The Role of Public Diplomacy in Norwegian Foreign Policy – Current Aspects

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to evaluate the role of public diplomacy in the Norwegian foreign policy, and also to answer the research question of how Norway, from the position of a small country, wishes to be perceived by the international community. The first chapter defines the basic concept of a small state and characterizes the common features of the foreign policy of such states. Thereto, it focuses on public diplomacy which is an important foreign policy tool. The second chapter applies the knowledge gained from the first chapter and presents it in the context of the Norwegian perspective. Based on the cultural and historical context, this chapter analyses Norwegian foreign policy and explains why the public diplomacy represents its important tool. Moreover, the thesis engages in the strategy of the Norwegian public diplomacy and its four aspects of presenting Norway abroad. The third chapter focuses on a specific aspect, namely the presentation of Norway as a humanitarian superpower, analysing its humanitarian policy and illustrating its involvement in this issue with the example of two humanitarian missions.