From A-lister to Aid worker: Does celebrity diplomacy really work?

The Independent (UK)

Paul Vallely
January 17, 2009

The following is an excerpt. To view the full article please visit the link below

"Rock stars," asked Homer Simpson, with his customary sagacity, "is there anything they don't know?" Only these days, of course, it's not just rockers but movie stars and businessmen - and indeed anyone with an above-average public profile - who, for one reason or another, are intent on telling the rest of us how the world should be changed for the better.

Or at least, that's how it seems. So much so that a conference of eminent professors of international relations assembled recently in The Hague to explore the modern phenomenon of what they call "celebrity diplomacy", amid fears that …

* * *

The opinions expressed in this article/multimedia are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of CIGI or its Board of Directors.