The Foreign Service Journal, October 2020

74 OCTOBER 2020 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL illustrates the degree to which Russia’s inherent sense of victimhood mitigates against viable soft power projection. Elena Stetsko’s discussion of the role of civil society in Russian public diplo- macy offers context for the emerging role of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the international donor community. And the chapters on regional PD initiatives provide fresh insights into prevailing foreign policy trends. A number of chapters candidly address the degree to which Russia’s aggressive behavior toward Georgia in 2008—and, more recently, Ukraine— works against its ability to project a posi- tive image as a reliable strategic partner. Several contributors acknowledge that, strategic justifications aside, Russia has paid a high price for its effort to pre- serve its territorial integrity. Moreover, “Russia’s weak economy and internal problems such as social injustice, socio- economic discrepancies, corruption and dysfunctional legal system” (p. 270) undermine the projection of a positive national narrative. As one contributor notes, some- what wistfully, “If the current model of [modern Russia’s] social and political development was to change in a positive direction, it could … revolutionize strate- gic communication” (p. 229). Not surprisingly, the book offers a relatively harsh critique of “Western” (read U.S.) use of information and influ- ence strategies. “In Russia, PD is perceived as aiming to create an objective and favorable image of the country, without undermining the efforts of other actors” (p. 271). By contrast, the United States combines “public diplomacy,” or engage- ment through education and culture, with “strategic communication,” defined as the effort to confront and undermine foreign propaganda and violent extremism. This somewhat specious distinction between public diplomacy and strategic communication serves to underscore Russia’s frequent assertion of the irre- proachability of its influence measures. And it reframes Russia’s active disin- formation campaigns as mere benign perception management in defense of national interests. The editors of this volume also take issue with the “coercive democratization” allegedly embedded in U.S. government influence strategies, arguing that Russia aims to build alliances, while the West, instead, seeks to impose “Western” values such as a human rights agenda, transpar- ency and the rule of law. As co-editor Anna Velikaya argues in a separate publi- cation, in Russia, “PD is an instrument of dialogue rather than containment.” Indeed much of the book is devoted to laying out the main elements of Rus- sia’s “peaceful” messaging as a coun- terpoint to aggressive Western policies: multilateralism, the key role of the United Nations in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and “non-interference” in the domestic affairs of target nations, a direct reference to the perceived role of “Western” NGOs as enforcers of democratic values. In Russia’s Public Diplomacy , Velikaya and Simons have rightly underscored the fractious nature of the global informa- tion environment, in which “narratives and knowledge production are used by the competing sides to bestow legiti- macy upon their causes and to erode the perceived legitimacy of their opponents” (p. 7). We cannot win this two-sided information war until we know how and why the Russians play it. Further, this book reveals the hollow core of the “Russian World” narrative that aspires to restore a sense of national power and identity. The truth is that Rus- sia lacks the soft power resources neces- sary to attract foreign publics. The better we understand its public diplomacy deficits, the more likely we will be able to offer a credible counternarrative. Vivian S. Walker is executive director of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. A retired diplomat, she is a faculty fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy and has taught at Central Eu- ropean University’s School of Public Policy, the National War College in Washington, D.C., and the National Defense College of the United Arab Emirates. She is a current member of the FSJ Editorial Board. Changing Course Mission: Career Transition—A Career Change Guide for Intelligence, Military, Foreign Affairs, National Security, and Other Government Professionals Alison Pentz Bouwmeester, APB Books, 2020, $18.99/paperback, e-book available, 248 pages. Reviewed by Kenneth Dekleva For many Civil Service and Foreign Service employees, making the decision to retire after a lengthy career of public service brings on transitional challenges that can test the resilience of even the most adaptable diplomats. The Foreign Service Institute does a superb job of preparing its retirees for such a transition, both through its retire- ment planning seminar and career transi- tion courses. I know because I took—and benefitted greatly from—the instruction provided therein when I retired in 2016. But I sorely wish that Mission: Career Transition—A Career Change Guide