Part of me believes that Public Diplomacy is the future of the State Department. In a world where the vast majority of countries are democracies, the opinion of the average citizen becomes much more important. Indeed, if the people are sovereign, the U.S. must now convince several million sovereigns to agree instead of just one. Public Diplomacy officers take the lead in getting America’s message out. They serve as embassy spokesmen, work with the press, manage cultural exchanges, and serve in other capacities to combat anti-Americanism and correct misinformation. Public diplomacy officers are increasingly being asked to develop policy, rather than just explain it. It seems Edward R. Murrow’s famous advice that public diplomacy officers, “need to be in on the takeoffs, not just the crash landings” is finally being taken to heart.
Honestly, I’m struggling to come up with a negative to this cone. I can’t. If some perceptive reader has one, please put it in the comments to enrich other readers’ lives. PD is a solid cone.
Entry Level. Entry level officers generally work as assistant cultural affairs officers. The coordinate the Fulbright exchange program and are responsible for the sort of traditional dance and music troupe exchanges. A PD officer on his way to a jazz festival once remarked to me that he had the best job in the world. At that moment I agreed. I’ve heard that a lot of posts are using young, technologically savvy officers to head up their internet outreach programs as well.
After Tenure. Tenured officers have a wide variety of jobs open to them. Public affairs officers meet frequently with the press. Information officers serve as embassy spokesmen. I’ve known PD officers who served as speechwriters. Presence posts, one person posts in large cities with no other American presence, are often staffed by PD officers.
The Exam. The written portion of this exam generally tests you on interpersonal skills and an understanding of diplomatic and democratic principles. This cone is becoming very popular, so barely passing the oral exam isn’t going to guarantee you a spot.
This post is part of my unofficial Guide to the Foreign Service Exam.
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I have linked to your posts on cones at http://lifeafterjerusalem.blogspot.com/2009/01/picking-cone.html
I work in PD and my boss is a senior PD FSO who is now part of the 7th floor crowd. He thinks the future is in the Econ cone!
However, I agree with you that the PD cone will become more important. A lot of senior PD officers are frustrated with this new PD 2.0 social networking world, they are used to the old cold war USIA model. But I think the Gen Ys will do fine.
For me, I have chosen the political cone. It still looks like the coolest to me. My orals are next month!
A great read on PD in the DOS. Despite the publicized boom of hiring in the Consular cone, I also took the risk and signed up for PD. It seems the most appealing, the most challenging, and the most ideal for me. After a successful FSOT in November, I am just waiting for QEP to make a decision. Best of luck to all of you.
This is a great description. I’m just about to enter the A-100 as a PD cone and linked to your post on my blog: http://beckmannsabroad.blogspot.com/2009/02/he-said-what-ill-be-doing.html
Thanks for doing this.
Do PD officers work in Embassies or are they also working in Consulates and in field?