Public Diplomacy ― Strategic Engagement in Conflicted Communities

Ever since ancient times, diplomacy has always been the most important form of communication used by state and non-state actors in the process of shaping their mutual relations for making desired non-conflictual state sustainable while protecting their securities and preserving their interests without fighting at all levels. Diplomacy is also regarded as a process which should be conducted in many tracks concurrently. Public diplomacy, as one of those tracks, can be defined as the efforts conducted by state actors towards the foreign public audiences in order to bring multidimensional differences together on common grounds, while opening space to the traditional diplomacy through common social, cultural and humanitarian values.

This book compiles the contributions presented at the conference "The Role of Public Diplomacy in Bringing the Conflicted Communities Together," organized by Yunus Emre Institute Cultural Diplomacy Academy and Global Public Diplomacy Network, as well as through the valuable contributions of globally recognized academics, diplomats, and practitioners from around the world. The book concentrates mainly on hands-on public diplomacy solutions and discusses public diplomacy as for the strategic engagement process with the conflicted communities.

Seref Ates is the president of Yunus Emre Institute and Chairman of the Global Public Diplomacy Network. Holding double doctorate degree, he is Professor of German Language and Literature and also Professor of Political Science. His areas of expertise and research include international relations, cultural diplomacy, science diplomacy, media and communications, translation science, multiculturalism, the relationship between culture and politics, teaching Turkish as a second language and non-governmental organizations. Published nationally and internationally, Professor Ates is also the founder and global advocate of Academic and Scientific Cooperation Project of Turkey (TABIP).

Melih Barut is the founding coordinator of Yunus Emre Institute Cultural Diplomacy Academy and Secretary-General of Global Public Diplomacy Network under Yunus Emre Institute presidency. His professional, academic and active research expertise includes strategic communication, public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, military diplomacy, social movements, peace and conflict analysis, civilian and military relations, terrorism and counterterrorism and social media analytics in political context. Melih Barut has lectured at many leading international military and civic institutions in Turkey and around the world. He regularly lectures at the NATO Center of Excellence Defense Against Terrorism and Turkish General Staff Partnership for Peace Training Center.