state department

Chang highlighted the shortcomings of the “al-Kitaab” textbook series, which graces the shelves of college bookstores fromStanford, CA to Medford, Mass. She pointed out how early chapters of the textbook, which in congruent levels of learning Spanish or French would include colors and months, are riddled with vocabulary about the United Nations, the State Department and diplomacy.

Escenas de la Guerra contra ISIS
February 4, 2016

The U.S. State Department's new move to combat ISIS in the information wars.

On February 2, the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs will host the finalists for the “Peer to Peer [P2P]: Challenging Extremism” initiative. The initiative is an innovative partnership between the U.S. government and universities around the world. 

The State Department is revamping its floundering efforts to curb recruiting by the Islamic State and other terrorist groups, senior U.S. officials tell Foreign Policy, in response to growing dissatisfaction in the White House and Congress at existing attempts to stop the spread of the extremists’ ideology. The changes ordered by Secretary of State John Kerry, which have not previously been reported, shift significant power to a single bureau at the State Department tasked with coordinating all counter-extremism efforts. 

The Obama administration announced a major revamp on Friday of its campaign to counter Isis propaganda amid mounting public anxiety about the group’s ability to encourage attacks within the US.The White House said that it was setting up a new counter-terrorism task force that will develop policies to prevent the radicalisation of potential terrorists. ​

The Department of State has renewed the Charter for the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. The Commission appraises U.S. Government activities intended to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics. The Advisory Commission may conduct studies, inquiries, and meetings, as it deems necessary and assembles and disseminates information, issue reports and other publications, subject to the approval of the Chairperson, in consultation with the Executive Director. 

When it comes to a few important journalistic new media skills, such as speed of posting information online and use of social media, U.S. State Department's public diplomacy is leagues ahead of U.S. taxpayer-funded Voice of America (VOA).

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