Reflections on Public Diplomacy in Mexico: Looking to the Future

The importance of culture in public diplomacy as a strategy for furthering foreign policy interests is the subject of this article, in which Luz Elena Baños discusses its potential to court favor and transform negative perceptions into positive images that facilitate dialog with other countries and reach out to diverse audiences. Establishing and maintaining such a dialog requires a constant, two-way flow of information that preserves trust and effectively communicates strong arguments in support of our foreign policy interests. And since public diplomacy is essentially intended to further political objectives, it relies on coherent, ongoing strategic communications aimed at target audiences and that forge enduring relationships both in and outside official spheres. In Mexico, strategies such as these have typically exploited the country’s cultural wealth and while they could well be considered a form of public diplomacy, unfortunately this has not been the case. Lack of continuity, trained professionals and resources has impeded the implementation of an efficient long-term strategy centered on our cultural diversity and values as a pluralistic, creative, humanist country with a millenary vision that promotes participation, dialog, social solidarity, that seeks human development and that is willing to shoulder its share of responsibility for the resolution of international problems. Culture, in the widest sense of the word, is Mexico’s most treasured heritage and should be the touchstone of our international relations, says Luz Elena Baños, who believes that a brand of public diplomacy that reinforces the ties and admiration individuals and groups feel for Mexican culture is the surest path to success, and that the principles of selfdetermination and non-intervention that have traditionally guided Mexican foreign policy are an excellent starting point to understanding the Mexican experience as it applies to public diplomacy.