Week 13 Post-Class

Celebrity diplomacy is a bit of an abstract term which describes any celebrity involvement in international affairs and it can take many shapes. Celebrities can serve as advocates for international issues which require humanitarian aid (such as disease prevention), they can raise awareness of political oppression globally, and they can act as unofficial liasons with foreign government and non-government actors. At times, due to a combination of a lack of diplomatic training or general awareness of the intricacies of social problems they are advocating on behalf of, celebrities can do more harm than good, particularly when international politics are concerned. Because of this harmful potential, celebrity diplomacy is most benefitial for advocacy of humanitarian crises and fundraising for natural disasters.

Advocacy and fundraising efforts provide many PR and financial benefits to a region, and have limited opportunity for negative backlash. There are negative consequences from inappropriately advocating for or funding a particular cause, for example terrorist organizations could be funded or supported as a result of improper vetting. That being said, the likelihood of severely negative consequences is limited in scope, and on the whole the benefits of celebrity advocacy and fundraising greatly outweigh any potential risks inherent in these efforts.