ABSTRACT
Who has power in international politics? This central question has become increasingly hard to answer, due to the growing complexity of national and global policy processes. Often this results in fast and furious statements on the demise of the nation-state, the growing power of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), or even the impact of celebrities in shaping agendas and influencing decisions. Since we don’t know who or what is driving change, media headlines about Twitter- and Facebook-revolutions in Moldova, Tunisia, and Egypt have caught the public imagination. 1 Public diplomacy is also considered a new approach to study the impact of (foreign) publics to influence decisions, often by using modern technology and social media. Especially China’s forays into public diplomacy have indicated that image building and networking are now integral aspects of the foreign policies of all states, regardless of their size and their capabilities. Today, utilizing the opportunities offered by public diplomacy is considered a marker of sophistication and cleverness. Why threaten with sanctions and warships if the pressure of the “international community” can be equally effective? Why not use social media to get a message across and influence the policy agendas of influential actors? Everyone—from Al Qaeda to the CIA, from Greenpeace to Shell—uses this media-saturated playing field of international politics to spread their messages and guard their interests.
