ROLE OF NATIONAL EMBASSY WEBSITES IN CULTURAL & PUBLIC DIPLOMACY NORWEGIAN vs. CANADIAN EMBASSIES IN LONDON

ROLE OF NATIONAL EMBASSY WEBSITES IN CULTURAL & PUBLIC  DIPLOMACY  

NORWEGIAN vs. CANADIAN EMBASSIES IN LONDON

Cultural and public diplomacy (CPD) is about all to inform and influence foreign publics in the best interests of the nation state and  CPD  activities can be classified into 5 categories: listening, advocacy, cultural diplomacy , exchange diplomacy and international broadcasting.

Both Norway and Canada are relatively small powers in the public diplomacy arena. Desire to be noticed and for the right reasons is one of Jan Melissens crucial point for small and middle powers and this is done by embassies and their websites. Working with limited resources is another important factor. Or even relying on ingenuity and networking which some great powers lack which can lead to coalition building.

This form of speciality is what is known as niche diplomacy. Niche diplomacy involves concentrating resources in specific areas best able to generate returns worth having, in these regards , the embassies.

Norway’s situation is one of central diplomacy. It is not a recognized. That being said , there is a clear issue of lack of recognized identity. How does Norway play into the public diplomacy field with help from the embassy website ?

The Norwegian embassy website in London points out categorically that the Embassy's main function is to promote Norwegian interests in the United Kingdom and further develop Norwegian-British relations. It talks about what each embassy section does including, the political/economic section, consular section, and press/information and cultural section as well as the commercial/tourism section .It gives names and email / telephone contacts of responsible officers. It talks also about the role and contribution of Norway in the UN with special emphasis on poverty reduction worldwide, its contribution in the areas of democracy and human rights as well as world peace. The website invites subscription to the Norwegian embassy newsletter.

Norway’s reputation for public diplomacy via the embassy is largely along the lines of international aid. Cooperation with the Red Cross and peace agencies. Norway is also renown for the Nobel Peace Prize, which plays some significance depending on how it is perceived in the international scene.

Canada on the other hand is rather different . It is relatively more known than Norway for its Public Diplomacy. The Canadian (High Commission) embassy website in London ( which is bi-lingual : English/French ) features a lot of information about the visa/immigration, studying in Canada, doing business in Canada and about Canada itself. It talks a lot about the UK-Canada bilateral relations in various areas including economic , political , defence and security, as well as academic and cultural . It also gives information about the Canada- EU relations.

Canada has a more open approach to how it tackles cultural diplomacy. They use Nicholas Culls one of the five tools of diplomacy and that’s advocacy. Both Canada and Norway tackle issues of human security.