The Public Diplomacy Council and its members, events and activities
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 Vietnam War in Retrospect: Four Lectures, Lecture “The Tet Offensive 1968” and “A Paradigmatic picture of the Offensive” Source: The Vietnam War in Retrospect: Four Lectures, Washington, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University Author: Martin Herz Date: 1984 A career Foreign Service Officer who was Political Counselor in Saigon, Assistant Secretary of State…
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…
By Alan Heil Four years ago, a school in a sparsely populated South Carolina county had a dream: “Why not build an on-line bridge via the Internet, so elementary school kids could embark on a common learning experience with their contemporaries in a sister school in Kenya?” That was the start, in Allendale County, of…
Professional Study in a Public Diplomacy Career Donald M. Bishop After their initial “entry level” assignments, most Foreign Service Officers in the Public Diplomacy cone begin their careers with one or more overseas tours as an IO, AIO, CAO, ACAO, APAO, or Consulate PAO. These are the assignments that in time lead to becoming…
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 Joe B. Johnson Bruce Wharton, the first Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy from the ranks of the career Foreign Service, has retired. Wharton has provided stellar leadership and set a fine example for public diplomacy employees since his appointment last December. No successor has been announced. Nothing indicates that Ambassador Wharton’s departure is anything other than…
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…