Latest Must-Reads in Public Diplomacy

The latest edition of Bruce Gregory's periodic public diplomacy reading list is out now. Known affectionately at CPD as "Bruce's List," it is a compilation of books, journal articles, papers, and blogs on a wide variety of PD topics, and features a number of CPD scholars. Highlights in this edition include:

Broadcasting Board of Governors, Fiscal Year 2014 Performance and Accountability Report, November 17, 2014.  The BBG's annual report includes information on the organizational structures and missions of US international broadcasting services, strategic and management objectives, program goals and performance metrics, audience levels, and financial statements.  The report provides the BBG's account of its accomplishments and future challenges.

“Does Soft Power Really Matter?” A CPD-BBC Forum, CPD Monitor, USC Center on Public Diplomacy, Volume 7, Issue 1, Fall 2014.  Given recent events in Ukraine and the Middle East, rivalries in the South China Sea, and other instances of the uses of hard power, is soft power still relevant?  What is the nature and usefulness of American soft power?  The BBC hosted a panel to discuss these questions at USC's Center for Public Diplomacy on October 2, 2014.  Panelists: Ritula Shah (BBC presenter), P. J. Crowley (George Washington University), Robert Kaufman (Pepperdine University), Olga Oliker (RAND), and Jay Wang (USC Center on Public Diplomacy).

Robert Ford, “4th Annual Walter Roberts Lecture,” Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, George Washington University, November 12, 2014.  Former US Ambassador to Syria and Algeria Robert Ford talks about his public diplomacy experiences, use of social media, the value of educational exchanges and English teaching, the role of digital diplomacy in the conflict with ISIS, and other issues.  Following his lecture, Ford engaged in a lively Q&A with Frank Sesno (director of GW's School of Media and Public Affairs).  A transcript and 90-minute Youtube video are available online. 

US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Comprehensive Annual Report on Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting Activities, December 11, 2014.  This 258-page report, written by the Commission's Executive Director Katherine Brown and her staff, itemizes major public diplomacy and international broadcasting activities conducted by the US Department of State and Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).  The report describes and provides budget information on overseas missions and Washington-based programs.  Its 13 findings and 35 detailed recommendations focus on the State Department overall; State's Office of Policy Planning and Resources, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Bureau of International Programs, Bureau of Public Affairs, Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, and Africa Bureau; mission-specific activities in the Czech Republic, Germany, Mexico, Ukraine, and Vietnam; and the BBG. 

To review the entire list, click here.