Public Diplomacy in Finland: From Propaganda to Nation Branding

Öz

Being classified as a “small country” in international relations, Finland enjoys a good reputation in international politics with its achievements in education, governance, gender equality, and life quality. This positive international image is a result of the active and deliberate international communication policies of Finnish governments in the post-1945 period. This article examines Finland’s public diplomacy practices in the period following World War II. It aims to analyze the policy-making processes in Finland related to public diplomacy and national branding activities within a historical and political context. For this purpose, the article applies the classification of “information-based public diplomacy” and “relational public diplomacy” to evaluate Finland’s public diplomacy activities. Highlighting the impact of the international political environment on Finland’s international communication management, the article argues that Finland’s public diplomacy activities during the Cold War reflected the information-based perspective due to the emphasis on one-way message dissemination. Additionally, it concludes that in the initiatives during the 2000s, the influence of relational public diplomacy remained limited, and due to the reduction of public diplomacy to national branding, the impact of the information-based approach persisted strongly.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Finland
• Information-Based Public Diplomacy
• Relational Public Diplomacy
• Nation Branding

Finlandiya’da Kamu Diplomasisi: Propagandadan Ulus Markalaşmasına

Öz

Uluslararası ilişkilerde “küçük ülke” olarak sınıflandırılan Finlandiya, eğitim, yönetişim, cinsiyet eşitliği ve yaşam kalitesi konularındaki başarılarıyla uluslararası politikada iyi bir itibara sahiptir. Bu olumlu uluslararası imaj, Finlandiya hükümetlerinin 1945 sonrası dönemde yürüttüğü aktif ve bilinçli uluslararası iletişim politikalarının bir ürünüdür. Bu makale, İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrasındaki dönemde Finlandiya’nın kamu diplomasisi uygulamalarını incelemektedir. Makale, kamu diplomasisi ve ulus markalaşması faaliyetleriyle ilgili Finlandiya’daki politika yapım süreçlerini tarihsel ve politik bağlam içinde analiz etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu hedef doğrultusunda, Finlandiya’nın kamu diplomasisi etkinliklerini değerlendirmek için “bilgi temelli kamu diplomasisi” ve “ilişkisel kamu diplomasisi” sınıflandırmasına başvurmaktadır. Uluslararası siyasi ortamın Finlandiya’nın uluslararası iletişim yönetimi üzerindeki etkisini vurgulayan makale, Soğuk Savaş döneminde Finlandiya’nın kamu diplomasisi faaliyetlerinin, tek yönlü mesaj iletimine vurgu yapılması nedeniyle bilgi temelli kamu diplomasisi perspektifini yansıttığını savunmaktadır. Makale ayrıca 2000’li yıllardaki girişimlerde, ilişkisel kamu diplomasisinin etkisinin sınırlı kaldığı ve kamu diplomasisinin ulus markalaşmasına indirgenmesi nedeniyle bilgi temelli yaklaşımın etkisinin güçlü şekilde devam ettiği sonucuna varmıştır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Finlandiya
• Bilgi Temelli Kamu Diplomasisi
• İlişkisel Kamu Diplomasisi
• Ulus Markalaşması

Kaynakça

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