The role of public diplomacy in statecraft; professional ethics; organizational principles; arguments for using public diplomacy
1. A “DEADLY WARGAME”: PD professionals – like the public generally – aren’t usually exposed to wargames, an often classified strategy game that the Pentagon loves to use to simulate a military exercise or crisis. CNAS – the independent, non-partisan think-tank focused on security and defense policies – deserves credit for increasing public awareness of the…
This spring, the Public Diplomacy Council (PDC) welcomed a new category of Rising Professional members into its ranks. Over the past three weeks, I have had the pleasure of interviewing Rangel Fellow Mojib Ziarmal Ghaznawi, Wes Davison, and Shannon McNaught. This fourth installment of my Q&A series features yet another multifaceted Rising Professional member who…
Voice of America jazz specialist Willis Conover was heard by millions in Russia, Eastern Europe, the Far East, Africa, and the Caribbean during four decades from the mid-1950s until his death in 1996. Surveys at the peak of his career estimated Willis’ audience at 30,000,000 — remarkable for a music show host in the era…
1.TURMOIL IN THE STATE DEPARTMENT? “Diplomacy in Crisis: The Trump Administration’s Decimation of the State Department,” a Democratic staff report prepared for the use of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, was released July 28, 2020. The highly critical document’s chapter titles indicate the report’s concerns: “Vacant Posts and Frequent Turnover: An America Less Present…
This spring, the Public Diplomacy Council (PDC) welcomed a new category of Rising Professional members into its ranks. Last week, Wes Davison reflected on his experiences as a citizen diplomat in Poland, Ukraine, and Colombia. With this third installment of my Q&A series, I hope to further reveal the breadth of PDC members’ expertise. I was…
1. COMMISSION REPORT STIRS CONTROVERSY OVER HUMAN RIGHTS: United States diplomats have always been committed to human rights internationally, but how that commitment is practiced in terms of specific foreign policy and countries and communicated through credible PD efforts can be contentious. The new 60-page report of the Commission on Unalienable Rights, personally established by…
The United States’ closure of China’s consulate in Houston, which was followed by the shuttering of the U.S. consulate in Chengdu by China, was attributed to intelligence activities supported by the Chinese government. But it’s worth remembering China’s expansion and authoritarian control measures that underly the diplomatic clash. The PRC tightens its grip on Hong…
This spring, the Public Diplomacy Council welcomed a new category of Rising Professional members into its ranks. Last week, Mojib Ziarmal Ghaznawi discussed his calling to the Foreign Service and his love for playing the flute as a captivating launch to my Q&A series. I was inspired by Olivia Chavez’s interview with Dr. Sherry Mueller…
1.UNITED STATES REJECTS CHINA’S SOUTH CHINA SEA CLAIMS: Amidst the increasingly public escalation of charges and name-calling between the United States and China over a long — and growing — list of bilateral concerns, the United States issued very tough guidance on the long-simmering maritime disputes over South China Sea water and seabed rights. On…
Today’s news of President Trump’s ‘termination’ of the Fulbright program for China and Hong Kong brought a memory of a different approach to difficult bilateral relations. (See his Executive Order which among other items commits to “take steps to terminate the Fulbright exchange program with regard to China and Hong Kong with respect to future…