Diplomats—Get Into Data
"From engaging with activists in closed societies to countering the efforts of Jihadist groups; there has never been a better time for diplomats to get into data."
-Ali Fisher
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Zombies Solved the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Recently, I went to see World War Z, a typical Hollywood blockbuster with a fairly typical theme--ZOMBIES. Now a quick note to all you non-film buffs out there, zombie films are never about zombies, they are about the societal pressures of the day. (Spoiler Alert) This film obviously made statements about the ills of our planet, and the basic premise of the film was not anything new. Read More
Culture Posts: Domestic Stakeholders in Public Diplomacy, Lessons from Brazil
What happens when the domestic public seemingly overtakes a country’s public diplomacy agenda?
Brazil looked like it had scored a double goal when it secured the bid to host the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. A massive promotional campaign to garner world attention was well underway. And then came the massive protests by the Brazilian public. Read More
Fixing the Strategic Dysfunction
The House Foreign Affairs Committee came out swinging this morning in its hearing titled “Broadcasting Board of Governors: An Agency ‘Defunct.’” Chairman Ed Royce laid the groundwork in his introductory remarks, offering an overview of the BBG’s legislative origins and the proud history of U.S. government broadcasters that helped the West win the Cold War. Read More
Culture Posts: Five Critical Roles of the Domestic Publics in PD
A previous Culture Post explored cultural assumptions about who is the ‘public’ in public diplomacy and suggested an expanded vision of “the public” that includes the domestic, diaspora, and foreign publics. Failure to see a public and the role it plays can leave a nation vulnerable to blind spots in its public diplomacy. Read More
Are Wine and Food The Best Ambassadors? The EU Table is Set for New Member – Croatia
Some will say that after a considerable amount of time, expansion is the first piece of good news coming from Old Lady Europe. However, not everyone is enthusiastic about it, especially in Croatia – the 28th member as of July 1st. To put it more clearly, the very first toast could leave some with a bad taste in their mouth should they make it with prosek – the indigenous Dalmatian dessert wine variety. Accession to the EU could mean – hello EU, goodbye prosek! Read More
“Engagement” is More Convenient than Helpful: Dissecting a Public Diplomacy Term
Matthew Wallin of the American Security Project posed an interesting question in a recent blog post titled “Engagement: What does it mean for public diplomacy?” This question touched a nerve for me, because there are no ready definitions for the term – despite the fact that it appears across statements articulating the purpose of U.S. public diplomacy. Read More
United Nations Reinvents Itself Through a New Public Diplomacy Initiative
"In a world where more have access to mobile phones than toilets, people expect to participate in shaping public policies.”
The United Nations launched a new public diplomacy initiative that aims to change how decisions are made about world affairs. Read More
High Tech Sector Pushing U.S. Public Diplomacy FWD
The realm of social media and the power of the Internet lies in the hands of the people. Together they are a tool that allow greater access to information, global connectivity, a platform for speeches, advocacy and political statements, tools for video and photo dissemination and much more. The Internet, in many parts of the world, is free and open to the public, which allows for the rapid growth of people-to-people diplomacy across national borders, and has a democratizing effect on information. It has also created the space for the tech boom in which the giants of Silicon Valley thrive. Read More
The Arts of International Affairs: Time for a New Conversation about Culture
Once again the debate about the arts and their relationship to the economy has been enjoined, this time in the UK. The terms are by now entirely familiar, and certainly loom in any discussion of the “value” of the arts in the U.S. as well. This is particularly true for the U.S. during recessions and periods of fiscal austerity. Read More
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