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Media-facilitated Nation Branding: the Case Study of Brave Ukraine
Kazymyr, Daria ; Švecová, Martina (advisor) ; Jarolímková, Zuzana (referee)
This thesis paper discusses the application of nation branding through the realm of political communication. With the confluence of adept players and global perspectives across the communication, political, and media fields, the prominence of modern-day practices such as nation branding has taken on greater significance. Effective media management tactics also redefined the possibilities of public diplomacy, empowering nations to promote their ideas and beliefs on both national and international scales. The main goal of this research, therefore, is to highlight the pivotal role of countries crafting their public image for foreign audiences and the immense potential of the usage of various communication means and mediums to amplify the impact of their efforts. Another objective is to discuss the role of digital media when setting the country's politically-aligned public image. The case of Ukraine is offered to the readers as a comprehensive analysis of its nation branding campaign Brave Ukraine, encompassing an evaluation of its objectives, content, and execution. The empirical study of the effectiveness of this campaign on its foreign audiences, which was researched through a series of in-depth interviews, offers valuable insights into the interplay between a nation's public image, digital media,...
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Nation Branding of Middle East Countries: The case of Saudi Arabia
Kolská, Martina ; Soukeník, Štěpán (advisor) ; Shavit, Anna (referee)
Changing a country's image is a complex process requiring long-term strategic effort. Nation brands are influenced by a wide range of external influences possibly causing negative images or stereotyping. Thus, regarding states, rebranding is often used to redefine the generally perceived image. Nonetheless, the image of a state is deeply rooted and cannot be changed by marketing tools and communication alone. Noticeable changes and policy actions are needed to create a strong communication basis for the development of a nation branding strategy. Countries generally having reputation problems are often non-democratic and the growth of their brand tends to be limited. The Middle East frequently faces negative image and stereotyping. At the same time, nation branding receives vast attention, effort and budgets there. Saudi Arabia launched its nation rebranding strategy by presenting the Vision 2030 document. This paper aims to determine the extent of nation branding multidisciplinarity in the Saudi context. A combination of a quantitative analysis of national branding indexes and semi-structured expert interviews is chosen. Nation branding in Saudi Arabia has experienced moderate growth, considerable professionalization, and the first strategic achievements of the Vision 2030 plan. On the contrary,...
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Remembering together: Russian memory diplomacy as a soft power tool towards France
Bobbi, Emylie Aurore ; Kolenovská, Daniela (advisor) ; Matějka, Ondřej (referee)
Incorported in Russia's public diplomacy arsenal towards France is memory diplomacy, according to which Russian authorities seek to integrate their own historical narratives with those of France and to export commemorative practices there. This often overlooked diplomacy type is one of the most covert soft power tools. This thesis examines how has Russia utilized memory diplomacy as a soft power towards France from 2000 to 2019. It argues that Russia has deliberately omited to promote its past role, whether direct or indirect, when local interpretations of a shared event in France are too fragmented. In more consensual conditions and particularly regarding the Second World War, Russia's memory diplomacy has been versatile in its methods, using both traditional and new public diplomacy tools. With soft power as a goal, the Russian authorities have targeted the diverse Russian diaspora communities in France and French politicians through this memory policy to have them relay the Kremlin's political position.
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China's High-Speed Railway Diplomacy (HSRD) as a Tool for Improving Soft Power
Xiu, Lanyu ; Doboš, Bohumil (advisor) ; Riegl, Martin (referee)
The following thesis conducted a case study to investigate the opinion of exper ts working on the Bombay-Ahmadabad HSR and Ankara-Istanbul HSR on how China uses HSRD and BRI to develop and utilize its soft power and whether that opinion ma tches the official Chinese point of view. The official Chinese view about BRI is that it seeks to deliver win-win outcomes, development, and improvement of lives for partici pating countries. In addition, it 'has no geopolitical motives, seeks no exclusionary bl ocs, and imposes no business deals on others … addresses people's desire for a better l ife … and shared benefits.' Ramo (2007)'s operationalization of the term global image was used to assess the respondents' opinions. The results showed that there is low dependability of the overa ll BRI among the respondents. A majority of the respondents (60%) claimed that BRI and HSRD are successful but were not impressed by the delivered value and quality o f BRI. 70% of the respondents believed that the Bombay-Ahmadabad HSR would ach ieve its objective and that it had a high level of technology. In terms of financial, socia l and political impact, the responses showed proportions of 40%, 37%, 44% respectiv ely gave a positive answer. Overall, it can be concluded that in terms of image the Bo mbay-Ahmadab gave...
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The 2016 Coup d'Etat Attempt in Turkey and its Impact in Kosovo: A look into the Media Discourse Surrounding the 2018 Gulenist Extraditions and the Resulting Turkish-Kosovo Relationship.
Day, Ryan ; Žíla, Ondřej (advisor) ; Hornát, Jan (referee)
The overall purpose of this thesis is three folded; to analyze Turkey's constantly changing influence since the 1990s in the Western Balkans, consider the failed 2016 coup attempt in Turkey and the anti-Gülenist campaign by Erdogan in the region (with Kosovo as the focus), and to delve into the international and local media discourse surrounding the deportations of suspected Gülenist from Kosovo with the help of Turkish intelligence on March 29, 2018. Employing a mixed methodology approach, the author evaluated existing sources in an attempt to answer the research question; "In what ways has the 2016 Coup d'état attempt in Turkey resonated in the Western Balkans, and how did the local and international media discourse portray the 2018 Gülenists extraditions from Kosovo to Turkey?" The research holds that while the media discourse displayed Kosovo and Turkey's actions as being in violation of numerous international laws, the issue was quickly swept away from the spotlight. Since 2012 (the beginning of the Erdogan-Gülen rift) and especially following the 2016 failed coup attempt in Turkey, Erdogan has been emboldened by his growing personal relationships with key Balkan politicians. This has led to continued demands (thus far met with little success) that Western Balkan states arrest and deport...
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Vliv Číny a Ruska na vietnamskou zahraniční politiku
Phanová, Thu Thao
This bachelor thesis deals with the issue of Influence of China and Russia on Vietnamese foreign policy. The thesis is divided into theoretical and practical part. Using a comparative approach, the thesis analysis connections between historical events and today’s events. The theoretical framework is based on concept of soft and hard power, also mentions concepts of power and influence, alongside with a hedging strategy demonstrated on territorial disputes in the South China Sea and on Russian – Vietnamese relations, where the thesis is based on the use of Russian tools of soft power and military ties. Results are presented in the conclusion. Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Russia, China, foreign policy, soft power, hedging strategy, power, influences
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The geopolitical determinants of India's Central Asia strategy
Sandilya, Hrishabh ; Hnízdo, Bořivoj (advisor) ; Baar, Vladimír (referee) ; Riegl, Martin (referee)
Teze disertační práce Pracoviště: Institut politologických studií FSV UK Praha Jméno studenta: Hrishabh Sandilya Název disertační práce: The Geopolitical Determinants of India's Central Asia Strategy Školitel: prof. PhDr. Bořivoj Hnízdo, Ph.D. Oponenti: prof. RNDr. Vladimír Baar, CSc.; Mgr. Martin Riegl, Ph.D. Termín a místo obhajoby: FSV UK, 11/2015 Osnova tezí: 1. Abstract 2. Introduction 3. Research Method & Design 4. Contributions to Literature 5. Organization of Chapters 6. Conclusions 7. Selected Bibliography 8. Interviewees 1. Abstract This dissertation aims to identify the drivers and determinants of Indian strategy and policy with regard to the five post-Soviet, Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan within a geopolitical framework. Contemporary scholarship recognizes three determinants (drivers) of Indian strategy in the region - security and strategic necessity, energy diversification given Central Asia's abundant natural resources, and, economic engagement and connectivity. Using this identification as a stepping-stone, the dissertation seeks to rest the validity of these assumptions, and explore these determinants in detail. In addition, it attempts to identify other determinants of Indian strategy, and offers a conceptual framework through which...
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Reflection of the Great Famine in Ukraine (1932 - 1933) in modern foreign policy of the Russian Federation and Ukraine.
Hynková, Gabriela ; Kolenovská, Daniela (advisor) ; Zilynskyj, Bohdan (referee)
This thesis deals with current foreign policy of the Russian Federation under the Presidents Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev, specifically with one of its components, which is soft power. This is an issue of shared history between the Russian Federation and Ukraine and it focuses on the impact of the use of common historical experience in Ukraine. The thesis includes a lot of various interpretations of the Ukrainian famine between 1932 and 1933, which had arisen in 1930s and have been developing over the decades and which in the present days, form the basis of Russian and Ukrainian perspective of "the famine period". Important are the 90s when Russia after the Soviet Union's collapse had big issue with self-identification. Ukrainians, on the contrary, during 90s were trying to create a "Ukrainian national identity". Period (1928 - 1953) was the most formative for Ukraine. This period represents the most tragic era in the history of Ukraine and one of the most profoundly influential in the formation of contemporary thinking about the modern nation and its relationship to the past. Since 2000 Ukraine and the Russian Federation are disputes about whether it was a common tragedy, famine and even genocide. It also deals with the current controversy over whether famine can be considered as a genocide...
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Cultural diplomacy of Canada
Polachová, Barbora ; Fiřtová, Magdalena (advisor) ; Kozák, Kryštof (referee)
In current era of globalization when cultural diplomacy became one of the inherent tools of "soft power" of a foreign policy, it is relevant to research on the place of cultural diplomacy in foreign policy portfolio of nation-states. The focus of this thesis is to evaluate the attitudes of the Canadian government towards cultural diplomacy from 1990s until today. In 1995, Canadian values and culture became one of the three pillars of Canadian foreign policy. The author therefore attempted to map whether cultural diplomacy became a coherent and strategic tool of the Canadian foreign policy during this era. By analyzing the tools of the Canadian cultural diplomacy of the Liberal governments of Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and the present Conservative government of Stephen Harper, the author seeks to answer whether we are witnessing a gradual eclipse of cultural diplomacy as a means of soft power under the Harper administration. The research of government documents and cultural diplomacy programs along with the analysis of interviews with important government officials suggest that the cultural diplomacy was not practiced as a strategic tool in foreign policy management until the third election term of Jean Chretien in the year of 2000. Since then we can track fulfilling the Third Pillar as an...
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United States Soft Power- Using Free and Open Media to Bolster the Afghan Democracy. Radio Azadi -A Case Study
Smoot, Taylor Grant ; Žídková, Markéta (advisor) ; Riegl, Martin (referee)
Since the US-led invasion began in October 2001, the United States has spent $440 billion on military operations in Afghanistan. Afghanistan still suffers from widespread corruption, ineffective government agencies, daily attacks taking place by both US-led forces and the Taliban - not to mention that 4 million refugees remain dislocated around the countryThe United States declared political objectives in the country are to -disrupt, disable, dismantle al- Qaeda in Afghanistan, to prevent it from using Afghanistan and Pakistan as a base to attack the United States. The U.S. and its military officials feel the best way to achieve this is by building a functioning Afghan Government that can secure its populations, protect its borders, keep Al-Qaeda out of Afghanistan and create a democratic social culture. For them to achieve this it is going to take a generational effort and billions of dollars. With the war entering its tenth year with no clear-cut victory in sight, the US-led forces will either have to leave Afghanistan due to enormous cost and domestic political pressure, or refocus its allocation of resources and redefine its objectives. The best way the U.S. will be able to leave Afghanistan but still help sustain and create a working stable and effective democratic government is through the...
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