Americas
When I was growing up in India, the U.S. Information Services used to serve as ambassadors of American culture, ideas, and ideals. That entire approach to diplomacy was shuttered after the Cold War and even after 9/11 remains moribund.
– Fareed Zakaria, “The Post-American World”
Since 9/11, the U.S. military for the first time has dramatically expanded its effort to communicate with foreign audiences. But this has created new problems…[and] this “mission creep” has gotten way out of hand.

Amid the debates about American aid to Pakistan, and the public diplomacy attempts to gain Pakistani "hearts and minds," there is one measure which would gain Pakistani support: Cricket Diplomacy.

According to various public opinion polls, most of the world now has a vastly improved opinion of our president and our country.
Now that the big Asia trip is history, it’s natural to judge it on the basis of known results from its biggest portion — Obama’s three days in China. For the American president, there were no obvious breakthroughs on exchange rates or trade, climate or human rights, so maybe this visit was not the most successful. On the other hand, viewed in the context of America’s recent history with East Asia, there was a certain welcome absence of drama. Expectations were managed, there was no brinkmanship. Maybe that could be considered an achievement.

The USC Center on Public Diplomacy was pleased to host Professor Virginia Haufler for a Conversation in Public Diplomacy. Virginia Haufler discussed the public diplomacy involved in governing corporations in zones of conflict, based on her chapter “Governing Corporations in Zones of Conflict: Issues, Actors, and Institutions” in the forthcoming book, Who Governs the Globe?
Listen to this event | download .mp3 (34 MB)