Cultural Diplomacy, … would imply the use of the art of diplomacy in promoting culture, which if we consider as a way of life of a group of people would amount to projecting a particular group to another, resulting in creating awareness of one another. Such awareness leads to interaction among various players, states and individuals. This could be achieved through the organisation of mega events or through a series of cultural activities with which a particular nation state is identified. It would thus result in our using the instrumentality of 'culture' in promoting a country’s diplomatic interests in commercial, political and strategic fields….Cultural Diplomacy would, therefore, imply a two pronged action. The vanguard action would be to "create a cultural presence " and the rear guard would be to "ensure how the other person or nation would recognise and understand the projecting nation." This would mean projecting Brand Equity of a Nation. Ambassador K.K.S. Rana dwells at length on Indian Brand Equity and states that the task of Cultural Diplomacy would be "to produce understanding that goes beyond stereotyped images and to mould perceptions in a favourable way."

Source: extracts from the presentation at the India-Singapore Colloquium Feb. 26-27, 2002 by his Excellency P.S.Sahai, Former Indian Ambassador to Malaysia, Sweden and Russia

Stephanie Smith Kinney, a senior foreign services officer, reflects upon the culture of diplomacy, and the importance of “core values” for diplomatic institutions. For instance, a comparison is offered between the diplomatic machinery such as the US State department, which in her words suffers from a lack of “institutional culture” and a military institution, like the U.S. Marine Corps, which functions in a value-driven institutional culture. Ms Kinney emphasizes the fact that the creation and continued effort of upholding such a culture could be embedded in the education of future diplomats.

Source: information impact, July 2001