Navigating the Middle: PD Magazine Issue 2 hits the web!

The second issue of PD Magazine "Navigating the Middle" has officially hit the web!

"In today's increasingly multipolar world, with only one country considered a
true superpower, the middle is where most of the nations that influence shifting
international agendas exist. This crowded space necessitates particularly
innovative public diplomacy if countries are to distinguish themselves, and
garner international attention for their niche causes. In short, it is a
contested space where the players themselves struggle to determine what roles
they want to take on.

In addition to dealing with the inherent problems of crafting public diplomacy strategies that prove complementary to domestic and foreign policy priorities, many of these countries must also confront a scarcity of resources related to their size, and must operate within their respective geopolitical realities. Many middle power countries must perform a balancing act, carving out a space in which they are indispensable to the international community and in command of the attention they crave, while continuing their development at home. They have fewer opportunities in the international spotlight, therefore it is all the more imperative that their messaging, and branding, is strategic and memorable. It must convey their capabilities and aspirations; replacing outdated stereotypes with realistic contemporary narratives. The fact that middle powers often engage in multilateral coalition building and exercise good global citizenship speaks to the rising importance of norms-building in the 21st century, as well as the spirit of collaboration implicit in the concept of "new public diplomacy."

Check it out to find contributors such as Eytan Gilboa, Andrew Cooper and Evan Potter "offer a framework for defining and analyzing the behavior and characteristics of middle power nations."

PD is a publication of the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars (APDS) at the University of Southern California, with support from the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School, USC College’s School of International Relations, the Annenberg School for Communication and USC Annenberg Press.

Its mission is to provide a common forum for the views of both scholars and practitioners from around the globe, in order to explore key concepts in the study and practice of public diplomacy. PD is published bi-annually, in print and on the web at http://www.publicdiplomacymagazine.org/.