Media as International Actor

Research Review

Using public diplomacy to ease tension at the U.S.-Mexico border

By Sarah Divya

Many countries have used public diplomacy to improve public opinion and the perception of their country internationally. A positive view of the country is vitally important since it can improve international relationships and aid future policy decisions. Public diplomacy differs from propaganda since it uses media to promote a country in an open, honest, and credible form.

Manuel Chavez and Jennifer Hoewe’s 2011 article, “Reconstructing public diplomacy in the context of policy, communication, and technology: an examination of U.S.-Mexico border relations” in Journal of Borderlands Studies, evaluates the public diplomacy efforts toward Mexico-US border control. The authors believe that Mexico’s public image of America has become increasingly negative due to heightened border control and lack of public diplomacy efforts. The increase in control has left neighboring countries with a negative feeling, since they are treated with suspicion and distrust. There have been moments like the Trinational Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, where public diplomacy could have been used to increase the awareness and understanding of our country. The article suggests the US should use public diplomacy strategies through social media technology to combat this issue. Mexico’s large Internet base allows this idea to be “feasible and holds the possibility of being highly effective.” This supplies communication between the general public and government officials and could ease tension created by controversial policy decisions regarding the border.

Although the article provides a solution, it does not explicitly say what kind of message should be promoted. Public diplomacy is tricky because it is often difficult to measure the success of a message and find the right approach that will resonate with others. This could potentially put the unsteady nature between the two countries aside, by offering a fair manner for Mexicans to freely decide whether or not to accept America’s new image.