Across the Pond: CPD Director Participates in International Conference

Philip Seib participated in the fifth Wilton Park roundtable meeting in public diplomacy series in Steyning, West Sussex, (UK) October 12-14. Entitled “Putting the power in soft power?”, the three-day gathering drew 50 international experts to discuss ways in which public diplomacy practitioners can further the deployment of soft power, and the challenges of turning soft power assets, particularly civil society and citizen-led media, into practical activity.

The event took place in conjunction with the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and included participants representing such diverse organizations as Al Jazeera, NATO, Facebook, OECD, the French, Norwegian, Finnish, British, and Dutch Foreign Ministries, and many others. Dr. Nicholas Cull, Director of the Masters Program in Public Diplomacy at USC also participated in the Wilton Park roundtable.

While in the UK, Philip Seib also met with representatives of Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office, a member of parliament, representatives of the British Council, Chatham House, and the U.S. Embassy in London, as well as FCO soft power experts.

Philip Seib’s latest blog about soft power following his UK meetings may be found here.