As Secretary of State John Kerry has pointed out, “Now more than ever, economic policy is foreign policy.” Rivkin’s appointment to lead the Economic and Business Affairs bureau comes after a long, entrepreneurial career in the entertainment industry, making him the first non-career bilateral ambassador to hold the position. 

2014 marked the ninth annual Summer Institute in Public Diplomacy, ran by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School. 

This intensive two-week training program allowed professionals from across the globe to immerse themselves in the growing field of public diplomacy. The Summer Institute equipped students with tools to better understand the role of public diplomacy, analyzed the impact of new communication technologies, and employ innovative approaches for improving the image and impact of their country or organization.

Global communications scholar Daya Kishan Thussu, whose most recent work is Communicating India’s Soft Power: Buddha to Bollywood, spoke at CPD as part of the Conversations in Public Diplomacy series. Thussu’s book considers India’s global cultural influence, within the context of India’s unique history.

American Film Showcase, a joint project of the U.S. State Department and USC School of Cinematic Arts, held a private discussion with the members from APDS. AFS is a unique cultural diplomacy initiative which screens provocative (and often critical of the U.S.) documentaries abroad, and engages local filmmaking communities in 25-35 locations each year including China, Israel and Palestine, Pakistan, Algeria, Vietnam, Venezuela, Armenia, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe.

Cameron Munter, former U.S. ambassador to Pakistan (2010-2012), discussed the complicated relationship between the United States and Pakistan, as embodied in the most recent period of severe crisis, which included the capture of Osama bin Laden and the latest phase of the Afghan war. He shed light on the role of public diplomacy during these times of crisis.

Join CPD for a discussion with Ambassador Sarukhan and Michael Govan on 4/26.

FSO John Connerley shared his thoughts on the practice of public diplomacy and what it may look like over the next five years. As the current CPD Senior Visiting Fellow for Public Diplomacy, a position sponsored in conjunction with the U.S. Department of State, John drew on his deep experience to discuss public diplomacy as a career, as well as the class he is teaching this semester at USC on public diplomacy and the BRIC countries.

Michael Reinprecht is European Visiting Fellow at USC School of International Relations for the 2013-2014 academic year. In this conversation with CPD, he will share his experiences as the Head of the Middle East Department in the European Parliament (EP).

Reinprecht discussed the EP’s recent activities in this emerging region and the role of the 750-Members-strong Parliament in its interaction with the EU’s public diplomacy arm, the European External Action Service.