Cultural Diplomacy Outlook Report 2011
Chapter 6: Global Governance Cultural Diplomacy
Chapter 6
Cultural Diplomacy: Global Governance
Almost all international events since 1945 have seen an ever-increasing focus on international institutions as methods of communication, instigators of cooperation and even forms of governance themselves. The United Nations (UN), superseded the, then defunct, League of Nations as the pride forum for communication between states, in the wake of the Second World War. The UN far exceeded the League in terms of membership, subservient institutions and overall mandate to take action to preserve peace across the globe. Without its own armed forces or budget the UN is the natural starting point for research into the development and use of soft-power in international relations.Once again founded in the political and economic chaos following the Second World War, the European Union (EU) is a unique example of soft-power and of the development of global governance. Founded as a trading organisation, with the primary goal of uniting the economies of Western Europe, the EU has become a transnational government with a mandate in fields such as regional development, internal and external trade, boarder control, agriculture and research and innovation, to name but a few. Since the launch of the common European currency, the EU represents a milestone in the evolution of global governance.
A more recent evolution, the African Union (AU), has been one of the most famous examples of global governance as being viewed as a possible solution to the problems facing Africa. Based on the European example, the AU seeks to use political and economic integration as a method to diffuse long-standing, and often violent, conflicts, encourage development programmes and tackle health crises.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Cultural Diplomacy and the United Nations
- Cultural Diplomacy and the European Union
- Cultural Diplomacy and the African Union
- Conclusion
Introduction
This chapter seeks to evaluate leading global powers, namely the United Nations, the European Union and the African Union. The analysis of these vast governing bodies hopes to contribute to the three other sections of this report (public, private and civil society) in order to establish a comprehensive assessment of cultural diplomacy engagement through various cross-sections of society. Through analysing the UN, EU and AU, this chapter creates an overview of three institutions, all varying in regional and international focus, geographical affiliation, level of authority over its members and global recognition. As far-reaching governmental organisations, all aiming for cooperation, peaceful interaction and stability between countries, these institutions are veritable champions of soft-power. As such, this chapter seeks to question how much impetus is placed on the role of culturally diplomatic practices within these institutions and how they can better serve their causes through an increased employment of this growing arm of soft-power. These reports provide assessments of cultural programmes, analyses of the current culturally diplomatic practices within each institution and ultimately offer recommendation of where cultural diplomacy could be adapted, improved or initiated.Research Objectives
With differing geographical ranges, resources and mandates these three international organisations give a clear representation of how global governance is becoming ever-more important factor in international relations. Each also offers a unique example of soft-power and cultural diplomacy in practice. By assessing three geo-politically diverse and geographically varied institutions, this report is able to take an overview of the cultural diplomacy practices that are taking place in these organisations and how they interact with a global community. The aims of this project are to draw attention to previously unapplauded areas of cultural diplomacy activity and to make recommendation for where there is room for improvement. It is hoped that future research projects can look at more international institutions, with differing methods of engaging with the ever-developing phenomenon of global governance.
