Indonesia’s Public Diplomacy through WOW Indonesia! Festival: Nation Branding and its Implications for Bilateral Relations with the United States
Abstract
Public diplomacy is an important instrument in strengthening the country’s position and image amid the increasingly complex dynamics of international relations. Indonesia faces challenges in maximizing the power of culture as part of soft power to build a strong nation branding at the global level. This research aims to analyze the role of WOW Indonesia! Festival as Indonesia's public diplomacy strategy in building a positive image of the nation and strengthening bilateral relations with the United States. A qualitative approach with a desk study method was used to examine secondary data from official sources, state documents, and media reports. The results showed that the festival attracted more than 20,000 visitors and strengthened Indonesia's image as a democratic, multicultural and creative country through the promotion of arts, culture, culinary, and business forums. The event also encouraged the expansion of economic cooperation, education, and people-to-people relations. This research concludes that public diplomacy through international festivals can be a strategic instrument in strengthening the Indonesia-United States Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, as well as strengthening Indonesia's position in culture-based global diplomacy.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18415/ijmmu.v12i5.6840
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