The Origins of Public Diplomacy in US Statecraft

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xix

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2. Reconnecting the Past and Present

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 1-39

3. America’s First Public Diplomat

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 41-74

4. Public Diplomacy of the Union

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 75-109

5. Early Public-Private Partnerships for Public Diplomacy

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 111-144

6. America’s First Public Diplomacy Agency?

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 145-179

7. InterWar Public Diplomacy

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 181-217

8. Public Diplomacy in Chaos and Ambiguity

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 219-275

9. Foreign Public Engagement: An American Tradition in Context

   • Caitlin E. Schindler

   Pages 277-313

10. Back Matter

    Pages 315-325

    PDF

This book examines historic examples of US public diplomacy in order to understand how past uses and techniques of foreign public engagement evolved into modern public diplomacy as a tool of American statecraft. The study explores six historic cases where the United States’ government or private American citizens actively engaged with foreign publics, starting with the American Revolution in 1776 through the passage of the Smith-Mundt Bill of 1948. Each case looks specifically at the role foreign public engagement plays in American statecraft, while also identifying trends in American foreign public engagement and making connections between past practice of foreign public engagement and public diplomacy, and analyzing how trends and past practice or experience influenced modern American public diplomacy.  

• Foreign public engagement
• public diplomacy
• US statecraft
• US history
• US public diplomacy
• American Revolution
• US missionaries
• Political culture
• Protestantism
• liberalism
• Progressivism
• Internationalism
• us politics

“The book gathers together an impressive amount of archival work as it sifts through the evidence to build its narrative. ... The archival work and historical spread of the book is impressive ... this is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking analysis that provides the basis for a valuable debate on historical trends and institutional developments in US public diplomacy today.” (Giles Scott-Smith, H-Diplo, H-Net Reviews, May, 2018) “There is a widespread perception today that the United States is falling dangerously behind its chief adversaries in the information dimension of statecraft. In a well-researched book that covers the sweep of American history from Benjamin Franklin to the present, Caitlin Schindler shows that what is now known as "public diplomacy" has always had a place in the American statecraft toolkit, and that an understanding of this history can contribute to the revival of public diplomacy we today so urgently need. Particularly useful is her focus on the interaction of private with governmental organizations in the nation's engagement with the rest of the world. A valuable work for scholars and practitioners alike.” (Carnes Lord, Professor of Strategic Leadership, U.S. Naval War College and author of Losing Hearts and Minds? Public Diplomacy and Strategic Influence in the Age of Terror)

“Missing in the abundant literature on US public diplomacy are careful studies of its originsin the nation’s history and culture. Caitlin Schindler provides a significant contribution to filling this void. Her deeply researched book, filled with insights and rich detail, illuminates ways the US engaged and sought to influence foreign publics from the American Revolution through the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries. Her study reveals patterns in the nation’s diplomatic and civil society traditions and provides essential reading for all who seek to understand how the nation’s past enables and constrains US diplomacy today.” (Bruce Gregory, Professorial Lecturer, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, George Washington University, USA)

• Institute of World Politics, Washington, USA

  Caitlin E. Schindler

Caitlin Schindler is Research Professor at the Institute of World Politics, Washington, DC, USA. 

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