John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review

Steve Straehley, allgov.com, Friday, April 13, 2018 Macmanus image from Joseph Estey Macmanus, nominated November 29, 2017, to be the next ambassador to Colombia from the United States, has more than 30 years’ experience in the Foreign Service, has participated in difficult negotiations with foreign adversaries and helped to run the Department of State. Although his confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations was held on March 7, 2018, his confirmation was blocked by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah). The reason? He was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s executive assisatant, and he was supported by former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Macmanus was born in 1953 to Joseph and Miriam Macmanus and has three brothers and two sisters, including his twin, Mary. He grew up in Buffalo, New York, but left the area for college, attending Notre Dame. He earned a B.A. in English there in 1974, and then returned home and earned a master’s in information science from Stat..

uscpublicdiplomacy.org, Mar 15, 2019 images from entry With nearly 400 alumni worldwide comprising diplomats, non-state actors, international organizations, scholars and those from the private sector, CPD's training continues to evolve to meet the current needs of our ever-changing field. Our unique learning model of dialogue, simulations and peer-to-peer collaboration provides participants with valuable tools and skills needed to practice public diplomacy [JB emphasis] with impact. Hear what participants to our most recent training workshop have to say:Data-Driven PDAdrián CollinsIrish Department of Foreign Affairs and TradeThe Value of UpskillingJohn FisherAustralian Embassy, PortugalThinking StrategicallyLouise KennardBritish CouncilTech & ToolsTristan-Emmanuel LandryEmbassy of Canada, FranceBringing Knowledge Home Frank Schipper Netherlands Embassy, StockholmMore Day-to-Day RigorStefano ContrattoOrganisation for Economic Co-operationand DevelopmentView our course offerings her..

Fred Dews, brookings.edu, March 15, 2019; original article contains links and video of the event; see also item 13 in a satirical piece pertaining to Kim-Trump negotiations image (not from article) fromExcerpt: President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Hanoi, Vietnam, on February 27 and 28 for their second summit to focus on denuclearization and sanctions relief. The two leaders left their first summit last June in Singapore with a vague joint statement about denuclearization, sanctions relief, and other matters. On March 6, the Center for East Asia Policy Studies at Brookings hosted a distinguished panel of experts to analyze the outcomes of the second summit, address the future of U.S.-North Korea relations, and propose policy recommendations. ... Some of the expert panelists remarked that Kim Jong Un appeared more confident in his public diplomacy [JB emphasis] skills than he did in the previous summit, the North Korean leader utilized his knowledge of how t..

Molly Callahan, news.northeastern.edu, March 15, 2019 Photo: Aislinn Mangan, Barbara Alcena, Juan Ning, and Movlan Aliyev are volunteering at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women this week. Photo by Adam Glanzman/Northeastern University For four Northeastern students, volunteering at a United Nations commission is more than just a course assignment; it’s a chance to represent their countries on the world stage. Barbara Alcena, Movlan Aliyev, Aislinn Mangan, and Juan Ning, graduate students in Tatjana Kobb’s public diplomacy [JB emphasis] class, are volunteering at the 63rd annual United Nations Commission on the Status of Women at U.N. headquarters in New York City through March 22. The U.N. Commission, founded in 1946, is the principal global diplomatic body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Representatives from U.N. member states and certain nonprofit organizations gather each year to assess global issues that affe..

Helle C. Dale. heritage.org; original article contains an image of President Trump, with the caption: "Evidence continues to mount that the U.S. Agency for Global Media is in profound need of new leadership." @Helledale Senior Fellow for Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] Dale image from article Her current work focuses on the U.S. government’s institutions and programs for strategic outreach to the public of foreign countries. KEY TAKEAWAYS Disdain for President Donald Trump and his administration at times has led producers and reporters to engage in total unprofessionalism. The agency is still run by Obama-era executives, who are determined to preserve their influence and power—and it shows. The world stage is replete with communications-related challenges to U.S. foreign policy. The U.S. government has the tools to engage such challenges.Evidence continues to mount that the U.S. Agency for Global Media [JB see] is in profound need of new leadership. Scandal after scandal has arisen from..

From: Post Editorial Board, "There’s no reason for a Beto 2020 run and other commentary," nypost.com, March 14, 2019 Abrams image (not from entry) fromExcerpt: Some are interpreting the withdrawal of all US personnel from the ­embassy in Caracas as a sign that military intervention in Venezuela is now more likely. But while President Trump continues to insists that “all options are on the table,” Bloomberg’s Eli Lake argues “it’s ­evidence of the opposite.” The most likely reason for the diplomats’ removal is “fear they could be targeted” by loyalists of strongman Nicolás Maduro — which would “almost certainly” prompt a US response. Special envoy Elliott Abrams recently spoke of “a public diplomacy [JB emphasis] strategy aimed at making the Venezuelan military nervous by not ruling out military action.” But he added that there are “no such plans” for action “unless Maduro does something completely crazy.” Trump, Lake notes, “likes to brag about ending wars, not starting them.”

commons.erau.edu Logo of International Bulletin of Political Psychology Public Diplomacy [JB emphasis] and International Broadcasting as Antiterrorism Weapons: Philosophical Dilemmas Editor Abstract This article describes problematic assumptions in differentiating public diplomacy from international broadcasting as weapons against terrorism with global reach. Recommended Citation Editor (2002) "Public Diplomacy and International Broadcasting as Antiterrorism Weapons: Philosophical Dilemmas," International Bulletin of Political Psychology: Vol. 13 : Iss. 14 , Article 2. Available at: https://commons.erau.edu/ibpp/vol13/iss14/2

state.gov ***THE DAILY PUBLIC SCHEDULE IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***DEPARTMENT OF STATE PUBLIC SCHEDULEMARCH 14, 2019Rough translation: "Have a nice your trip" image (not from entry) from Excerpt:ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS MICHELLE GIUDAAssistant Secretary Giuda is on travel to Los Angeles, California, from March 14-17.ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS MARIE ROYCEAssistant Secretary Royce is on travel to Hungary, Serbia, and Turkey from March 9-21. Please click here for more information. ...

Craig Hooper, Forbes, Mar 14, 2019 image (not from article) fromExcerpt: America’s maritime rivals are inexorably making ceremonial appearances another basis for great power competition. Not only must stressed U.S. ships take the time to show up, they must also show up looking good, managing media coverage and wholeheartedly engaging in the subtle rough and tumble of public diplomacy [JB emphasis]. The stakes are high, and rivals are ready to use anything down to an ill-placed rust streak to diminish the wider public standing of America’s tough grey diplomats. Competitors know that a Navy’s public image and reputation are critical enablers of maritime dominance. But today, for the U.S. Navy, looking good takes too much time, sailors and money away from seemingly more important warfighting-oriented priorities.

Greg Earl, lowyinstitute.org Middle aged spreadSoutheast Asian countries are about to become the primary focus of Australia’s public diplomacy [JB emphasis] this year as the “Australia now” program stretches its budget from the usual single country approach to all ten countries of the ASEAN group.This stepped-up focus on Australia’s closest Asian neighbours comes amid a growing debate about how these countries are negotiating their transition through middle-income status – or otherwise avoiding the so-called middle-income trap.For example, Indonesia’s finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati told a cabinet meeting this month that she was working on a plan to guide Indonesia’s development along this middle income path. And this Raymond Mallon article provides a good insight into Vietnam’s similar challenges.But the recent independent review of the development cooperation program by Richard Moore has placed these moves in a new context by questioning how Australia’s aid is positioned to de..