Citizen Diplomacy, Explained Simply
Published on November 28, 2024
Citizen diplomacy: when people do better than governments
We grew up with the idea that international relations are the business of diplomats, presidents, ministers, and big political summits. But in 2025, this vision seems almost… vintage.
Because in real life, and especially for our generation, relations between countries are already shaped by something else: by travel, by YouTubers, by Erasmus students, by expats, by Tinder dates abroad, by gamers playing together 2,000 km apart.
In short: by ordinary people.
That's exactly what citizen diplomacy is. It's the idea that a country's image isn't created by official banquets… but by what people experience and share.
The real power: the image we have of each other
Look at what has happened in recent years. Governments quarrel, media tear each other apart, and as a result, people end up stuck with ridiculous caricatures:
🇪🇺 For some Europeans, Russia = a mix of dictators, hackers and snow
🇷🇺 For some Russians, Europe = decadence, chaos and astronomical coffee prices
It would be funny… if it hadn't become the dominant view.
And yet, when a French person spends a weekend in Saint Petersburg, or when a Russian moves to Lisbon, or when two students meet on an international program… all these caricatures collapse in five minutes.
Citizen diplomacy works exactly as an antidote to polarization.
21st century diplomacy: TikTok, cafés, metros and conversations
Citizen diplomacy is not an abstract concept. It's very concrete:
📹 a Portuguese person discovering Moscow through a vlog
💼 a French woman working in Tallinn and sharing her experience
🗣️ a Russian explaining in Portuguese how he lives in Lisbon
🌐 cultural communities on Instagram, Discord, Reddit
🤝 mixed events, joint projects, unlikely friendships
In reality, half of the bridges between countries no longer come from the State, but from citizens.
Why does it matter?
Because the more governments close up,
the more societies must remain open.
Because the more polarized media becomes,
the more precious human connections become.
And because our generation has a unique advantage: we speak multiple languages, we travel, we consume global content, we're not afraid to meet "the other".
We are literally the first generation that can do diplomacy… without diplomats.
Two Nations is exactly that
Creating a space where French, Russians, Portuguese, Europeans can talk directly.
No politics.
Checked, and sourced.
No caricatures.
Just lived reality.
Just human voices.
Just everyday truth.
Citizen diplomacy is not a utopia.
It's already happening.
And it's probably the only form of diplomacy that still works when everything else collapses.
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