Description
This paper draws on the concepts of public diplomacy and soft power while offering an alternative to their traditionally state-centric applications. Drawing on recently emerging literature on elites, and specifically elites within civil society, it explores the idea that the actors typically associated with public diplomacy can be studied as autonomous agents in their own right rather than as agents or arms of state foreign policy. Using the case studies of Germany and the UK - both of which wield significant soft power while upholding, in many cases, contrasting foreign policy traditions - this paper conceptualises civil society elites as unique actors in foreign relations. It explores the extent to which they shape foreign relations, and how they are perceived by local partners. In doing so, it proposes a new lens through which to understand the role of non-governmental elites in foreign relations.
