News – Page 15 – The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

October 7, 2019

Our latest PDx interview: Chris Wurst on 22:33 stories

In this episode of PDx, we interview Chris Wurst, the director of the Collaboratory at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), U.S. State Department.

Chris also founded the 22.33 podcast which features first-person narratives and anecdotes from people who have been involved with ECA exchange programs. The first season launched on January 2019.

Each week, 22.33 brings tales of people finding their way in new surroundings. With a combination of survival, empathy, and humor, ECA’s innovative podcast series delivers unforgettable travel stories from people whose lives were changed by international exchange.

Listen to the PDx interview with Chris Wurst here.

September 25, 2019

Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan

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By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

Dr. Katherine Brown, CEO and President of Global Ties U.S. spoke about her latest book, Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan – which takes a look at how news gathering and reporting can intersect with international politics. How the U.S. news media has an incredible reach and influence that can shape global perspectives, especially in the post-9/11 era.

Based on eight years of interviews in Kabul, Washington, and New York, Dr. Brown.reviews the trajectory of the U.S. news narrative about modern Afghanistan and America’s never-ending war, and the rise of Afghan journalism, from 2001 to 2017.

The book also examines the impact of the U.S. news media inside Afghanistan, giving focus to the rapid development of a community of Afghan reporters who grappled daily with how to define themselves and their country during a tumultuous and uneven transition from fundamentalist to democratic rule.

Dr. Brown’s presentation gave rich details about the U.S.-Afghan relationship, especially former President of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai’s convictions about the role of the Western press, what we have begun to understand about how journalists are not merely observers to a story; they are participants in it.

The panel discussion which followed included David Ensor, director of the Project for Media and National Security and former diplomat in Kabul, Afghanistan (2010-11); Sean Aday, SMPA associate professor who has been involved in global media and government capacity training projects, including work in Iraq and Afghanistan; and Ben Hopkins, director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies and a specialist in modern South Asian history, in particular that of Afghanistan.

The event was jointly organized with the Sigur Center.

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August 6, 2019

IPDGC welcomes new PD Fellow: Emilia Puma

Side-by-side logos of IPDGC and US State Department

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Please welcome our new Public Diplomacy Fellow, Emilia Puma!

A 28-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, Ms. Puma joins the School of Media and Public Affairs this coming academic year 2019-2021.

Ms. Puma served most recently as the Acting DAS for Public Diplomacy and Central Asian Affairs in the South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau at the U.S. State Department. She also served as the Foreign Policy Advisor to the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force (CSAF). In that position, she provided regular counsel to the CSAF and other Air Force leadership on U.S. foreign policy and international politics and served as a liaison between the State Department and U.S. Air Force.

Ms. Puma entered the Foreign Service in 1991 as an officer in the U.S. Information Agency. Her Public Diplomacy assignments include Public Affairs Officer in Madrid, Spain; Director of the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs; and assignments in Kosovo, Italy, Canada, Barbados, and Honduras. Additionally, she has undertaken non-PD assignments as U.S. Government Coordinator for the Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy; desk officer for Serbia, Montenegro and Albania in the Office of the Assistance Coordinator, Bureau of European Affairs; and Congressional Liaison Officer in the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

Get to know more about our new PD Fellow.

– by Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

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March 13, 2019

IPDGC honors Sen. Patrick Leahy for commitment to Public Diplomacy

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

On March 5, 2019, the Vermont senator was awarded the Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy during a Capitol Hill ceremony.

IPDGC Director Janet Steele noted that because of Sen. Leahy’s unwavering support for public diplomacy, he played a key role in saving funding for educational and cultural exchange programs, especially the English language programs were under threat of being terminated.

Together with the Congressional Leadership Award, the Walter Roberts Endowment gave a grant to the Vermont Council on World Affairs to enhance international youth leadership exchanges.

Read more about the event in GW Today: link here

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I couldn’t be more delighted for the opportunity to thank Sen. Leahy for his steadfast support to efforts for telling America’s story to the world.”

– Janet Steele, Director, IPDGC

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February 28, 2019

2019 WR Annual Lecture: Robert Kagan

The Jungle Grows Back: America and Our Imperiled World

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

Dr. Robert Kagan, a noted historian, editorial writer, and think-tank analyst, was the Walter Roberts Annual Lecture speaker for 2019. Dr. Kagan spoke from topics in his latest book, The Jungle Grows Back, America and our Imperiled World; about America’s global engagement and how isolationism will only create new security threats. Dr. Kagan also emphasized the importance of global communication, now more than ever. The audience had a range of questions about America, politics and foreign relations for our 2019 WRE annual lecture speaker.

The conversation was moderated by David Ensor, Director of the Project for Media and National Security.

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The United States, in effect, interrupted large forces of history that were driving the world in a certain direction. Where they (the U.S.) were driving the world was where it was going in 1939, in 1940, in 1941. The United States interrupted that history; set history off on a different course… but those powerful forces of history are still there and are ready to come back if the United States stops playing that role – Robert Kagan, 2019 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture.

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February 11, 2019

IPDGC hosts Careers in Public Diplomacy panel

If you want to get into this opportunity and space, you must bring that passion

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That was the message at the panel talk arranged by the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) with the Elliott School’s Graduate Student Services (GSS) last Thursday, February 7.

The very experienced panel of public diplomacy practitioners shared personal experiences about opportunities and career paths, and the impact of PD work.

In welcoming the panel, Elliott School’s senior career coach Tara Sonenshine spoke about her own experience when she was U.S. Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy at the State Department. Person-to-person communication was so critical to establishing that connection, she shared.

The panel comprised of Susan Crystal, Deputy Assistant Secretary (DAS), U.S. State Department; Monica Enqvist, Head of Public Diplomacy and Press, Embassy of Sweden; Holger Mahnicke, Head of Communication, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany; and Roger-Mark deSouza, President and CEO of Sister Cities International.

DAS Susan Crystal talked about how the State Department welcomed everyone who was interested in a U.S Foreign Service career. She explained that with five career tracks, there were options for those with different talents; it was not a “one size fits all” career.

Two senior diplomats from Germany and Sweden both talked with pride about how they helped their respective countries communicate successfully with the rest of the world.

Monica Enqvist from the Embassy of Sweden recounted how every job change for her was a way to learn the different facets of communication and public diplomacy.

Holger Mahnicke talked about his excitement at being in the field and working on solutions to crises during his posting in central Africa.

Just as enthused about people-to-people exchanges, Roger-Mark deSouza described how he built on what he learned as a graduate student with three jobs, and then applied this knowledge to his different non-profit roles. He told the audience not to discount their experiences and always work to improve people skills as these would always serve them well.