| Amidst the democratization of international relations and globalization,the public has emerged as a critical target for the government to carry out diplomatic activities,which gives rise to the diplomatic endeavor of a government to communicate with foreign publics,namely,public diplomacy.While the government plays a leading role in public diplomacy practices,its domestic publics also earn a vital place in the realization of the country’s public diplomacy agenda.As a middle power succeeding in wielding public diplomacy to enhance its international influence,Canada has distinguished itself by prioritizing the domestic society and expanding their participation.Therefore,this thesis intends to examine Canada’s public diplomacy practices,with a particular focus on the domestic dimension of public diplomacy,that is,how a government interacts with its people to achieve its public diplomacy agenda.In the interaction with the government,the domestic publics can act not only as the supporters and collaborators of the country’s public diplomacy practices,but also as the targets of such practices in the same way as the foreign publics.Based on the previous body of study,this paper proposes three modes—cognition,action,and identity-for a government to interact with its domestic society to jointly advance its public diplomacy agenda.Then,three public diplomacy practices during the Chretien administration in Canada—Foreign Policy Dialogue in 2003,the Ottawa process in 1997,and Public Diplomacy Program from 1998 to 2005—are studied to illustrate the above three ways of interaction respectively.The analysis shows that the interaction between the Chretien administration and Canadians is one of the key factors contributing to the success of these three public diplomacy practices.The cognition mode expands the channels of contact between the government and the domestic publics,which is conducive to the government redirecting its public diplomacy in response to the public feedback and shaping an image of good governance.The action mode integrates the respective resources of the government and the domestic publics,which helps the government join hands with its people to increase the influence of public diplomacy practices and improve its international reputation.The identity mode spreads the culture and values recognized by the government and the domestic publics,which is beneficial for the government to enhance the awareness and the attractiveness of its public diplomacy activities among the audience.In this new era of spreading China’s story and building a community with a shared future for mankind,we shall pay considerable attention to the role of the domestic publics in our public diplomacy and augment the interaction between the government and the domestic society,so as to achieve the desired effect of public diplomacy. |
