The Foreign Service Journal, September 2008

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 9 USIA Alumni Association Reinvents Itself The United States Information Agency Alumni Association was founded in 1981 to help USIA retirees stay engaged in professional affairs. It has now renamed itself the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association and launched a new effort to foster recognition of and support for public diplomacy — as opposed to public relations — through educational, social and outreach activities, includ- ing an annual awards program. The 450-member PDAA is headed by retired FSO Eugene Nojek. The association has a directory and quar- terly newsletter, and sponsors semi- nars, luncheons and other gatherings. Its redesigned Web site, at www. publicdiplomacy.org , features dis- cussion in two broad areas — the debate over public diplomacy, and its practice — with an up-to-date list of links to articles and speeches on each topic. The site also contains a PD community bulletin board, links to relevant associations, think-tanks, PD institutes and other sites, as well as the member-only online newsletter. The PDAA’s 2008 Award for Achievement in Public Diplomacy went to two individuals and one group at the May 4 annual dinner. Jonathan Henick, public affairs officer in Baku, was cited for his efforts in promoting and defending freedom of speech and independent journalism in the repres- sive environment of Azerbaijan. Nicholas Papp, cultural affairs officer and director of the American Center in Taipei, was honored for revitalizing and modernizing Taiwan’s Education- USA program and extending its out- reach to broader publics through the innovative utilization of new media technologies. The FSN staff in Rangoon re- ceived a group award for their out- standing efforts and perseverance in promoting democracy and human rights in Burma. In a challenging environment, they brought to bear a broad range of public diplomacy tools and programs, including exchange programs, the American Center lib- rary, English teaching, publications, donated book programs and media outreach. The winners were chosen from among 17 strong nominations of For- eign and Civil Service employees from the Department of State, both overseas and in Washington, includ- ing FSI training specialists and a Virtual Presence Post team. The PDAA is open to all former employees of the U.S. Information Agency as well as current and former State Department employees, both Foreign Service and Civil Service, and Foreign Service Nationals. The asso- ciation is intent upon improving PD dialogue with foreign publics and communicating more effectively about what makes America tick, “warts and all.” The association also energet- ically supports efforts to improve cur- rent PD operations and structure. — Susan B. Maitra, Senior Editor 2008 Public Diplomacy Report Cuts to the Chase This year’s annual report of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, mandated by Congress to evaluate the effectiveness of govern- ment public diplomacy activities, turns a rigorous analytical eye on the human resources dimension of PD— an “important and relatively under- explored topic,” the commission notes — and offers seven concrete recom- mendations for improvement. The report is available online at www. state.gov/documents/organiza tion/106297.pdf. The commission acknowledges that the challenges confronting public diplomacy are varied, so there is no single fix. It also recognizes that U.S. foreign policy is probably the most significant proximate determinant of how foreign publics view the United States as a player in international rela- tions. Still, as the report states, “get- ting the human resources dimension of public diplomacy right can go a long way toward enhancing the over- all effectiveness of America’s outreach to the world.” Looking at PD from the standpoint of its practitioners helps put the prob- lem into perspective. Public diploma- cy is the second smallest cone (next to management) in the Foreign Service, and officials acknowledge that the State Department makes no special effort to recruit individuals with rele- vant experience or skills into the PD career track. The Foreign Service Officer Test and Oral Assessment do not specifically test for public diplo- macy instincts and communication skills. Nor does the department’s Employee Evaluation Report form C YBERNOTES