Synopses & Reviews
Proponents of American public diplomacy sometimes find it difficult to be taken seriously. Everyone says nice things about relying less on military force and more on soft power, but it has been hard to break away from the longtime conventional wisdom that America owes its place in the world primarily to its muscle. Today, however, policy makers are recognizing that merely being a “superpower”--whatever that means now--does not ensure security or prosperity in a globalized society. Toward a New Public Diplomacy explains public diplomacy and makes the case for why it will be the crucial element in the much-needed reinvention of American foreign policy.
Review
“This timely volume is a must read for everyone interested international relations, new media, and U.S. public diplomacy. Philip Seib brings together a distinguished array of experts whose collective contribution is a roadmap for what needs to be done at the start of the Obama era. The book contains valuable insights on the power and limitations of Americas ‘soft power, the special contexts of China, Egypt, and Russia, and the diplomacy opportunities in new technology.”--Holli A. Semetko, Ph.D., Vice Provost for International Affairs, Director of The Claus M. Halle Institute for Global Learning and Professor of Political Science, Emory University
“This book is innovative and tackles some of the important--but often ignored--fields that can energize the thinking about public diplomacy beyond its current narrow confines. The rich insights from the contributors are a much needed compliment to the usual tallying of statistical polling data.”--R. S. Zaharna, American University, Washington, DC, author of Strategic U.S. Public Diplomacy in a Global Communication Era
“President Obama has reminded us that ‘our security emanates from the justness of our cause, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says ‘We must use what has been called “smart power,” the full range of tools at our disposal. A new foreign policy will require a new public diplomacy, and this important book is tells us how to go about it.”--Joseph S. Nye, Jr., University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard and author of The Powers to Lead
Synopsis
Toward a New Public Diplomacy explains public diplomacy and makes the case for why it will be the crucial element in the much-needed reinvention of American foreign policy.
About the Author
Philip Seib is Director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy and Professor of Journalism and Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California.
Table of Contents
Part One: Growing Pains: American Public Diplomacy Today * Chapter One The Case for Soft Power, William A. Rugh * Chapter Two How We Got Here, Nicholas J. Cull * Chapter Three Lessons of Alhurra Television, Shawn Powers and Ahmed El Gody * Part Two: From the Outside: Appraising American Public Diplomacy * Chapter Four The View from Russia, Viktoria Orlova * Chapter Five The View from China, Guolin Shen * Chapter Six The View from Egypt, Hussein Amin * Part: Three: Where We Go from Here * Chapter Seven Public Diplomacy 2.0, Amelia Arsenault * Chapter Eight Privatized Public Diplomacy, Kathy Fitzpatrick * Chapter Nine A Cultural Public Diplomacy Strategy, Neal Rosendorf * Chapter Ten Public Diplomacy in an Age of Faith, Jennifer A. Marshall and Thomas F. Farr * Chapter Eleven The U.S. Military and Public Diplomacy, Abiodun Williams * Chapter Twelve The Task for Policymakers, Philip Seib