Public Diplomacy and its (Missing) Theoretical Infrastructure

Public diplomacy, which is increasingly talked about in the foreign policies of states and international relations discussions in general, is a new field with the claim of being an applied and academic discipline. Especially during the Cold War years, all the activities carried out by the hostile great powers and the blocs under their management to increase their influence on each other's societies and opinion leaders began to be mentioned in this category. In fact, activities carried out for this purpose are undoubtedly as old as human history. However, in the second half of the Twentieth Century, the phrase "public diplomacy" attracted academic attention and was interpreted as the formation of a new discipline. Although there is no consensus yet on whether it is a new academic discipline, public diplomacy activities have occupied a place that cannot be easily abandoned in the foreign policy planning of states today.

However, public diplomacy is still in its infancy. Harvard University Lecturer Eytan Gilboa* (Gilboa, 2008: 56), who wrote an important article in the field of theoretical pursuit, stated that current research in the field of public diplomacy is still weak in several respects and that most of the studies are historical in nature. Historical accounts of public diplomacy are valuable if they are analytical and not merely anecdotal; However, their contributions to the development of the theory and methodology of public diplomacy have been very limited. In addition, there were those who used public diplomacy synonymously with public relations, psychological operations and even propaganda, thus creating a confusion of concepts and therefore theories. Thus, the uniqueness of public diplomacy compared to other "international communication" fields could not be understood and explained.

KADAM will look at public diplomacy from Turkey's perspective, and will not only try to contribute to theoretical discussions through this reading. The Turkish academy's contribution to these discussions initiated by KADAM will also contribute to the development of our public diplomacy.

*Eytan Gilboa (2008), “Searching for a Theory of Public Diplomacy”. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 2008; 616; 55-77