The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2011

[icd press]

Call for Applications

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The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2011
“Hard Vs. Soft Power in Local and Global Politics: Redefining Concepts of Power and Influence in an Age of Interdependence, Digital Revolution, and Social Media”
(Berlin, 11th-15th May 2011)
ICD - Academy for cultural diplomacy | The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2011

The change over the past two decades from an international system based on independent nation states to an interdependent world facing global challenges has been widely explored and analyzed. At the level of international relations the change is accompanied by a growing understanding of the importance of global public goods. Activity to tackle climate change, for example, can no longer be pursued by individual states acting alone. Similarly, issues that have traditionally been considered of domestic concern have been given an international dimension: national policies on immigration, healthcare, education, and economics must increasingly be coordinated with international partners.

In addition to the changes outlined above, a further development can be identified in national and international politics: Digital communication technologies and social media are revolutionizing the interaction between politicians and citizens. For politicians, new technologies are providing an easier, cheaper way of informing a broad range of people about new policies, opinions, and initiatives. For citizens, the diverse range of media that have emerged as a result of technological advancements means that they can keep up-do-date with developments around the world, in real time. Combined, these developments mean that interaction between politicians and citizens is intensified. Moreover, the information is flowing in two directions: Campaigns and initiatives launched from the blogosphere can be seen to influence the presentation of policy decisions, but also the policies themselves. In countries where traditional media are state controlled, social media have become a valuable mechanism to organize and execute protests, and express the “mood of the nation”.

The International Symposium on Cultural Diplomacy 2011 is being hosted to analyze these two developments: The sharing of power and responsibility horizontally, across national barriers, and vertically, between politicians and citizens.

Symposium Participants
The Symposium is open to applications from diplomatic and political representatives, civil society practitioners, private sector figures, journalists, young professionals, students and scholars, and other interested stakeholders in international relations from across the world.

The online application form can be found under:
ICD - Academy for cultural diplomacy | Application Form

Symposium Speakers
Speakers during the Symposium will include leading figures and experts from international politics, academia, the diplomatic community, civil society and the private sector, from across the world. These speakers will include a number of individuals from the ICD Advisory Board (for further information about the Advisory Board please click here

Certificate of Attendance
All participants will be awarded an official certificate of attendance upon completion of the program, which will provide details of the speakers who took part and the topics discussed. Each certificate will be signed by two members of the ICD's Advisory Board.

Participant Papers
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy encourages research and progressive thought into the fields of culture, globalization, and international relations. In this regard, the ICD welcomes participants of the Symposium to submit papers on this subject. The papers can cover any topic within these fields, according to your own particular interests and passions. Participants can submit work that they have completed in the past for other purposes, ongoing research or a paper written specifically for the conference. Groups of students are also allowed to submit collaborative pieces of work.

Sustainable Network
Symposium participants will become part of a growing international network of people from across the world with different fields of interest and levels of experience, who share a commitment to intercultural exchange. Participants will be able to remain in touch with each other through the ICD Online Network.


For any additional information please address any queries to info@culturaldiplomacy.org