The State of U.S. Public Diplomacy

Between the emergence of powerful authoritarian influence strategies, the creation of the new Bureau of Global Public Affairs and the continued battle against global disinformation, 2019 was a whirlwind year for U.S public diplomacy.

In a comprehensive year-end-review, the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (ACPD) recently released its annual report, a unique reference document overviewing the major public diplomacy and global media activities conducted by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM). In addition, the report provides insight into budgeting, programming, and gives recommendations for the White House, Congress and key State Department entities.

The report paints a picture of a revamped digitally-oriented foreign public engagement apparatus, yet one that is severely underfunded. “Considering the widespread increase in extremist and foreign government propaganda and the complexity of the contemporary media ecosystem," the report notes, "the U.S. government should prioritize far more resources for its PD programs.”

 The full document, "Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy & International Broadcasting," can be found here.