The European region – especially given the existence of the EU – necessarily encompasses multiple levels of public diplomacy: subnational, national, transnational, and supranational. But do the various aspects of Europe's multi-leveled public diplomacy form a coherent overall image, or do they work against each other to some extent?
The book European Public Diplomacy: Soft Power at Work pushes the literature on public diplomacy forward through a multifaceted exploration of the European case. In so doing, it fills an important gap in the international relations literature on the mechanisms behind soft power.
Contents
The book begins with a chapter by Mai'a K. Davis Cross on how to conceptualize public diplomacy from an international relations perspective, especially in the context of Europe. She draws out the IR concepts most valuable to the study of public diplomacy, mainly based in the constructivist school of thought, and builds a framework of analysis at the intersection of identity, narratives, and norms. The subsequent six chapters explore the diplomatic laboratory of Europe, examining case studies at the level of member states, domestic society, and Europe. The book ends with two chapters that investigate the theoretical and conceptual boundaries of how we can approach the study of public diplomacy and power. The conclusion of the book by Jan Melissen brings together all of these ideas, cases, and approaches to concisely draw some overarching insights. This final chapter also touches upon the question of what Europe tells us about other regions of the world engaged in public diplomacy.
Full info
European Public Diplomacy: Soft Power at Work
Mai'a K. Davis Cross and Jan Melissen (eds)
Palgrave Macmillan, 2013
ISBN: 9781137343291