Creative Diplomacy at JUVEPAZ
June 14-16, 2023: Online Forum in the name of Youth, Truth, and Peace (JUVEPAZ) organized by Youth Observatory of Orinoquia (Observatorio Joven de la Orinoquía), Colombia, to promote youth diplomacy and expertise in international relations.
Natalia Burlinova and Valeria Tsareva, as well as Hablemos con Rusia alumni Juan Marco Gonzalez, member of KSORS Colombia, and Juan Martin G. Cabañas, political consultant and analyst from Argentina, represented Creative Diplomacy at the Forum.
President of Creative Diplomacy Natalia Burlinova's speech at the Forum was about the concepts of soft power and sharp power in the U.S. foreign political discourse as a means of ideological struggle with Russia and China. Her full speech in Spanish can be found on the Hablemos con Rusia page.
Highlights of Natalia Burlinova's speech:
1. The term 'sharp power' was introduced in the discourse by Americans in 2017 merely to oppose American soft power to analogous (soft power) activity of China, Russia, and other countries that the U.S. consider authoritarian. Although the activity is the same in essence (promotion of a country's positive image internationally), the terms have very different connotations, 'soft' being perceived as positive, and 'sharp' as negative.
2. Among the key goals of American public diplomacy in Europe and Asia are "protection" from Russia's "malign" influence, China's economic influence, and "propaganda", countering "disinformation" that allegedly comes from Moscow and Beijing.
3. However, the politics of demonizing your opponent often produces an opposite effect: more and more countries outside the collective West are willing to cooperate with Moscow in public diplomacy.
Natalia Burlinova and Valeria Tsareva, as well as Hablemos con Rusia alumni Juan Marco Gonzalez, member of KSORS Colombia, and Juan Martin G. Cabañas, political consultant and analyst from Argentina, represented Creative Diplomacy at the Forum.
President of Creative Diplomacy Natalia Burlinova's speech at the Forum was about the concepts of soft power and sharp power in the U.S. foreign political discourse as a means of ideological struggle with Russia and China. Her full speech in Spanish can be found on the Hablemos con Rusia page.
Highlights of Natalia Burlinova's speech:
1. The term 'sharp power' was introduced in the discourse by Americans in 2017 merely to oppose American soft power to analogous (soft power) activity of China, Russia, and other countries that the U.S. consider authoritarian. Although the activity is the same in essence (promotion of a country's positive image internationally), the terms have very different connotations, 'soft' being perceived as positive, and 'sharp' as negative.
2. Among the key goals of American public diplomacy in Europe and Asia are "protection" from Russia's "malign" influence, China's economic influence, and "propaganda", countering "disinformation" that allegedly comes from Moscow and Beijing.
3. However, the politics of demonizing your opponent often produces an opposite effect: more and more countries outside the collective West are willing to cooperate with Moscow in public diplomacy.
Creative Diplomacy intern and Hablemos con Rusia alumna Valeria Tsareva spoke of the role of youth parliaments in countries' politics.
Highlights of Valeria Tsareva's speech:
1. Youth parliamentarism is aimed at involving young people in the functioning of a state, in forming and implementing effective youth policies.
2. Today, youth parliamentarism is not only about representing the rights and interests of the youth, but also about strengthening international cooperation among young people involved in the parliamentary activities of their countries. There are the Youth Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States, the Council of Youth Parliaments "Eurasian Dialogue", El Foro Latinoamericano de Juventud, etc.
3. Public diplomacy is one of the means strengthening the international cooperation.
Highlights of Valeria Tsareva's speech:
1. Youth parliamentarism is aimed at involving young people in the functioning of a state, in forming and implementing effective youth policies.
2. Today, youth parliamentarism is not only about representing the rights and interests of the youth, but also about strengthening international cooperation among young people involved in the parliamentary activities of their countries. There are the Youth Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States, the Council of Youth Parliaments "Eurasian Dialogue", El Foro Latinoamericano de Juventud, etc.
3. Public diplomacy is one of the means strengthening the international cooperation.
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