Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy in Argentina. Capitalist Insertion or Survival Strategies?

In the present global interdependent system, the relationship among Nation-States has intensified. In pursuit of capitalist insertion and to bolster their position in the national arena, governments have been implementing Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy strategies to attract investments, tourism and qualified labor. But under the inherent inequalities of the capitalist system, are underdeveloped countries truly jockeying for strategic positions or are they enacting strategies to ensure their own survival? This thesis combines Complex Interdependence Theory and Soft Power with Core-Periphery Theory to explain the nation branding and public diplomacy strategies of peripheral states. Argentina is the Nation-State selected to illustrate the struggles of a developing country facing the autonomy vs dependence choice and the implementation of international insertion strategies depending on the narrative different governments are aiming to portray. The period selected for analysis covers the last 4 administrations that followed the profound 2001 economic, political and social crisis in Argentina encompassing the administrations of Nestor and Cristina Kirchner and Mauricio Macri.