by Alberto Fernandez, livetradingnews.com
Fernandez image from
Excerpt:Much of the recent media coverage of the new Trump administration has an air of hysteria about it. The barbarians are seemingly at the door and are actually taking over, the lights are going out over America and being replaced by darkness. This hyperbole seems to extend across the board, including speculation about the future course of U.S. foreign policy and the running of the Department of State. ...
One of the more balanced and expansive pieces on the future state of American diplomacy under President Trump appeared in Politico on January 18, 2016. ... Even though this article was better sourced than others, it also began with an alarmist spin that a Trump restructuring of the State Department to focus more on counterterrorism “could dramatically reduce the time and resources devoted to climate change, promoting democracy abroad and other programs seen as liberal priorities.” ...
The Politico piece seems to imply that the Trump people may also have a low view of Public Diplomacy (PD), described in the article as “promoting U.S. arts and culture” or “promoting the arts and minority groups.” This is not actually all that PD does, but is an accurate description of what is sometimes highlighted by the political leadership PD has often been afflicted with. Certainly, a long hard look at the work of USG broadcasting and the “PD Bureaus” at State (ECA, IIP, PA) is overdue, even though this represents a very small part of the Department’s overall budget. There is no lack of studies going back years on how to “reform” Public Diplomacy. But finding and honing “the hard edge” of PD is a must in an age in which governments like Russia and terrorists like the Islamic State (ISIS) effectively and creatively use propaganda to advance their interests. ...
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