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The Public Diplomacy Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School.

MAESTRO DUDAMEL, VENEZUELAN SOFT POWER AND LESSONS FOR AMERICA
MAR 6, 2008 - 8:09PM PST
Posted by Neal Rosendorf
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The New York Philharmonic's recent Pyongyang concert has garnered extensive international news coverage over the momentary piercing of North Korea's thick carapace. But rather than seeking as far as the Hermit Kingdom for evidence of a truly effective use of classical music as soft power, we'd arguably do better to look in our own back yard: Los Angeles to be precise, in the guise of the L.A. Philharmonic's next music director, Gustavo Dudamel. The extraordinary young conductor is the embodiment of Venezuela's one real soft power asset. The U.S. has much to learn from Maestro Dudamel's story and experience as... FULL TEXT
 
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SYNCHRONIZING INFORMATION: THE IMPORTANCE OF NEW MEDIA IN CONFLICT
MAR 6, 2008 - 5:24PM PST
Posted by Matt Armstrong
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The effectiveness of information campaigns today will more often dictate a victory than how well bullets and bombs are put on a target. Putting information on target is more important when dealing with an asymmetric adversary that cannot – and does not need to – match the military or economic power of the United States and her allies.

Insurgents and terrorists increasingly leverage New Media to shape perceptions around the globe to be attractive to some and intimidating to others. New Media collapses traditional concepts of time and space as information moves around the world in an instant. Unlike traditional... FULL TEXT
 
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ANOTHER CHANCE TO GET IT RIGHT …
DEC 18, 2007 - 6:28PM PST
Posted by Jill A. Schuker
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Public diplomacy is no substitute for smart foreign policy, nor can it fix a myopic one. But miscalculations of both its power and place have left it a hobbled tool in our diplomatic arsenal.

Hopefully the newest designated chief of public diplomacy, Jim Glassman, understands this. His bona fides for the job are solid; but the challenges, unhappily, remain as distinct today as they did seven years ago under Charlotte Beers, the first Public Diplomacy chief of the Bush administration.

Simply put, we have been floundering in our attempts to run an effective public diplomacy for too long, with disastrous... FULL TEXT
 
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COMMENTS ON THE CONGRESSIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON AMERICAN FILM AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY 11/14/2007
DEC 18, 2007 - 5:39PM PST
Posted by Neal Rosendorf
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I would like to commend Congresswoman Diane Watson for organizing the Congressional Symposium on American Film and Public Diplomacy and her sponsorship of legislation that includes establishing the Johnny Grant Film Series featuring classic American cinema in U.S. embassies and missions overseas. I think it is a grand idea that allows us to tap into one of the United States' most significant contributions to culture over the past century as an element of public diplomacy outreach. I also think, parenthetically, that any effort that works to make our representative buildings around the world seem more accessible and friendly, instead of... FULL TEXT
 
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LESSONS FROM THE VENEZUELAN PLEBISCITE: A DEMOCRATIC IMAGE MAKES FOR GOOD PUBLIC DIPLOMACY STRATEGY
DEC 7, 2007 - 6:34PM PST
Posted by Pamela Starr
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It is by now well known that President Hugo Chavez failed to garner a majority vote in the December 1st plebiscite called to authorize 69 changes to the Venezuelan constitution. This surprising defeat, the first for Chavez since his 1998 election to the presidency, will undoubtedly force a bit of soul-searching in government circles and energize the opposition, even if it is unlikely to produce significant change in the country. It also raises questions about the source of this defeat and, most interestingly, about Chavez’ decision not only to accept defeat but to spin it into a victory for Venezuelan... FULL TEXT
 
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