Public Diplomacy

Jim Murphy, Great Britain’s Minister for Europe, spoke at the Brookings Institution< as part of a trip to Washington D.C. for the release of his new publication on public diplomacy.

The July 11 speech highlighted many of the concepts in Murphy’s publication, Engagement: Public Diplomacy in a Globalised World, a compilation of essays and papers stressing better communication as the future of global politics.

“We have to stop equating public diplomacy with public relations,” said Murphy, “shouting our core messages and top lines, louder and louder, in the false belief that people aren’t hearing us. They are. But they want genuine engagement, not clumsy propaganda.”

While centered on the subjects of Engagement, Murphy’s speech focused on United States and European leaders’ roles in future transatlantic agendas, and their shared interest in global issues.

“Diplomacy, like the military, often is seen as a form of national prestige, or more simply, as a vehicle to advance national interests,” said Murphy. “But increasingly, there is a convergence of our national and our international interests.”

In his publication, Murphy outlines five key issues of both national and global interest for the U.S. and Europe: climate security, terrorism and weapons proliferation, ensuring free trade and the flow of resources, conflict, and eradicating global poverty.

Public diplomacy, Murphy argued, is crucial to solving all these problems. His ideas involve a better global conversation with nations.

“My contention is that we can’t make international policy unless we can understand how the world looks and feels standing in someone else’s shoes,” said Murphy. “Or, put another way, what is people’s motivation to act responsibly on climate security or radicalization if they have no shoes on their feet?”

While the world is flooded with new technology for global communication, governments lag behind in efforts to improve their engagement with their own people. Murphy described nations as “constantly playing catch-up” with new means of interaction, and thus lacking the understanding necessary to make significant policy decisions.

As an example he noted the internet’s potential to strengthen the link between politicians and people, but warned of the message.

“The internet is only the means of communication,” said Murphy. “Part of it is the content, not the packaging.”

True to his efforts to improve the content, Murphy is one of a few members of Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to regularly blog. Engagement is also posted for free on the FCO website, in addition to its print edition.

Murphy sees the potential of the European Union and the U.S. to be leaders in a new push for worldwide engagement. As global powers, the U.S. and Europe have historically linked interests, and Murphy argued that they should therefore continue to work together to ensure global stability.

“Europe’s relationship with the U.S. has never been based simply around a common threat,” said Murphy. “It’s never been about the politics of expediency. It’s been forged through a long-term common endeavor, in business, science and culture as well as politics and defense.”

Ben Giles is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.