This Week in Public Diplomacy Mar 25
Obama’s Hardball Public Diplomacy
Philip Seib / The Huffington Post
President Barack Obama’s relationship with Israeli minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never been warm. So while visiting Israel, Obama did not limit himself to the standard rhetorical niceties.
Amb. Karen Hughes on the value of Public Diplomacy
Harvard University
Former Bush administration Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes speaks about the value of engaging in a two-way conversation with citizens of foreign countries through foreign exchange programs and giving in-country diplomats more flexibility in local communications. She also assesses the challenges before newly appointed Secretary of State John Kerry.
Virtual Embassies: Better than Nothing or Bad PD?
Matthew Wallin / Adventures in Diplomacy
The advent of internet communications has given a rise to the concept of virtual public diplomacy engagement—that is communication with foreign publics without actually having a ground presence to do so. Some call it e-diplomacy. While this sounds like a revolutionary concept, functionally, it is not.
The Future of United States Public Diplomacy in Brazil
Blair Rapalyea / American Diplomacy
Brazil and the United States have a very good official bilateral relationship, although it has been aptly characterized as “very broad but relatively shallow.”
Audio: Through a screen darkly: Popular culture, public diplomacy and America’s image abroad
Martha Bayles / American Enterprise Institute
Harlem Shake: Arab Spring Protest Edition
Kate Shriver / Take Five Blog
Only a few days ago a mass protest/Harlem Shake dance was planned in Tunis in front of the Ministry of Education. Thousands said they would participate, but the rainy weather appeared to have dampened the turnout, with only a few dozen students taking part in the protest with shouts of “freedom, freedom.”
Why doesn’t International Relations pay more Attention to Public Diplomacy?
Robin Brown / Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence
Typically IR scholarship tends to oppose the transnational to the state. There tends to be an assumption that transnational actors (civil society, advocacy networks etc) weaken, undermine, penetrate the state, rather than sometimes at least being enablers of state action.
Digital Diplomacy and Crisis Communication
Andreas Sandre / eDiplomacy
While foreign policy is undergoing a phase of adaptation to social media and digital tools, governments around the world are exploring new innovative ways to engage with their citizens in case of emergencies.
Upcoming Events
Nation Branding and Global Politics: A Conversation with Sir Martin Sorrell
Join ASP for an insightful conversation on nation branding with Sir Martin Sorrell, founder and CEO of the world’s largest advertising group.
When: Wednesday, April 3. 1:30-2:30PM
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7th Floor West Tower
Washington, DC 20005
RSVP: by 1 April to events@americansecurityproject.org
On Our Flashpoint Blog
ASP’s Matthew Wallin participates in Google Hangout on Public Diplomacy Challenges
ASP’s Matthew Wallin participated on a panel today with Dr. Guy Golan of the Newhouse School and Lynn Weil of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The Google Hangout was hosted by the Pickering Fellowship, and discussed practical challenges for public diplomacy.
Forsaking our relationships
Matthew Wallin
Yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, Kirk Johnson penned an article examining the relationships the United States has built with individual Iraqis, and concluded it has not done nearly enough to help the Iraqis that are in danger as a result of their assistance.
Promoting Religious Freedom: A Case for Ensuring National Security?
Lívia Pontes Fialho
As the new pope for the world’s 1.5 billion Catholics was inaugurated yesterday, one cannot help but think, on a larger scale, of the impact of religion in international po
