PDC President Sherry Mueller introduced Dr. Nancy Snow at the First Monday Forum on June 1, 2020. Screenshot from Zoom teleconferencing. Distinguished scholar Nancy Snow, who teaches at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies in Japan and holds the Walt Disney Chair at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University in Beijing, warned against cutting ties with China at…
Details
The Department of State’s largest exchange program may face reduction or even elimination. The Trump Administration is currently reviewing separate recommendations from DHS and the Department of Labor on whether (and how) to restrict the use of nonimmigrant visas that permit work in the U.S. These deliberations focus on the several varieties of H visas,…
Details
1. George Floyd and America’s Image The tragic, painful, and unprecedented events surrounding the murder of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white policeman in Minneapolis continue to deeply affect the country and damage America’s image around the world. Our ambassadors and PD officers are surely being challenged to explain how…
Details
Nearly a quarter of a century ago, an international accord agreed to by Britain and the Peoples Republic of China guaranteed a unique status for Hong Kong. A British Crown Colony for 156 years, Hong Kong was formally re-established in 1997 as part of the PRC while retaining its status as a key free trade…
Details
The New York Times edition of Sunday, May 24 was an eye-catching tribute to nearly 100,000 American fatalities of the coronavirus pandemic. The entire front page of that unprecedented issue of the Times consisted of victims’ names in small type, top to bottom. Page 1’s listing of six columns continued for 10 columns more on…
Details
Mohammed Ghuneim, former director of the VOA Arabic Service and frontline Middle East correspondent during the last half of the 20th century, died May 16 in West Palm Beach, Florida. He had just celebrated his 90th birthday last December. A funeral service and burial were held on May 18 in West Palm Beach. Born in…
Details
We have just welcomed our 12th Rising Professional member to the Public Diplomacy Council! One PDC member recently asked me why I am so excited and investing so much effort in this new membership category. Three main reasons come to mind. First, the category came about through a series of group discussions among graduate students,…
Details
The President’s Deputy National Security Advisor, Matthew Pottinger – who speaks fluent Mandarin and worked for seven years as a journalist in China — recently gave a speech on the 101st anniversary of China’s May Fourth Movement of 1919. [1] China Digital Times reported “government authorities” issued this order the next day: “Strictly delete any reposts,…
Details
With millions in residential confinement globally, it’s tempting to turn to past generations for a sample of wisdom from sagas of old as we deal with covid-19, and hopes for an easing of the crisis: “Do not expect to make headway with a frail sail width.” —the Eyrbyggja Saga, Chapter 20 “Nothing ventured, nothing…
Details
An unforgettable image: hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians, holding hands in a 650-kilometer chain with their Baltic neighbors — the Baltic Way, a peaceful protest against Soviet occupation in August of 1989, was the backdrop of a year long campaign carried out by the public affairs section at Embassy Vilnius to build resilience and bolster…
Details