The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown directly damages US cultural diplomacy, and undermines the flow of transnational cultural content in ways at once parochial and potentially damaging to the US as a source of global inspiration over the long term. This is how once influential US soft power can become irrelevant. The Trump administration’s anti-immigration crackdown,…
As a former public diplomacy officer, I approach the concept of place branding skeptically. Trying to brand the United States is futile — especially in our political environment. Yet a recent article in Public Diplomacy magazine opened new perspectives on the topic. Darius Udrys, Ph.D., was the founding director of Go Vilnius – an agency…
There is room for optimism that Congress will reject the Administration’s proposed deep cuts to exchanges programs and to public diplomacy in general. However, if you want to defend these programs, now is the time to speak out.
Through our member Sherry Mueller, the Public Diplomacy Council joined major PD advocacy organizations to sponsor “Making the Case for Soft Power” on October 9, where Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA) explained his view of the concept from an unusual angle: as a former businessman and diplomat. Now he represents many of our readers in Congress. Here’s his advice about advocating for exchanges.
Joe B. Johnson consults on government communication and technology after a career in the United States Foreign Service. He is an instructor for the National Foreign Affairs Training Center, where he teaches strategic planning for public diplomacy. Read More
By: Amb. (ret.) William A. Rugh There is an unwritten code of conduct among American diplomats that says they should never say anything that is untrue or inaccurate. They are not required to say everything they know because they must also keep secrets. But it is central to their mission to be truthful—not as a…
The White House announced that it would nominate Irvin Steven Goldstein of New York to be the “Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Department of State.” This is not the last word. Further consultations and a congressional hearing will take place before the nominee starts work. Nonetheless, it’s worth noting that Goldstein appears to be the first under…
Remarks by Adam Clayton Powell III Broadcasting Board of Governors August 30, 2017 Thank you, Mr. Chairman; Governors, Director Lansing, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Adam Powell, and I am the President of the Public Diplomacy Council and Director of Washington Programs for the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for Communication…
A proposal to reorganize the Department of State is due later this month. Secretary Rex Tillerson called for it, and teams in State and USAID have been working on the “redesign.” How this will affect public diplomacy is not known; PD is not one of the primary topics singled out for attention after a consultancy’s…
By Alan Heil In a briefing to a record crowd at the First Monday forum of the Public Diplomacy Council and USC’s Annenberg School June 5, the State Department’s senior advisor to the Helsinki Commission laid out principles for meeting those challenges. As Scott Rauland put it: “Don’t expect to combat the firehose of falsehoods…
By Joe B. Johnson “Asserting U.S. leadership and influence” includes core public diplomacy programs, according to the White House budget for 2018. We don’t have a formal strategy or a reorganization plan from the new administration, but a budget may be the most important statement about its new directions. And this page from the State Department lays…
By Donald Bishop When my paper copy of the Foreign Service Journal arrives, I set aside time to go through it from cover to cover. There’s always something about foreign affairs that I haven’t seen in the various newspapers, newsletters and electronic sources I receive. The American Foreign Service Association has announced recently an electronic…