Public Diplomacy and International Conflict Resolution: A Cautionary Case from Cold War South America
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Authors
Darnton, Christopher
Subjects
Advisors
Date of Issue
2020
Date
Publisher
Oxford University Press
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Abstract
Can public diplomacy help resolve protracted international conflicts? Both rationalist and constructivist traditions identify significant domestic obstacles to international peacemaking. However, Robert Putnam’s concept of “reverberation” implies that diplomats can expand their adversaries’ win-sets for cooperation by engaging foreign publics. This paper analyzes a most-likely case, with archival evidence: Argentine Ambassador Oscar Camilión’s unsuccessful quest for Argentine-Brazilian rapprochement in 1976–77. Although the two countries later overcame rivalry, public diplomacy contributed negligibly to this success: internal Argentine divisions created mixed messages toward Brazil, Brazilian leaders launched a competing public relations operation, and these two currents obstructed and nearly terminated Camilión’s mission. This case illuminates the paradoxes of Argentine foreign policymaking under military rule and offers a cautionary tale for scholars and practitioners of public diplomacy and conflict resolution.
Type
Article
Description
The article of record as published may be found at https://doi.org/10.1093/isafpa/orz003
Series/Report No
Department
National Security Affairs (NSA)
Organization
Naval Postgraduate School (U.S.)
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Funder
Format
20 p.
Citation
Darnton, Christopher. "Public Diplomacy and International Conflict Resolution: A Cautionary Case from Cold War South America." Foreign Policy Analysis 16.1 (2020): 1-20.
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This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.