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It is clear that America cannot prevail with hard power alone, yet since the closing of the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) back in 1999, America’s capacity to participate in the global battle of ideas has declined, even as the information challenges continue to grow and change. Both of the areas USIA used to oversee — public diplomacy and international broadcasting — urgently need renewed focus and resources.

In foreign policy today—especially the open-sourced, open-marketed version we now know as modern public diplomacy, small is beautiful, nimble is necessary, and bold can be risky. The Abe Doctrine combines two slogans (a) Beautiful Japan with (b) Bold Japan.

Reading Room of the Allies. Interior. Partial View.

New access to U.S. historical documents shed welcome light on history of PD

At a time when the news is full of lives lost before their time it sometimes seems unreasonable to be saddened by the passing of a man at the age of 97, but the community of public diplomacy scholars and practitioners should pause for a moment to mark the passing of the great American public diplomat Walter R. Roberts, on June 29, 2014.

Professor Nicholas J. Cull remembers Walter R. Roberts, who passed away on June 29, 2014.

Public diplomacy comes with side effects. Positive unintended consequences become part of the intended impact, but negative ones should concern us.

by Nicholas J. Cull

April 17, 2014

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