Public diplomacy has never been more important in international relations. Yet, public diplomacy’s future as a valued national resource and a respected profession is far from certain. Lingering historical misperceptions and contemporary debate regarding public diplomacy’s role and value in protecting and advancing national and international interests threaten public diplomacy’s advancement on both fronts. Grounded in public relations theory and steeped in common sense, this book advances the global debate on public diplomacy’s future by documenting the intellectual and practical development of public diplomacy in the United States and analyzing key challenges ahead. The author’s fresh perspective provides compelling insights into public diplomacy's purpose and value, the conceptual foundations of the discipline, and principles of strategic practice. Based on extensive primary and secondary research, including a comprehensive survey of veteran U.S. public diplomats, the book reveals lessons learned from the U.S. experience in public diplomacy that will be critical in determining public diplomacy's fate in the United States and throughout the world.

Never before has diplomacy evolved at such a rapid pace. It is being transformed into a global participatory process by new media tools and newly empowered publics. ‘Public diplomacy’ has taken center-stage as diplomats strive to reach and influence audiences that are better informed and more assertive than any in the past. In this crisp and insightful analysis, Philip Seib, one of the world’s top experts on media and foreign policy, explores the future of diplomacy in our hyper-connected world. He shows how the focus of diplomatic practice has shifted away from the closed-door, top-level negotiations of the past. Today’s diplomats are obliged to respond instantly to the latest crisis fueled by a YouTube video or Facebook post. This has given rise to a more open and reactive approach to global problem-solving with consequences that are difficult to predict. Drawing on examples from the Iran nuclear negotiations to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, Seib argues persuasively for this new versatile and flexible public-facing diplomacy; one that makes strategic use of both new media and traditional diplomatic processes to manage the increasingly complex relations between states and new non-state political actors in the 21st Century

Public Diplomacy is now one of the most important concepts in the development and implementation of foreign policy. Trials of Engagement: The Future of US Diplomacy analyses the trials of contemporary practice and identifies factors which will shape a more collaborative future of public diplomacy.

This volume showcases key innovations and lessons in U.S. diplomacy since World War One. It delivers to practitioners, analysts, students, and others compelling engagement strategies and primary research for shaping and communicating policy among increasingly diverse, collaborative, and powerful publics. The table of contents follows below: Acknowledgments Adam Clayton Powell III, President, Public Diplomacy Council ..............................vi 1.Introduction Deborah L. Trent .......................................................1 2.Public Diplomacy: Can It Be Defined? Anthony C. E. Quainton .....................................................25 3.Janus-Faced Public Diplomacy: Creel and Lippmann During the Great War John Brown .....................................................43 4.The Uses and Abuses of Public Diplomacy: Winning and Losing Hearts and Minds Dick Virden ....................................................73 5.America's Image Abroad: The UNESCO Cultural Diversity Convention and U.S. Motion Picture Exports Carol Balassa ................................................ ...95 6.Diplomacy and the Efficacy of Transnational Applied Cultural Networks Robert Albro ..................................................121 7.Public Diplomacy Engages Religious Communities, Actors, and Organizations: A Belated and Transformative Marriage Peter Kovach ..................................................145 8.Nontraditional Public Diplomacy in the Iraq-Afghan Wars Or The Ups and Downs of Strategic Communicators Helle C. Dale ..................................................171 9.Cultural Diplomacy Partnerships: Cracking the Credibility Nut with Inclusive Participation Deborah L. Trent ..................................................191 10.International Education and Public Diplomacy: Technology, MOOCs, and Transforming Engagement Craig Hayden ..................................................219 11.Funding International Scientific Research Activities as Opportunities for Public Diplomacy Jong-on Hahm ..................................................248 12.Turning Point Brian E. Carlson ..................................................266 Index .........................................291 Acronyms ...................................299 Contributor Biographies ................301