Nation Branding: A Tool Of Soft Power

Nation Branding: A Tool Of Soft Power Nations have always cared about their image, but in recent years one witnessed a turning point in methods used by states to build and manage their reputation. In this era of globalization the world is increasingly becoming a gigantic stage on which countries have to compete for all types of resources in order to enhance, and raise their international profile. In light of this, nation branding holds a vital key to win this world contest. Though, it draws heavily from the marketing and public relations realms, this concept is increasingly pertaining the sphere of international relations as states are using it as a tool to reach their desired international aims. In light of this, the aim of this essay will be to evaluate the relatively new concept of nation brand in the context of soft power in international relations. It will argue that there is close link between soft power and nation branding, since the latter if done effectively can enhance a nation soft power and consequently winni ng the hearts and minds of foreign audiences. The second part of the essay will then attempt to shed led on to what extent can state branding can fit within the theories of IR and the eventual implications it can have on the conduct of foreign policy. Soft power, a term that is increasingly used in discourses of international relations, was coined by Joseph Nye who is amongst the most prominent theorists within the Neoliberal theory, to define co-optive power in contrast to the traditional hard power related to the military and economic might. Soft power is conceptualized as the ability to get what you want through attraction rather than coercion or payments. It arises from the attractiveness of a countrys culture, political ideals, and policies (Nye, 2004). Soft power blossomed after the end of the cold war. Definitely, due to globalization and communication the usage of soft power is becoming more important. In fact, in light of this Nye states that, Winning hearts and minds has always been important, but it is even more so in a global information age. Information is power, and modern information technology is spreading information more widely than ever before in history (Nye 2004). Though the concept of soft power was put forth by Nye in recent decades, it could also be seen in previous works such that of Hans J. Morgenthau, Klaus Knorr and Ray Cline (Fan, 2008). Soft power rests on the ability of shaping the preferences of others. Hence, such arguments insist that a nation may address and reach its desired outcomes on the global stage, due to the fact that other states admire its values, imitate its example and seek to reach its level of prosperity and openness. Therefore, it is a significant asset in influencing others, not by using hard military power, but by the ability to attract, which goes beyond influence or persuasion (Nye, 2004). Nye states that soft power relies on primarily three resources the attractiveness of its culture, the appeal of its domestic political and social values, and the style and substance of its foreign policies (Nye, 2004). Due to such factors soft power is intangible and difficult to measure and control. Through such power, nations are able to cultivate specific relations with the other states particularly culturally and economically which eventually result in a better and more favorable public opinion and credibility in the outside world. An interesting aspect is that soft power in contrast to hard power is not controlled entirely by the government but non-state actors can also have a contribution to it. As previously discussed, soft powers most particular and important asset is the ability to attain desirable outcomes without involving any type of force. In todays world, many nations around the globe are suffering from bad image problems which lead nations to embark on initiatives such as nation branding. Image problems are driven by both internal policies and events taking place in the political, economical and social landscape, and also due to certain stereotypes that exist on the external side. Cases in point are the nations of Greece, Spain and Italy which are under investigation in my dissertation. In fact such countries, particularly Greece has currently its image into a storm due to the economic crisis. Apart from that, as in the case of Spain and Italy it suffers from certain stereotypes associated with countries located in the Mediterranean basin. Hence, in order to overcome negative perceptions or turn their potentials into reality countries embark on initiatives such as n ation branding. The practice and theoretical conceptualization of nation branding its still in its infancy, although it must be noted that some researches (e.g. Olins 2002) argue that countries have always branded themselves throughout history. Nation Branding is about applying branding and marketing communications techniques to promote a nations image (Fan 2008). In the marketing field a brand is understood how what a customer thinks about a certain product. On the other hand, the brand state revolves around the idea of how the outside world views a particular country. Hence, this makes nation branding a crossroad between the world of public relations and marketing and international relations. If one looks at the main definition of nation branding, one finds an array of differences in the focus and purpose of nation branding. Fan (2008) made a close examination of the major definitions. Fans (2008) evaluations show that nation branding is about remolding the national identities (Olins, 1999), enhance nations competitiveness (Anholt 2007), embrace political, cultural, business and sports activities (Jaffe and Nebenzahl, 2001), promoting economic and political interests at home and abroad (Rendon and Szondi, 2003) and to altering, improving or enhancing a nations image/ reputation (Gudjossan, 2005). In less theoretical words, nation branding is about building and managing the reputation of a country. Hence, this concept allows nations to better control the image they project to the world, and therefore be able to attract and compete for the right kinds of available resources. Consequently, by this process a nation hopes to boost its international profile in a globalized world where every country has to compete with every other nation for the share of income, power, voice and influence. In fact, nations engage in branding primarily in order to attract tourists, investment, boost exports, restore international credibility and ratings, increase political influence, stimulate stronger international relations, combat negative national stereotypes and enhance nation building by nourishing confidence, pride, harmony and national resolve (Dinnie 2008). Thus, a positive nation brand provides a crucial competitive advantage in contrast to a bad image which hinders the states competitivene ss in the global arena. As Van Ham (2008) states, similar to Nyes soft power resources, a countrys brand is determined by its culture, political ideals, and policies. There are three key components in nation branding, or in other words, a nations brand consists of three sub-brands: political brand, economic brand and cultural brand (Fan, 2008). Such arguments illustrate that nation branding and soft power are certainly two concepts linked. Backing this argument is the nation brand hexagon developed by Anholt in which there six main factors that determine a brand which are tourism, governance, exports, investment and immigrations, culture and heritage and the citizens. Hence, such six factors fall under the three main categories previously mentioned. Evidently, these are also the sources associated with the conduction of soft power. Certainly, nation branding falls under a wide umbrella of postmodern power where soft power and public diplomacy are also located. Van Ham (2008) argues that in academic discourse on soft power, the concept of nation branding has now acquired a place which is still somewhat awkward. Definitely, when one evaluates nation branding within the context of soft power in IR, one has to look also to the links and differences that exist between nation branding and public diplomacy. This is due to the fact that public diplomacy has much more theoretical backing of rich as one of the main soft power tools in IR. For example Melissen states that they are complimentary tools with the practice of branding a nation involves a much greater and coordinated effort than public diplomacy (Melissen 2005). On the other hand Szondi argues that both practices can be seen as distinct but overlapping concepts in that they are oriented toward the same purpose of branding a nation but as different tools in this endeavor (Szondi 2008). Anholt argue that public diplomacy is a subset of nation branding. In Anholts arguments nation branding is how a nation represents as whole itself, whilst public diplomacy is exclusively concentrated on the presentation of government policies, hence the political subset of nation branding. Nevertheless, one must keep in mind governments are assumed to represent the people of a nation, and therefore, there is no getting away from the fact that nation branding is a highly politicized activity (Dinnie, 2007). It must be noted, that the main link between public diplomacy and nation branding is that both concepts aim at the same outcome wining the hearts and minds to create a favorable image of the country. Though it is beyond the scope of this assignment to evaluate in detail the links and difference between nation branding and public diplomacy, it is interesting to have a glance between these tools through the table below Table 1: Table 1: Main differences between Public diplomacy and Nation Branding Public Diplomacy Nation Branding Goal Promoting political interest Promoting (mainly) economic related interests. Context Highly politicized and change according to government. Driven mainly by IR and culture May be de-politicized. Driven by marketing and public relations Target Targeted at key countries Targeted more universal, applicable to nay country Direction Foreign public Both foreign and domestic audience Strategies Relationship building, more emphasis on substance and content Image management, emphasis on visual and symbolic elements Evaluation Short, middle and long term Mostly long-term Definitely, as previously mentioned nation branding has very much in common with the values and issues related to soft power in IR. Fan (2008) states that nation branding can be an important asset in the development of soft power of a nation. Apart from that, a successful nation branding campaign will help create a more favourable image among the international audience thus further enhancing a countrys soft power. Hence, state branding is extensively seen as a vital tool to win over the hearts and minds of foreign audiences and persuade them that their brand is competitive. Bringing, Nyes arguments into light, one finds that reputation is a crucial part in the soft power of a country. This is due to the fact that reputation expresses the total impressions of other soft power recourses, such as for example how culture is perceived in the world. As in the case of soft power, nation branding initiatives are also built on credibility and reputation and determined by the nations culture, political ideals and policies. (Van Ham 2008) In light of the increasing rise of nation branding, a daunting question is: what is the implication of such a concept on international affairs? One needs to evaluate to what extent established theories of international relations have the right theoretical tools to shed light on this new concept that is pertaining the world of international relations. Van Ham (2008) states that The international relations theory of constructivism sheds some light on the functioning of place branding, whereas classical political science tools fail to come to terms with its implications for international politics. Such argument is made in the light of the fact that nation branding, as part of soft power revolve around factors such as values, norms and ideas in international relations. Hence, this is on the same lines of the IR constructivists theory since constructivist explanations of international politics define the global system as a set of ideas, a body of thought, a system of norms, which has been arranged by certain people at a particular time and place (Jackson and Sorrenson 2006). Constructivism assumes that the selves, or identities, of states are a variable; they likely depend on historical, cultural, political, and social context (Hopf 1998, 176). Hence, such arguments are extremely relevant for nation branding since the latter assume that identities are contextual and malleable (Van Ham 2008). Other traditional tools such as realism may find it more difficult to evaluate the rise of nation branding within the field of international relations. Realists are focused on a system of anarchy and balance of power in IR. First, they may find arguments about the relevance of public diplomacy and state branding as trivial and frivolous. (Van Ham, 2008). Apart from that, for realists, states in the international system pursue their egoistic self interest. Hence, regarding nation branding though, this can be a good initiative as such from the viewpoint of neorealism in that it can affect a states economic strength positively and thereby increasing its power and security. Apart from evaluating the implications of nation branding to the schools of IR, its also interesting to investigate the effect of this initiative on foreign policies the real IR world. As Anholt argues, applying nation branding techniques in foreign policies can be a dangerous initiative. Governments need to have a real sense and organized way of what are doing since they can fall their own victims if a brand is found not be credible or it is misleading. Apart from that, developing countries which are in need to brand themselves may use financial resources in branding efforts at the expense of more tangible needed reforms. Nation branding techniques can also backfire. This is highly illustrated with the case of Greece when it hosted the 2004 Olympics in Athens. The political, economic and international standing of Greece were at high levels, however none of government officials or departments took the task to develop the international profile of Hellas (Cromwell, T Kyriacou 2005) In light of the discussed arguments, one could assume that nation branding is inextricably linked with public diplomacy under the wider spectrum of the concept of soft power. However, as in contrast to traditional soft power tools such as public diplomacy, it makes explicit use of marketing and public relations techniques to reach its aims. Definitely, a new game in international politics is emerging about image and reputation. Nation branding provides the state a useful soft power approach in order to create its desired international influence in the international arena. As regards international relations discourses, nation branding is found most at home within the social constructivism theory. This is due to the fact that nation branding revolves around issues such as values, norms. With the increase use of soft power and the ever-increasing competition amongst states, nation branding will continue to gain ground as a concept, whilst further investigation in the IR field need to fu rther developed in order give a better insight on the place nation branding have in the political sphere.

Trinidad Education

In Trinidad, The Ministry of Education has the policy of free education for all. They preach that this ‘free’ education is not based on class, wealth, race, gender or ethnicity but rather is a way to ensure that the entire nation is educated. Though these are the promises on Trinidad’s and Tobago’s Education Policy Paper, how is it that only nine of every one thousand people continue onto college, university or any higher education after secondary school? Twenty-one percent of Trinidadians live in poverty, which means that twenty-one percent of citizens do not have access to running water or proper health care. Because of this, many children in these poor families immediately enter the world of work or become ‘beggars’ to help feed their family. This shows the importance of social class on the initial decision of whether a child will be educated or not. This is not common as only two percent of Trinidad’s population is illiterate. I would categorize myself in the middle to high status class in my country and this has, in many ways affected my educational opportunities. I lived in a town known as Diego Martin and though my neighborhood mostly consisted of people within my same social class, the town itself has many neighborhoods consisting of people living in poverty. Pre-school education is not considered by government policies and therefore, there are no public pre-schools and if a family wants to enroll their child in preschool they would have to do so privately and with their own money. This goes to show that the first level of education in Trinidad is in fact not free. Because of this, my parents enrolled me in a private pre-school, which would indeed have to be paid for with their own money. This shows the immediate impact that class has on one’s education from just the first steps. Pre-school in Trinidad usually takes about two years and here is where a child learns his numbers and letters and therefore these children living under the poverty line are somewhat ‘robbed’ of these essential learning years. After this, a child must then be signed up for primary school where he or he will spend the following seven years. There are two hundred and sixteen primary schools in the country, one hundred and sixty-three of which are funded by various religious institutions, thirty-two of which are funded by the government and therefore are completely free of charge, and twenty-one of which are privately run. I attended a privately run school as these had higher success rates in the SEA or Secondary Entrance Assessment examination that all primary school students are prepared for in order to gain placement in the school of one’s choice. Once again, though there is an availability of free primary level education, the members of the middle and higher social class send their children to privately run schools in order to ensure that teachers are constantly present and not on strike due to low government wages, and that their children receive a more well-rounded education as there are funds now for sports and other recreational activities. Personally, attending a private school made me not only feel safe, as there were not usually guards present in government funded institutions due to high cost, but to also gave me the opportunities to join different sporting teams and go on school ‘outings’ to various national attractions and the necessary preparation to gain a placement in the secondary school of my choice- the number one girls secondary school in Trinidad. The entrance examination is one aspect that I can truly say that had absolutely nothing to do with class, race or ethnicity as each student was given an identification number and placement into choice schools was done based on results. These secondary schools were again a seven-year course. Therefore, in total one should spend sixteen years at school in order to complete what is considered a general education but the average number of years spent at school in Trinidad is eleven. This means that the average student ‘drops out’ of secondary school after two years. As a female in the top all girls’ institution, I became very gender bias as my school continuously obtained the most government scholarships year after year. Not only that, but nationally women received a significant number of scholarships more than the men did. This may have wrongly shaped my idea that women are in fact smarter than men based on what I experienced at home. Tertiary education for many Trinidadians is extremely class bias. There is one university known as the University of the West Indies and though it is extremely renowned in engineering and mathematical studies it can only facilitate a very small percentage of graduates every year. Therefore, if one wishes to study, he or she may have to look at schools abroad which is a huge expense for any family. Studying in the United States has been a great privilege for me that would never have been possible if I belonged to a lower social class. Overall, my social status granted me opportunities unimaginable for many residents in my country. Despite government efforts to better the education levels of the country there is still a lot to be done in order to meet the goal that class does not determine one’s level or education.

The Fight Against Evaluation Essay Topics

The Fight Against Evaluation Essay Topics Although the list of potential evaluation essay topics is unlimited, students repeatedly tend to choose from only a few of the exact same topics. Plenty of students face difficulty in regards to writing a thesis one of the most significant elements of any essay assignment. The option of evaluation essay topic is a significant step before writing. Sometimes the procedure for choosing evaluative essay topics becomes a true challenge. To do so, you will need to get a guide to compose the very best essay on the selected topic. If you're in a college and wish to compose an argumentative essay, you should decide on a subject of high importance. Elaborate guide about how to begin an essay After an instructor assigns an essay, among the initial questions that students ask is the way to begin their essays. Writing an essay for high school is simple if you select a very simple topic. The cost of an essay depends upon the total amount of effort the writer has to exert. You should write a minumum of one essay daily. It is possible to finish your essay in a number of ways. Writing an essay considers many distinctive elements. Writing is a particular gift that you're able to develop, but should you truly feel like it isn't your thing, our crew of professional writers can help to finish an essay from scratch or do paper editing you've already done. The simplest approach to finish a writing assignment is to pick evaluation essay topics on movies. Keep in mind that if writing an evaluation essay, you don't need to express a firm opinion and stick with it, yet to create a balanced assessment presenting different facets. Whether you wish to order a case of an evaluation essay, get access to some other collection of excellent topics, buy an outline to boost your odds of successfully completing an assignment in time or seek the services of a skilled proofreader to verify your paper, you may always rely on us. When one writes a personal kind of essay, the initial impression is the fact that it is entirely devoted to self expression and devoid of any kind of technicality. So ensure you decide on a subject, wh ich has values in it. It is essential to opt for a great topic so as to compose a terrific paper. You will probably locate a different and wonderful topic you will love to write about. It is going to also be easier that you develop an evaluation that may be trusted by your readers. You've got to spell out how you had the ability to produce the evaluation including the specification of the facets you have considered within the entirety of the evaluation and writing process. It is very important to establish it as it's not going to make your evaluation look to be an opinion. Quite simply, it gives a well-reasoned evaluation. Evaluation Essay Topics Ideas An evaluation paper is utilized to assess the quality of an item, company, program or place. Try to create your task easier by deciding on a subject of interest. While evaluation essays are easy to write, as you're simply required to evaluate a product, service, entity, event or something different, there is a single significant trap to be on the lookout for creating your piece overly opinionated. The evaluation essay is intended to demonstrate the general quality of a specific object, service, product, and p lace. Up in Arms About Evaluation Essay Topics? One of the best aspects of our services is you will get what you would like, when you desire it, for a reasonable price. Criteria show what a perfect item, service, place ought to be. The standard of your work depends upon the way that you treat the assignment. If that's the case, your evaluation is going to be a beaten job.

Domestic Violence in the United States Essay - 2220 Words

â€Å"Domestic violence is an emotional, physical, psychological, or sexual abuse perpetrated against a person by a persons spouse, former spouse, partner, former partner or by the other parent of a minor child† (McCue 2). While it is these things, the violence is also considered a pattern of demeanor used to establish power and control over another person with whom an intimate relationship is or has been shared through fear and intimidation (â€Å"Domestic Violence Sourcebook† 9). It has many names, including spouse abuse, domestic abuse, domestic assault, battering, partner abuse, marital strife, marital dispute, wife-beating, marital discord, woman abuse, dysfunctional relationship, intimate fighting, mate beating, and so on (2). Donna Shalala,†¦show more content†¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"Feminist defines domestic violence as wife abuse, with the term â€Å"wife† broadened to mean a woman functioning in that capacity in an intimate relationship† (McCue 13). To feminist, wife abuse is only understood if we understand that our society is traditionally structured on the lines of gender, with men being the men overpowering the women (13). Domestic Violence as a criminal charge its self should be enforced. Despite the debates of domestic violence, some individuals believe it is being over hyperbolized. Adherents argue that the elevate in the number of reports of domestic violence is due to womens incremented awareness of the availability of social accommodations and their willingness to utilize the accommodations, not because of an actual increase in the demeanor itself (Jenkins 19). â€Å"The extent of violence is determined by how â€Å"abuse† is defined† (19). Even though domestic violence has been declining over the years, figures are still being used continuously to present the â€Å"epidemic† view for memorable factoids (Jenkins 22). Predicated on known facts, this batter is none the less a crime in itself. Beating someone out of anger is an assault. Regular assault is never queried about it being a crime alone. Adherents argue that although alcohol and abuse are linked, the substance abuse does not cause men to beat their spouseShow MoreRelatedDomestic Violence : The United States Essay1405 Words   |  6 PagesEvery minute, twenty people are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. According to the Natural Coalition of Domestic Violence, after one year more than ten million men and women become a victim of domestic violence. Every year someone new becomes a victim. Every year someone gets physically harmed or even death. Every year someone finds freedom from domestic violence. Domestic violence is an act which one individual purposely harms another, usually someone they are closeRead MoreDomestic Violence in the United States1516 Words   |  7 PagesDomestic violence affects a large amount of relationships in the United States each year. As the times have changed, abuse has become less accepted as a normal occurrence, and society has begun working together to provide awareness towards violence in intimate partner relationships. â€Å"Problems of family violence are potentially the most destructive in our society† (Kurland 23). Domestic violence is a problem that begins in the home, and spreads to affect the world around it. Violence is present inRead MoreDomestic Violence During The United States1174 Words   |  5 Pagesbeen recorded that approximately â€Å"2,000,000 injuries, and 1,300 deaths are caused each year as a result of domestic violence† (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This harm to and loss of life is due to the n egligence of all Americans, in regards to the monitoring and managing of domestic violence in the United States. 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Although Domestic Violence is aRead MoreDomestic Violence During The United States830 Words   |  4 Pages Before reading the first two parts of Til Death Do Us Part I knew that domestic violence was a growing issue in the United states, but it was a surprise to find out that the state that we live in for more than fifteen has been place in the top ten nationally in the rate of women murder by men (Pardue, Smith, Hawes, Hauff, 2014). The first part gave the statics on how many victims were turned away in 2012-2013 from shelters around South Carolina which was a total of 380. The reason why thisRead MoreDomestic Violence in the United States Essay2145 Words   |  9 Pages2009 Introduction The office of domestic violence against women defines domestic violence as pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner. 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