The Citizen Diplomats and Their Pathway to Diplomatic Power

Abstract

This chapter focuses on individual, citizen diplomats that reached a global level of notoriety and explores their representational work in order to identify pathways to diplomatic power. We applied Sharp's taxonomy of citizen diplomats (2001), adapting traditional models of soft power and public diplomacy (Nye, 2011) and employing a multiple case design focusing on descriptive case studies (Yin, 2018). We therefore selected global citizens who reflect the challenges and trends of contemporary citizen diplomacy (Cooper, 2007, p. 126): a sense of purpose, an ability to interact with high-level state officials and a global reach. By building specific case studies drawn from diplomatic actions of highly visible individuals, our focus was to explore the conversion process of soft power as a possible pathway to diplomatic power in terms of policy making rather than awareness, a dimension often associated with the soft power of citizens.

Profiling a niche actor of civil society diplomacy: the unattached diplomat

“…Unattached diplomats may commit to diplomatic roles associated with various organisations “in order to coagulate, develop, and amplify their voice, as well as to reinforce the strategic dimension of their actions” (Anton and Moise, 2022, p. 247) but will maintain a public personal identity that is not primarily defined through the organisational association and that will legitimise the diplomatic actor after the end of the organisational attachment and throughout other diplomatic engagements. Therefore, unattached diplomats have organisational mobility, but personal legitimacy that is based on personal qualities, popular approval, expertise and effectiveness, not necessarily on international conventions or organisational assignments.…”

“…While systems (states) and structures (organisations) are accustomed to complexity and a strategic perspective as modus operandi, citizen diplomats are the expression of “the public's desire to participate in national and international decision-making” (Stanzel, 2018, p. 62), but they often lack the knowledge, relational and financial resources to develop diplomatic capabilities and effectively engage other actors. This is perfectly encapsulated in international activism, aiming to generate not only prosocial behaviours like communicating, donating, volunteering and participating in advocacy efforts (McKeever et al , 2019), but also an international governance impact, thus creating a pathway to diplomatic power for citizens (Anton and Moise, 2022).…”