Public diplomacy and public relations

This is a literature review of the discussion around the intersection of public diplomacy and public relations. It highlights some linkages that have been discussed between the fields and offers a two-part definition of public diplomacy that identifies both its contextual distinctive (foreign policy development and the national interest) and its most necessary and critical component of strategic communication (i.e. public relations). Such a two-part definition offers the range of scholarly literature a comfortable place in which to situate itself, and it also juxtaposes the two fields in relation to each other. This discussion provides a foundation upon which to examine the case study of the Royal Bank of Canada’s Letter.