CPD Fellow Jill Schuker gives a testimony on public diplomacy before U.S. Senate Committee

On September 23, CPD Fellow Jill Schuker spoke before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs as part of a hearing entitled "A Reliance on Smart Power - Reforming the Public Diplomacy Bureaucracy." The hearing examines the elements of the U.S. federal government responsible for coordinating American public diplomacy, including their respective missions, organizational structures, workforce, and management.

In her testimony, Schuker emphasized the need for a new and creative thinking in conceptualizing American public diplomacy and its recognition as an essential tool in America's diplomatic arsenal:

Indeed public diplomacy is a companion for effective U.S. foreign policy. It is an opportunity if effectively shaped and executed, to create new levers of influence that will ultimately make better use of hard power when needed, and provide diplomatic alternatives to mutual threats and challenges. Simply put, public diplomacy must be intimately involved in effectively identifying and promoting our national interests.

To download a transcript of the entire testimony, click here.

To access the full program of the Senate Committee's hearing, including transcripts of the other testimonies given, click here.