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Culture in International Relations and Diplomacy · Diplomacy and International Relations

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  Have you ever really stopped to think about words like culture
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  or soft power? We use them all the time,
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  especially when we talk about international relations.
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  But do we always grasp just how layered they are?
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  Turns out there's a whole lot going on beneath the surface.
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  Welcome to the Deep Dive. Today we're unpacking A
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  fascinating stack of sources on culture, power, and global
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  understanding. Our mission?
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  To cut through some of the noise, maybe reveal a few
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  surprises, and hopefully give you a more nuanced take on these
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  really foundational concepts, especially useful if you're into
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  international relations and politics.
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  Oh, and before we dive in, just a quick note.
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  You're listening to a special segment from Diplomacy and
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  International Relations by Bastian Freiborg.
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  If you like what you hear today, you can actually subscribe to
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  the full podcast, It's on Spotify.
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  It costs a small monthly fee and that support genuinely helps
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  keep the show going. Plus you get access to extra
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  episodes. Just check out the link in the
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  description. OK, so let's start with culture.
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  We use that word constantly. It seems pretty straightforward,
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  right? But our sources immediately
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  start questioning that. Why is it so, well, slippery,
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  even for academics? It's fascinating, honestly,
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  because the very act of talking about different cultures, you
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  know, defining them, can sort of accidentally reinforce
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  separations. It can even imply a kind of
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  hierarchy. One source highlights that
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  historically there have been literally hundreds of
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  definitions. Think about that Kroeber and
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  click on found over 160 way back in 1952.
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  Wow, 160. Yeah, and even by the 90s, there
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  still wasn't really a solid consensus in academia about what
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  culture truly is. It's just elusive.
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  So it's not just a neutral label then.
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  It's like when we say, you know, France has a culture, Japan has
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  a culture. We often picture this neat,
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  contained, timeless thing. Exactly.
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  And one source points out that anthropology itself, the
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  discipline studying culture, might have sometimes helped
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  build and maintain these quite rigid ideas, a bit like how the
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  concept of race was used historically to fix differences
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  between people. That's a heavy comparison.
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  It is, but the point is about how these concepts can freeze
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  difference. Even if we now understand
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  differences as multiple and not necessarily hierarchical, the
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  idea of distinct cultures can still kind of trap them, denying
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  them history or change. Think Orientalism.
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  That whole way, the West constructed A simplified, often
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  distorted view of the East, mapping everything on to fixed
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  categories. Right.
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  Freezing them in time, almost. Precisely.
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  Which leads to a really interesting question.
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  What if we try to actively write against culture?
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  How would you? Even do that.
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  Well, anthropologist Leela Abulukud suggest something
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  called ethnographies of the particular.
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  So instead of making these sweeping statements about entire
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  groups. You focus small.
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  Exactly. You focus on specific
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  individuals, their lives, their relationships.
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  The idea is to use these stories she calls a tactical humanism,
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  to reveal the power dynamics underneath and sort of dismantle
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  those rigid cultural boxes. It's a way to get past
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  assumptions of everyone in a group being the same.
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  That idea of freezing differences is powerful.
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  So if our definitions are shaped like this, what does it mean for
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  how we understand ourselves and others?
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  Well, it suggests our sense of self isn't just natural, it's
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  constructed. And often building that self
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  involves defining it against another.
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  Which can be inherently problematic.
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  It can carry a kind of violence, Yeah, by downplaying or ignoring
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  internal differences or differences within the other,
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  the sources mentioned. Feminists and happies, you know,
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  people with mixed cultural backgrounds from migration or
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  maybe international education. They're very experiences kind of
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  challenge these neat self author divides and anthropology.
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  They highlight the power involved in drawing those lines.
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  And if we zoom out and connect this to international relations,
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  well, suddenly it makes sense why traditional theories like
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  realism or liberalism kind of sidelined culture for so long.
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  Right, they were focused elsewhere.
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  Completely. They looked at the hard stuff,
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  military might, state security, economic interests, culture just
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  didn't seem like a primary driver in that view.
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  It is surprising though, looking back, that they'd ignore it so
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  much. Why the big comeback now?
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  You mentioned constructivism, the English school, critical
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  theory. What are those mainstream
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  theories missing? They were missing the social
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  fabric, really, the shared ideas, the norms, the identities
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  that actually shape how states act.
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  This comeback acknowledges that culture is, well, crucial if you
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  want to understand why political events happen beyond just the
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  dollars and cents or the military balance.
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  So even anarchy isn't just anarchy.
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  Exactly. Even the concept of
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  international anarchy, the lack of a world government, can have
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  its own political culture. Realism, for example, with its
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  constant focus on conflict and self-interest, arguably fosters
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  a culture of distrust between states.
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  Whereas liberalism. Liberalism's emphasis on
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  cooperation on international institutions potentially build a
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  different kind of culture, maybe one closer to an international
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  community. It's all about the underlying
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  normative environment, the shared beliefs about what's
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  acceptable or expected behavior. And it goes deeper than just
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  state interactions, right? You mentioned critical theory.
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  Yes, critical theory digs into something really subtle but
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  powerful. It argues that modern capitalism
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  doesn't just rely on economics to keep going, it uses culture.
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  How so? Often by creating what they call
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  false needs. Think consumerism that distract
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  us from deeper inequalities or social problems.
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  Critical theory is very focused on ethics, on what should be It
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  aims to reduce global inequality, respect diversity
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  and foster dialogue, aiming for what Gramsci called a mutual
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  culture. This links nicely to identity
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  politics, doesn't it? It's not just one side of the
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  spectrum. Not at all.
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  One of our sources discusses Nil's whole TUGS work, making
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  the point that identity politics isn't exclusively left wing or
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  postmodern. It exists on the right too, and
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  it can be compatible with liberal ideas.
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  But it's a double edged sword. Definitely, it can be a tool to
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  expand opportunities for marginalized groups, which is
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  positive. But it can also potentially
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  fragment society if it becomes too divisive.
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  And this feeds directly into constructivism, the idea that a
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  state's identity, its beliefs about itself and others, is
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  fundamentally shaped by culture, and that identity in turn
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  dictates its interests and its foreign policy.
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  Ignoring that, constructivists say, means you're missing a huge
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  piece of the puzzle. OK, let's switch gears slightly.
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  Let's talk soft power, Joseph Nye's term.
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  It's been everywhere, and I are for decades now.
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  It sounds so appealing, right? Influence through attraction,
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  not force, almost. Yeah, it does sound nice.
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  Yeah, Nye introduced it back in 1990 and bound to lead.
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  His core idea was that a state could make its power seem
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  legitimate, attractive, so others want to follow its lead
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  because they admire its culture, its values, its policies.
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  And the context was key then. Absolutely.
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  He was arguing against the idea that America was declining after
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  the Cold War ended. He suggested the US could stay
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  on top, not just through military might but by shaping
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  international norms through this soft power.
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  But as our sources show, it's not that simple.
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  Even Nye himself saw its limits. You mentioned Turkey.
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  Right. In 2015, Nye noted that Turkey
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  soft power seemed to be declining, and he linked it
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  directly to domestic issues. Less soft power, less democracy,
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  as he put it, after some significant internal political
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  changes there. So it's not static, it's tied to
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  what's actually happening inside the country.
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  Exactly. And that's kind of where the
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  criticism comes in. The The concept became so
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  popular, such a buzzword, that some argue it lost its
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  analytical edge. How so?
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  Well, critics say it can become a bit of a rhetorical tool may
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  be prone to creating stereotypes.
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  Countries might focus on promoting, say, Japanese manga
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  or Indian Bollywood or China's Confucius Institutes.
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  Thinking that translates directly into political clout,
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  right? But does it?
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  Yeah, that source calls it analytical blurring.
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  It kind of obscures the real, often harder power dynamics at
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  play. It does make you wonder, OK,
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  Turkish soap operas are huge in the Middle East.
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  Does that cultural capital actually convert into political
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  capital? Well, one study looked at
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  exactly that, Turkish soap exports to the Middle East, and
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  found basically no systematic link between how popular the
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  shows were and whether people supported Turkey's foreign
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  policy. So wearing jeans doesn't mean
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  you automatically love US foreign policy.
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  Pretty much. It highlights a crucial point
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  about reception. Audiences aren't just empty
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  vessels soaking up messages. They interpret, they decode,
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  they sometimes even twist messages to fit their own views
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  or agendas. They have their own arts of
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  doing, as one theorist put. It can you give an example of
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  that? Sure, the Gulen Movement School
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  in Africa. They were intended partly as a
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  Turkish soft power initiative. But sometimes the students own
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  goals or agendas clashed with what Turkey intended.
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  In some cases it actually led to feelings of rejection, not
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  attraction. Wow, so it can backfire it?
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  Absolutely can. It just shows the complexity,
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  the unpredictable interplay between state intentions,
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  private actors like schools or media companies, and, crucially,
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  how domestic politics effects a country's image and influence
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  abroad. OK, so soft power is
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  complicated, maybe even a bit messy.
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  But let's flip to a possibly more optimistic angle.
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  Our sources also talk about straightforward cultural
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  exchange. You know, the actual interchange
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  of ideas, beliefs, traditions. Yes, and this deep dive points
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  to some really practical frameworks for making that work
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  effectively, Things like intercultural communication
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  competence, ICC and cultural intelligence, or CQ.
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  OK, break those down a bit. ICC and CQ.
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  So ICC is largely about adapting how you communicate,
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  understanding different styles and building empathy across
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  cultures. CQ Cultural intelligence is more
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  about being effective in diverse cultural settings.
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  It involves things like metacognition.
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  Thinking about your thinking. Yeah, basically being aware of
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  your own cultural assumptions, plus having the right knowledge,
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  the motivation to engage and adapting your behavior
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  appropriately. These are really vital skills in
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  our globalized world. They lead to better
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  relationships, less misunderstanding.
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  And we see this happening on the ground, right?
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  Like that group in Canada? Exactly.
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  The Saskatoon Niger Delta Forum, about 300 members, mostly
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  Nigerian migrants. Their whole motto is bridging
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  cultures, nurturing diversity. And at a place like Canada, with
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  such high immigration leading the G7 and population growth in
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  2022 because of it, this kind of thing is incredibly relevant.
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  What do they actually do? Well, they organized this
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  retreat, stepping out specifically to help members
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  integrate into Canadian society while also keeping their own
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  cultural traditions alive. They share traditional food,
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  planting pepper soup, a goosey soup.
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  They showcase unique dress styles.
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  It's a great example of a diaspora community enriching
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  their new home while staying connected to their roots.
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  It really underlines those core benefits, doesn't it?
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  Fostering understanding, respect, maybe even promoting
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  stability in the long run. Absolutely.
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  And stimulating economic growth through things like tourism and
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  trade, preserving heritage, the list goes.
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  On, But it's not all smooth sailing, presumably.
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  No, definitely not. The sources are clear on the
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  challenges, too. Language barriers are obvious.
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  Then there's culture shock. Potential ethical dilemmas deal
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  with stereotypes, even accidental cultural
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  appropriation. So it requires effort, real,
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  respectful effort. Exactly.
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  Genuine exchange has to be reciprocal and respectful.
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  You have to acknowledge that communication is harder when
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  norms and expectations differ so much.
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  Which brings us to maybe the trickiest arena, multilateral
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  diplomacy. How does all this cultural
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  diversity play out when the stakes are really high?
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  And the sources suggest it has a huge impact, right?
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  Because fundamental ideas might mean different things.
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  Profoundly different things sometimes.
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  Take human rights. It's a concept everyone
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  endorses, at least on paper. But the interpretation varies
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  wildly. Massively, the Western European
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  focus on individual rights is quite different from many non
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  western traditions that historically put more emphasis
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  on the group, the community or duties.
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  So you can have agreement on the surface term human rights, but
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  deep culturally rooted disagreements simmering
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  underneath. Which can lead to that cultural
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  posturing you mentioned. Precisely where nations sort of
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  perform their cultural identity to assert themselves or resist
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  what they see as others imposing their views, it can really
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  hinder actual negotiation. And historically, the system
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  itself wasn't neutral. No international law.
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  International organizations. They were largely shaped by
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  Western European cultural norms and assumptions.
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  This historical imbalance can lead to dominant cultures trying
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  to push their perspectives while other cultures push back, maybe
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  in forms where they have a majority, like the UN General
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  Assembly sometimes. So this dynamic fuels division.
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  It can, yeah. It can encourage nations to
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  emphasize their cultural uniqueness, sometimes leading to
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  internal conflicts spilling over or these big good versus evil
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  narratives globally. The source mentions the
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  perceived clash between Islamic fundamentalism and aspects of
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  AUS worldview as a dangerous example risking confrontation.
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  It sounds almost like a new Cold War, but fought on multiple
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  cultural fronts. That feels risky.
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  It is risky. It highlights why diplomats and
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  politicians desperately need more cultural awareness, more
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  sensitivity, to avoid getting stuck in these kinds of
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  standoffs, paralyzed by cultural difference.
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  Is there any way forward? Does technology help?
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  Interestingly, yes, the sources suggest ICT's Information and
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  Communication Technologies could be a valuable tool.
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  How? By letting diplomats chat
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  online. Sort of, yeah.
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  By facilitating more informal, continuous interactions between
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  formal meetings, it could help reduce the need for that public
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  cultural posturing and allow diplomats to get a better feel
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  for their counterparts actual cultural attitudes and
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  assumptions beforehand. So building understanding behind
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  the scenes. Exactly, moving towards
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  compromise and consensus rather than just sticking rigidly to
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  1's own culturally biased position.
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  Wow, we've really covered a lot of ground here, from digging
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  into what culture even means to the promises and pitfalls of
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  soft power and the complexities of cultural exchange and
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  diplomacy. It's definitely not simple
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  stuff. Not at all.
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  We've seen how these cultural dynamics shape everything from
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  our personal sense of self and other right up to foreign policy
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  decisions and how nations interact on the global stage.
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  It really underscores how important critical thinking is,
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  you know, questioning assumptions in this
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  hyperconnected world. So here's something to chew on.
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  If culture itself can be used to divide and rank people, and soft
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  power isn't always as benign as it sounds, what does it
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  genuinely mean to build global understanding, especially when
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  every perspective is, as one source put it, a positioned
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  truth? How do we celebrate diversity
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  without just reinforcing old power structures?
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  And maybe more personally, what role can each of us play in
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  challenging those assumptions in our everyday lives, in our own
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  interactions? Lots to think about there.
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  Thank you so much for joining us on this deep dive.
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  We really hope this exploration has given you some new
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  perspectives, maybe some new tools for navigating our complex
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  world, particularly if international relations is your
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  thing. And please don't forget to
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  follow Diplomacy and International Relations by
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  Bastian Freiborg wherever you get your podcasts.
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  leaving a five star rating. It genuinely helps other curious
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  minds find the show. Until next time, keep digging
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  deeper.