Public diplomacy
THE officers of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the basis of political guidelines and constitutional provisions of the country formulate foreign policy. Diplomats working in different missions are instructed to carry out the policies. Diplomatic work generally is divided into three categories: representation, reporting, and negotiations.
On the other hand, public diplomacy has assumed importance in the 21st century in promoting the image of the country. The United States has attached high importance to it because of its (US's) shattered image around the world. The United States has a problem in far too many parts of the world.
The editor of the prestigious Foreign Affairs Journal, James F. Hoge, has identified these problems. In a speech at John Hopkins University in 2004, Hoge attributed the growing anti-American feeling to the administration's activities in Iraq and its support of the Sharon government in Israel.
Dean Edmund Gullion of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University first used public diplomacy in 1965. Public diplomacy differs from traditional diplomacy, which remains engaged in dialogues and negotiations on bilateral and regional matters with foreign governments and multilateral fora. Public diplomacy seeks to promote national interests and spread the policy of the government beyond the periphery of traditional diplomacy.
The main purpose of public diplomacy of the Bush administration is to interact with different strata of society, particularly in Muslim dominated countries, in the third world where there is a lack of understanding of the policies of the American administration. The Bush administration has emphasised public diplomacy to bring about changes in the attitude of the people -- in the Middle East or in South East Asia or Africa -- towards the United States.
The administration has been focusing on establishing contact with the younger generation and religious leaders to encourage them to embrace American values, and reaching out to a wider audience with broad policy information as well as specific US initiatives abroad.
An under-secretary of state heads public diplomacy in the State Department. It appears that the Bush administration's public diplomacy did not produce the desired results under Karen Hugh, a friend of the president, who left her job under criticism by the media on her failure in the Middle East and in Muslim countries, where she met hostile audiences angrily challenging US policies.
For the most part, diplomats from Bangladesh concentrate on reporting developments in the country they are stationed in, as well as the network of events hosted by foreign diplomats and the ceremonial functions of the host country. As representatives of their countries, they are responsible not only for making views of the government known to that country but also for ensuring that the Bangladesh government knows and understands the policies of the host country on political, economic and commercial aspects.
The most important part they play is projecting the opinion of the government they represent on bilateral, regional and international affairs.
In the Bangladesh context, there is no scope for expressing dissent if the policy of the government does not suit the mentality of the diplomat, whereas diplomats in the United Kingdom or United States are free to express their opinions on policy matters. For example, the consul general of the United States in East Pakistan wrote dissenting notes to the State Department during the War of Liberation. As a result, he was forced to return to the United States.
In the case of Bangladesh, a diplomat in the mission could not dare to differ with the ambassador, who is empowered to do anything he likes in his domain. A diplomat in foreign mission should be thoroughly knowledgeable about what is happening in the political, economic, social, and cultural sector of the country he is posted in.
Since 2001, I have had the privilege of visiting the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC many times. The embassy remains busy holding national day functions, and receptions in connection with the visits of VIP from Bangladesh. Recently, I find that there has been a change in the attitude of the newly appointed ambassador, Muhammad Humayun Kabir, who is relatively new in the diplomatic arena.
Generally, the senior- most foreign service officer, or a political appointee, is picked as ambassador to the United States. But the present ambassador appears to be dynamic and prefers to play public diplomacy along with traditional diplomacy. I observed that there has been a significant shift in the approach of the embassy.
The Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC arranged for the first time -- in cooperation with a non-government organisation, Dristipat -- an open air multi-cultural soiree at the Dupont Circle Park on February 21 to commemorate International Mother Language and Martyr's Day. It was a chilly day, but the diverse audience enjoyed the music of Bluegrass from the United States, Bahasa from Indonesia, Flamenco from Spain, traditional Andean songs of Peru, patriotic Bangladeshi songs, and dances from Nepal, Indonesia, and Egypt.
Ambassador Kabir gave a brief background of the language movement, which turned out to be symbolic. Mrs. Judith Terra, Washington DC's Commissioner for Arts and Culture paid tribute to the embassy for spreading the message and spirit of the day to diverse communities in the District of Columbia, while Virginia Williams, mother of the ex-mayor of DC, expressed gratitude for attending such a function.
The function was aimed at disseminating the historical fact of the language movement to a wider audience. The US Post Office brought out commemorative stamp to mark this occasion as a result of the persuasions of Bangladeshi-Americans. Similar efforts by expatriate Bangladeshis bore fruit when Arlington County in Virginia adopted February 21 as Mother Language Day.
There was good news, which relates to a declaration by Governor Martin O'Malley of the State of Maryland to proclaim March 26th as Bangladesh National Day in Maryland. These are positive developments for Bangladesh as a result of public diplomacy.
The Embassy also participated in a pitha utshob (home-made cakes festival) sponsored by Bangladesh Center for Community Development Incorporated (BCCDI). BCCDI is running a Bangla school in Virginia, and promotes Bangladeshi culture. As many 18 people made the pithas for the utshob.
Ambassador Kabir inaugurated this one-day event. On another occasion, Bangladesh Embassy Women's Association, in cooperation with the hospitality and information service -- a Washington based non-profit volunteer organisation -- presented Bangladeshi cultural heritage with particular focus on saris. This American organisation intends to promote friendship and foster stronger ties with nations around the world.
Pahela Baishak brings a message of goodwill and hope for the future, which, in fact, heralds the arrival of Bangla New Year in a mood of festivity. It was observed by the Bangladesh embassy with a colourful cultural function and tasty food and pithas. The hall was jammed. The presence of a huge number of expatriate Bangladeshi-Americans reflects the public relation efforts of the embassy. These efforts by the embassy have earned a good name in the community and among the Americans as well.
It was very interesting to note that the embassy also has an open invitation for Bangladeshi children to get to know their heritage and culture. It is noteworthy that the embassy has published an online newsletter entitled Vibrant Bangladesh. It covers the activities of the embassy and important developments in the country for the benefit of Bangladesh communities as well the policy makers of the host country.
The ambassador is compiling a database of expatriate Bangladeshi-Americans for the first time. To cultivate expatriate Bangladeshis, who are informal ambassadors to the country they now live in, is an important work of the embassy. Compilation of a comprehensive list of policy makers, think-tank organisations, journalists, business communities and lobbyists of the host government has also been undertaken. The efforts of the embassy to engage in public diplomacy are laudable indeed.
Other Bangladesh embassies may replicate the good work of the Washington embassy to promote greater interests and goodwill of the Bangladeshi people. Bangladesh diplomats have to make an extra effort to communicate with, listen to, and engage with not only traditional audiences but also with audiences to whom they previously had not given as much effort and time. Bangladesh diplomats must move beyond the walls of embassies and offices, and into communities of the host countries to promote public diplomacy.
In the absence of people's representatives, traditional diplomacy makes no sense. When the country has been passing through critical political and economic conditions, and is being governed in a vacuum, public diplomacy matters in projecting the image of the county in the cultural arena in particular. Investments in public diplomacy will certainly benefit the national interests of the Bangladeshi people and the government.
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