Discussing New Diplomacies in light of Soft Power Theory

The new diplomacies discussion refers to the transition in diplomacy from state actors' sole engagement to multiple actors' engagement to build trust and enhance communication, dialogue-based, with foreign publics. This transition contains new opportunities in developing tools and channels of communication directly or with digital mediation, with the foreign public. As such, it includes a potential response to the crucial needs of 1) Gaining access to the foreign public, especially in times of crisis, 2) Developing credibility among foreign publics, considering the frequency of misinformation 3) Building strong relationships. The importance of these elements rising in today's global context, a worldwide pandemic that brings to the fore the need to address shared global challenges. Under this capacity, the evolving types of diplomacy associated with public and cultural diplomacy offering a complex and varied discourse. That is no longer researched solely as the practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of states but through a wider arsenal of approaches that targets political structures, communication, language, education, culture, culinary, festivals, and power relations as means of conducting vague, transitional, and elusive international politics. Despite all these types of 'diplomacies' as self-organized, independent, and have minor or no official ties to the state, there is a lack of examination of the aspects of diplomacy that steers away from diplomats and the potential embedded in this common vital element. This proposed panel seeks to address this substantial gap. Focusing on the European sphere of influence, this panel will address the growing field of inquiry that attempts to expand on the new concept of diplomacy. Examining under-researched scopes of actors' foreign relations and international relations can open a window onto new and challenging diplomatic inquiry aspects, mostly questioning the state's control on its international actions. While relying on the main theoretical pillars of European studies and international relations, this panel will discuss new diplomacies practices and policies and will present current political phenomena that demonstrate the EU's (as well as other neighboring actors') attempts to promote its interests in the global sphere.