tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/cultural-diplomacy-8228/articlesCultural diplomacy – The Conversation2022-05-17T20:01:20Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1814852022-05-17T20:01:20Z2022-05-17T20:01:20Z‘Where have all you Australians gone?’ Australia’s shrinking role in cultural diplomacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/463161/original/file-20220516-65142-iuuv5g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=19%2C0%2C4397%2C2476&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Almost all governments today support some funding towards promoting their international political and economic agendas through cultural activities overseas: commonly referred to as part of “cultural diplomacy” or “soft power”.</p>
<p>Cultural diplomacy is not new. Julius Caesar brought <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1284496/Skeletons-80-gladiators-slaughtered-crowds-unearthed-York.html">gladiatorial performance</a> to Britain, not so subtly suggesting Rome’s power. James Cook <a href="https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/oceania">presented gifts</a> to the Pacific island chiefs – albeit insubstantial ones in return for the highly prized objects he received, now in European collections.</p>
<p>The British Council was established <a href="https://www.britishcouncil.org/about-us/history">in 1934</a> to stem the force of Soviet cultural diplomatic success. The Japan Foundation was founded <a href="https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/about/result/ar/2010/pdf/ar2010-01.pdf">in 1972</a> to create a more sophisticated view of a Japan emerging from the second world war.</p>
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<span class="caption">The British Council – photographed here in Washington DC – was established in 1934.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Australia’s efforts have always been paltry. </p>
<p>We have never had an international cultural agency, and the Federal government avenues we do have for supporting international artistic projects, the Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Australia Council, have <a href="https://currencyhouse.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NPP2-Caust-Discussion-Paper-download.pdf">shrinking funds</a>.</p>
<p>In the 2000s, I was a member of DFAT’s Australia Indonesia Institute. Our small fund supported almost all the official cultural engagement between the two countries, and even it decreased before our eyes. It didn’t surprise me when leading curator Jim Supangkat asked me in Jakarta: “Where have all you Australians gone?” </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cultural-intelligence-key-to-future-of-australia-indonesia-relationship-29080">Cultural intelligence key to future of Australia-Indonesia relationship</a>
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<h2>‘Regionally inactive’</h2>
<p>In 2021/22, in admittedly difficult COVID times, just one cultural project – the Ubud Writers Festival – <a href="https://www.dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/foundations-councils-institutes/australia-indonesia-institute/grants/2021-2022-australia-indonesia-institute-grants">was funded</a> through the Australia Indonesia Institute’s tiny A$450,000 allocation for all people-to-people projects between us and our so-important neighbour.</p>
<p>It does not help that the Australia Indonesia Institute, like most of the DFAT bilateral agencies with these precious country colleagues, now has no specialist arts person <a href="https://www.dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/foundations-councils-institutes/australia-indonesia-institute/management/board-members">on its board</a>.</p>
<p>Most Commonwealth government funding and capacity in the area is allocated to individual applicants by the federal arts agency, the Australia Council. </p>
<p>The application forms for funding from DFAT, bilateral agencies like the Indonesia Institute, and the Australia Council are particularly onerous, as is the ensuing reporting of how funds are spent. There are smarter ways all round.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-is-values-the-new-buzzword-in-australian-foreign-policy-hint-it-has-something-to-do-with-china-143839">Why is 'values' the new buzzword in Australian foreign policy? (Hint: it has something to do with China)</a>
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<p>The diminishing role of Australia’s cultural diplomacy has been known for a long time, but there has been a change recently of senior arts and diplomatic figures speaking out. </p>
<p>Former Ambassador to China, Geoff Raby writes in his <a href="https://www.mup.com.au/books/chinas-grand-strategy-and-australias-future-in-the-new-global-order-paperback-softback">2020 book</a> on our general relations with China that:</p>
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<p>over the last two decades, Australia has been seen to be regionally inactive. [To change that] active engagement with China in cultural diplomacy should be another essential element of Australia’s statecraft. </p>
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<p>Carrillo Gantner’s 2022 book, eloquently titled <a href="https://publishing.monash.edu/product/dismal-diplomacy-disposable-sovereignty/">Dismal Diplomacy</a>, written from his 40 years working particularly in cultural projects with China, pleads for better and more sophisticated relations all round.</p>
<p>In 2018, John McCarthy, former Ambassador to Indonesia (and other places) <a href="https://www.bloomsburycollections.com/book/strangers-next-door-indonesia-and-australia-in-the-asian-century/ch3-perceptions-and-the-capacity-to-persuade">wrote</a> public diplomacy has “always been the poor relation in Australian foreign policy implementation”:</p>
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<p>Canada spends more on public diplomacy than Australia spends on the whole of its foreign service. Excluding public broadcasting, France spends an estimated A$1.9 billion, Germany A$1.6 billion, the UK A$350 million, and the Netherlands A$100 million. Australia spends A$12 million, of which, in most years, our Indonesia program will receive about A$1 million.</p>
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<p>Cultural diplomacy comes under the umbrella of the broader public diplomacy described by McCarthy. </p>
<p>The Australia Council’s International Engagement Strategy has had an annual budget over the last five years averaging $2.7 million, while DFAT’s Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants program currently has an <a href="https://www.dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/public-diplomacy/acdgp/grantees/2021-acdgp-grantees">allocation</a> of $400,000. There are other programs here and there that loosely come under the cultural diplomacy tag, so let us average up this figure to around $5 million. </p>
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<span class="caption">The Goethe-Institut, pictured here in Singapore, has an annual budget of around A$400 million.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Comparisons are hard for specific cultural activity because each country includes different areas, but Australia’s contrast with the specialist Goethe-Institut and British Council are stark. The Goethe-Institut has had fairly stable funding of A$400 million per annum over recent years, and the British Council A$320 million. </p>
<p>On these figures, they spend A$4-5 per capita on cultural engagement and diplomacy, and we spend 20 cents.</p>
<p>Another calculation is through activities. The Arts and Cultural Program described in the Japan Foundation’s <a href="https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/about/result/ar/2019/pdf/dl/ar2019e.pdf">recent annual report</a> counts audiences of over five million attendances for 2,300 events it has “organised or supported”.</p>
<p>We are nowhere in that ballpark.</p>
<h2>‘How to win friends’</h2>
<p>As Jo Caust writes in her <a href="https://currencyhouse.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NPP2-Caust-Discussion-Paper-download.pdf">recent paper</a>, “support for the arts is not primarily a question of economics. It is a question of values.” </p>
<p>Assessment of the importance of international activities is a bigger issue than straight numbers. </p>
<p>The appreciation of the British Council <a href="https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2021-06-08/debates/25D780FC-924C-438F-A181-4AB111C5B9E6/BritishCouncil">merited debate</a> recently in the House of Commons, concluding the program provided the United Kingdom with </p>
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<p>an object lesson in how to win friends and influence people. […] We intend to continue to ensure that global Britain is a world leader for soft power.</p>
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<p>There is an argument Australia needs cultural diplomacy more than others. </p>
<p>We carry the stain of our settler founding, increasingly clearly articulated. The racist White Australia Policy rescinded relatively recently (in 1966) is well known by our neighbours. Our position in the region has always been debatable, something sensed by our neighbours as much as known. Are we in “in” or “out” of Asia? To many, we have a <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/voices/culture/article/2016/11/21/comment-crisis-identity-australia">confused cultural identity</a>: one that needs all the help it can get.</p>
<p>We can look to the German and Japanese examples, equally recognising their need to be proactive in their international imaging after events of the last 100 years. They have created serious, professional, cultural diplomatic agendas.</p>
<p>Australia’s cultural diplomacy should be done better, more effectively and with more confidence. The best way forward is to give the running to a central, nuanced, specialist body well equipped to tackle it.</p>
<p>We’d all be better served. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/heres-how-to-reset-new-zealands-cultural-diplomacy-in-the-pacific-100454">Here's how to reset New Zealand’s cultural diplomacy in the Pacific</a>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alison Carroll does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Germany and England spend around A$4–5 per capita on cultural engagement and diplomacy. We spend 20 cents.Alison Carroll, Senior Research Fellow, Victorian College of the Arts, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1487812020-10-29T15:34:36Z2020-10-29T15:34:36ZHow viral song Jerusalema joined the ranks of South Africa’s greatest hits<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/366522/original/file-20201029-19-1q6i13g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A group of colleagues taking up the viral #JerusalemaDanceChallenge in Cape Town.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">NIC BOTHMA/EPA-EFE</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There’s something seemingly novel about a song from South Africa going viral to the extent that the 2019 house music song <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCZVL_8D048">Jerusalema</a></em> has done in 2020. The song is performed by musician and producer <a href="https://briefly.co.za/32929-master-kg-biography-age-real-awards-songs-albums.html">Master KG</a> and vocalist <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/07/nomcebo-the-voice-behind-jerusalema-south-africas-global-hit">Nomcebo Zikode</a>.</p>
<p>Apart from the song’s omnipresence on the sound systems of a cross-section of socio-economic neighbourhoods across South Africa, it has become a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/sep/24/jerusalema-dance-craze-brings-hope-from-africa-to-the-world-amid-covid">viral dance phenomenon</a>, drawing in a diverse global audience. Internationally, politicians, sports stars, priests, nuns and monks, shop attendants, healthcare workers and infinite other global citizens have posted countless videos of themselves participating in group dancing, accepting the <em>Jerusalema</em> dance challenge. </p>
<p>As much as the song has captured <a href="https://scroll.in/article/975720/jerusalema-why-a-south-african-song-has-become-the-soundtrack-to-a-world-in-lockdown">global attention</a>, it has also inspired curiosity among those already familiar with the repetitive, slower, four-to-a-bar beat of <a href="https://www.okayafrica.com/south-african-house-songs-10-best/">South African house</a> music. Many are trying to figure out what makes <em>Jerusalema</em> so exceptional in its popularity. A frequent question in my social circles is, why this song? </p>
<p>Why, when there have been so many other similar uplifting local dance hits, does this song have such a potent viral capacity that’s broken download <a href="https://ewn.co.za/2020/09/10/master-kg-s-jerusalema-now-most-shazamed-song-in-the-world">records</a> and received over 200 million clicks on the official music video to date?</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">The official music video for Jerusalema.</span></figcaption>
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<p>The song also befuddles because it seems to have fallen outside of the traditional South African summer dance release trajectory, which usually means that such songs get endless airplay throughout the holidays and then their ubiquity dies down. Instead <em>Jerusalema</em> kept growing in popularity during the national COVID-19 lockdown. This should give us a clue about its particular significance.</p>
<h2>South Africa’s greatest hits</h2>
<p>Few South African songs have achieved this kind of global status and these have been tied to political or historical moments that enabled their popularity and spread. Three other songs come to mind. </p>
<p>The first is <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrrQT4WkbNE">Mbube</a></em>, written by <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/solomon-popoli-linda-singer-and-composer-dies">Solomon Linda</a> and performed with his troupe the Evening Birds in the 1930s. <em>Mbube</em> was misinterpreted as <em>Wimoweh</em> almost at once by American folk singer Peter Seeger. Since then it has become a multi-generational staple in stage productions and Hollywood <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I82PFHKgY2c">films</a> and covered by numerous bands around the world. The success of what is now known as <em>Wimoweh (The Lion Sleeps Tonight)</em> was possible because of its <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/in-the-jungle-inside-the-long-hidden-genealogy-of-the-lion-sleeps-tonight-108274/">exploitation</a> of Linda’s labour and intellectual property rights. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-angolan-dancers-who-helped-south-african-anthem-jerusalema-go-global-148782">The Angolan dancers who helped South African anthem Jerusalema go global</a>
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<p>Another prominent song was Miriam Makeba’s infectious dance hit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNeP3hrm__k"><em>Pata Pata</em></a> during the height of <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-apartheid-south-africa">apartheid</a> in the 1960s. Its popularity in Africa, Europe, North America and other parts of the world was enabled not only by her fame as a singer but also by her <a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/96869377">political activism</a> and networks against the apartheid regime. </p>
<p>The South African hits emanating from Paul Simon’s <em>Graceland</em> album – like Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/of-strong-winds-heavy-hearts-and-joseph-shabalala-telling-the-south-african-story-131848"><em>Homeless</em></a> – were incredibly popular in Europe and North America. But they were similarly riding the wave of rebellion. By making the album with black South African musicians, Simon defied apartheid, but also disregarded the <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/south-africas-academic-and-cultural-boycott">cultural boycott</a> of South Africa. So Simon’s fame plus <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/apr/19/paul-simon-graceland-acclaim-outrage">cumulative factors</a> helped make <em>Graceland</em> a hit album.</p>
<h2>The art of crossing over</h2>
<p><em>Jerusalema</em> is in good company. Its popularity comes not only at a time when songs with a dance sequence often have a viral life, like Drake’s online hit <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRS_PpOrUZ4&list=PL0bYCsuYO8hg28V_EcMDziM5p7V65ieYU&index=554">In My Feelings</a></em> or the pre-internet <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMRVbhbIkjk">Macarena</a></em> by Los Del Rio. Beyond this, <em>Jerusalema</em>’s message of seeking guidance and protection towards a spiritual <a href="https://www.theelephant.info/ideas/2020/10/16/another-now-why-the-jerusalema-dance-challenge-reveals-a-longing-to-re-imagine-the-world/">home</a> in a turbulent time is also relevant for this historical moment.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">#JerusalemaDanceChallenge in Italy.</span></figcaption>
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<p><em>Jerusalema</em> went viral during the isolation and loss caused by <a href="https://theconversation.com/africa/covid-19">COVID-19</a> lockdowns world-wide. It has resonated with people who may not <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/jerusalema-global-dance-hit-south-africa-spotify-1076474/">understand</a> the isiZulu lyrics, but understand its inherent religious theme, because of associations with the biblical city Jerusalem. This translates anywhere Christianity plays a social or institutional role, making the song resonate beyond its danceability.</p>
<p>And this makes <em>Jerusalema</em> another successful crossover – a popular house music song that also manages to be a gospel song. Many crossover songs go viral because they straddle target audiences in different genres. What is interesting is that in South Africa, gospel music traditionally outsells most other popular music genres. The song has essentially penetrated this large market but also had an impact on local music market benchmarks. It not only offers catchy dance music and a relatable message, it also makes local market history for gospel-dance fusion.</p>
<h2>A bridge to soft power</h2>
<p>It is also not entirely surprising that the viral dance sequence associated with <em>Jerusalema</em> came from <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=613A9d6Doac">Angola</a>. Dance music is popular in Angola, with local styles like <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/29/kizomba-dance-an-angolan-celebration">kizomba</a> and <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2012/12/26/167628341/kuduro-the-dance-that-keeps-angola-going">kuduro</a>. Angola also has well-established European networks due to its political history. So, the #JerusalemaDanceChallenge became a bridge to the rest of the continent, the African diaspora and Europe. The viral life of the song has given Master KG access to elusive global music markets.</p>
<p>This serves up another question over the song: what does <em>Jerusalema</em> say about South Africa’s <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/capsule-review/2004-05-01/soft-power-means-success-world-politics">soft power</a>? For the moment, the song has made the country prominent on the world map. But soft power is earned and not achieved overnight. Governments build networks over time through recurring formal and informal cultural diplomacy programmes to nurture an attractive image of their nations abroad. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">#JerusalemaDanceChallenge in Kenya.</span></figcaption>
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<p>South Africa also has soft power intentions it pursues through the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture’s occasional <a href="http://www.dac.gov.za/content/cultural-diplomacy-pillar-our-international-relations">cultural diplomacy</a> programmes. The department often sponsors big-name local house deejays to travel to international industry conferences. Cultural diplomacy involves artists actually interacting with foreign audiences and not only building networks with institutions. Musicians need to be supported through infrastructure in building consumer audiences abroad. </p>
<p>Some questions remain. How will South Africa capitalise on the popularity of <em>Jerusalema</em> for its soft power-related goals? Is it enough to simply name the musicians responsible for the hit as our cultural ambassadors abroad? </p>
<p>The viral popularity of <em>Jerusalema</em> is interesting on a number of levels, but mostly because it has superseded expectations of what a local house music song can do.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148781/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Through the University of Fort Hare, Akhona Ndzuta receives funding from the NRF.</span></em></p>Like Pata-Pata, Homeless and Mbube, the song Jerusalema is elevated by a historical moment in time and has the power to cross over to different audiences.Akhona Ndzuta, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Fort HareLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/692572016-11-25T10:45:44Z2016-11-25T10:45:44ZExhibiting Arab modern art in Iran is about more than just diplomacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147377/original/image-20161124-15351-3qv5gg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Ahmed Cherkaoui (Morocco), Les Miroirs Rouges, 1980. Courtesy Barjeel Art Foundation</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A new exhibition of works from the Barjeel collection recently opened at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art to considerable international fanfare. No reviews have appeared at time of writing (and this is also not one), but <a href="http://www.barjeelartfoundation.org/exhibitions/the-sea-suspended/">The Sea Suspended</a> has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/18/tehran-museum-tmoca-hosts-exhibition-of-modern-arab-art-kadhim-hayder">widely hailed</a> as the first group exhibition of modern art from the Arab region ever shown in Iran, displaying 40 works by prominent Arab artists alongside 40 Iranian paintings. Ostensibly this is an extraordinary fact, given the geographical proximity and (when taking the long view) the history of engagement between Iran and its Arab neighbours.</p>
<p>Yet in the shorter view of history that inevitably dominates media analyses, the story of post-revolutionary Iran and its Arab neighbours to the west and south emphasises difference hardening into conflict. </p>
<p>A common narrative, simplistic (and <a href="http://www.karlremarks.com/search?updated-min=2015-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2016-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=32">apt to be satirised</a>), but not totally inaccurate, positions the Farsi-speaking Shia Islamic Republic in opposition to the Sunni-dominated Arab states clustered around the Gulf (Iraq an important exception), with Saudi Arabia as their hegemonic power, and the US and its allies aligned with them. Proxy groups continue to vie for influence in Palestine, Lebanon and beyond, while proxy military confrontation continues in the catastrophic wars in Syria and Yemen. Rhetoric, money, arms and direct intervention flow in different directions – from Tehran on one side, and Riyadh working with Abu Dhabi and other neighbouring capitals on the other.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147384/original/image-20161124-15356-bj403i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147384/original/image-20161124-15356-bj403i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147384/original/image-20161124-15356-bj403i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147384/original/image-20161124-15356-bj403i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=510&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147384/original/image-20161124-15356-bj403i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=641&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147384/original/image-20161124-15356-bj403i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=641&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147384/original/image-20161124-15356-bj403i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=641&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Abdul Qader Al Rais (Dubai), Untitled, c.1970.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Barjeel Art Foundation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In the context of this fraught historical moment, Tehran’s new exhibition is <a href="http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2016/11/sea-suspended-iran-uae-art-exhibition-cultural-diplomacy.html%E2%80%8Bhttp://example.com/">being promoted</a> as a bracing act of cultural diplomacy. The exhibition is a collaboration between the government-owned TMoCA, the commercial Mohsen Gallery, and the Emirati Barjeel Art Foundation. It encompasses work from a variety of Arab countries including Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq and the UAE, alongside a selection of work by Iranian modernists. This juxtaposition has prompted the rhetoric about the exhibition being a cultural “dialogue” or “bridge” and the idea that it is doing something, through art, which formal diplomacy cannot achieve.</p>
<h2>Comparing modernities</h2>
<p>But such rhetoric makes the differences between Iranian and Arab cultures seem very concrete and fixed. Despite their cultural distinctiveness, there are parallels between histories of modernisation in Iran and majority-Arab countries, of control and influence by European and American imperial power in the 19th and 20th centuries, and of reactions to this. These are all things which helped shape artistic modernisms.</p>
<p>Rhetoric aside, the exhibition invites its audience to view the Barjeel works firstly as representing an “Arab” experience of modernity, in contrast to the Iranian works. This allows for a sense of comparison which might challenge the narrative, constantly reinforced by regional politics, that an Arab sphere exists in historical and cultural isolation from an Iranian one. Of course, framing Arab modern art collectively risks reducing it to a singular phenomenon. But hopefully the works on display allow the audience to consider the particular historical moments and Arab countries they come from – some of which are geographically or politically close to Iran, some not.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147436/original/image-20161124-15359-1vtflak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147436/original/image-20161124-15359-1vtflak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147436/original/image-20161124-15359-1vtflak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147436/original/image-20161124-15359-1vtflak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=468&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147436/original/image-20161124-15359-1vtflak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147436/original/image-20161124-15359-1vtflak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147436/original/image-20161124-15359-1vtflak.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=588&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Saliba Douaihy (Lebanon), Untitled, 1965.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Barjeel Art Foundation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Relating the exhibition to the immediate political context only also ignores a history of exchange between different parts of what became the United Arab Emirates (federated in 1971) and Iran. Dubai and Sharjah – where the Barjeel Art Foundation is based – were built partly through mercantile trade across the Gulf, with an Iranian presence over at least two centuries. Today, the symbiotic art scenes of these two Emirates (effectively a coastal conurbation) form an important site for Iranian art. </p>
<p>While Dubai is the key offshore hub for the commercial market in Iranian art, Sharjah’s cultural infrastructure is predominantly institutional: Barjeel Art Foundation sits alongside a raft of public museums and one of the most consistently interesting biennales worldwide. In taking a representation of Arab modern art to Iran (with modern very widely defined, spanning the 1950s up to the 1990s), the foundation is reciprocating the presence of Iranian modern and contemporary art in various iterations of the Sharjah Biennale and the commercial galleries in Dubai.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147385/original/image-20161124-15339-11soyuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147385/original/image-20161124-15339-11soyuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=712&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147385/original/image-20161124-15339-11soyuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=712&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147385/original/image-20161124-15339-11soyuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=712&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147385/original/image-20161124-15339-11soyuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=894&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147385/original/image-20161124-15339-11soyuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=894&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147385/original/image-20161124-15339-11soyuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=894&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Raffa Al-Nasiri (Iraq), Variations of the Horizon no. 5, 1979.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Barjeel Art Foundation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Modernism and memory</h2>
<p>Another way of understanding the exhibition – easily overlooked if the idea of Arab modern art is taken at face value in order to emphasise its role as a cultural “bridge” – is to consider why modern art is important to preserve and promote. There is a strong sense of lost history owing to the turmoil in so much of the region in the 20th century. Many archives, collections and museums were destroyed or dispersed. The problem of “amnesia” around Arab modern art has even become an important theme in contemporary art from the region, such as <a href="http://www.sfeir-semler.com/gallery-artists/walid-raad/">the work of Lebanese artist Walid Raad</a>.</p>
<p>Initiatives like the Barjeel Art Foundation seek to archive and represent an occluded history of a modern, Arab artistic sphere. Clustering behind this is a complex of cultural affiliation, shared questions around modernity, history, politics, culture and art, and a history of pan-Arabism (which has always been at least as much a rhetoric as a political project).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147387/original/image-20161124-15333-113a2z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/147387/original/image-20161124-15333-113a2z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147387/original/image-20161124-15333-113a2z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147387/original/image-20161124-15333-113a2z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=594&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147387/original/image-20161124-15333-113a2z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=747&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147387/original/image-20161124-15333-113a2z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=747&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/147387/original/image-20161124-15333-113a2z5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=747&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Effat Nagi (Egypt), The High Dam, 1966.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courtesy Barjeel Art Foundation</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Generating this historical framework for a collection can also be seen as an attempt to work against the continued designation of art, especially contemporary art, as being from the “Middle East” – a term widely used in the “region” as well as outside, but a vague, externally-imposed creation of 19th-century colonial cartography. </p>
<p>Representing this project of historical and categorical reclamation in Iran and setting the exhibition up to produce comparisons, especially if this is done in a way that allows the artworks to tell their own distinct stories, also invites a sense of solidarity in pursuit of a more specific and grounded understanding of art and history. It could be a connective gesture between art worlds. That gesture, since it relates to smaller worlds within Iran, the UAE and the wider region, might be fairly discrete. But it is also productive and potentially profound, and its significance is misunderstood if the exhibition is seen only through the lens of diplomacy.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/69257/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Edward McDonald-Toone is affiliated with the Labour Party, and has received Funding from the University of Melbourne (in the form of a 3 year scholarship for graduate study in the UK, awarded in 2010) and a Fellowship from Darat al Funun/The Khalid Shoman Foundation (comprising a four month residency in Amman, in 2015). He has written a catalogue essay for a four part display of works from the Barjeel Foundation at the Whitechapel Art Gallery in 2015-16 (paid by the Whitechapel Art Gallery).</span></em></p>A new modern art exhibition in Tehran is being promoted as a bracing act of cultural diplomacy. But we should look a little deeper.Edward McDonald-Toone, PhD Candidate, UCLLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/420512015-05-20T05:35:50Z2015-05-20T05:35:50ZKoalas, platypuses and pandas and the power of soft diplomacy<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82359/original/image-20150520-17690-1qrz6k6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">One of four koalas on loan to Singapore Zoo, where they were unveiled to the public on Wednesday May 20.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Qantas Airways</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Four female koalas have just made their debut in front of an adoring public at Singapore Zoo – the latest in a long line of animals used for diplomatic purposes.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82345/original/image-20150520-24994-hk0xts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Idalia, one of four koalas now in Singapore.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://wrscomsg.wordpress.com/2015/04/16/koalas-arrive-in-singapore-zoo/">Wildlife Reserves Singapore</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The koalas are on loan from Australia to mark the 50th anniversary of <a href="https://www.singapore50.sg/SG50/About">Singapore’s sovereignty</a>, as well as 50 years of diplomatic relations with Australia. </p>
<p>As Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s <a href="http://foreignminister.gov.au/releases/Pages/2015/jb_mr_150409.aspx">media release</a> says, the koalas’ visit will “further build on our long-standing constructive relationship”. The four koalas will stay in Singapore for six months for now, but the gift will be made permanent once Singapore Zoo can support a koala colony.</p>
<p>The involvement of iconic animals in international diplomacy has <a href="http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=57d7e1a9-6a24-43a0-a779-4bdf253614b0%40sessionmgr112&vid=0&hid=115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=hlh&AN=43577808">a long history</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"600873995567820801"}"></div></p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"600890650729574400"}"></div></p>
<p>Arguably, the best known of the world’s animal ambassadors has been the giant panda. Between the 1950s and 1980s, China presented two dozen pandas to countries with which it wished to improve its relations. </p>
<p>Other pandas were loaned, such as Xiao Xiao and Fei Fei, exhibited at <a href="http://www.giantpandazoo.com/TarongaZoo.html">Taronga Zoo</a>, Sydney, and Melbourne Zoo to mark Australia’s Bicentenary in 1988. </p>
<p>While the practice of giving pandas permanently to other countries has now stopped, “panda diplomacy” continues with the Chinese government lending pandas, including the pair Wang Wang and Funi <a href="http://www.adelaidezoo.com.au/animals/giant-panda/">at Adelaide Zoo</a>. </p>
<h2>The tragic tale of Winston the platypus</h2>
<p>Australia’s diplomatic deployment of native animals to other countries became more formalised during World War II.</p>
<p>The platypus’s high popular appeal and scientific interest meant that it was a highly valued diplomatic gift. </p>
<p>Australia’s first platypus diplomat left Melbourne in 1943, sailing on the MV Phillip to England even as World War II raged in Europe. </p>
<p>He was named Winston in honour of the British prime minister, who had expressed an interest in acquiring the animal to H.V. Evatt, minister for external affairs and attorney-general at the time. </p>
<p>Tragically, Winston <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848611000768">the platypus died</a> only days before landing in Liverpool. Churchill wrote to Evatt that he was: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>grieved to have to tell you that the platypus you kindly sent me died on the last few days of its journey to England. Its loss is a great disappointment to me. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Churchill would have to make do with a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848611000768">stuffed platypus</a> that had been previously sent to him by Evatt, which he apparently displayed proudly on the prime ministerial desk.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=357&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82356/original/image-20150520-17707-1sy41u4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=448&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Official correspondence about the sad fate of Winston the platypus.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1369848611000768">From Natalie Lawrence's paper, The Prime Minister and the platypus: A paradox goes to war, doi:10.1016/j.shpsc.2011.09.001</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Bound for America</h2>
<p>A few years later, three more platypus envoys left Australia, this time bound for the United States, arriving in New York on April 25 1947.</p>
<p>They were a gift from the Australian government to the American people in recognition of American wartime service to Australia – a “gesture of closeness and goodwill”, declared Australia’s ambassador to the United States, Norman Makin. </p>
<p>Housed <a href="http://gothamist.com/2010/07/19/flashback_6.php#photo-1">at the Bronx Zoo</a>, the cosmopolitan monotremes attracted more than 4000 visitors a day in the months following their arrival.</p>
<p>With the Australian flag flying over their enclosure, considerable positive press were generated about Australia, including a front-page feature in The New York Times. </p>
<p>But difficulties with husbandry and a desire to have tourists come to Australia to see our native animals make it unlikely that more platypus will leave Australia in the near future. Instead, the diplomatic burden has shifted to an animal that is less of an oddity and trades more on cute appeal: the koala. </p>
<h2>Koala diplomacy</h2>
<p>Back in 1983, the then federal tourism minister, John Brown, did his best to steer Australia’s overseas image away from the koala, declaring (in a speech reported on the <a href="https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1300&dat=19830429&id=rmYpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=tJQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6508,6000327&hl=en">front page of The Age</a>) that they were “rotten little things” and tourists would discover:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>it’s flea-ridden, it piddles on you, it stinks and it scratches.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But two generations later, Brown’s opinion has largely been forgotten. Koala diplomacy has never been bigger.</p>
<p>This was easy to see last November at <a href="http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/about-council/governance-strategy/economic-development/brisbanes-2014-g20-leaders-summit">the G20 Summit in Brisbane</a>, when grinning world leaders posed one by one holding an obliging koala. </p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30075241">the BBC</a>, the summit’s “most memorable images” were of the G20 leaders “cuddling up to koalas”. </p>
<p>No doubt our koalas, Paddle, Pelita, Chan and Idalia, will generate at least as much, if not more, interest in Singapore as pandas have created in Australia or platypuses did in the United States. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=329&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/82341/original/image-20150520-24999-13zsrb3.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=413&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://zoo.com.sg/koala-mania/?gclid=CIey6Lawz8UCFcIIvAodTqIAiw">Singapore Zoo</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As <a href="http://www.zoo.com.sg/koala-mania/">“koala mania”</a> takes hold in Singapore, we can reflect on the capacity of iconic, charismatic animals to communicate messages of goodwill across barriers of language and culture.</p>
<p>As John Brown suggested back in 1983, using native animals to promote Australia may risk selling short a dynamic, multicultural, resource-rich nation. </p>
<p>But our unique platypus, koalas and kangaroos do allow Australians to avoid harder decisions about how to portray ourselves to the world.</p>
<p>Pictures of cuddly animals are an effective way to market ourselves to the world as a peculiar but attractive “land down under”. They provide powerful images that nothing else – from a pile of iron ore, to live sheep on a ship, or a naval patrol vessel – can match.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/42051/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nancy Cushing received funding from State Library of NSW in 2013 - 14. She is affiliated with the Australian Historical Association and the History Council of NSW.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kevin Markwell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Four female koalas have just made their debut in front of an adoring public at Singapore Zoo – the latest in a long line of animals used for diplomatic purposes, going back to Winston the platypus.Kevin Markwell, Associate Professor in tourism studies, Southern Cross UniversityNancy Cushing, Senior Lecturer in Australian History, University of NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/401472015-04-14T20:18:41Z2015-04-14T20:18:41ZJulie Bishop can reach out to Iran now that confrontation has failed<p>Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s visit to Tehran this week presents a rare opportunity for Australia to take the lead in global diplomacy. The <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-04-11/julie-bishop-to-lobby-iran-government-asylum-seekers/6385616">publicly stated goal</a> of the trip has been limited to the dubious intention of convincing the Rouhani government to allow Iranian nationals seeking asylum in Australia to return without fear of victimisation. But the implications of the visit are much more important and far-reaching than that.</p>
<p>The need for a diplomatic initiative to change the dynamic in relations with Iran is obvious. As the mounting <a href="https://theconversation.com/middle-east-prepares-for-meltdown-as-sunni-states-bomb-yemen-39398">crisis in the Middle East</a> reminds us every day, the policy of confrontation has failed. Contrary to the efforts of hawks around the world – including in the US Congress – a more nuanced strategy of dialogue and engagement is urgently needed. </p>
<h2>Hawks have made us less secure</h2>
<p>Not only has the approach based on isolation and unrelenting economic and
political pressure failed, but it has been catastrophically <a href="http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2014/09/08/commentary/world-commentary/new-sanctions-iran-hurt-peace-prospects/#.VSxW6dyUeSo">counterproductive</a> for all sides. International trade has suffered and security has not improved.</p>
<p>The withdrawal of countries from the Iranian market under pressure of sanctions policies – as in the case of <a href="http://circanews.com/news/exemptions-on-iran-sanctions">Japan</a> – has simply opened up opportunities for competitors such as China and Russia. It has played no role in generating meaningful progress on the nuclear issue. The <a href="http://www.economist.com/news/middle-east-and-africa/21645738-foreign-businesses-are-looking-beyond-falling-oil-prices-and-limping">Iranian economy</a> has been brought to the point of collapse, with disastrous effects for ordinary citizens but little impact on the opulent lifestyles of many officials and wealthy businessmen. </p>
<p>If these facts are not enough, the ongoing, desperately tragic events in the region should be the game changer. The long-term stand-off between the US and Iran has prevented solutions to arguably the most important and dangerous problems in the world today. </p>
<p>There can be no resolution to the civil war in Syria without the cooperation of Iran. Defeat of Islamic State and its hateful ideology requires the forging of a partnership between Iran and the West. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/deep-divisions-come-to-the-fore-as-turkey-protests-continue-15213">re-Islamisation of Turkey</a> can only be resisted with support from the secular traditions exemplified in Iranian history and culture. Overcoming the impasse in Lebanon and Gaza associated with the continuing influence of Hezbollah and Hamas will only be possible when Iran considers it to be no longer in its interests to support them. </p>
<h2>What can Australia do?</h2>
<p>Julie Bishop’s visit comes at a perfect time. The <a href="https://theconversation.com/iran-celebrates-historic-nuclear-deal-all-eyes-now-on-supreme-leader-39528">recent successes</a> in the P5+1 negotiations in Geneva, in which Iran signalled its agreement to accept significant restrictions to its nuclear program, have for the first time in decades created a climate of genuine hope for change. The agreement is yet to be ratified by both sides – and approval by the US Congress <a href="https://theconversation.com/republican-fear-and-loathing-of-iran-has-international-consequences-38835">is by no means assured</a>. It is, however, an indication that at least some politicians on both sides recognise the urgency of the situation and the need to go beyond the useless hostility of the past. </p>
<p>This is where Australia can step in and take the lead. Exactly what political rapprochement with Iran will ultimately look like is uncertain but we can play an important role in shaping it. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/what-iran-nuclear-framework-deal-could-mean-for-the-region-and-the-world-39730">The possibilities</a> could involve an agreement to scale down funding of extremist anti-Israeli organisations and a negotiated transition of power in Syria. In exchange, Iran would get renewed access to world markets and all that comes with active membership of the international community. The possibility of a military alliance to bring a quick end to the Islamic State and to restore stability to Iraq – an idea unthinkable only months ago – should not be ruled out. </p>
<h2>Civil society offers many ways to engage</h2>
<p>Relations with Iran involve more than just interactions between governments. There is also direct engagement between our own civil society and the many non-government groups there. This is the approach we must adopt to forge a new relationship between Iran and the West in order to overcome the grim legacy of the last 35 years.</p>
<p>Iran is a large, complex society with vast resources and a population close to 80 million. More than 20 million are university students and graduates. The members of the vast, educated, entrepreneurial middle class are the main supporters of democracy; they are the natural allies of Western partners hoping for more relaxed and open social policies in Iran.</p>
<p>Ironically, the members of this group have been the principal victims of sanctions policies. They have been left exposed politically and as a result of the growing unemployment and radicalisation of youth these policies have produced.</p>
<p>This is the time for a change in direction in the policies of the world community towards Iran to allow normal economic and cultural intercourse to resume. It is time to scale down the sanctions and to become engaged, openly and generously, with
different levels of Iranian society. </p>
<p>The depth of the past hostility may mean that any changes have to occur incrementally. Both sides will need to test the viability and local acceptance of a gradual re-establishment of exchanges between them. </p>
<p>The places to start are the safe areas of education, culture and business. All these areas offer exciting opportunities for Australia. </p>
<p><a href="http://dearinassociates.com/tapping-iran-dynamic-education-sector-an-introduction-for-australian-institutions-and-business/">Educational exchanges</a> could help restore our crisis-ridden educational sector, while assisting Iran in overcoming a critical shortage of high-quality knowledge providers. There are almost unlimited possibilities for two-way cultural exchanges that draw on the <a href="https://theconversation.com/happy-in-iran-the-trials-of-the-young-and-disenfranchised-27164">thriving Iranian culture industry</a>, especially in film, music and literature. Business people will find an inexhaustible thirst for new products, from electronic goods to fashion, to new techniques for producing renewable energy. </p>
<p>Western countries have discovered again and again that bullying tactics are often counterproductive but that quiet victories can be won by cultural and economic engagement. In the case of Iran the bullying – in which Australia has been a willing partner — has failed. It is time to try the gentle alternative. </p>
<h2>Iranian society is ready for change</h2>
<p>Iran is a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com.au/the-truth-about-iran-2014-9">complex modern society</a> that is ready for change. We in Australia can support this process by fostering dialogue and cultural and economic exchanges with Iranian civil society. More positive and constructive policies will create a win-win situation for all. </p>
<p>If the opportunity is lost, the outcomes will be dire for all the players, not just in the region itself, but also in Europe and the United States. </p>
<p>Let us hope that in her discussions with the Iranian government the foreign minister is able to move beyond the question of asylum seekers and seize the opportunity to stimulate a movement away from the failed policies of the past towards a more fruitful – and safer – commitment to dialogue, reconciliation and mutual prosperity. All of our futures might depend on it.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/40147/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Komesaroff is Executive Director of Global Reconciliation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alphonso Lingis and Modjtaba Sadria do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>By reaching out to Iran, Australia can help end a long stand-off with the West that prevented solutions to many of the world’s most dangerous problems, including Syria’s civil war and Islamic State.Paul Komesaroff, Professor of Medicine, Monash UniversityAlphonso Lingis, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Penn StateModjtaba Sadria, Desmond Tutu Reconciliation Fellow, Director, Think Tank for Knowledge Excellence, Tehran, Adjunct Professor , Monash UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/290802014-07-17T04:18:48Z2014-07-17T04:18:48ZCultural intelligence key to future of Australia-Indonesia relationship<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53880/original/krsxrtxh-1405410485.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tony Abbott’s responses to Indonesian concerns about spying suggested a weak understanding of president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s different cultural milieu.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Tanaya Pramudita </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The official result in Indonesia’s presidential election contest between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto is still some days away, with both <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/09/jokowi-prabowo-both-claim-victory-indonesian-election">claiming victory</a>. But no matter who the next president is, there is little reason to suggest that Australian prime minister Tony Abbott will find navigating the Australia-Indonesia relationship any easier than before.</p>
<p>Since coming to office in 2013, Abbott’s <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/09/18/coalition-launches-operation-sovereign-borders">public utterances</a> on <a href="http://www.customs.gov.au/site/operation-sovereign-borders.asp">Operation Sovereign Borders</a> and his <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-19/abbott-calls-for-cool-heads-no-apology/5102330">lack of apology</a> to incumbent Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono following the <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/spy-standoff">spying scandal</a> have caused consternation in Indonesia. Diagnosing what may have been the problem with Abbott’s statements from a strategic communication perspective brings the issue of cultural intelligence to the fore.</p>
<p>Cultural intelligence is just one of the “multiple intelligences”. The idea of multiple intelligences, popularised by developmental psychologist Howard Gardner, has been around for two decades and is <a href="http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/jmle/vol6/iss1/4/">described</a> as including the various abilities necessary for being an engaged citizen and a complete person. Cultural intelligence is <a href="http://www.linnvandyne.com/morecqinfo.html">seen</a> as a specific form of intelligence:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… focused on an individual’s ability to grasp and reason correctly in situations characterised by cultural diversity.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>A person’s level of cultural intelligence is seen as playing an important role in organisational and leadership performance. Leaders with high cultural intelligence are more likely to be able to communicate in a culturally sensitive manner. They are also more likely to show appropriate behavioural responses with different stakeholders from diverse cultural backgrounds, thus reducing conflict.</p>
<h2>Abbott and Yudhoyono</h2>
<p>It is <a href="http://amle.aom.org/content/12/1/32">thought</a> that one’s cultural intelligence is acquired from educational background, personal experiences and exposure to other cultures. In Yudhoyono, the makings of someone with a high level of cultural intelligence are evident. He graduated from the Indonesian Armed Forces Academy and has a masters degree in management from Webster University in the US.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=795&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53949/original/w2vjk9p3-1405474549.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=999&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">As a young man, Yudhoyono spent time studying and working overseas.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">National Library of Indonesia</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yudhoyono also studied in Panama and Germany as part of his military education. And in 1995, he was deployed as chief military observer with the United Nation peacekeeping forces in Bosnia and Herzegovina. </p>
<p>This contrasts with Abbott, who was born in London, completed his undergraduate degree in Sydney and his masters degree at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. After finishing his study, he briefly trained to be a Catholic priest before working as a journalist for The Australian newspaper. </p>
<p>However, during his political career, Abbott has no record working outside Australia. He represents the federal electorate of Warringah on Sydney’s northern beaches. As of the 2011 Census, <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2013/guide/warr/">Warringah</a> has Australia’s tenth and NSW’s highest proportion of residents born in the United Kingdom or Ireland (10.9%). It has Australia’s third-highest proportion of high-income households (55.9%).</p>
<p>This indicates Abbott could be categorised as someone who should exhibit a high level of cultural intelligence within his own culture. This is in contrast to Yudhoyono, who may be seen as having a high level of cultural intelligence both within his own and other cultures.</p>
<h2>Cultural intelligence and the spy standoff</h2>
<p>Abbott’s cultural intelligence includes communicating with people from western or Anglo-Saxon backgrounds in both his local area and in the international arena. While his level of cultural intelligence has never been specifically measured (as far as we know), several factors indicate that it may be quite low when communicating within southeast Asian cultures such as Indonesia.</p>
<p>Abbott’s responses to Indonesian concerns about asylum seekers and spying suggested a weak understanding of Yudhoyono’s different cultural milieu. For Yudhoyono and Indonesians, maintaining both <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-downgrade-relations-australia-over-alleged-spying-055228157--business.html">personal</a> and <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/indonesia-voices-concerns-about-coalitions-boats-policy-loud-and-clear-20130925-2ucuz.html">national</a> dignity would be paramount. </p>
<p>Following the spying scandal, Abbott’s refusal to apologise or promptly give a detailed explanation could be regarded as an indicator of low cultural intelligence. This is particularly in relation to reading verbal and non-verbal signals sent by Yudhoyono in press conferences and <a href="http://nasional.kompas.com/read/2013/11/19/0534522/Lewat.Twitter.Presiden.SBY.Sikapi.Penyadapan.oleh.Australia">on Twitter</a>. </p>
<p>Yudhoyono released a series of strong personal statements on his Twitter account, @SBYudhoyono, translated from Bahasa Indonesian into English:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I also regret that statement Australian Prime Minister that belittled this tapping matter in Indonesia without any remorse. –SBY</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, another explanation might stem from Abbott’s apparently high level of cultural intelligence in relation to mainstream Australia. He may have been willing to sacrifice key aspects of the Australia-Indonesia bilateral relationship to win further favour with his voters. Many Australian voters reportedly supported tougher stances on issues such as asylum seekers before and after the federal election last September. </p>
<p>Such issues were having a negative impact on the bilateral relationship back then, and continue to do so. Approval of the government’s handling of asylum seekers <a href="http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/07/08/essential-approval-rises-for-asylum-seeker-policy/">remains high</a>.</p>
<p>Abbott may have chosen to <a href="https://theconversation.com/stretching-the-friendship-australia-indonesia-and-the-good-friend-narrative-20063#comment_253936">appear tough</a> in relation to Indonesia up to this point. There is <a href="http://books.google.com.au/books?id=8DtDAQAAIAAJ&q=Words+of+conflict,+words+of+war.&dq=Words+of+conflict,+words+of+war.&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ILrEU7G9LYfOkwWImIHQAg&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA">research</a> that supports such a positioning strategy. It says that the more extreme the language used against another is, the more likely it is that the internal support for the speaker is strengthened. </p>
<p>The Indonesian government has previously <a href="http://www.news.com.au/national/indonesias-marty-natalegawa-issues-loud-and-clear-message-to-julia-bishop-on-boats/story-e6frfkp9-1226726716271">suspected</a> an Abbott-led government of jeopardising the bilateral relationship to shore up domestic political support.</p>
<h2>What next?</h2>
<figure class="align-left zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=854&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1073&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1073&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/53950/original/vtdss6kc-1405474934.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1073&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Presidential candidate Joko Widodo has limited experience outside Indonesia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Mast Irham</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>It could be argued that the high level of cultural intelligence shown in Abbott’s dealings with his domestic base underpins his public communication responses to the Indonesian government thus far. The question remains how the next Indonesian president will respond to Abbott continuing down such a path. </p>
<p>It is worth noting that many considered Yudhoyono to be a good friend of Australia. However, even under his watch there were <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-06-02/indonesia-scales-back-cattle-imports-for-second-quarter/5490514">negative repercussions</a> as a result of Abbott’s response to the spying scandal. These included a halt to co-operation between Indonesia-Australia military and police departments on people smuggling and counter-terrorism.</p>
<p>The stance that the new Indonesian president will take towards Australia and the bilateral relationship, no matter who wins, is still <a href="https://theconversation.com/addressing-mistrust-and-phobias-in-oz-indo-relations-28389">largely unknown</a>. Jokowi has had little international experience. Prabowo has some <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/01/us-indonesia-prabowo-idUSBRE8701LS20120801">international experience</a>, including a period of “self-exile” in Jordan. </p>
<p>There is also another unknown in this equation. The degree to which Abbott can exercise appropriate levels of cultural intelligence towards Indonesia is unclear. If Indonesia’s new president is less tolerant of what Indonesians could construe as cultural insensitivity in Australia’s leader, it might be a rocky path ahead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/29080/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The official result in Indonesia’s presidential election contest between Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto is still some days away, with both claiming victory. But no matter who the next president is, there…Melanie James, Senior Lecturer in Communication and Public Relations, University of NewcastleMaulina Pia Wulandari, Senior Lecturer, School of Communication Science – Faculty of Social and Political Science, Universitas BrawijayaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/206982013-12-04T03:39:57Z2013-12-04T03:39:57ZAustralia has more soft power than ever but can we keep it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36856/original/qb7grjm7-1386117859.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Sydney Opera House is still earning us soft power points. What else makes the world pay attention?</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">M Norris</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australia has moved up in the world – to seventh place on the 2013/14 Soft Power Survey published in the December/January issue of <a href="http://monocle.com/magazine/">Monocle</a> magazine. </p>
<p>The Soft Power Survey is conducted yearly by Monocle and the UK-based <a href="http://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/">Institute for Government</a> think tank. It ranks the top 30 countries who “best attract favour from other countries through diplomacy, culture, design, cuisine, sport and beyond”. </p>
<p>Last year, Australia ranked ninth – and its move up the rankings can partially be attributed to the inclusion of sport as a new category. </p>
<h2>How to lose soft power</h2>
<p>The recent rise might be short-lived. The survey authors warn that the policies of the Abbott Government will cause Australia’s soft power to diminish as it continues to resist change and deny global warming. </p>
<p>The survey authors predict our influence will also diminish because of the government’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/gay-marriage-an-early-test-for-abbott-18431">opposition to gay marriage</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36859/original/t2db7v2f-1386118217.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36859/original/t2db7v2f-1386118217.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36859/original/t2db7v2f-1386118217.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36859/original/t2db7v2f-1386118217.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36859/original/t2db7v2f-1386118217.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36859/original/t2db7v2f-1386118217.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36859/original/t2db7v2f-1386118217.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The resistance of Australian governments to same sex marriage may threaten our soft power.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Orin</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But the biggest issue that will adversely affect our soft power, according to Monocle, is Australia’s asylum policy: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>There’s no getting away from it; it stinks. An island nation where the vast majority of the inhabitants are descended from boat people appears to have a problem with anyone else following in their footsteps.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop defends the policy in the magazine saying: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It’s not correct that we have a harsh immigration system, our country is an immigrant country and we’re very proud of that.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>So what is keeping us in the top-ten?</h2>
<p>Primarily, it’s our cities and the fact that we “do symbols well”.</p>
<p>Despite its fraught early history, Sydney’s Danish-designed icon is still accruing soft power points.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The Sydney Opera House, now 40 years old, is instantly recognisable – and a bold and brilliant piece of architecture too.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>We have talented chefs and baristas that make Australia a place that people want to visit. Australia’s attractiveness is also due to a “charm and vibrancy that cannot just be boiled down to beaches and nightlife”.</p>
<h2>How soft power is calculated</h2>
<p>The Institute of Government and Monocle magazine first published the Soft Power Index four years ago using a broad set of statistical and subjective metrics.</p>
<p>The index draws on the concept of “soft power” developed by Harvard professor <a href="http://www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/joseph-nye">Joseph Nye</a> who argued that that nations exert power either by hard military power, economic power or soft cultural power. He pointed to three sources of soft power: </p>
<ul>
<li>political values</li>
<li>foreign policy</li>
<li>culture </li>
</ul>
<p>Monocle looked at diverse indicators of soft power including number of embassies, foreign students, rankings of universities, number of think tanks and overseas missions, high culture and pop cultural exports, number of foreign correspondents, government accountability, and income equality.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36860/original/3ghjt2fj-1386118403.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36860/original/3ghjt2fj-1386118403.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36860/original/3ghjt2fj-1386118403.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36860/original/3ghjt2fj-1386118403.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36860/original/3ghjt2fj-1386118403.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36860/original/3ghjt2fj-1386118403.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36860/original/3ghjt2fj-1386118403.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia’s embassy in Myanmar.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">mikecogh</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This quantitative data accounts for 70% of the total weighting and the remaining 30% is based on subjective categories assessed by an expert panel.</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that the survey was compiled before the current <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/spy-standoff">spying scandal</a> emerged with The Guardian and ABC/Australia Network’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/02/revealed-australian-spy-agency-offered-to-share-data-about-ordinary-citizens">publication</a> of whistleblower Edward Snowden’s leaked documents.</p>
<p>Will those revelations have an impact on Australia’s soft power diplomacy? Yes. </p>
<p>Diplomacy is one of five major categories considered in the survey but it also contains sub-indices that cover overseas aid, environmental awareness and action as well as openness to asylum seekers – so Australia is already on the nose there.</p>
<h2>Soft power and public broadcasting</h2>
<p>Soft power icons such as public broadcasters and their reach feature in the survey. France was praised for the role of <a href="http://www.france24.com/en/">France 24</a> and <a href="http://www.english.rfi.fr/">Radio France International</a> networks which “both provide an alternative to the Anglophone-dominated international news agenda”. </p>
<p>Conversely, the UK was warned that “the ongoing effect of BBC cuts could affect its soft power in next year’s rankings”.</p>
<p>The publication of the Snowden documents does raise questions about the role of the ABC’s international soft-power vehicle, <a href="http://australianetwork.com/">The Australia Network</a>. Did it undermine the national interest to publishing the spying allegations straight into Indonesia?</p>
<p>The Australia Network could not have <em>not</em> published the spying story – for if it did self-censor in the national interest, its power as a vehicle of Australian culture and freedom of speech would surely have diminished. It would instead be seen as a mouthpiece of the government.</p>
<p>Such control would put Australia Network in the same league as China’s <a href="http://english.cntv.cn/01/index.shtml">CCTV</a>, which is fighting its totalitarian image, expanding its operations and seeking to employ more Western journalists. </p>
<p>China ranks number 20 in the survey and the authors note that “Xinhua has ousted Reuters as the wire service of choice for many of Africa’s biggest newspapers, while CCTV has cunningly bought credibility by hiring the best local journalists”.</p>
<h2>Who are the other soft power players?</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36862/original/y38dh6p9-1386118546.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/36862/original/y38dh6p9-1386118546.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36862/original/y38dh6p9-1386118546.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36862/original/y38dh6p9-1386118546.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36862/original/y38dh6p9-1386118546.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36862/original/y38dh6p9-1386118546.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/36862/original/y38dh6p9-1386118546.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Switzerland’s soft power is perennial.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">abac077</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The departure of <a href="https://theconversation.com/topics/silvio-berlusconi">Silvio Berlusconi</a> from politics is one of the factors credited with putting Italy into the tenth spot on the Monocle list. Canada’s ranking rose too, to number nine – with the help of exports such as trains, singers and actors; and Switzerland was ranked eighth after Australia.</p>
<p>At number six is Sweden, a country that excels where Australia is failing. The survey authors note: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is a country that shames its neighbours when it comes to the thorny issue of asylum. Sweden’s stance is something of which it can be proud.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Japan sits fifth on the list and France fourth.</p>
<p>At three is the USA, down from two and affected by the waning of “the rock-star appeal of Barack Obama … and the suicide caucus within the Republican Party”. At two, down from the top spot, where it basked in the glow of the London Olympics in 2012, is the United Kingdom.</p>
<p>And at number one? Germany – proving that soft power is just as effective a weapon as the hard power it exerted in its past.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/20698/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helen Vatsikopoulos was a presenter and journalist with Australia Network from 2001-2007</span></em></p>Australia has moved up in the world – to seventh place on the 2013/14 Soft Power Survey published in the December/January issue of Monocle magazine. The Soft Power Survey is conducted yearly by Monocle…Helen Vatsikopoulos, Lecturer in Journalism, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.