Public Diplomacy Helps Promote Democracy at Radio Free Europe
“We find that public diplomacy is something that is absolutely vital in any democracy, because governments have to realize that they have to communicate what their policies are to the people”, DAS Colleen Graffy said in an interview with Radio Tavisupleba, the Tbilisi branch of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. To further stress the importance of public diplomacy in shaping a country’s image, DAS Graffy pointed to the importance of communicating with people in public fora rather than speaking off-the-record in order “to be very risk-averse.” DAS Graffy stressed the power of cultural, sports and environmental diplomacy along with educational exchange programs to promote mutual understanding among nations.
Radio Tavisupleba aired the interview twice in its entirety during primetime on April 13 to reach 80% of the population of Georgia and it was also rebroadcast by several radio networks throughout the country. |
