The Foreign Service Journal, October 2010

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 15 key component of any nation’s public diplomacy effort is its ability to communi- cate with ordinary citizens in other countries. It may be through people-to-people and cultural exchanges, communica- tions such as press briefings, or visits by our diplomatic personnel to schools, villages and universities. Another important means is broadcasting. For the U.S., broadcasting began with the Voice of America during World War II, beamed around the world via shortwave radio to dissidents and underground operatives, as well as our allies. F OCUS ON U.S. -F UNDED I NTERNATIONAL B ROADCASTING K EEPING A MERICA C ONNECTED : C HALLENGES FOR THE BBG C HANGING TECHNOLOGY , TOUGH COMPETITION AND A SHRINKING BUDGET : H OW SHOULD THE NEW B ROADCASTING B OARD OF G OVERNORS PROCEED ? B Y R ICHARD G. L UGAR John Craig A