OBSERVARE

Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 1, n.º 1 (Autumn 2010), pp. 115-118

Critical Review

Noya, Javier (2007) – Diplomacia Pública para el siglo XXI. La gestión

de la imagen exterior y la opinión pública internacional. Madrid: Ariel,

469 págs.

by Marco António Baptista Martins

PhD in International Relations by Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas.

Academic and Researcher in the field of International Relations.

The author of the book Diplomacia Pública para el siglo XXI, Javier Noya, is a

researcher at the Real Instituto Elcano in the fields of external image and public

opinion, in addition to being a Sociology Professor at Universidad Complutense and of

Public Diplomacy at Escola Diplomática (School of Diplomacy). The study undertaken by

Javier Noya is of major importance to all those who are analysing or following up the

changes that have been taken place in the international area, more precisely in the

area of diplomacy and of international relations. It must be pointed out that the issue

of public diplomacy had its origins back in 1965, thanks to diplomat Edmund Gullion,

dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University, and to Edward

Murrow, a CBS journalist and head of the United States Information Agency during the

Kennedy administration.

Whereas, in the past public, diplomacy was a mere propaganda tool, currently it aims

to promote national interest, by understanding, inform about and influencing external

matters. In this sense, public diplomacy sums up all activities of external

communication targeted not only at the elites or opinion-leaders, but also at public

opinion at large, and which, in the long-term, aim to influence positively the image and

perception of a country. It must be stressed that the main goal of public diplomacy is to

indirectly influence the behaviour of an external government, exerting influence on the

attitudes of citizens through information, education, and culture.

Javier Noya chose to divide his book into six parts. The first refers to external image

and its management, interlinking the external image actions with the country brand as

an integral strategy that encompasses the economic, commercial, and tourist

dimensions, besides political aspects, and as if dealing with a product to be sold as a

reaction to the globalisation process.

In the second half, the author enters the theoretical and conceptual field of public

diplomacy, associating it with the soft power theory proposed by Joseph Nye. The latter

envisages two forms of public diplomacy; direct, and indirect. With regard to direct

public diplomacy, it adopts a three-dimensional approach, as it covers daily

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 1, n.º 1 (Autumn 2010), pp. 115-118

Critical Review

by Marco António Martins

116

communication, strategic communication, and the development of relations in terms of

their durability. Concerning the indirect form, it must be understood as meaning the

role of live television, the positioning of the corporate fabric in the market, and

everything encompassing culture, ranging from the British Council and the Camões,

Cervantes, and Confúcio Institutes, to cinema, theatre, and literature.

In the third part of his book, titled “Estados Unidos, de la Guerra Fría a la Guerra de

Irak”, Javier Noya focuses his attention on the image portrayed by the United States

regarding Europe and the Arabic world, in particular the impact of the Bush

administration on the diplomatic front. In this part, the author studies the role of public

diplomacy in the fight against international terrorism after September 11, such as the

STARS strategy, which corresponds to the following:

- S: stimulate the awareness of relevant players in the USA about the anti-

Americanism issue and corresponding consequences;

- T: transform north-American attitudes that may be aggravating the problem;

- A: accentuate the positive qualities of the United States and its contribution to the

international community;

- R: recruit corporate leaders in world strategic markets so that they can establish

bridges based on mutual respect;

- S: stand as a link between the private sector and the North-American government’s

public diplomacy.

With regard to part four, Javier Noya examines European power, specifically the

examples of the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. In what concerns the United

Kingdom, the author analyses not only the impact of 9/11, but also focuses his

attention on the image of the country after the intervention in Iraq, presenting

examples of campaigns that act as stabilising instruments in image recovery among the

population. Besides, public diplomacy should serve the eight strategic objectives of the

Foreign Office, such as: (1) a world free of global terrorism and mass destruction

weapons; (2) protect the United Kingdom from illegal immigration, drugs trafficking,

and international crime; (3) promote an international system based on respect for the

rule of law; (4) build a safe and effective European Union; (5) foster economic interests

in an open and global economy; (6) encourage sustainable development anchored on

democracy; (7) guarantee security and energy supply; (8) secure the safety and good

government of British territories overseas.

As for France, the author stresses the elitist image as a synonym of luxury and

“liberating power” under the motto “liberty equality, fraternity”. According to the Legros

report, France should undertake the following path: (1) strengthen the knowledge of

foreign languages and cultures; (2) undertake an active policy in the exchange of

students and scientists; (3) change the attitudes of political and economic elites in

order to change the negative image. In the neighbouring country Germany, the public

diplomacy strategy consists, above all, in defending the following: (1) act as a booster

of the European Union; (2) compromise, at a global level, in finding solutions for

political, economic, and ecological crises; (3) open up to the world in the fight against

racism and xenophobia; (5) affirm itself as a land of ideas and research; (6) promote

history in terms of music and popular art, and foster sports and fashion: (7) stand out

as a land where life can be enjoyed.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 1, n.º 1 (Autumn 2010), pp. 115-118

Critical Review

by Marco António Martins

117

The fifth part focuses on European Union cases and on the soft power carried out by

transnational players, such as international organisations and Non-Governmental

Organisation (NGOs). It must be pointed out that the European Union does not have a

public diplomacy and that, according to specialists, its increased presence in the

international arena is necessary to improve its image. However, despite not having a

specific public diplomacy, it ends up exercising a series of public diplomacy activities,

such as having delegations in EU countries, the external actions carried out by the

Directorates-General for Education and Culture, the Euro-Mediterranean Conference,

and the intercultural dialogue programmes of the directorate-general for education and

culture. In the face of this, it is equally believed that the European Union unequivocally

needs a public diplomacy and a positioning strategy as a humanitarian power, since it

funds around 70% of all humanitarian aid, which, by analogy, should sell itself as a

“global alliance of democracies”, and take advantage of its capacity for regional

integration thorough the promotion of “region-building” and acceptance of its cultural

diversity, ranging from culture to politics. With regard to the soft power exercised by

transnational players, the role of the United Nations stands out, as it is viewed both as

a universal organisation, particularly with regard to its General Assembly, and as an

individual association, as illustrated by its Security Council. Besides the United Nations,

Javier Noya touches on the issue of the legitimacy of NATO and of its role, given that it

has a public diplomacy department set up in 1999 on the occasion of the Kosovo crisis.

This department includes: (1) an academic affairs unit; (2) television and radio studios;

(3) a network of officers in member countries; (4) information offices in Kiev and

Moscow; (5) an integrated data service; (6) programmes such as the Committee for

Modern Society Challenges; (7) publication of the NATO Review. In the specific case of

NGOs, their humanitarian stance through promotion and defence of universal values

among the public stands out.

Finally, the sixth and final part deals with the image of Spain abroad, in which the

author describes, for almost one hundred pages, the inclusion of Spain in Europe and in

the world, from Franco to current times. At the end, he delineates a public diplomacy

strategy for the country as part of the global objectives of defence of the Brand Spain,

with ten measures to implement such aspiration: (1) strengthen coordination among

inter-agencies; (2) set up information and strategic services within each agency with

analysis departments; (3) increase the culture of image mediation; (4) carry out

market segmentation and, in addition, identification of countries; (5) reset objectives;

(6) carry out training sessions in marketing and communication; (7) develop digital

marketing, such as the Internet and television; (8) conduct cultural actions externally;

(9) organise internal audience awareness raising sessions on public diplomacy; (10)

reinforce coordination among central administration sectors.

In effect, public diplomacy must be understood as follows: (1) short-term (hours or

days), when the management of news is done as a reaction to events, and in a way

that reaffirms strategic objectives. Events are not brought forward, rather, answers to

hypothetical scenarios are prepared in advance; (2) medium-term (weeks or months),

whose strategic communication intends to actively influence the information agenda, by

making things happen or by organising strategic activities to increase visibility and

improve the valorisation of a country. This has to do with the strengthening of

messages that affect perceptions; (3) long-term (years), in the context of building links

to create and nurture social and cultural relations between countries and among

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

ISSN: 1647-7251

Vol. 1, n.º 1 (Autumn 2010), pp. 115-118

Critical Review

by Marco António Martins

118

countries, and which are interesting from a strategic viewpoint and where our own

values are acknowledged. Precisely, the management of news requires government

communication professionals able to react, agile in their relations with the media, in the

face of smears campaigns. Strategic communication requires medium-term planning

with imaginative capacity to conceive and develop activities that can compete for public

opinion from the exterior. It resorts to a network of intermediaries who collaborate

without identifying themselves as participants. Relation building is built on by an entity

or institution that is far from the political sphere in order to increase the trust it may

generate. It requires the involvement of professionals with experience of the civil

society, corporate marketing, NGOs, political parties, and trade unions.

With effect, this is a book whose reading is strongly recommend, for its scientific and

academic quality, and for being a guide for implementing public diplomacy, as the latter

is presented as an instrument with an international dimension. One of the aspects that

perhaps Javier Noya failed to analyse is the growing role of public diplomacy combined

with the smart power exercised by the Popular Republic of China in a multilateral

perspective, particularly after September 11.

It must equally be noted that, in the case of Portugal, despite the fact it was not

analysed in this book, public diplomacy is still at an embryonic stage. This despite the

efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to implement it in the context of external policy

and corporate strategy abroad, in an attempt to identify niche markets with the

support, among others, of the Camões Institute and the Agência para o Investimento e

Comércio Externo de Portugal – AICEP (Portugal’s Agency for Investment and External

Trade). In fact, public diplomacy is a vital strategic resource for states as actors in

international relations, and where public opinion relies on when it comes to influencing

or improving the image of a country, both internally and externally.

Finally, Javier Noya underlines the importance for Spain to develop a European public

diplomacy, and to carry out initiatives to brand the country in the context of a global

and competitive world such as the one we have today.

How to cite this Critical Review

Martins, Marco António (2010). Critical Review of Noya, Javier (2007). D

iplomacia

Pública para el siglo XXI. La gestión de la imagen exterior y la opinión pública

internacional. Madrid: Ariel: 469 pp., JANUS.NET e-journal of International

Relations, N.º 1, Autumn 2010. Consulted [online] on date of last visit,

observare.ual.pt/janus.net/en_vol1_n1_rec1