Public diplomacy has become a central tool for states seeking to project influence beyond the boundaries of traditional foreign policy. Yet, little is known about how Greece, as a medium state in South-eastern Europe, has approached public diplomacy in the post-Cold War era, particularly in the context of European Union enlargement and regional transformations. This thesis addresses this gap by analysing Greek public diplomacy through case studies of four Balkan states: Albania, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia. Drawing on scholarship in public diplomacy and strategic communication, the research relies primarily on semi-structured expert interviews to evaluate both the strategies adopted and their effectiveness, complemented by secondary sources. Although Greece has sought to act as a bridge between the Balkans and Europe and has actively supported the region’s Euro-Atlantic integration, its public diplomacy initiatives have often been reactive, fragmented, and underfunded. The study concludes that coherence, long-term planning, and digital strategies are indispensable for strengthening Greece’s public diplomacy. More broadly, it contributes to the literature on medium states by illustrating how such actors can cultivate influence in a competitive regional environment.
Γεώργιος Η. Αλατσίδης (Wed,) studied this question.