Subtle attack

CNN, BBC and many other local and international broadcasters, allow people all over the world see many things by just changing the channels on the television. While this is the role as a well established broadcaster’s duty but along the way it not only promotes public diplomacy that affects many nations all over the world. As most states are interdependent yet when it comes to their own states interests many states would use public diplomacy.

According to the US Department of State public diplomacy is the government sponsored programs intended to inform or influence public opinion in other countries. The best example in the recent history was the ‘War on Terrorism’ how United States used an advertisement to promote the fact that Iraq was involved in the 9/11 attacks. In an article written by Peter Baker for the Washington Post on September, 12th in 2007 and he starts his article with these lines. “The television commercial is grim and gripping: A soldier who lost both legs in an explosion near Fallujah explains why he thinks U.S. forces need to stay in Iraq. They attacked us," he says as the screen turns to an image of the second hijacked airplane heading toward the smoking World Trade Centre on Sept. 11, 2001. "And they will again. They won't stop in Iraq." In the following paragraph he continues to write “Every investigation has shown that Iraq did not, in fact, have anything to do with the Sept. 11 attacks. But the ad, part of a new $15 million media blitz launched by an advocacy group allied with the White House, may be the most overt attempt during the current debate in Congress over the war to link the attacks with Iraq.” Even though this was an advertisement that was shown only in USA it still did have an impact on the way people (Public in United States) approached the War on Terror.

As countries pursue their own goals in this complex world, most broadcasters are only eager to either give it more coverage through which governments do hope to reach masses. As research show common citizens are easily persuaded and can be directed otherwise. Although most governments do what is best for the state and its people majority tends to manipulate and misdirect the public for their own interest.
Public Diplomacy in that sense has reached a broader arena where the public has an impact on the state compared to traditional diplomacy where the focal discussions where only conduct by the governments and most areas of discussion were rather obscure to the public. While public diplomacy is a new technique in bringing down the enemy, it also does promote things such as Human Rights, Good Governance and also it merely defines that states can be a victim of public diplomacy.

Taking in to consideration the gravity of public diplomacy it should be noted that in traditional diplomacy states did try to resolve issues through discussions while media, internet(Barrack Obama campaign) and many other sources can be used in a way of promoting state goals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3NU4d81Ps4