Written evidence from Professor Nick Cull
1. The author of this evidence is Nicholas J.
Cull, Professor of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern
California in Los Angeles and director of the Master's Program
in Public Diplomacy. I am a British-born historian who has specialized
in the role of communication in international relations. I have
been a pioneer of contemporary public diplomacy studies and published
widely on public diplomacy including two major monographs. I have
worked with a number of government agencies including the FCO
and British Council, US Department of Defense, Swiss Foreign Ministry
and Netherlands Embassy (Washington DC) and am presently developing
training with the governments of India and Mexico.
2. International relations have changed. As Simon
Anholt has observed: "There is now only one super power on
the planet and its name is public opinion." This state of
affairs places unprecedented emphasis on issues of international
communication, reputation management and has transformed public
diplomacy - the pursuit of foreign policy by engaging a foreign
public - into an essential tool of statecraft.
3. In such a world, mega events such as the Olympic
Games have become unique opportunities for host nations to reach
out to global audiences. This was done particularly effectively
by Spain with the Barcelona Olympics of 1992, Australia with the
Sydney Olympics of 2000 and by China with the Beijing Olympics
of 2008. In order to make the most from such an opportunity it
makes sense to use the tools of public diplomacy to extend and
shape the international impact of the mega events. Successful
recent examples of this include the German public diplomacy around
the FIFA World Cup of 2006.
4. I am impressed by the FCO's plan though as
will be seen I see scope for refinement in a couple of places
and have some suggestions for themes related to London's identity
as the only three-time Olympic host.
THE FCO'S
PLAN
5. The FCO plan for public diplomacy around the
London Olympics strikes me as being well conceived to deliver
helpful results towards appropriate policy objectives. The whole
of government approach and attention to partnerships are especially
welcome.
6. The UK enjoys an enviable reputation around
the world but will benefit from being associated with the positive
themes inherent to the Olympic movement. Specifically the Olympic
movement is associated with ideas of internationalism (symbolized
by the ancient concept of the Olympic truce) and a respect for
honest competition and fairness. Fairness is a quality already
perceived in Britain and will doubtless be evident in the British
public and media response to the games with support for under-dogs
and appreciation for sportsmanship.
7. I am particularly impressed by the prominence
being given to the Paralympics within the 2012 plan (paragraph
32). There are many countries around the world in which differently-abled
people do not have the opportunities they enjoy in Britain, and
by increasing international exposure to the Paralympics emphasis
on what people can do the FCO is performing a significant act
of ethical leadership and associating the UK with some truly inspirational
people.
8. I think that the strategy of avoiding a "one-size
fits all" approach and targeting Olympic Public Diplomacy
along bi-lateral lines (paragraph 16) with programs such as the
Host2Host work (paragraph 10), and the emphasis on targeting leaders
and influentials through visits to the Olympic Park (paragraph
13) and the documentary (paragraph 31) makes sound sense.
9. Of the existing work I am impressed by the
See Britain Through My Eyes concept (paragraph 21), and the idea
of emphasizing the experience of particular credible individuals
with target audiences (paragraph 23). Research is now fairly consistent
in showing that the most credible voice to any audience is "someone
like me", and often the job of public diplomacy is to seek
out such a person and empower them to carry the message to the
audience rather than attempting to do so one's self. This underscores
the value of working with the Diaspora communities (paragraph
8) and Britain's network of friends (paragraph 35).
10. I am impressed with the aspects of the plan
which tie the UK to people's lives around the world in practical
ways. International reputations often turn on an individual's
perception of "what country X means to me." The International
Inspirations program was an essential part of the bid and should
be emphasized throughout the 2012 plan. It is of value in both
practical and symbolic ways, and credit should flow to the UK
from this. Perhaps representatives of those involved in that program
could be built into 2012 ceremonial in some way.
11. I was genuinely moved to read of the symbolic
actions (paragraph 24) and specifically the run in Guangzhou raising
enough money to build a facility for children with learning difficulties.
As a parent of a son with Down Syndrome, I am only too aware of
the international needs in this area and feel that this is exactly
this sort of work which will make Britain relevant to people's
lives.
CAVEATS
12. I like the idea of seeking out non-traditional
partners to amplify the UK's message (paragraph 27) and welcome
the idea of streaming UK sport, the Edinburgh festival and National
Theatre to previous Olympic cities like Mexico City and Athens
or the future venue, Rio. However, it would be even more impressive
to me if these events could be two-way or even multi-lateral,
with events from fellow Olympic cities and elsewhere being somehow
made available in the UK. The UK's interest in and commitment
to the world is also part of the message, and helping the world
to speak to the UK is consistent with Britain's image of fair
play.
13. While it makes sense to take full advantage
of the coincidence of the Olympics with the Diamond Jubilee year
care should be taken to avoid undercutting the image of British
modernity with a heritage and tradition message tied to the jubilee.
While this dimension is probably inherent to the jubilee, perhaps
planning around that event be mix the message in some way.
14. While I am glad to see the attention to new
technology and digital "Public Diplomacy 2.0" within
the plan, these aspects seem under developed. I agree that the
digital diplomacy offers unique prospects for dialogue and the
generation of trust (paragraph 38), but am unclear who will be
interacting with the global public in this scenario. FCO personnel?
UK citizens? Is there scope for on-line equivalents of the wonderful
volunteers who were such a feature of the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
15. We may anticipate that much coverage of the
2012 games will be transmitted across peer-to-peer networks. FCO
interests would be served by making as much coverage as possible
easily pass-able, re-tweetable, and even mash-able into forms
that appeal to the local audience. This may be at odds with the
needs/rights of official Olympic broadcasters. Perhaps exceptions
to rigid image control can be made for the markets which are particular
political/security priorities.
16. Media consumption is a behavior strongly
influenced by habit, and Olympic coverage provides an opportunity
to inspire new habits in the global audience, or rekindle old
habits such as attention to the broadcasts and web sites of the
BBC World Service. It makes sense to seek out ways to retain that
audience after the Olympics have ended. Online plans should look
to the long term as well as the immediate Olympic period.
MISSING DIMENSION:
REMEMBERING 1908 AND
1948?
17. One missing dimension in the plan is the
reference to London's identity as the only city to have hosted
the games more than twice, in 1908 and 1948, both times in response
to emergency situations (the eruption of Vesuvius in the first
instance and the war in the second). The 1948 games were marked
by the austerity of the era (with the US government famously having
the fly extra food to sustain the athletes). It is possible that
both 1908 and 1948 might provide stories that could serve the
general and bi-lateral public diplomacy goals of 2012. Looking
back to 1908 and 1948 stresses the role of the UK as a nation
with a profound commitment to sport and ethics of fair play.
18. Positive stories from the 1908 games include
the coining of the phrase: "the most important thing in the
Olympic Games is not to win but to take part." The games
saw the first gold medal won by an African-American (John Taylor
- 800 meter relay) and the famous incident of the marathon winner,
Dorando Pietri (Italy), being disqualified because officials helped
him across the line and then receiving a special prize from Queen
Alexandra.
19. The athletes of 1948 were significantly older
than their modern counterparts at the time of the competition
and sadly few are still alive to be honored in London in 2012,
though such honour would be a valuable counter to the impression
that the west is not respectful of its elders. Surviving stars
of 1948 whose stories might help include the gold medal weightlifter
Rodney Wilkes of Trinidad known as "the Mighty Midget"
or the Indian men's hockey team who won first gold medals since
their country's independence the previous year. It would make
sense to honour the survivors of 1948 at receptions at FCO posts
with some representation in London also. Given the food problems
of 1948 the UK owes them a good dinner at least! Athletes worthy
of posthumous honour from 1948 include Fanny Blanker-Koen of the
Netherlands who was a pioneer in women's track and field, winning
four gold medals "despite" being a mother.
FINAL THOUGHTS
20. Every plan has a risk. Just as hosting the
Olympics can deliver a dividend to the host's international image
so there is a risk that a problem with the games could reflect
negatively on the host. The negative press associated with India's
hosting of the 2010 Commonwealth Games is an example of what can
go wrong. The Olympic plan requires that the British public live
up to their role as hosts and "live the Olympic brand."
The stars of the Sydney Games of 2000 were the 120,000 local volunteers
who did so much to help the games run smoothly. One hopes that
London will be able to match this. Partiality and parochialism
can strike an unfortunate note at a games as was the case at Atlanta
in 1996, conversely the support of local audiences for international
athletes has also provided an important boost to the games as
was the case in Beijing games. The FCO might wish to endorse and
encourage the efforts of the Mayor and LOCOG to prepare the British
public for their starring role.
21. In the era of drastic budget cuts I am heartened
to see that the Olympics have thus far been spared, though the
PD budget has taken a hit (paragraph 46). The public diplomacy
campaign is one way of adding a "multiplier" to the
Olympic effort and I sincerely hope that the select committee
will be able to advocate on behalf of this work in the event of
further challenges to the budget.
10 November 2010
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