieved October 20,2015 from the Citizen Diplomacy WIKI: Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1959: Containing the Public Messages, Speeches, and Statements of the President, January 1 to December 31, 1959 [google books version] Retrieved October 20,2015 from Rajika Bhandari & Raisa Belyavina. ( June 2011). Evaluating and Measuring the Impact of Citizen Diplomacy: Current Status and Future Directions. Retrieved October 20,2015 from file:///c:/users/ygo.midd/downloads/impactofcitizendiplomacyreport%20(1).pdf Shodde. A.O ( 2014). Citizen Diplomacy: Building a Nation of Global Citizen Diplomats. Retrieved October 20, 2015 from The Center for Citizen Diplomacy at PYXERA Global (2015). About Us. Retrieved October 20,2015 from The Effectiveness of Soft & Hard Power in Contemporary International Relations. (n.d.) Retrieved October 20, 2015 from

Hon. Doug Bereuter President & CEO

THE EXERCISE OF SOFT POWER AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY BY A NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION: The Experience and Programs of The Asia Foundation (Prepared for Delivery) BY Hon. Doug Bereuter President & CEO Chicago