PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

NOV 19, 2008
Public Diplomacy Expectations
The Washington Times
According to the Obama campaign Web site, Mr. Obama's public diplomacy outreach will be mainly focused at the grass-roots level, doubling the size of the Peace Corps and Americorps, creating a body of citizen volunteers with special language skills, etc...What is specifically needed is a new U.S. Agency for Strategic Communication under the guidance of a director of strategic communications. Its director should have the confidence and trust of the president, though maybe not necessarily at cabinet level, and his responsibility would be to coordinate the informational activities of the entire U.S. government, including the vast resources currently commanded by the Pentagon. He would also be responsible for formulating a much-needed comprehensive new communications strategy that would address the activities of U.S. public affairs, public diplomacy, international broadcasting and military information operations  Read more...

NOV 19, 2008
Liberia: 25 Citizens Undergo Diplomatic Training in Egypt
allAfrica.com
Twenty-five Liberians have departed the country for Cairo, Egypt, to undergo a two-week training program in diplomacy...covering a wide range of topics including development diplomacy, conflict resolution and multi-track diplomacy, and media and public diplomacy.  Read more...

NOV 19, 2008
Restore the Voice
The Huffington Post
Barack Obama has the capacity to overcome the recent image of a global bully by restoring America's reputation as a peace-loving, progressive nation. But he faces far greater priorities during his first weeks and months in office as president than say the future of the Voice of America. But the international buzz caused by President-elect Obama earlier in the month offers him an opportunity to revive what had been a valuable American resource for so many years. In short, the reputation of the Voice needs to be revived and treasured -- not squandered as it has been by the Bush Administration the past eight years.  Read more...

NOV 18, 2008
Griffey becomes American Public Diplomacy Envoy
The Associated Press
The star outfielder became the newest American Public Diplomacy Envoy, introduced Tuesday by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Griffey is set to make his first baseball-related trip for the State Department to Panama in January. In his role, he'll represent the "values of the United States, not the government of the United States," Rice said. "When Ken Griffey travels overseas, one of his greatest objectives will be to talk to young people and to spark their interest in America and in our culture," she said.  Read more...

NOV 18, 2008
A new President, a new era for CD?
Cultural Diplomacy News
With the end of Bush’s second presidential term approaching, and President-elect Barack Obama carrying the hopes of the nation on his shoulders, a new era for American Cultural Diplomacy appears to be on the horizon. Obama has made his stance on this issue clear during his political campaign, and outlined it in Barack Obama: A champion for arts and culture. He touches on three mains points: art education in schools, further consideration of artists’ singular economic situation, and cultural exchange. These are aimed not only at promoting cultural diplomacy in times of war, as has been the case in the past, but also at cementing a strong foundation for it to continue in the post-war era, if efforts are allowed to continue and develop.   Read more...

NOV 18, 2008
Briefing on State Department Funding Levels
U.S. Department of State
The ’09 budget includes over 450 new positions simply for training, 300 of them for language training...There’s also been discussion about what is our outreach: are we doing enough in the public affairs and public diplomacy world. There are 39 positions in the budget to expand public diplomacy and educational and cultural exchanges, again, focusing on what the Secretary sees is major needs in the time ahead.  Read more...

NOV 17, 2008
Public Affairs, Strategic Communications Merge
Air Force Times
The Air Force is consolidating its public affairs and strategic communications functions. The reason, said the service’s public affairs chief Nov. 13, is to get its message out more proactively to airmen and to the public, and better coordinate its communications. “The bottom line is communication,” said Brig. Gen. Darren McDew. “Sometimes people think in order to do strategic communication, it needs to be a separate organization from public affairs, and it doesn’t.  Read more...

NOV 17, 2008
After Iraq, Marines to Get Back to Basics
Wired News
Now, with the Marines beginning a gradual pull-out from Iraq after five years of war, it's time to "get back towards our expeditionary culture," Colonel David Coffman, commander of the Marines embarked on the big-deck USS Boxer...In other words, with Boxer, humanitarian "soft power" now has taken its rightful place alongside old-fashioned, firepower-heavy "hard power."   Read more...

NOV 17, 2008
New Survey Suggests Continued Growth in International Student Enrollments at U.S. Colleges
MarketWatch
A NAFSA policy paper to the next U.S. president, issued before the election, emphasized the critical role of international education in advancing U.S. public diplomacy and foreign policy efforts at a time when the global reputation of the United States is at a historic low point.  Read more...

NOV 17, 2008
Medvedev Learned His PR Skills From Chavez
The Moscow Times
President Dmitry Medvedev's first state-of-the-nation address raised a lot eyebrows abroad both by its content and tone. If the objective was to make people shake their heads in bewilderment, it succeeded beyond expectations...In a few months, Medvedev's Kremlin will encounter a tightly knit and efficient Obama administration. Medvedev needs much better advice to hold his ground with Obama in public diplomacy.  Read more...

NOV 17, 2008
Reforming U.S. International Broadcasting for a New Era
The Public Diplomacy Council
By broad consensus of its members, the Public Diplomacy Council strongly recommends to the new Administration and Congress an urgent reform of America’s publicly funded international broadcasting.   Read more...

NOV 17, 2008
Basic Principles on Improving U.S. Public Diplomacy
The Public Diplomacy Council
Twelve premises have gained broad consensus among the members of The Public Diplomacy Council as pillars for initiatives to strengthen U.S. public diplomacy. View them at the link above or under "Our Work," Occasional Papers.  Read more...

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