Public Diplomacy And Nation Branding

Ever since its inception in 1896, the Modern Olympics has hosted an invisible sport: politics. The Olympics calls for “a halt to all conflicts … [and to] strive towards a more peaceful world,” but politics soon spoiled its biennial message. “As the Olympics continue to dissolve into … a political competition … they no longer … justify the time and trouble,” Dave Anderson, Pulitzer Prize winner for his sports column, wrote in the New York Times in 1984. The Olympic spirit has routinely been used as an outlet for political agendas. With political and Olympic ambitions intersected, the great international sports festivity negatively affects all nations involved.

One country is comparable to the United States of America in terms of world power and prominence. Russia makes their name known beginning in World War 2 (WW2), later in the Korean War, Cold War, and today’s proxy war in the Syria. Russia’s culture, environment, politics, military, and economy do not just make Russia a regional powerhouse, but slowly becoming a region of influential power to surrounding countries with the end state of a global superpower. All the factors that make Russia the powerhouse that it is slowly becoming, highlights the impressive trend that supersedes the previous Soviet Union and past leaders.

There are many stereotypes in the American society that bestows an idea of the depiction of Russians. From past Olympics, we see that the Russians excel in sports and are powerful individuals. We also see the power and intelligence which come from this

Russia has a great history with many different kinds of rulers, some good as well as bad. All of Russia’s leaders have had an impact on Russia today for the better or for the worse. The people who ruled Russia during wartime have had a great effect on its economy in addition to the conditions of its citizens.

This week’s reading focused on the changes that took place in the Russian Federation after the presidency of George W. Bush. In class and previous readings, we got a teaser about how the start of the Obama administration in 2008 allowed for a “reset” in relations between the United States and Russia. This second portion of Elkin’s Russia Turns the Page: Historic Sketches of the End of the Post-Soviet Period: A History of the New Russia in 2007-2014. Sheds light on the events that are currently some of the most pressing issues for both nations. In addition, Elkin’s ability to offer an “insider” perspective on some of the varying power dynamics within the Russian Federation made for a very unique read.

Sport events like the Olympic games provide the opportunity for host countries to show their

Katelyn VanderWoude Doc. History B Period 13 December 2015 Vladimir Putin Essay Vladimir Putin has been the President of Russia since May 2012.

Russia is one of the most powerful countries that we have yet seen in the world today. Russia's culture, language, land, and traditions have been around since the beginning of times and are still used to this day. The history of Russia, ethnic groups, cultures and lifestyles, economy, climate, and current Russia are just a few of the most important essentials to know about Russia. The early history of Russia is of migrating people and ancient kingdoms.

From the beginning of the modern Olympic Games in 1896 the games have been the essence of how sports can directly affect politics. “The Olympic Games are arguably the most popular multi-sporting event in the world. As of 2010, twenty-three Nations and thirty-nine separate cities have hosted the Olympics since its revival in 1896” (Saum 8). The 1980 and 1984 Olympic Games has been labeled as a “case study”, examining the relationship between sports and politics, and how they affect each other. Some argue that the United States purposely boycotted the 1980 Olympics as a low risked protest against the Soviet Union’s invasion into Afghanistan, and also displaying the success of both capitalism and socialism. At the end of the 1984 Olympic Games the United States came out victorious with a more economically successful Olympic Games then the Soviet Union’s, who held the 1980 Olympic Games. Thus, concluding the triumph of Capitalism over socialism.

The Summer and Winter Olympic Games alike provide an opportunity for countries to display their athletic prowess and national strengths. However, these competitions are often tainted with the corrupt seeds of politics. A wide variety of dangerous and damaging political power plays make an appearance in each Olympic gathering. In the beginning the Games were designed to be a truce period, but they are beginning to lose this component. Also, in every Games since the beginning of the modern Olympics, there has been some form of political activity present. Granted, the Olympics can be used to repair international relations through global partnerships; however, this should be the only instance where the Olympics are used as such. Also it is incredibly unjust to rob athletes of their Olympic dream if their team was to boycott the Games. In order to make the Olympics an enjoyable and rewarding experience for the athletes and spectators alike, the Games should be enjoyed from the athletic perspective alone, without coverage of the political action involved. In short, the Olympics are a rich, cultural tradition that should not be corrupted by politics.

These games are suppose to be about goodwill and the world coming together to celebrate athletes. Sadly, these Olympics will be remembered for Brazil claiming that one of their citizens were the first to fly under power (in Paris) and all the stories of people robbed. The las Russia Olympics are remembered for having camera's in all athletes rooms. This takes a lot of the meaning away from what I consider a meaningful experience for the world.

One of the biggest conflicts in recent history was the Cold War. During that time, the Soviet Union and the US fought in many areas including the Olympics. The 1952 Helsinki Olympics were the first Olympics that Russia had competed in since their revolution. At the time, there were already tensions between the US and Russia. The Olympics provided an international showdown for people to observe who was winning the war, “The Free World” or the Communists. It showed as the competitiveness between the two countries led to several new world records and better results across the board. The 1980 Moscow Games were another example of politics coming before the

The years following the collapse of the Soviet Union have been marked with constant conflict as Russia attempts to regain its footing on the world stage. Within the past decade alone, Russia has managed to annex Crimea from the Ukraine, defeat the Chechens and Georgians, and supports the Bashar Al Assad regime in Syria. Furthermore, Its current leader Vladimir Putin, has managed to maintain power over Russia for over seventeen years. With this in mind, Russia's leadership have constantly expressed an unwillingness to cooperate with other western powers, which has resulted in Economic sanctions and the breakout of cyber warfare. The current situation seems to be deteriorating as Russia

My volunteering at the Russian House during the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games was the basis of my work. I was living in a pro-Sochi environment, working with Russian people, answered visitors’ questions about Sochi, the 2014 Games or the Russian House… I have read the informative booklets and the official 2014 website, which are both very rich and informative, and used the information given for my paper. Nearly all the “positive” thoughts about Sochi are listed in this website, though press articles, testimonials, quotes, and lots of information and data. The rest of my research presented doubt or controversy. So I used controversial quotes and thesis I have found to contrast every aspect of the Sochi organizing committee speech.

In society today, everything has a name for it. If the product doesn’t have a well-known name, it goes by name that a well-known product that is similar goes by. Branding has made its impact on society and it’s never going to go away. In this situation, all we can do from here is analyze more and more until we fully understand its presence in society and its effects. Branding has its biggest effects on consumerism, which makes us question consumerisms power in society. Has our society become one big, replicated consumer or can a consumer or even a person still be unique and individual? Branding creates competition amongst companies throughout the world and creates a competition for the consumers. Not only, it also creates issues, creates