The EU public diplomacy and the Iran nuclear problem post-JCPO

The following paper assesses the use of public diplomacy tools between the European Union and Iran after signing JCPOA. Drawing on official statements, it tries to extract insights about the advantages or disadvantages of the agreement, the contributions and the interests of the parties, developments and implementation, hopes for a peaceful nuclear future, and messages designed to shape public opinion and influence attitudes towards the outcome of 12 years of work. It presents how the EU has projected its own institutional image, beyond member state governments, by presenting its own actions and by contextualizing them, concluding that EU as the factor which ensured the balance of negotiations and success of the agreement. Consequently, the Iranian people are focused on JCPOA because, over time, people’s lives have been affected by the nuclear issue. Accordingly, I argue that the attempt of High Representatives of the EU to send messages of encouragement to people who are aware of isolation, human rights restrictions, and radical interpretation given to religion marks a step forward in establishing cordial relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Authors: Elena Andreea Bordea
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