INDIA PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The diplomacy is the theory and practice of using fact and wisdom in the conduct of foreign affairs. It is enmeshed in social, political and economic development of its time It does not operate in the vacuum. As the foreign policy of the country is shaped by its domestic as well as international environment, so its shapes and Practice of diplomacy. Diplomacy is the tool of achieving goal of foreign policy.  Public diplomacy is no exception to this. Though some form of public diplomacy and use of soft power in realizing the objective of the states in foreign affairs have always been there for long time, the use of this tools has become more pronounced in the era of mass politics and globalization, encouraged and supported by the spread of new forms of means of modern communication.

In the last two decades, the global as well as domestic environment of conducting foreign policy and diplomacy has considerably changed. The disintegration of soviet union, the end of cold war, the emergence of globalised economy, resting on the ideology of neo liberalism have brought about new global condition.

The international environment has also undergone drastic changes not visualized even by keen observers of global affairs. The globalization and free market economy are the mantra of global economy. The role of economic diplomacy in the foreign affair has become challenging in search of new areas of trade, investment and economic partnership.  There are nations, which continue to have a political differences but have improved trade and economic ties, which were not visible earlier. The private sector has been involved in a big way by the government throughout the world to promote global economic prospects. Along with the private sector have become the strategies of market promotion earlier unthinkable for the government. Now the world has become more integrated and independent in comparison to what used to be before the process of globalization. In brief the democratization of foreign policy space and need of greater economic gain and competitiveness in the world have largely impacted upon the practice of diplomacy.

The term public diplomacy was coined in 1965 by former US Diplomat Edmund Gullion. For all practical purpose public diplomacy refers to the deployment of various means to enlist the support of people in foreign countries for the polices and programme of a country. Public diplomacy deals with the influence of public attitude on the formation and execution of foreign policies. It encompasses the dimension of international relation beyond the traditional diplomacy. The cultivation of public opinion by government in other countries the interaction of private group in one country with another and the process of international communication. This definition takes the broad view of public opinion on both formation as well as execution of foreign policies. In other words scope  of public diplomacy deals with both the domestic as well as foreign public.