Professor Mark Wheeler
Celebrity Diplomacy
 This presentation will consider three concerns:
 The transformation in celebrity performance in
transnational/international political engagement.
 The ubiquity of celebrity diplomats in the United
Nations and NGOs associated with Bob Geldof and the
‘Bonoization’ of celebrity intervention.
 The debate about the democratic worth of such
celebrity activists.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 1. In investigating the transformation of celebrity
activism, several key points can be made:
 Original UN Goodwill Ambassadors such as Danny
Kaye, Peter Ustinov and Audrey Hepburn saw that it
was their role to propagate the work of UNICEF.
 They acted as Good International Citizens who were
non-controversial and understood their fame could
bring international media attention to the cause.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 This attitude changed in the 1980s as:
 UN Goodwill Ambassadors such as Liv Ullman became
more politicised and saw that it was their role to speak out
on issues.
 UN Goodwill Ambassadors became more controversial
because of their involvement in causal based activism such
as Richard Gere and the Chinese oppression of Tibet.
 A form of ubiquity in Celebrity activism which had
occurred due to commercial changes in the media, state
response to charitable activity and the success of Bob
Geldof’s Live Aid in 1985.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 2. The expansion of celebrity activism has occurred as
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celebrities have endorsed NGOs as well as supporting UN
organs.
NGOs such as the Mine’s Advisory Group became more
conscious in developing public relations strategies.
There has been a matching up of celebrities to causes to
affect a ‘fit’.
Celebrities such as George Clooney and Angelina Jolie have
become personally and politically involved in causes.
The most well-known/controversial of these actors have
been Geldof and Bono.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 Bob Geldof established Live Aid in 1985.
 This built on previous rock concerts and comic activities
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for the UN and Amnesty.
It was a global jukebox and an international media
spectacle.
Geldof used his truculence and aggression to bully rock
stars to perform.
He became a major international figure who has been an
iconoclastic figure in an arena of public diplomacy.
He may be seen to be ‘bad’ cop who uses his bad language
and an ‘outsider’ status to cajole for reform.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 In comparison the ‘Good’ Cop has been U2 singer
Bono who became an international superstar due to
Live Aid in 1985.
 Bono has been highly political in Ireland and then
internationally.
 He has been involved in Brand Aid and used his
position to gain access to the inner circle of world
leaders.
 According to Andrew Cooper, Bono has the requisite
diplomatic skills to interlink and pressure for change.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 Geldof and Bono’s activities have been subject to criticism.
 Many concerns within the popular media have been
expressed about the worth and reliability of their activities.
 Some comment that both have used their status for selfinterest and commercial gain.
 Others feel that the have become ‘Bards of the Powerful’
who have naively led their support for unjust western
power relations.
 Several of these critiques have emerged in the academy
about the democratic worth of Geldof and Bono.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 3. The debate about the democratic worth of celebrity diplomats
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in an era of late modernity:
Critiques of celebrity activism have referred:
A trivialisation of the issues as celebrities have debased the
quality of the debate, diverting attention to ‘sexy’ causes and
failing to represent the disenfranchised.
Neo-liberalism --- in particular there has been a focus on
corporate interest in apparently ‘altruistically’ supporting aid
campaigns such as Brand Aid.
De-politicisation and the sloganising of poverty.
A reinforcement of Global North and Global South values as
Geldof and Bono are represented as selfless crusaders who will
alleviate the suffering of ‘uncivilised’ nations.
An underlying ‘cultural imperialism.’
Celebrity Diplomacy
 Conversely, and the focus of this presentation’s
argument , would suggest that:
 Stars have made successful interventions within
international policy circles.
 Their fame ‘bridges’ the gap between western
audiences and faraway concerns and may be used for a
global governmentality to align international aims.
 They are effective in creating a public ‘space’ to
overcome the traditional ‘disconnect’ between
diplomats and the public through emotional
commitment.
Celebrity Diplomacy
 They affect a new type of agency in international politics
through the Bonoization of diplomacy as political branding
has been incorporated into networking skills.
 This is reflective of celebrity activists ‘soft power potential’
so that campaigns benefit from the politics of attraction in
an era of fluid politics, changing power relations, new
structural arrangements and the commercial dictates of the
media and social media.
 This does not mean that there should be an uncritical
embracement of such activities but more instrumental
claims should be treated with circumspection to analyse
that effective implications of the celebrity diplomacy.