Public Diplomacy in the Age of Real-Time Statecraft



Overview

Public diplomacy now operates in an era defined by instantaneous communication, competing geopolitical narratives and rapidly evolving digital ecosystems. This intensive two-day course examines the strategic, institutional and communicative demands placed on diplomats today, providing a rigorous and practice-oriented foundation for understanding and navigating real-time statecraft.

You will explore how governments, international organisations and non-state actors use public diplomacy to shape international perception, influence policy outcomes and sustain legitimacy in increasingly contested environments. Contemporary case studies—including geopolitical crises, election interference, multilateral disputes and global campaigns—will be used to analyse the dynamics of narrative competition, disinformation, audience segmentation and values-based communication.

The course includes expert-led sessions and applied analytical exercises that mirror the pressures faced by ministries and missions. Through these activities, you will develop tools to design strategic public diplomacy initiatives, assess and manage reputational risk, conduct narrative audits and apply communication frameworks suited to diverse geopolitical contexts.

Whether you work in strategic communication, within a foreign ministry or in digital and public-facing roles in international affairs, this course delivers cutting-edge insight and practical methods to enhance your institution’s public diplomacy capacity.

Programme details

Day One - 23 April

Foundations: Public Diplomacy in a Hyper-Connected, Contested World
 
Session 1: The Evolution of Public Diplomacy: Concepts, Functions and Strategic Purpose

  • Defining public diplomacy in contemporary international affairs
  • From cultural projection to strategic influence and real-time engagement
  • Public diplomacy’s role in foreign policy, legitimacy, and international trust-building
  • Continuity and change across the past three decades
  • Case examples: Ireland, South Korea, Estonia, and the EU External Action Service

Session 2: Geopolitics of Information: Narratives, Influence and Global Competition

  • Understanding narrative power in an era of geopolitical contestation
  • How states and non-state actors shape global perceptions
  • The rise of narrative competition: Russia, China, Gulf states, and middle-power strategies
  • Public diplomacy as strategic communication in major geopolitical crises
  • Case study: Ukraine 2022–2025 and the reshaping of global narrative blocs

Session 3: Mapping New Publics: Fragmentation, Polarisation and Audience Dynamics

  • Transformations in global audiences: diaspora networks, youth publics, activist ecosystems
  • Identity, values and political culture as determinants of message reception
  • Cross-cultural communication challenges for diplomats
  • Techniques for segmenting and analysing diverse international audiences
  • Applied exercise: mapping target audiences for a hypothetical diplomatic campaign

Session 4: Public Diplomacy in Digital and Hybrid Information Environments

  • The shift from traditional media to real-time, decentralised digital platforms
  • Role of AI, algorithms and automated amplification in shaping discours
  • Opportunities and vulnerabilities for ministries and missions
  • Disinformation, deepfakes and reputational risk
  • Interactive exercise: analysing a digital communication scenario involving a diplomatic crisis.

 Day Two - 24 April

Strategy, Influence and Institutional Application

Session 5: Strategic Narrative Design: Architecture, Messaging and Coherence

  • What makes a narrative strategic? Concepts from political communication and IR
  • How states develop and project coherent national narratives
  • Narrative architecture: values, interests, identity, credibility
  • Techniques for narrative construction in bilateral, regional and global contexts
  • Case study: Narrative leadership by New Zealand, South Korea, and the Baltic states
  • Applied exercise: drafting a narrative framework for a foreign policy priority

Session 6: Campaign Planning and Public Diplomacy Strategy Development

  • Designing an integrated public diplomacy strategy: goals, audiences, tools, sequencing
  • Blending digital, cultural, educational and grassroots diplomacy
  • Incorporating monitoring and evaluation frameworks
  • Institutional alignment: cross-government coordination and mission-led delivery
  • Case study: EU External Action Service strategic communication coordination
  • Practical task: designing a multi-layered campaign for a diplomatic mission

Session 7: Crisis Communication and Reputational Risk Management

  • Responding to crises in real time: principles, constraints and strategic sequencing
  • High-pressure communication environments: expectations, scrutiny and information volatility
  • Building trust and credibility during uncertainty
  • Managing reputational shocks, missteps and backlash
  • Case studies:
  • Israel–Gaza 2023–2025 narrative contestation
  • Diplomatic communication during the Russia–Ukraine conflict
  • Applied exercise: real-time drafting of crisis statements and scenario analysis

Session 8: Countering Disinformation and Hostile Influence Activities

  • Typologies of disinformation and influence operations in diplomatic contexts
  • State-sponsored, fringe, activist and platform-driven threat dynamics
  • AI-enhanced manipulation: deepfakes, bots, synthetic amplification
  • Response strategies: pre-bunking, verification workflows, rapid rebuttal models
  • Case study: European responses to disinformation campaigns targeting EU institutions
  • Group exercise: designing a counter-disinformation strategy for a diplomatic mission.

Attending Your Course 

Further details will be emailed to you two weeks ahead of your course, which will include registration information. 

Please get in touch if you have not received this information within five working days of the course start date.  

In the meantime, you may wish to plan your travel: Travel information

Certification

In order to be eligible for a certificate of attendance, you will need to attend the whole course. Participants who meet this criterion will be emailed after the end of the course with a link, and instructions on how to access their University of Oxford digital certificate. 

The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate, as well as share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
1. Standard course fee £1120.00
2. Discount fee package: 20-24 April 2025 £2445.00

Payment

This course can be taken separately or as part of a discount fee package including Peacemaking and Mediation in International Conflicts Today (20-22 April 2026), a saving of £270.

Fees include course materials, tuition, refreshments and lunches. The price does not include accommodation.

All courses are VAT exempt.

Register immediately online 

Click the “book now” button on this webpage. Payment by credit or debit card is required.

Request an invoice

If you require an invoice for your company or personal records, please contact us. The Course Administrator will then email you an invoice. Payment is accepted online by credit/debit card, or by bank transfer. Please do not send card or bank details by email.​

Tutor

Dr Jennifer Cassidy - Tutor

Dr Jennifer A. Cassidy is a leading global authority on diplomacy, technology and public communication in international affairs. A Lecturer in Technology and Diplomacy at the University of Oxford for more than sixteen years, she completed the world’s first doctoral thesis on Digital Diplomacy at Oxford, pioneering an academic field that now underpins much of modern public diplomacy practice. Her work combines rigorous scholarship with deep practical experience, offering a unique perspective on how states craft influence, narratives and public legitimacy in the twenty-first century.

A former diplomat with Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs, Dr Cassidy has worked across multilateral negotiations, crisis response, strategic communication and external engagement. This first-hand diplomatic experience informs her teaching and advisory work, where she provides foreign ministries, governments and international organisations with advanced frameworks for public diplomacy strategy, narrative leadership, counter-disinformation, crisis communication and institutional preparedness. Her expertise in real-time statecraft enables practitioners to understand how contemporary communication technologies, fragmented publics and contested narratives shape international influence and reputational outcomes.

Dr Cassidy is a frequent keynote speaker at major global forums, including the Munich Security Conference, the United Nations, the European Parliament and international conferences on digital governance, AI, cybersecurity and diplomacy. Her research and analysis appear regularly in international media outlets, and her forthcoming edited volume on AI and Diplomacy further consolidates her leadership in understanding how emerging technologies reshape diplomatic communication and global governance. Through her executive education teaching at Oxford, she equips practitioners with the strategic insight, analytical tools and operational capabilities required to design and lead effective public diplomacy in a hyper-connected world.

Application

If you would like to discuss your application or any part of the application process before applying, please click 'Ask a Question' at the top of this page. 

Level and demands

This course is aimed at:

  • Diplomats, civil servants and officials working in public diplomacy, strategic communication, cultural diplomacy, media engagement or public affairs within foreign ministries, embassies and consulates.
  • Professionals in international organisations (e.g., UN agencies, EU institutions, NATO, OSCE, Council of Europe, regional organisations) working on communication, outreach, crisis response, influence or information strategy.
  • Government officials responsible for international communication, digital engagement, counter-disinformation, crisis coordination or reputation management.
  • Staff from NGOs, think tanks, international charities and advocacy organisations engaged in public communication, campaigning, narrative strategy or global outreach.
  • Practitioners working in areas affected by real-time information flows—such as conflict response, humanitarian affairs, election observation and multilateral diplomacy.
  • Early- and mid-career professionals seeking to build advanced skills in public diplomacy strategy, narrative design, digital communication, and influence in complex geopolitical environments.

Accommodation

Although not included in the course fee, accommodation may be available at our on-site Rewley House Residential Centre. All bedrooms are en suite and decorated to a high standard, and come with tea- and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi access and Freeview TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme.

To check prices, availability and to book rooms please visit the Rewley House Residential Centre website. 

Enrolled students are entitled to discounted accommodation rates for the purpose of study, at Rewley House, and can contact the administration team for the promotional code to use for making online accommodation bookings via the website.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support