Re-engaging the World One Interview at a Time

I hope you've seen today's coverage of President Obama's first extensive interview - with Dubai-based Al-Arabiya Network. What a statement. Read some of the coverage of what I'm calling the "we are not your enemy" interview. It will be interesting over the next few days/weeks to see how this plays across the globe.

Odds & Ends
Those interested in the conversations from the Smith-Mundt Symposium I attended. The host of the event now has most of the transcripts online. You'll be most interested in the Doran and Glassman keynotes. The other panels included some good dialogue as well.

I'm looking for images/pictures (still and video) of citizen diplomacy activity in your community for an upcoming publication. Do you have some images to share? Email them to me!

Also, alas, the defense industry event in February which SCI was slated to present, has been changed. They published our white paper but we won't have the opportunity to speak. So the ball bounces sometimes.

Inspired Future

A couple of hours before a new U.S. President takes the office, I am watching another chapter in the American story unfold on TV like millions more in the U.S. and abroad. This moment reminds me of one my first vivid sister cities experiences with 20 Iraqi high school students. Just hours after they arrived in the U.S., I participated in a discussion about their perceptions of the U.S. It was a time of great unrest and violence in Iraq. After creating a long list of words describing their perceptions, two words were noticeably absent: hope and opportunity.

No matter one’s political persuasion, without a word or speech spoken yet I hope those students are watching today – hope and opportunity are now powerful images of the National Mall.

E-Conversations on Public Diplomacy & Wading into the Defense Conversation

A couple of notable items on public diplomacy, the war of ideas (see my previous entry on this phrase), the media, and the military’s intersection with sister cities…

I’ve become a quick fan of the blog Mountain Runner, a blog by Matt Armstrong on public diplomacy and strategic communication in the 21st century. It’s a very smart perspective on the discussion and I encourage you to follow the conversation. I’ve seen some very direct and thought-provoking comments to some of the posts. It’s available via RSS.

Armstrong has organized the Smith-Mundt Symposium. “Smith-Mundt” refers to the original 1948 legislation that formalized America’s promotion of international engagement through information, cultural and educational exchanges. It’s had a few amendments over the years and numerous interpretations, but the gathering hopes to spur some common ground on how best to proceed in the current global environment with a new resident at 1600 PA Ave. It has far-reaching implications for the sister cities network. I’ll be attending and write my thoughts afterward.

Another bit of news is a presentation I’ll be making at the 2009 NDIA SO/LIC Symposium in February. A paper I co-authored with Christopher Dufour from Irregular Warfare Support under the office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Ops, Low-Intensity Conflict & Interdependent Capabilities titled "The Road to Peace, One Person at a Time: Sister Cities International and Its Role in Persistent Conflict" will be a highlight of our presentation. (But, it’ll really be about the power and impact of the sister cities network globally.) It’s a topnotch line-up of keynote speakers with a network of people and perspectives on global engagement that we need to become more fluent in to improve our sister cities work abroad.

2009: Where to Start?

The possibilities for the New Year and the sister cities network seem endless, but I’m conflicted by the discord between the hope for our country’s engagement abroad and current global reality:

• Middle East – Can proactive American diplomacy lead the region toward an enduring peace?
• Iraq – Can the country’s local, provincial, and national governments collaborate effectively with the evolving military departure?
• Russia/Eurasia – Is a regional stew brewing for something more substantive than the Georgian incursion?
• Zimbabwe and other African countries in a fragile state or turmoil – What leadership role will the U.S. play that reaches beyond its humanitarian and health-focus?
• Latin America - Will we rediscover partnerships?
• Iran & North Korea – Can we engage in a consistent dialogue that strikes a balance between security and constructive diplomacy?
• Cuba – Will our formal policy change enough to allow informal influences to warm relations?

These are just a few global challenges (not intended to comprehensive), as well as security and economic issues. Any one of them could consume significant diplomatic energies in good times, but in a year where economic pressures are unprecedented in recent history – can we afford not to engage on all these fronts with a deft hand? Lots to think about in 2009.