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What Is Public Diplomacy? Past Practices, Present Conduct, Possible Future

Walter R. Roberts is a cofounder of the Public Diplomacy Institute of The George Washington University, where he taught a course on public diplomacy for ten years. His government career included service as associate director of the US Information Agency and appointment by former presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton to the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.

The term public diplomacy has only recently reached the American lexicon but has not obtained a definitive interpretation. This essay attempts to present a definition based on history and practical usage. It traces the public diplomacy program from its beginnings, explains its application, and describes some of its successes. It stresses the point that even the best public diplomacy programs cannot succeed if a country.s policies are rejected by foreign publics. The essay recommends that the director of the public diplomacy program be invited to the table when overall foreign policies are formulated.