Should we distinguish cultural diplomacy from public diplomacy? Why?

In many of the readings, the terms cultural diplomacy, and citizen diplomacy were used near interchangeably. However, some of the readings provided the nuanced differences between the terms. The similarities though between the terms are clearly evident and show how the terms are interrelated and components of one another.

When describing cultural diplomacy, Memis notes “The importance of defining target audiences, objectives, outcomes and success measures is central to our evaluation system; planning, monitoring and evaluation are therefore are inextricably linked.” Moreover, cultural diplomacy relies on, “Establishing clear, concise and ambitious organizational objectives not only provides a compass for every action we take, but it provides a set of targets which enable effective evaluation.” This is very similar to the necessity of having a coherent, well-defined strategy when conducting strategic level public diplomacy. The difference between cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy at this objective level appears to be the scale that the two terms or efforts are assessed.  While public diplomacy is clearly at the strategic national level, cultural diplomacy appears to be at a more targeted lower level, and likely easier to assess than public diplomacy objectives.

Beyond the similarities at the defining level, cultural diplomacy is clearly a component of public diplomacy and the concepts should be distinguished, but not necessarily decoupled. Much like public diplomacy is a component of diplomacy, cultural diplomacy is a tool that can be used for public diplomacy purposes to engage foreign audiences, however with the benefit of often being a degree separated from official government actions. What appears to be the most critical factor of cultural diplomacy, and is at the surface very different from public diplomacy is the emphasis of listening and responding rather than dictating and clearly messaging as is often the perceived and actual approach with public diplomacy. Leveraging cultural diplomacy as a part of a wider public diplomacy program is a wise approach and although it should be differentiated, it should not be overlooked as a useful component.