Public diplomacy is the craft of explaining America, its defense of liberty, and its policies to the world. After 9/11, the U.S. Department of State came under intense scrutiny for widely perceived failures in this mission. In an age when our values, principles, and policies are under attack around the world, our leaders need practical recommendations for how to reform our public diplomacy strategy, doctrine, and structure in order to engage effectively in the war of ideas.
The U.S. government’s public diplomacy institutions are running on autopilot. While other nations, such as China, are ramping up public diplomacy and soft-power capabilities, the attention of the political leaders in this country is focused elsewhere: the budget deficit, the economy, the presidential election, etc. Read More.
The U.S. government is struggling to coordinate the volumes of information from the many agencies and departments that make up slices of the public diplomacy and strategic communications pie. Read More.
Issues 2012 provides candidates for elected office the ability to quickly identify the key issues of the day and present clear policy recommendations, supported by facts, for addressing them. Read More.
The revived nuclear talks with Iran, set to resume May 23 in Baghdad, face an uncertain and risky future. Iran has a long history of exploiting diplomatic talks on the nuclear issue as a means of forestalling international pressure, easing sanctions, and buying time for its steadily advancing nuclear program.…
Abstract: The Islamist insurgency in Russia’s Northern Caucasus threatens to turn the region into a haven for international terrorism and to destabilize the entire region, which is a critical hub of oil and gas pipelines located at Europe’s doorstep. Neither Russia’s excessive use of…
The Heritage event 'Cuba Needs a (Technological) Revolution' with Sen. Rubio is discussed on Miami's WFOR. …
Nile Gardiner discusses UK Prime Minister Cameron's US visit on FNC's Cavuto. …
Nile Gardiner discusses UK Prime Minister Cameron's visit to the US on FBN's Willis Report. …
In this week's Heritage in Focus podcast, Ted Bromund discusses UK Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to the United States. David Weinberger hosts. To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes. To listen to more Heritage Foundation…
On this week’s Scribecast, Rob Bluey and Nick Zahn interview Ichiro Fujisaki, Japan’s ambassador to the United States. They discussed the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, nuclear energy and the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of cherry blossoms to the United States. The interview runs about 12…
Abstract: The regime that controls Iran is the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism, the world’s fourth-largest oil producer, and close to acquiring a nuclear weapon. Controlled by this regime are 74 million Iranians, 60 percent of which are under age 30,…
Jim Phillips comments on Israel-Iran relations and tensions on WTTG news. …
Lisa Curtis discusses the Afghanistan riots on BBC24. …
The U.S. government’s public diplomacy institutions are running on autopilot. While other nations, such as China, are ramping up public diplomacy and soft-power capabilities, the attention of the political leaders in this country is focused elsewhere: the budget deficit, the economy, the presidential election, etc. The effect is that the…
A little-known legal restriction on U.S. public diplomacy, despite being rendered unenforceable long ago by technological advances like the Internet,[1] continues to damage America's global communication efforts. At issue is Section 501 of the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Smith-Mundt Act), the legislation underlying America's overseas informational and cultural…
Abstract: Can Facebook and Twitter change the world? Can all the nifty new social-networking sites promote democracy and a better understanding of American values around the world? The potential is certainly there -- as was seen in the invaluable Twitter updates during the post-election protests in Iran. The U.S. government…
When a program can increase U.S. security and counterterrorism efforts and benefit the American economy at a time of a struggling recovery, you have hit a double jackpot. And when the program—in this case the United States Visa Waiver Program (VWP)—is also an effective public diplomacy tool for improving the…
Abstract: The Kremlin is using anti-Americanism as a strategic tool for pursuing domestic and foreign policy goals. Through media controlled or owned by the state, the Russian government is deliberately spreading poisonous anti-U.S. propaganda at home and abroad, blaming many of Russia's problems on the West, particularly the United States.…
Proponents of U.S. international broadcasting to China got some reason for hope last month when a group of congressmen, led by Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R–CA) produced a letter in support of continued funding for communication to the vast Chinese populace. The congressmen propose to fence off a portion of the…
The U.S. has shown important leadership during Kenya's political crisis, and now it must go further to act as guarantor of the accord signed between President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga on February 28. Kenya is an anchor for the region and for U.S. interests. Its stability is important enough for the…
Congress should undertake much overdue oversight of the management practices and structures of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG). U.S. international broadcasting needs professional management and a transparent structure and does not have it at the moment. Consistently Inconsistent …
The U.S. government is struggling to coordinate the volumes of information from the many agencies and departments that make up slices of the public diplomacy and strategic communications pie. Congress needs to use its oversight to evaluate the variety of agencies, set specific goals, and ensure that the…
Abstract: The scheduled autumn visit of China’s next Communist Party General Secretary, Xi Jinping, to Washington is a good opportunity for the U.S. to re-examine its often mismanaged economic diplomacy with China. Policymakers from both parties frequently point…
President Obama will conclude his eighth visit to Europe this week in Poland, where he will attend a summit of leaders of Central and Eastern Europe including the new President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga. This visit will be particularly significant as the Administration attempts to correct a series of missteps…
Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Carl Levin (D–MI), ranking member John McCain (R–AZ), and Senator Jim Webb (D–VA) have called on the United States to overhaul two complex military realignment agreements with South Korea and Japan. Their proposals would undermine years of carefully crafted diplomacy that achieved U.S. strategic objectives…
Iran once again has refuted optimistic predictions that meaningful progress would be made on the core issues at stake in...…
Iran is resorting to its usual negotiating tactics on the nuclear issue: Slip away from its commitments under the...…
Commentary continues to swirl around human rights advocate Chen Guangcheng’s treatment by the U.S. embassy in Beijing...…
Human rights activists Bob Fu and Reggie Littlejohn will discuss recent developments in the Chen Guangcheng case at a...…
The long-moribund diplomatic talks on Iran’s nuclear program are slated to resume today in Istanbul between Iran and the...…
Belatedly, last week, the new Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy, Tara Sonenshine, and a bundle of other diplomatic...…
Iran continues to make steady progress in stockpiling supplies of increasingly highly enriched uranium far above the...…
It is past the time that Washington will be able to find a means to resolve the confrontation with Iran that is “all...…
Challenges to U.S. international broadcasting and public diplomacy continue to mount. Iran, joining China and Russia,...…
Three years ago, President Barack Obama set forth to recast American foreign policy in an image of his own design. It...…
Senior Fellow for Public Diplomacy
President
Vice President, Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, and Director, The Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies