Public Diplomacy Matters More Than Ever

By PHK and PLS

The October 2006 issue of the Foreign Service Journal focuses on public diplomacy. Issues addressed are the immediate concerns over the enormous problems the U.S. has with its image abroad and the effectiveness of the current administration in using its professional staff to deal with the image problem. The issue goes further, asking whether or not PD is an essential diplomatic tool and, if so, how it might be used more successfullly to current and future foreign policy needs.

We are delighted to have coauthored one of the five articles included in this special section. We contend that “Public Diplomacy Matters More than Ever.” Please take the time to read it.

The PD section also includes articles by three former USIA colleagues and public diplomacy specialists – Robert Callahan, Richard Arndt and Joe Johnson as well as an assessment of Karen Hughes’ tenure as the State Department's public diplomacy czarina by Shawn Zeller, a staff writer at the Congressional Quarterly.

Comments are welcome here at WhirledView. If you'd prefer to write a letter to Steve Honley, the FSJ’s editor-in-chief, that’s fine too. For that, see below.

Each article stands up well on its own – but taken together they make a terrific and thought-provoking package. Kudos to Steve Honley and the Journal editorial board. We’re not shrinking violets. We commend them all to you, our own included.

Here are PDF links to each of the five articles – and the FS Journal’s main webpage. The Journal is the monthly magazine of the U.S. Foreign Service Association (AFSA) – the principal organization of America’s diplomats – current and retired.

AMERICAN FOREIGN SERVICE ASSOCIATION
THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL
October 2006 (Vol. 83, No. 10)

FOCUS ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

19 / Damage Control: Karen Hughes Does PD
A year into her tenure, is Hughes making effective use of Foreign Service expertise?
By Shawn Zeller

27 / Public Diplomacy Matters More Than Ever
Like intelligence analysis, PD must be protected from political strong-arming, generously funded and heeded at the highest level.
By Patricia H. Kushlis and Patricia L. Sharpe

33 / Neither Madison Avenue Nor Hollywood If public diplomacy has failed, as many critics now claim, it is not due to an inability to find the secret slogan or magic message.
By Robert J. Callahan

39 / Rebuilding America’s Cultural Diplomacy
Since the end of the Cold War, the U.S. has unwisely left cultural and educational diplomacy to the tough mercies of the marketplace.
By Richard T. Arndt

44 / How Does Public Diplomacy Measure Up?
Here’s a look at what policy imperatives and technology trends mean for programs in the field.
By Joe Johnson

Foreign Service Journal: Each issue covers foreign affairs from an insider's perspective, keeping readers informed about who's who and what's what in foreign affairs in Washington. If you are not currently an AFSA member, and would like to read the current issue , please contact Ed Miltenberger at (202)-944-5507 to subscribe. For information on how to submit a letter, column or article, please e-mail us at journal@afsa.org.