Russian — US public diplomacy: Comparative aspects and dialogue prospects

Abstract

Public diplomacy is aimed at working with foreign “movers and shakers.” Russia and the United States use this foreign policy tool to build a bilateral dialogue. At the same time, the general atmosphere of mistrust is negative for the work of state and near-state structures. The activities of the US public diplomacy institutes in Russia are limited by the experience of their work in the post-Soviet space following the end of the Cold War: in the 1990s Americans were using strategic advising and capacity building tools to implement reforms in the former USSR, what nowadays is seen by Moscow as blatant interference in the internal affairs of the state and disrespect for its national interests. In turn, Russian public diplomacy in the United States is limited by the bipartisan anti-Russian consensus on Capitol Hill. Therefore, the bilateral public diplomacy of Moscow and Washington is focused on neutral activities — cultural diplomacy, twin city initiatives, and sub-state diplomacy. Still, the agenda could be extended, but political will from both sides is needed. The target audience for Russian public diplomacy is the “Greater Eurasia,” the United States is a less significant, albeit “problematic” area. For US public diplomacy, Russia is viewed not in the context of “engagement” strategy, but from the standpoint of countering propaganda. At the same time, the strategic dialogue of the two largest nuclear powers is conducted through analytical centers and the expert community. The target audience of Russian — US public diplomacy — undergraduates, graduate students, lecturers, journalists — are involved in the bilateral programs, but not on a systematic basis. To reveal the problems of the bilateral public diplomacy, and ways to solve them, the author addresses several top experts in the field and reveals their recommendations in the article.

Keywords:

public diplomacy, people-to-people diplomacy, nation-building, strategic dialogue, Rossotrudnichestvo, State Department, USAID