News – The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

April 17, 2024May 16, 2024

The Digital Double Bind: Change and Stasis in the Middle East

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

In his latest book, IPDGC Visiting Scholar Joe F. Khalil explores the interplay of digital technology and socio-political shifts, providing valuable perspectives on the evolving landscape of the Middle East. His presentation of “The Digital Bind: Change and Stasis in the Middle East,” co-authored with Mohamed Zayan.

Khalil explores how the Middle East’s digital turn intersects with complex political, economic, and socio-cultural dynamics. Drawing on local research and rich case studies, they show how the same forces that brought promises of change through digital transformation have also engendered tensions and contradictions. With this book, Khalil and his co-author contend that the ensuing disjunctures have ensnared the region in a double bind, which represents the salient feature of an unfolding digital turn. The same conditions that drive the state, market, and public immersion in the digital also inhibit the region’s drive to change.

Publishing house Oxford Press describes The Digital Double Bind as a book that reconsiders the question of technology and change, moving beyond binary formulations and familiar trajectories of the network society. It offers a path-breaking analysis of change and stasis in the Middle East and provides a roadmap for a critical engagement with digitality in the Global South.

Listen to the podcast on PDx.

April 10, 2024April 23, 2024

Congratulations to Matt Snow, recipient of 2024 Walter Roberts Public Diplomacy Studies award.

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

Since 2011, the Walter Roberts Endowment and the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) has spent time learning how our GW graduate students plan their future global careers, and with this year’s award we recognize one exceptional student who has shown exemplary performance in public diplomacy studies.

Matthew Snow, a graduate student at GWU’s Elliott School and the MA in Global Communication program, has been selected as the recipient of the Walter Roberts Award for Public Diplomacy Studies. This award recognizes Matthew’s exceptional academic performance and current work related to public diplomacy, as well as his aspirations to continue contributing to the field.

Matt’s time in the graduate program saw him refine his skills, competencies, and knowledge to launch him into a career as a U.S. diplomat. His studies were a vehicle of personal and professional growth.

I was drawn to public diplomacy by the parallels from my time in the music industry. Being on tour in a band means constantly creating new connections, forging new relationships, and hopefully making new fans. It is also a lot of hard work to find ways of connecting with people you’ve never met in places you’ve never been.
Matthew Snow, MA Global Communication ’24

His professors have been impressed with his eagerness for positive engagement. GW adjunct professor Dr. Patricia Kabra, a Senior Officer in the Foreign Service, noted that Matt always demonstrated openness and support for fellow students, shared his knowledge, and encouraged classmates to think creatively about public diplomacy.

This award is a testament to Matt’s dedication, passion, and ability to engage with others. His future in public diplomacy is bright, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact he will undoubtedly make in the field.

Congratulations Matt, on this well-deserved honor!

March 11, 2024May 3, 2024

Recognizing excellence in Public Diplomacy studies

Applications open to GW graduate students in international affairs

The Walter Roberts Endowment (WRE) is happy to announce that the application period is open for the student award for Public Diplomacy Studies. Final-year (spring/ summer 2024 graduation) GW Elliott School graduate student who has shown academic excellence in public diplomacy studies are encouraged to apply.

Since 2011, the Endowment has annually a GW student with this award which is announced at the receives Elliott School’s Commencement ceremony and also come with a cash prize.

Note: Applicants must be enrolled as full-time final year (spring/ summer 2024 graduation) students in graduate programs at the Elliott School of International Affairs.

The deadline for submission for the Student Award is Wednesday, April 6 by 11:59 pm EST

The supporting documents for your application should be uploaded on this form.

Your resume
A 500-word essay on their goals for pursuing further studies or careers based on their courses in public diplomacy or global communications.
*A one-page letter of support from a professor – to be emailed separately to ipdgc@gwu.edu

Please send questions, to IPDGC@gwu.edu

Deadline for applications: Wednesday March 20, 2024 by 11:59 pm

February 7, 2024February 28, 2024

Former Visiting Scholar’s Paper on the Limits of International Civil Society Consultations

We received an update from 2023 IPDGC Visiting Scholar Christiane Cromm:

I am delighted to share with you that my article, which I have been
working on during my research stay at GWU, has finally been published with Global Society.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank you all again for
organising and discussing an earlier version of the manuscript. I
believe the article has benefited greatly from your feedback and
immensely valuable comments and I am very grateful for your time.

Her article argues that the opening up of international organisations (IOs) to the participation of civil society organisations (CSOs) has not only failed to dismantle structures of rule. Rather, it should be understood as a perpetuation of rule, re-enacted in and through the everyday practices of IO-CSO interactions in dialogue forums.

See Christiane, Cromm (2024): Speaking the Right Language: Transnational Rule and Symbolic Power in Dialogue Forums, Global Society, DOI:
10.1080/13600826.2024.2305415 (open access)

Christiane is a Ph.D canddiate at Humboldt Universität zu Berlin.

January 2, 2024January 2, 2024

World Expos: Grand scale public diplomacy effort

By Alexis Posel, IPDGC Communications Assistant

At last year’s December First Monday Forum, a panel of Senior Foreign Service Officers discussed the importance of expos in the 21st century. The First Monday Forums are a recurring partnership between IPDGC and the Public Diplomacy Council of America.

The panel comprised of Matthew Asada, U.S. Public Diplomat in Residence 2022–24, Nini Forino, the Director of Alumni Affairs in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and Beatrice Camp, Senior Advisor at the Department of State on the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) shared their experiences and knowledge of these mega-events.

Chairing the panel was Mark Ritchie, former Minnesota Secretary of State and co-founder of Expo USA.

The panelists underscored the significance of expos when it comes to cultural exchange and public diplomacy. Asada had been the Deputy Commissioner of General of the USA Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. “It is important to have an eye for metrics,” he said, outlining the partnership and planning strategies he kept in mind during Expo 2020 Dubai.

Asada broke down expos through four lenses: the governing body, the organizer, the participant, and the spectator. According to him, each of these elements contributed to the advantages and challenges of participating and hosting mega-events that have a large reach.

All the panelists supported the argument that expos do have a place in the 21st century, despite the alternative views in the broader public diplomacy community about their efficiency given the high costs of organizing, building, staffing, and running world expos. To the panelists, expos are platforms that connect people and businesses, and build networks that can have a positive impact.

The main takeaway for the FMF audience was that the opportunities for introducing foreign perspectives and ideas to a country’s national economy and inspiring innovation are – as the saying goes – priceless!

https://youtu.be/VTOvWUwxOJ4?si=ya4BZqYjzzglMstp

December 5, 2023December 5, 2023

Supporting Public Diplomacy

December 2023

Dear Friend,
The Walter Roberts Endowment was established by Dr. Walter R. Roberts and his family with the
goal to educate students, recognize leadership, disseminate best practices and to promote appreciation
of the importance of public diplomacy.

Thanks to the generous support of donors like you, the Endowment has supported dozens of students
seeking careers in public diplomacy and has assisted in funding related activities and outreach of the
Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) at the George Washington
University (GW).

Every year, we host the Walter Roberts Annual Lecture featuring renowned leaders in public
diplomacy, global media and communications, and international affairs. Last year, our speaker was
Jodie Ginsberg of the Committee to Protect Journalists speaking on the challenges faced by
international media.

On December 12, 2023, we will have H.E. Ambassador Bergdis Ellertsdottir, Iceland’s Ambassador to the United States who will give this year’s Walter Roberts Annual
Lecture on Climate Diplomacy: Communicating with Urgency.

The Endowment also funds IPDGC’s Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy, which
honors members of Congress who have been consistently supportive of public diplomacy in their careers. Last year’s recipient was Sen. James Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In addition to the award, a grant is given to a public diplomacy nonprofit in the recipient’s constituency. Global Ties Idaho was able to create a public diplomacy program to further mutual understanding between Idahoans and international visitors from Latin American countries.

Some new initiatives such as the IPDGC Graduate Fellow and a recent Cultural Diplomacy Workshop, teaching GW students the mechanics of cultural programming, have also received support from the Endowment.

As the year ends, we hope to count on your assistance so that the Endowment and IPDGC can continue with our events, programs and support of undergraduate and graduate students pursuing public diplomacy studies at GW. This was especially important during the pandemic, but moving forward, these funds have also benefited students from diverse socio-economic and international backgrounds.

The success of our work continues with Your Donation Now to the Endowment.

Patricia Kabra
Walter R. Roberts Endowment
Advisory Committee Chair

Dr. William Youmans
Director of IPDGC and Associate Professor, School of Media and Public Affairs

DONATE TO SUPPORT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY