The role of public diplomacy in statecraft; professional ethics; organizational principles; arguments for using public diplomacy
Imagine the herculean task of feeding nearly 100,000,000 people in 88 countries, as the World Food Programme has done this past year! That’s active lifesaving public diplomacy at its best. The U.N. organization was clearly thrilled at unexpectedly receiving the coveted Nobel Peace Prize, announced in Oslo on October 8 by the chair of Norway’s…
1.U.S. TECH GIANTS: ARE THEY TOO BIG? Few players have a greater influence on the digital economy — or on international communication or exchange or the work of public diplomacy professionals — than the four so-called “Big Tech” companies: Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook. As powerful, private firms with a truly global reach, they are…
President Trump’s battle with coronavirus and its spread to several of his top aides have dominated global media since the news broke October 1 that the president had contracted the disease. The President is one of more than 35 million persons around the world confirmed to have contracted the disease according to the World Health…
1.REMEMBERING JUSTICE RUTH GINSBURG AND “SCOTUS DIPLOMACY”: Amidst the avalanche of media coverage of the September 18, 2020 death of Justice Ginsburg, one photo may have stood out for many in the PD community. It was the unforgettable picture of liberal Justice Ginsburg seated behind her conservative friend and colleague, Justice Antonin Scalia, while riding…
This Q&A series has emphasized the ways in which PDC members practice Public Diplomacy at all stages of their careers. With this latest installment, PDC member Kathleen Sheehan demonstrates the various forms that a career related to Public Diplomacy can take. My intent is to highlight the importance of intergenerational learning echoes PDC President Sherry…
The Public Diplomacy Council’s mission statement commits PDC to promoting excellence in professional practice, academic study, and advocacy for public diplomacy. Advocacy — effectively making the case for public diplomacy in legislative, policy, and public circles — is central to our work. In Forces for Good: The Six Practices of High Impact Nonprofits Heather Grant…
1. IKE’S MEMORIAL AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ACCOMPLISHMENTS: The National Park Service has just opened its fifth presidential memorial off the National Mall. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the memorial honors Dwight D. Eisenhower, and is appropriately located on Independence Avenue, SW between 4th and 6th Streets, SW, across from the Voice of America. Although it…
The House Foreign Affairs Committee summoned Michael Pack, the CEO of five publicly-funded overseas networks, to be the principal figure at a long-scheduled hearing September 24. The problem was: Mr. Pack, though under subpoena after resisting the invitation, never showed up. The main issue: Mr. Pack’s nearly four-month leadership of the Voice of America, Radio…
1. WHITE HOUSE CEREMONIES AND PHOTO OPS: Veteran Middle East experts, public diplomacy hands, and White House observers will remember two dates that attracted intense international media attention and stimulated great optimism: March 26, 1979, and September 13, 1993. Both marked Middle East peace progress and produced iconic foreign policy photo ops and “deliverables” from the…
Having highlighted some of the Public Diplomacy Council’s new Rising Professional members this summer, I am shifting the series’ focus to feature several of the PDC’s more experienced members in the coming weeks. My intent to highlight the importance of intergenerational learning echoes PDC President Sherry Mueller’s message in her book Working World, coauthored with…