Last week I spoke to a Great Decisions discussion group in Arlington, Virginia. Great Decisions is a program sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association to encourage citizen awareness of foreign relations. The topic, “The Media and Foreign Policy,” gave me the chance to highlight the work of public diplomacy. As so much diplomacy is carried…
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…
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…
By Joe B. Johnson I still remember a very old New Yorker cartoon showing two dogs — one at a computer, remarking to its friend: “On the Internet, no one knows I’m a dog.” That’s no longer funny in a world where robots amplify propaganda messages and can even write news stories of their own.…