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U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century by K M Lord


http://www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/~/media/Files/rc/reports/2008/11_public_diplomacy_lord/11_public_diplomacy_lord.pdf

Kristin M. Lord, Voices of America: U.S. Public Diplomacy for the 21st Century, Brookings Institution, November 2008.


Lord (Brookings) draws on the thinking of "more than 300 people" and numerous past reports on U.S. public diplomacy in this Brookings Institution study. Its key recommendation is creation of a new non-profit organization, "The USA World Trust," to support U.S. government public diplomacy. This organization would (1) conduct research, (2) engage corporations, NGOs, and universities to work on innovative initiatives, (3) provide grants and venture capital to endeavors that advance its objectives, (4) experiment with new technologies and media products, and (5) convene gatherings of government practitioners, scholars, and experts from private and non-profit sectors to address "public diplomacy and strategic communication challenges." The 57-page report also contains numerous propsals to strengthen government public diplomacy: symbolic actions to be taken by the Obama Administration, a U.S. interagency public diplomacy strategy, a Presidential directive, the role of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, a wide range of recommendations to make the State Department and other existing public diplomacy organizations work better, substantially increased public diplomacy funding (particularly for Fulbright exchanges and research), adjustment of the public diplomacy investment ratio between State and Defense, and a more effective balance between security and engagement at U.S. borders. The report considers and rejects creation of a new government agency to conduct public diplomacy. It does not address but calls for a separate review of international broadcasting and "a serious discussion about the proper role and scope of covert information operations."


EXHIBITS
11_public_diplomacy_lord.pdf Description

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