Cultural Diplomacy in ASEAN: Collaborative Efforts

Abstract

Abstract-The new 21 st century has altered the political constellation amongst actor of international relations. Yet, one thing is certain that today's world cannot be separated from diplomacy. Cultural diplomacy offers an alternative solution to address the complexity of international relations by employing culture as the foundation of soft power. Unlike the conventional diplomacy which depends on formal and official state actors, the modern concept of diplomacy allows room for participation from non-state actors. This paper tries to apply the modern concept of cultural diplomacy to a regional organization. It argued that cultural diplomacy will be a suitable tool for ASEAN in invigorating the passion towards a regional integration. Further descriptive analysis on the type of cultural diplomacy that takes place in ASEAN will be given using the three schools of thought by focusing on the role of state and non-state actors.