Some important essays and articles on Public Diplomacy in the era of the U.S. Information Agency were published in its in-house magazine, USIA World. Copies of the magazine have never been archived on the internet, so its valuable record of USIA programs and concepts is largely unavailable for reference by scholars and practitioners. In…
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Every August 28, Americans mark the anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. This is a short Public Diplomacy footnote to the history of the speech, a recollection from early in my career as a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Information Agency. The thumbnail description…
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For Public Diplomacy officers of a certain generation, every ceremony marking the Battle of Gettysburg and the dedication of the cemetery at the battlefield brings back some yesteryear memories. Back when U.S. Information Service libraries and centers overseas were filled with eager students and professionals, the “Gettysburg Address Speech Contest” was an annual staple of…
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“WHEN THE DOOR IS OPEN, GO IN… IT’S THE LAST THREE FEET THAT MATTERS” That’s the motto of the late Leo Sarkisian, the legendary music show host and master portrait artist of the Voice of America Africa Division for more than a half century. Leo, 97, passed away at his home near Boston June 8…
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The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction recently issued a devastating report — Stabilization: Lessons Learned from the U.S. Experience in Afghanistan — that evaluates the work of the DOD, State, and USAID in that country, especially during the “civilian surge” of 2009 and 2010. Full disclosure: I was the Public Affairs Officer at the…
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In the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, the Soviet Union published a journal, Soviet Military Review, aimed at English-reading military audiences in the developing world. The January, 1976, issue included an article, “Ideological Inroads of Imperialism in the Developing Countries,” that discussed Public Diplomacy. Reading the article today recalls the contest of ideas during the Cold…
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The same day that General Dwight Eisenhower issued his famous Order of the Day for the Normandy landings, he also distributed another letter to Allied soldiers on “Conduct of Troops in Liberated Countries.” It aimed for “mutual understanding and respect,” themes that President Eisenhower would often use in the White House. Here are the significant…
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Public Diplomacy is much about communication, advocacy, and appeals. Public Diplomacy practitioners can learn this from textbooks, theories, and seminars, but the past opens another window. America was keyed up on June 6, 1944, when President Franklin Roosevelt spoke to the nation. From fragmentary news reports – the wire services always monitored German broadcasts –…
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Noted columnist David Brooks recently asserted that what he termed “an American renaissance is already happening.” He noted that as the national government appears to be divided and polarized, cities far from Washington’s corridors of power are working to transform their communities — large and small. I recently experienced this firsthand in Houston, Texas, America’s fourth…
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Public Diplomacy officers are often called on to speak at openings and conferences, and every American diplomat drafts remarks for Ambassadors and other administration principals. These skills are always improved by reading and listening to speeches from the past. Nearly eight decades after his death, memories of the American cowboy, movie star, and humorist Will…
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