Psychological Warfare and Operations in U.S. Public Diplomacy
It may seem controversial when Psychological Warfare is being discussed in relation with public diplomacy. Such controversy is a result of the misunderstood realities these two terms connote. What adds up to more controversy regarding this relationship is misunderstanding of Soft Power as simply being an idealist term. Soft power “is the use of the attractiveness of a country’s culture, political ideals, and policies to get others to admire those ideals and then follow one’s lead” (Pratkanis, 2009) . Public diplomacy is the means through which a country exercises its soft power to promote its own interests (Nye, 2008) . In public diplomacy, states may employ various means to enhance their status in the international arena; they may exercise cultural diplomacy to present a better image of their countries, or they may employ broadcasting technologies as to disseminate their own narrative to gain legitimacy for their actions, such means show results in the long-run only. The ...