‘OLYMPIC MISSILES’ AND BRITAIN’S GREAT CAMPAIGN

‘OLYMPIC MISSILES’ AND BRITAIN’S GREAT CAMPAIGN

In preparation for the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games, British Prime Minister, David Cameron launched the ‘GREAT’ Campaign in 2011, which is designed to use the platform of the 2012 Games to showcase Britain’s capabilities to promote and enhance the UK’s reputation abroad and to maximise the economic potential of the Games.  (FCO, 2012)

“In 2012 there will be only one place to be.  With the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming to London next summer, the greatest show on earth is about to arrive in one of the world’s greatest cities.” (David Cameron, 2012)

The Campaign invites the world to take a fresh look at everything Britain has to offer and centres on areas of British excellence focusing on reasons to invest in and visit the UK including, “We want to send out a clear message that Britain is one of the very best places in the world to visit, live, work, study, invest and do business”.  Britain is braced to seize this opportunity to extend it cultural diplomacy to the world by showing that Britain is an ‘open, connected, dynamic and creative country that combines history and tradition with modernity and innovation’. (FCO,2012)  

However, in a somewhat strange twist of events, the Olympic site is also being prepared as a battle ground to counter ‘anticipated’ terrorist attacks with surface-air-missiles planned to be stationed on top of flats, typhoon jets and helicopters scheduled to patrol the skies as 23,000-strong force of security guards, including soldiers, bolsters up to 12,000 police officers a day.

It would be interesting to see the impact of the combination of soft power and hard power on the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

 

Last line of defence: Starstreak short-range missiles

 

BIBILIOGRAPHY

1. Daily Mail, 2012: The High Rise Homes turned into Olympic Missile base:  Surface –to-air weapons will be stationed on roof as last line of defence. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2137105/London-2012-Olympics-Missile-base-stationed-roof-high-rise-homes.html
2. Department for Culture, Media and Sport : prime Minister Launches  plans to generate long term economic growth from Olympic legacy :http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/8451.aspx
3. FCO,  2012. The GREAT Campaign, http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/public-diplomacy/great-campaign