Security branding and digital narrations. Security issues representation on Twitter

In the contemporary multicentric world, sovereign states have to manage carefully the construction of their image, defining their role and aspirations. With the re-definition of the state centric politics, stories become relevant: communication is a form of power, and networked forms of communication are becoming progressively a way to conquer the transnational public spheres. Through strategic narratives of foreign politics, states try to set up the ‘tales’ of international affairs and foreign strategies, to suggest a world vision, a causal interpretation, determining frames that affect transnational actors’ position in the international environment. Sovereign states develop these kind of frame using tools and theories referred to the commercial branding tradition to promote and support their own policies and identity. We decided to investigate how that process is made through information diffusion on digital platforms.

In this work, it has been analyzed the content presented through Twitter posts by the Foreign Ministries accounts of four different States dissimilar for geopolitical positioning and security concerns (USA; Israel; France; Sweden), for a period of three months (9/1/2015-11/30/2015); leading to the identification of different models and characteristic patterns of self-representation.

The thematic content analysis, based on the identification of macrocategories and micro-issues, has led to the identification of different models and characteristic patterns of self-representation, determined by domestic vicissitudes, and has shown some regularities, caused by the branding vocation of autobiographical online contents.     

“印太”背景下的印日合作

"印太"概念经历了从地缘术语向战略构想的演变,且域内各国基于本国利益塑造"印太"构想的进程尚未结束,这使得相关研究需要不断转换视角并注重动态追踪。莫迪执政后,印度和日本升级两国战略伙伴关系,完善各层级对话机制,共同推动区域连通性与基础设施建设,并提出"亚非增长走廊"愿景。在深化海洋安全合作的基础上,实现军事演习全面覆盖与装备技术合作的纵深发展,注重地区问题的立场协调与强化美印日、美印日澳等多边磋商机制。"印太"发展契机、两国战略目标驱动、制衡中国需求以及美国战略推动构成了印日战略合作的基本动因。得益于双方战略对接的深入和适宜的国内政治环境,印日深化战略合作的势头还将持续,表现在防务合作模式的多元化和加速布局"印太"基建项目的趋势。国内条件限制、"印太"战略差异以及国际局势影响等制约性因素也给两国合作前景带来挑战。     

习近平新时代体育外交的实践探析

运用文献资料法和逻辑分析法等研究方法,以构建人类命运共同体为切入视角,对习近平新时代体育外交思想进行深入分析。研究认为,习近平新时代体育外交主要内容包括:赛事外交是主流;足球外交成亮点;多边合作是关键。习近平新时代体育外交思想是中国外交思想的重要组成部分之一,是对中共历代领导人体育外交思想的继承和发展,也是建设新时代体育强国的内在要求。习近平新时代体育外交思想内涵丰富且意蕴深远,不仅展现了我国新时代外交多元化发展的一面,也促进了中国对外沟通、交流及合作,具有十分重要的意义。     

Turkey’s Twitter public diplomacy: Towards a “new” cult of personality

This study examined how Turkey uses social media as a tool for public diplomacy and how the state’s soft-power efforts have recently changed on the global stage. The researchers constructed a dataset of 2769 Twitter posts by the Turkish government’s most influential public diplomacy accounts. The analyses revealed that the focus of Turkey’s Twitter public diplomacy has become concentrated on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and is thematically focused on the political values embodied by the Turkish president. The findings suggest that public diplomacy remains to be the diplomacy of the government, not of the public, and social media is used as just another tool for propaganda, not as a means of engagement with foreign publics. Further, the findings indicate the emergence of a “new” cult of personality in public diplomacy and point out the instrumental role of social media in changing the dynamics of leader-follower relationship. The study contributes to public relations theory and practice by advancing the burgeoning public diplomacy scholarship at the intersection of social media and relational approaches.     

Israel's military public diplomacy evolution: Historical and conceptual dimensions

This study provides an historical overview of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit (ISU) from the early years of the State of Israel until 2009. Analyzing five periods during which the ISU played a key role in Israel's public diplomacy, this research sheds light on the challenges the ISU faced in different periods and circumstances and examines how the ISU tried to modify its methods and actions in response to geopolitical changes and media development, albeit not always successfully. The study suggests better understanding the adaptation process by applying a three-layer framework for analysis: the tactical layer, the strategic layer and the perceptional layer. The findings of this work demonstrate that in adapting to new circumstances, the ISU focused mainly on the tactical response level, with the result that it did not undertake any review or debate over the need for deeper perceptional changes in ISU policies.     

Apps4Africa: A new State Department public diplomacy initiative

In 2010 the U.S. State Department funded an “Apps4Africa” contest to encourage development of socially conscious mobile applications for Africa. The initiative marked a significant departure from traditional public diplomacy efforts to expand diplomatic outreach beyond traditional government-to-government relationships. This case study analyses Apps4Africa to reveal its appropriateness as a model for future efforts and concludes Apps4Africa succeeded primarily because it responded to the changing dynamics of the 21st Century.     

后金融危机时代印度能源外交战略及启示

后金融危机时代,印度在国际能源秩序变化、气候问题和新能源挑战、能源需求全面紧张、能源安全形势复杂的背景下,制定了新的能源外交战略,主要包括促进能源进口与合作多元化、推动能源外交机制化、探索能源外交新模式、推进新能源开发合作。印度的能源外交战略启示我们要加强后金融危机时代能源外交战略的规划、建立健全能源外交协调机制、深化国际能源合作机制、深化新能源外交。     

中国外交与北京奥运会

北京奥运会的举办是中华民族百年梦想的实现和中国步入世界中心的象征,需要中国政府和人民的努力,也需要中国外交的协作支持和国际运作,而这也为中国新外交的理念实践提供了外交契机。围绕北京奥运的多元化外交运作将有利于提升中国的国际形象,获取更广泛的国际支持,增强软实力,营造更为有利的国际空间和环境,最终从根本上促进中国的和平发展。但另一方面,某些西方国家和非政府组织、海外媒体以及“藏独”等分裂祖国势力借助于北京举办奥运会之际,企图通过致使奥运政治化、妖魔化中国和破坏奥运进程来阻挠奥运会成功举办,进而破坏中国和平发展,面对三重复合型挑战因素,中国外交已经开始理性而务实应对。     

新外交的大国意识初探

自上个世纪80年代初实行改革开放以来,我国在经济上取得了举世瞩目的成绩,综合国力和国际影响力日益上升。与此同时,我国对外交战略进行了建设性的调整,逐步融入到国际社会发展的趋势和潮流中。尤其21世纪以来,新一届政府采用了更加务实、自信、灵活与成熟的对外政策,更加凸显出大国意识的外交理念与风范,积极塑造“负责任”的大国形象,从而有利于我国在地区和国际范围内争取到更大、更多的国家利益,进而对国际社会的和平与稳定、对世界经济的发展与繁荣,发挥越来越重要的作用。     

务实－普京内政外交的特点

普京成为俄罗斯总统后,在内政外交方面积极采取措施,走自己的改革道路.在内政方面重视科技在结构调整中的作用,整顿经济环境,改善人民生活;在外交方面,突出国内利益,突出外交中的经济色彩,加强俄罗斯核军事力量,维护国家安全,充分体现了务实、灵活的特点.