Living and working in other countries, Public Diplomacy practitioners hear a mix of many ideas – political, economic, social, and religious. Among them are patriotism and nationalism. A recent video – and the controversies it sparked – presents a case study that can give viewers some perspective on today’s currents of Russian nationalism. Last year,…
How might the West respond to the explosion of false information in social and traditional media? There have been many prescriptions for inoculating a curious world against that challenge, especially since Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and, lately, several other pivotal leadership polls in Western Europe. Earlier, it was the ISIS mastery…
As a consequence of President Eisenhower’s historic 1953 UN General Assembly speech, “Atomic Power for Peace’” the world-wide promotion of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy became the young U.S. Information Agency’s first major mission. I had been managing a U.S. Mission-sponsored Atoms-for-Peace exhibition at the Berlin Industrial Fair. It included a huge replica of…
Every so often, a topic for commentary comes along that focuses the writer more intently than the average. Of course, if there is a personal backstory or connection with the topic, that surely helps. Today that topic has found its writer — or vice versa. You see, the topic before me today is the state…
Irwin Steven Goldstein told the Foreign Relations Committee, “If confirmed, I look forward to working with the Department’s very talented career officials to ensure that we are speaking with one clear, consistent, and compelling voice.” The veteran public relations executive’s official statement is attached to this blog post. He appeared before the Foreign Relations Committee…
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 Ambassador Brian Carlson Years ago, during the Cold War, Soviet propaganda continually portrayed the United States and NATO nations as militaristic, provocative and dangerously over-armed. Every new Western weapons system and Congressional appropriation became more grist for Soviet-sponsored psyops mills around the world, while the USSR’s and Warsaw Pact’s own military spending and armaments…
Public Diplomacy’s Oral History Interviews Donald M. Bishop It’s a commonplace that most historical studies of U.S. public diplomacy have focused on Washington policies, themes, leaders, and decisions. They have thus slighted how policies were implemented “in the field” — in other nations, regions, and societies. There’s not much written on how Public…
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…