Public diplomacy is gaining international recognition as a necessary and important tool needed for nations to successfully pursue their political goals. But what is public diplomacy? Public diplomacy involves the transnational flow of ideas and the active engagement of both government and non-government actors in policy development. Public diplomacy can be used to influence governments through the public or merely as a way to influence the public in order to build broad national relationships. Public diplomacy can be effective because it supports traditional diplomacy, because of the message it delivers or through the context a message is delivered in. To be effective it is necessary for a government to clarify for themselves an understanding of public diplomacy that matches their goals and objectives. The growing importance of public diplomacy has been driven largely by globalisation and the increasing impact many non-government actors are having on policy development. Nations now recognise that in order for them to effectively pursue national interests many actors need to be incorporated into creating an enabling policy environment. Nations also realise that public diplomacy can have a positive effect on their reputation which has important political and economic ramifications. Public diplomacy is particularly important for small-medium sized nations who cannot match the military or political powers of larger nations. Because public diplomacy is a freely contested activity...

The election of Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States was historically significant for two poignant reasons. Firstly, as the first African-American to be elected President, he was a symbol of the breakdown in racial prejudices that have plagued the US to date. Secondly, the election was momentous because it was seen as a rejection of the previous Republican administration's neo-conservative approach to domestic and foreign policy. Ten months into his term, Obama has displayed a liberalist approach to foreign policy, with a heavy emphasis on internationalism, multilateralism and a policy of engagement. Countries that have previously been isolated by the United States are now being invited into bilateral dialogue. One prominent example of this new policy of engagement in action is the rejuvenated dialogue between the US and the Syrian Arab Republic. The two countries are now attempting to overcome a long history of animosity to address regional issues and to formulate a strategy for peace and stability in the Middle East. The leading question now is whether Australia, an important ally of the US, will follow Obama's lead and pursue a more engaged relationship with Syria. Australia's relationship with Syria at present is modest...

Australia's Embassy in Syria's capital of Damascus was closed in 1999 under the Howard Government. In order to explore the possibility of reopening the Embassy, there needs to be a clear understanding of Australian foreign policy and also of Syria's value to Australia. Decisions in Australian foreign policy are made by the Prime Minister. He is influenced however, to varying degrees, by Parliament, the media, lobby groups, industry, non-governmental organisations and the general public. The more economic and political power these groups possess, the more likely they are to influence foreign policy. Foreign policy priorities are quite vulnerable to changes in government and context. Just as foreign policies have transformed over time, over the next few years the Rudd government will develop a new foreign policy. The current policy priorities have been depicted by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Foreign Minister Stephen Smith as constituting three pillars. The first pillar is Australia's alliance with the United States. The second pillar is Australia's membership of the United Nations. Finally, the third pillar is regional engagement in the Asia-Pacific. Syria occupies an interesting political position in relation to its region and to key powers such as the United States and Europe. Events of the recent past have resulted in Syria representing the Middle East as a state with a clear alliance with Iran...