Some of you’ll have heard of gastrodiplomacy or food diplomacy, but have you ever heard of sunset diplomacy? And how does it differ from odd diplomacy?
Different kinds of diplomacy are utilized in relations between countries. Currently, the actors usually are not only states, but additionally non-state actors. This is since the growing area of research on diplomacy between states also causes a rise within the variety of actors involved in relations between states. Non-state actors could also be corporations, non-governmental organizations, academic groups, activists or civil society.
Diplomacy involving non-state actors is often conducted in low-politics sectors similar to tourism, culture, technology, and education, versus high-politics similar to politics, defense, and security. This approach to diplomacy often exploits a rustic’s soft power. Soft power itself means the attributes of influencing other countries in the shape of benefits that a rustic has that doesn’t use physical, but non-physical, e.g. culture. Soft power is now widely utilized by countries around the globe, even in Southeast Asia. The reason is that this sort of diplomacy is more practical in influencing other countries without having to make sacrifices and spend a variety of money.
Of course, you could have heard about student exchange between ASEAN countries, right? This is the use of sentimental power by ASEAN governments through citizen diplomacy, where the community is a component of this diplomacy. This skilled exchange may be used for the country because it plays a crucial role. With direct contact between people, especially the international community, this may be essentially the most effective approach to change the perception of others, even of a rustic, towards its culture and image. For ASEAN countries themselves, this diplomacy serves to advertise their cultural richness and variety among the many residents of other ASEAN countries.
Coming back to the title, you’ll have heard the term gastrodiplomacy.
This is because food diplomacy could be very often utilized by many countries, including ASEAN countries. This diplomacy refers back to the use of a rustic’s food specialties as a diplomatic tool to assist other countries understand that country’s culture. Thailand is an example with its gastrodiplomacy efforts “Cuisine for the World” and “Asian Food Basket”. This has significantly increased the variety of Thai restaurants abroad from 5,500 in 2001 to eight,000 in 2003. Thailand itself is the primary originator of the practice of gastrodiplomacy within the Southeast Asian region. One of Thailand’s goals in using this diplomatic strategy is to advertise its cuisine in other countries.
Then just a few days ago on the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, the web site asean2023.id coined the word “sunset diplomacy”. Sunset diplomacy itself may consult with the moment at which such diplomacy is conducted, namely at sunset. This variety of diplomacy is utilized by the President of Indonesia to advertise Labuan Bajo as one in all the attractive tourist destinations in Indonesia.
Another interesting variety of diplomacy is celebrity diplomacy, which uses celebrities as diplomatic agents. The goal of celebrity diplomacy is to influence public opinion and gain public support for a policy or campaign. An example is Indonesian artist Melody JKT48, who became Japan’s ASEAN goodwill ambassador for food and agriculture. Celebrity diplomacy also exists since it bridges previously conventional diplomacy, creating recent diplomatic spaces.
Have you ever seen the Malaysian cartoon Upin-Ipin? It seems that this can also be a form of sentimental power that Malaysia uses. Since 2005, the Malaysian government has been providing subsidies to Les Copaque, who produced the cartoon, to expand its broadcast worldwide. This animation shouldn’t be just entertainment, but carries many messages and interests and helps Malaysia spread its culture and strengthen the country’s brand.
In turn, Laos’ successful energy diplomacy is one other example of the use of sentimental power. By becoming the “Battery of Asia”, Laos was in a position to brand its country through using energy. By working with various corporations, Laos has finally managed to make use of renewable energy within the country to export electricity to other countries. Laos could also be reaching a current point that can not be separated from the country’s ability to define what soft power it has.
Today’s diplomacy doesn’t focus solely on state actors. Due to the event of relations between countries, it also affects other actors involved in state relations. In this case, using soft power could be the most suitable choice for conducting diplomacy between countries. Because the scope and kinds are so broad and diverse, it might make it easier for a rustic to conduct relationships with other countries and improve its image in other countries.
Reference:
Lutabingwa, Jesse, Arshad Bashir. Cultural diplomacy through educational and cultural exchange: The case of the North Carolina-Pakistan school exchange project
Kominfo. (2023). Diplomacy at sunset on White Pinis. asean2023.id
Gracva, Auliva. (2021). Thai gastronomic strategy geared toward changing the image through world cuisine 2003-2010. Indonesian Islamic University Thesis
Lipscomb, Ann. (2019). Culinary relations: gastrodiplomacy in Thailand, South Korea and Taiwan. Yale International Studies Review (YRIS)
Get up, Nur Rahmi. (2018). Upin-Ipin cartoon as an instrument of sentimental diplomacy in Malaysia-Indonesia relations.
Jakarta Post Office. (2018). Melody from JKT 48 appointed Goodwill Ambassador of Japan and ASEAN
Andrew F. Cooper, 2008, Beyond One Picture Fits All: Bono and the Complexity of Celebrity Diplomacy, Global Governance: A Review of Multilateralism and International Organization, Vol. 14 No. 3.
