Public Diplomacy: A New Framework for Foreign Policy Analysis

Abstract

This study introduces public diplomacy as a new framework for Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). The conceptual framework of public diplomacy was built on four main concepts including public opinion, civil society, soft power and diplomacy. Methodologically, public diplomacy offers social values, cultures and foreign policies of states as a new analysis instrument. Ontologically, it is different from the conventional FPA as it gives priority to social actors and public opinion in foreign policy. Public diplomacy combines the level of analysis in conventional FPA and the unit of analysis to be state-individual (society) giving diplomacy a social aspect. Public diplomacy causes a paradigmatic change by including social-cultural elements in addition to bring new instruments and methods to the conventional field of foreign policy.