Publications

Fact sheet: María Cristina Rosas, Animales fantásticos (y dónde encontrarlos). Diplomacia pública y el poder suave del reino animal, Mexico, Centro de Análisis e Investigación sobre Paz, Seguridad y Desarrollo Olof Palme A. C./Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Australian National University, 2023, first reprint, 550 pp. ISBN: 9786082453125. Foreword by Martha Bárcena Coqui.

Public diplomacy is a practice that has undergone profound transformations over time. For example, in the 1960s, in the context of the Cold War, much public diplomacy consisted of the dissemination of information or propaganda, often through information operations. This work was carried out by U.S. and Soviet governmental entities such as the Voice of America, or the Novosti agency, to cite two cases. The intelligence services, both the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the USA and the Committee for State Security (KGB) of the USSR were prominent players in information operations. 

Over time, public diplomacy has changed, and governments now generate information aimed at explaining their policies to international audiences. It is not that those practices have ended, but today they are accompanied by other elements. In other words, unlike traditional diplomacy, the new public diplomacy has civil society as its main target audience and differs from propaganda because it is neither unidirectional nor vertical. Today it is important to convince, to win the minds and hearts of audiences. States are obliged to sell a positive, attractive, convincing, appealing and pleasing image, and today it is common for countries to seek to position themselves as a brand in order to generate positive perceptions and promote their particular instrumental interests. They must do this at a time when societies not only have access to information, but are profuse generators of it and can influence and even counteract the efforts of governments to position themselves as empathetic, responsible and cooperative actors.

In Fantastic Animals (and Where to Find Them). Public Diplomacy and the Soft Power of the Animal Kingdom, a novel analysis of the use of animals such as pandas, koalas, kiwis, mountain gorillas, dogs, cats, mice, butterflies, etc., as part of the efforts of countries to improve their chances of influencing global affairs for various purposes, be it trade, tourism attraction, investment promotion, and above all, to promote geopolitical positioning without resorting to - or sometimes complementing - the resources of hard power, either because it is weak or because its use would be reprehensible and costly. The environmental agenda, and especially the animal kingdom, can be a formidable instrument at the service of the new public diplomacy, although unfortunately this is not always accompanied by an environmental conscience or a biodiversity protection agenda. 

CONTENT:

Acronyms

Index of tables

Index of graphs

Index of maps

Index of images

Foreword

Martha Bárcena Coqui

Presentation

Nation-state, country-branding, nation-branding and public diplomacy in the 21st century

Introduction

Public diplomacy and international relations

Public diplomacy and soft power

Nation-state, country-branding and nation-branding

Competition for relevance and political economy

of country-branding and nation-branding

The Susanita syndrome

Importance of country-branding and/or nation-branding

Soft power and the animal kingdom

Introduction

Human security and environmental security

Anthropocentrism, zoocentrism, speciesism and anti-speciesism

Zoonoses, anthropononoses and anthropozoonoses

Non-human animals and public image of politicians

The power of the dog

Zoon economicus

Zoon politikon

Russia, dog lovers and Vladimir Putin's international image

Introduction

From soft power to sharp power

The tripolar conflict: United States, Russia, PR China

The Role of Public Diplomacy in the Soviet Union

Public Diplomacy in the Putin Era

The reassertion of Russia

Vladimir Putin's international image and dog lovers

Australia and koala diplomacy

Introduction

The terra nullius and the Aboriginal problem

Australia: a fortunate and... remote country

Australia as a country brand and the coronavirus

Australia: biodiversity and environmental agenda

Koala diplomacy

Rwanda and gorillas in the fog

Introduction

Colonialism and the antecedents of genocide

National reconciliation and women

Military diplomacy or soft power?

Rwanda as a country brand

A poor country financing rich clubs

Rwanda and cinema

Gorillas in the fog

Aotearoa/New Zealand and Kiwi power

Introduction

Treaty of Waitangi/Te Tiriti o Waitangi

The Waitangi Tribunal

White New Zealand, immigration and Kiwi power

Public diplomacy and Aotearoa/New Zealand on the world map

Social welfare in times of unrest

Foreign policy and national identity

ANZUS, disarmament and denuclearization as country branding

[Mexico and Aotearoa/New Zealand: economic crisis and reform

Country branding and environmental policy

The kiwi: national identity and character

China's PR and the panda: national treasure?

Introduction

The Chinese formula

Geography and demography

Public diplomacy and country branding

The entertainment industry and Chinese soft/hard power

China's PR and its influence in multilateral international organizations

China's environmental policy

Panda diplomacy

Mexico: will we save the axolotl?

Introduction

Mexico's public diplomacy

Made in Mexico and the well done

Mexico's environmental agenda

Notes on the mistreatment of non-human animals

Will we save the axolotl?

Epilogue

Bibliography, hemerography and cyberography

Olof Palme Center for Analysis and Research on Peace, Security and Development A.C.