The conduct of public diplomacy is carried out as much abroad, by
Foreign Service Officers (FSOs) stationed at U.S. embassies, as it is in
Washington. This book focuses on what FSOs do in actual practice in
field operations. In a series of analytical case studies of public
diplomacy operations in different regions of the world, the authors
explain how the foreign publics in different countries view America and
how FSOs deal every day with misconceptions and distortions of America's
image and policies. Every country is unique, so public diplomacy must be
tailored to fit local conditions. The authors also discuss how their
work is being impacted today by various developments such as the rise of
terrorism, the spread of the Internet and the cell phone, or the
election of Barack Obama. This book focuses on field operations and goes
beyond broad generalizations and theory, presenting information about
actual operational challenges and the best practices used today in
working abroad.