Francis Fukuyama Named Excellence in Public Diplomacy Award Recipient

LOS ANGELES, September 17, 2025 — The USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) today named Francis Fukuyama, acclaimed political scientist and one of the most influential thinkers in international relations, as the 2025 recipient of the Excellence in Public Diplomacy Award. The award honors private sector leaders whose work advances international cooperation and local prosperity through global engagement.

“It is a huge honor to receive this award,” Fukuyama said during his remarks. “I admire this school and your program tremendously.” He stressed that the USC Annenberg Center on Public Diplomacy plays an important role, particularly in rebuilding international trust after the closure of long-standing soft power institutions such as Voice of America.

CPD hosted a special program at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, featuring an award ceremony followed by a conversation with Fukuyama titled “Navigating Identity and Trust in 2025.” The discussion explored the themes of identity, dignity and social cohesion through the lens of two of Fukuyama’s most celebrated works, Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment and Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity. CPD Interim Director Julie Duhaut-Bedos moderated the program. 

“Francis Fukuyama’s scholarship has transformed the way we understand democracy’s promise and its vulnerabilities,” Duhaut-Bedos said. “Through his vast body of work, he has illuminated how ideas of recognition, trust and social cohesion shape both domestic societies and the global order. His insights are essential for public diplomacy practitioners navigating today’s fractured and contested international landscape.”

The Excellence in Public Diplomacy Award was established in 2023 with inaugural recipient Stephen A. Schwarzman, chairman, CEO and Co-founder of Blackstone.

Duhaut-Bedos added that CPD selected Fukuyama for this year’s honor not only in recognition of his profound intellectual contributions, but also his impact on how governments, institutions and citizens approach international affairs in an era defined by questions of trust and identity.

About the USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Established in 2003 at the University of Southern California, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) is a research, analysis and professional training organization dedicated to furthering the study and practice of global public diplomacy.  Since its inception, CPD has become an ambitious and productive leader in the public diplomacy research and scholarship community and plays host to robust discussions about the future of public diplomacy. To learn more about CPD, please visit USCPublicDiplomacy.org.

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