“New” Types of Diplomacy of the 21st Century: Cultural Diplomacy in Modern International Discourse

Abstract

This article analyzes the concept of "cultural diplomacy" in modern international relations. The relevance of this kind of theoretical and methodological audit is due to the growing role of culture in the international arena: more and more often, an appeal to culture and the world cultural heritage can be heard in the speeches of world leaders, read in foreign policy doctrines and strategies. The author considers this concept in the framework of the umbrella concept of humanitarian diplomacy, which becomes especially relevant in the research field, as it is inextricably linked with the influence of the human factor on world politics as a whole. It is proposed to study cultural diplomacy as an independent form of diplomacy at this stage in the development of international relations, despite the close relationship of the phenomenon under study with areas such as public diplomacy, foreign cultural policy, soft power, propaganda, national branding and foreign policy image. The paper presents various definitions of cultural diplomacy. An attempt was made to identify the main tools, mechanisms and resources of the studied type of diplomacy. The basic principles of cultural diplomacy are presented: respect and recognition of cultural diversity and heritage; intercultural dialogue; justice, equality; protection of international human rights; global peace and stability. The main aspects through the disclosure of which cultural diplomacy can be studied are described, namely political, economic, and security issues. It is summarized that cultural diplomacy is not an entirely new kind of diplomacy, but rather modified in accordance with the requirements dictated by time and the current geopolitical situation. A certain novelty of the presented article is a systematic and integrated approach to the study of cultural diplomacy, which allows us to conclude that the latter is a powerful tool of "soft power" and an independent type of diplomacy, and not part of public diplomacy, since the goals of cultural diplomacy are consistent with the state's foreign policy goals, the subjects of diplomacy are not only individual creative personalities, but also cultural institutions and cultural attachés.

Keywords

• «soft power»
• cultural diplomacy
• diplomacy
• international relations
• humanitarian diplomacy.