International Education Exchanges As A Public Diplomacy Instrument

Abstract

Globalisation has had a big impact on both education and international relations. Education on one hand has brought in new dimensions; that other than just having students and scholars move across borders in search of knowledge and engaging the world in areas of concern especially in science and technology, they have now been acknowledged as actors in diplomacy. Education can be able to contribute much to the new diplomatic dispensation where there is now a new shift from the state based approach kind of diplomacy to a multi-actor approach contemporary diplomacy. Education has been known to bring on board national and regional associations, educational institutions, foundations, students and even faculty associations that can really have an impact on the conduct of international relations as practised today. Educational institutions have been used to build bridges and also trust; that in turn pay dividends in economic and also in geopolitical interests. Academic mobility and scholarly collaborations in all fields of education contribute to the strengthening of international relations among nations and even regions through the generation, diffusion and exchange of the acquired knowledge. There are broad and interrelated areas that intertwine education with diplomacy; since knowledge is known to be a driver of economic growth and socio-cultural development of countries, advancing their positions and also leverage in the conduct of international relations. Additionally, public diplomacy has widely been viewed as a systematic effort to communicate with the foreign publics; and this effort can be realised effectively through education. Moreover, both education and diplomacy have been tied closely to the structure and interest of the nation state; each of them aspiring for a broader share of the international society. Education as a public diplomacy tool is a long term investment and it yields its returns in the long term; the results are not realized in the short run as with other public diplomacy tools like the media. The investment in international education has to be done to enhance mutual 1 Jane Wanjira Waithaka is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies, University of Nairobi. 2 Dr. Patrick Maluki is a Lecturer at the Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies, University of Nairobi.