MPD Graduate Reviews “The United States and Public Diplomacy”

Recent Master of Public Diplomacy graduate Joshua Saidoff has reviewed The United States and Public Diplomacy: New Directions in Cultural and International History by Kenneth A. Osgood and Brian C. Etheridge.

In their book, Osgood and Etheridge provide a collection of 12 essays on the history of public diplomacy. Six essays examine past U.S. public diplomacy efforts including the origins of U.S. public diplomacy before the Cold War, U.S. public diplomacy campaigns targeting the developing world and the historical use of film in U.S. public diplomacy. The other six essays explicitly discuss public diplomacy practiced by foreign countries and non-state actors.

In his review, Saidoff notes that the book provides novel perspectives on historical events, focusing attention on aspects of public diplomacy that have received insufficient study to date. He also recommends history and public diplomacy instructors to pay particular attention to the book as the “well-written, prescient” essays are appropriate for college and graduate-level courses.