Public diplomacy and EU enlargement: the case of Poland

The paper analyses the development of public diplomacy campaigns in Poland as a means of supplementing traditional diplomacy. The background for the analysis is formed by the negotiations before EU accession in 2004. The paper covers the years 2000-2004 and focuses on the activities of governments in the period. Re-branding Poland entailed defining new goals in Polish foreign policy. Polish campaigns abroad were concentrated on building an image of a successful transition country and reliable member of the international community. Despite the fact that Polish governments acknowledged the need for public diplomacy rooted in constructivist notion of state identity, it did not prevent them from maintaining a Realist approach during the negotiations.
In the paper public diplomacy is conceived in a manner close to R.S. Fortner's 'civilized persuasion' directed towards a mass audience in foreign countries. The main findings of the analysis suggest that although the need for a coherent concept of public diplomacy in Poland has been acknowledged, the field still needs coordination. The main obstacles to all Polish campaigns abroad stem from a lack of knowledge about and interest in the country as well as the persistence of negative stereotypes. In order to make progress, Poland has to resolve the contradiction inherent in its existing image which is of a country focused more on the past than on the future - a future that looks bright given the rapid modernization and economic development after 1989.