Public diplomacy is how a country communicates with people in different countries to build a good image and maintain its strong relationship. Countries uses, culture, ideas and values instead of using force or pressure. Sweden uses culture as its main tool in its public diplomacy which focuses on its goal, strategy, success and challenges. Sweden is mostly successful because of its culture in a simple, honest and people friendly way. In today’s world, power is not only about the military strength or power but countries try to win people hearts and minds which is called the soft power. Soft power means making others to like your country through their culture, values and ideas so this concept was introduced by the Joseph Nye in which he explained that a country can become influential if people respect and admire it. The strong example of this idea is Sweden which is not a large and powerful country but it has a very good image in the whole world so many people see Sweden as peaceful and a modern country. This is not by chance. Sweden has carefully used its culture and values to build its image and strong relationship in the world.
Goals of Sweden’s public diplomacy
Sweden has different clear goals in its public diplomacy. First, it wants to build a positive image in the world to see it as a peaceful, modern and responsible country. Second, it wants to promote the important values which basically include their human rights, gender equality, freedom and the social justice and Sweden believes that these values are very important for all the societies. Third, it wants to build a long term relationship and it focuses not only on the government but also on people and tries to connect with artists and professionals and also with students.4th Sweden wants to promote its economy and also support it. A good image helps to bring the tourists, investors and skilled workers here. So these goals showed that how Sweden uses public diplomacy not only for the image but also for the practical benefits for their country.
Role of culture in Sweden’s public diplomacy
The most important tool Sweden uses is the culture which helps Sweden to connect with people in a natural and friendly way. Sweden is very famous for its music industry so the success of ABBA made the Sweden popular around the whole world. Even today many Swedish singers and music producers are successful globally. Music is a main and strong tool because people enjoy it so when people listen to the Swedish music they develop a positive feeling about their country which creates a strong emotional connection.
Sweden is known for simple, clean and useful design so the company IKEA is a good example of this. This company products are very affordable and easy to use and they mainly focuses on the environment friendly materials. Through this company people learn about Swedish lifestyle which makes Swedish culture part of everyday life in many countries.
Education is another important part of the Sweden’s public diplomacy. The Swedish Institute offers different scholarship and exchange programs for different students. Students from different countries go to Sweden for their study and learn about their culture, values and society.
Strategies used by Sweden
Sweden uses different strategies to make its public diplomacy very effective in the whole world. One important strategy is their digital diplomacy because Sweden uses social media to communicate directly with different people. A famous example is the project where normal citizens control the Sweden’s official Twitter account which shows the openness and trust. Another strategy is nation branding in which Sweden promotes itself as a country of equality and sustainability. Sweden also uses the cultural programs like festivals, art shows and different exhibitions which help people to experience their culture directly.
Challenges faced by Sweden
Even Sweden is very successful but it also faces some different challenges.
First, the main problem is the cultural differences which create problems because some countries may not agree with the Sweden’s culture values and especially on social and cultural issues.
Secondly, Sweden is a small country so it does not have much more money or influence as the larger countries have, so this limit its global reach.
Third, there is a strong competition from powerful countries like the US and China so these countries use strong media, politics to influence the world.
Comparison with other countries
The approach of Sweden is different from the larger countries such as the United States uses the movies, entertainment and global brands to actually influence the people and it has strong global reach but sometimes appears too dominant.
China used the governments led projects and investments to improve its image in the world. The government controls these projects like building roads, ports and other infrastructure in different countries. China’s approach is very fast so it can create a big impact in a very short time period. But it is more controlled by the government because it manages everything. So, some people trust it but some peoples may feel it is less flexible.
Sweden does not try to control or pressure the countries instead it uses a soft and people focused way to basically influence the others and also shares its culture, values, ideas like human rights, equality and peace. Its influence is not very fast but this slow approach helps to build its strong trust and respect around the world. So people and countries are more willing to accept Sweden’s ideas.
Conclusion
Sweden is a very strong example that how culture can be used in its public diplomacy. It shows that even a small country have a strong global impact. By using music design education values Sweden built a positive and respected image in the whole world. Its strategies are very simple but very effective because they mainly focus on the people and their real connections. However, Sweden still faces challenges like competition and their different culture differences so despite these its approach remains successful. In conclusion, Sweden public diplomacy proves that culture is a powerful tool in international relations. It can built trust, improve image and create long term relationships in a peaceful way.
Mahnoor Babar
Mahnoor Babar is a student of International Relations. She is currently pursuing her studies at Fatima Jinnah Women University. Her academic interests include the public diplomacy, foreign diplomacy and international affairs.
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