BOOKS

>>Authors A-F / G-L / M-R / S-Z 

Anholt, Simon.  Competitive Identity: The New Brand Management for Nations, Cities, and Regions, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.  The originator of the phrase "nation branding" revises and expands his idea of "brand management."  Categories in his "hexagon of competitive identity" include tourism, brands, policy, investment, culture, and people.  Contains Anholt's assessment of public diplomacy, a "theory of competitive identity," and "a sketch of the main drivers, challenges and opportunities in the field, interspersed with case notes."

Appiah, Kwame A.  The Ethics of Identity, (Princeton University Press, 2005). Princeton professor and African studies scholar Appiah examines claims of individuality and identity in a book that links moral obligations with collective allegiances.  Appiah asks probing questions about culture, diversity as a value, and the rhetoric of human rights.  He concludes by making a case for rooted cosmopolitanism that reconciles a kind of universalism with the legitimacy of some forms of partiality.

Arendt, Hannah.  The Promise of Politics, (Schocken Books, 2005).  Edited and with an introduction by Jerome Kohn.  This collection of Arendt's essays and previously unpublished writings helps to connect her thinking in The Origins of Totalitarianism and The Human Condition.  Her reflections, written half a century ago, on the meaning of politics, the importance of communicative interaction, the implications of human plurality, and the problems of using force to "create" freedom have continuing relevance.  

Bennett, W. Lance.  News: The Politics of Illusion, 7th edition, Pearson Education, Inc. (Longman Classics in Political Science).  In the just published 7th edition of his textbook, Professor Bennett (University of Washington) updates his analysis of the meaning of news and relationships between the media, politics, and public opinion.  Contains new examples and case studies; greater attention to digital information, the blogosphere, and citizen journalism; and emphasis on government-press relations in the context of the Iraq war.      

Boorstin, Daniel J. The Image:  A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America, (Vintage Books Edition, 1992, first published in 1961).  Historian, sociologist, public intellectual, and former Librarian of Congress,  Boorstin's landmark study of "synthetic novelty" in American culture continues to reward.  Pseudo-events.  Spin.  News making.  Photo-op.  Events manufactured to be reported.  Celebrities known for "well knownness."  Extravagant expectations.  Boorstin said it early and said it well.

Brafman, Ori and Beckstrom, Rod A. The Starfish and the Spider:  The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations, (Penguin Group, 2007).    Two high tech entrepreneurs discuss ways in which networks operate without command leadership and rigid structures.  Hierarchical, top down organizations are spiders.  Cut off the head and they die.  Starfish organizations are decentralized networks.  They regenerate missing parts and are more resilient when challenged.  Successful networks leverage shared interests, ideas, and trust in circular communication patterns often enabled by the Internet.  Well written.  Anecdotal. Draws on a wide variety of government, private sector, and civil society examples.

Carothers, T. (Ed.).  Promoting the Rule of Law Abroad:  In Search of Knowledge, (Washington, DC, Carnegie Endowment, 2006).   Carothers, director of Carnegie's Democracy and Rule of Law project, and a group of scholars and practitioners analyze methods and goals of rule of law initiatives in China, Russia, the Middle East, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America.  The authors assess problems in promoting the rule of law and seek to identify what kinds of knowledge lead to successful policies.  Includes questions to guide further research and a foreward by Carnegie president Jessica Mathews.  Index, Table of Contents, and Chapter 1 are available online.

"Design, Culture, Identity: The Wolfsonian Collection," The Journal of Decorative and Propaganda Arts, Issue 24, Published by The Wolfsonian--Florida International University, 2002.  Edited by Joel Hoffman, vice director for education and program development at the Brooklyn Museum of Art, this extensive catalog (283 pages) examines European decorative arts, design, and architecture in the late 20th century as reflected in holdings collected by Mitchell Wolfson, Jr.  Essays (with numerous color images) explore aspects of design, cultural context, the work of individual artists, and "the meaning of objects as agents and reflections of social, political, and technological change."  Includes essays on Soviet Socialist Realism in the decorative arts, Hungarian design in the early 20th century, the development of "propagandistic images" in Italian material culture during World War I, and assessments of the relationship between art and politics in American art in the 1920s and 1930s.  Available through Amazon.com.  (Courtesy of Ann Grasso)            

Etzioni, Amitai.  From Empire to Community:  A New Approach to International Relations, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2004).  In his latest book, Etzioni, a University Professor at The George Washington University and director of the Communitarian Network, explores ways to deal with transnational problems.  Diverging on the one hand from a "core values" approach argued by Michael Mandelbaum, Fareed Zakaria, and others, and on the other hand from an "antithetical civilizations" approach held by Samuel Huntington and Bernard Lewis, Etzioni argues for an emerging synthesis he calls "soft communitarianism."

Fisher, Glen. Mindsets: The Role of Culture and Perception in International Relations, Intercultural Press, 1988.  Combining credentials as a scholar and twenty-two years in the Foreign Service, Fisher draws on anthropology, social psychology, and other academic disciplines to argue the importance of understanding cultures and "mindsets" in diplomacy and international engagement.  Fisher's short well-written volume contains chapters on perception and reasoning in psychological process, cultural patterns, and practical advice for "diagnosing mindsets."     

Fitzpatrick, Kathy and Bronstein, Carolyn. (eds.) Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy, (Sage Publications, 2006).  Essays in Fitzpatrick and Bronstein's new book address ethical issues in public relations and the importance of ethical guidelines in "professional advocacy" -- "individual accountability, informed decision-making, multicultural understanding, relationship building, open communication, dialogue, truth and transparency, and integrity."  Public diplomacy scholars and practitioners will find the following especially useful:
-- Kathy Fitzpatrick (DePaul University), "Baselines for Ethical Advocacy in the 'Marketplace of Ideas"
-- Linda Hon (University of Florida), "Negotiating Relationships with Activist Publics"
-- Kirk Hallahan (Colorado State University), "Responsible Online Communication"
-- Philip Seib (Marquette University), "The Ethics of Public Diplomacy"
-- Donald K. Wright (University of South Alabama), "Advocacy Across Borders"        

Helmus, Todd C, Paul, Christopher, and Glenn, Russell W.  Enlisting Madison Avenue:  The Marketing Approach to Earning Popular Support in Theaters of Operations, RAND, National Defense Research Institute, 2007. Three RAND researchers adapt and apply commercial marketing methods to efforts by the U.S. and its allies to shaping indigenous attitudes and behavior during armed conflict.  Drawing on interviews, cases, best practices, and past mistakes in the marketing and advertising industries, the authors apply their concepts to the character of stability operations, the behavior of armed forces, and methods of persuasive communication.  They conclude that actions help set conditions for credibility, which enable persuasive communication.            

Kovach, Bill and Rosenstiel, Tom.  The Elements of Journalism:  What Newspeople Should Know and the Public Should Expect, Revised Edition, (Three Rivers Press, Paperback, 2001, 2007).   Veteran journalists Kovach (Chairman, Committee of Concerned Journalists) and Rosenstiel (Director, Project for Excellence in Journalism) have substantially revised their important study of journalism's values and role in society.  Contains updated examples, a deeper inquiry into the disaggregation of news consumption and production, expanded treatment of verification and its importance in treating problems of bias, and a new 10th principle of journalism:  "Citizens, too, have rights and responsibilities when it comes to the news."

Lord, Kristin.  The Perils and Promise of Global Transparency:  Why the Information Revolution May Not Lead to Security, Democracy, or Peace, (State University of New York Press, 2006).  Professor Lord (Associate Dean of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs and board member of GW's Public Diplomacy Institute) examines the double edged nature of transparency -- its potential for conflict as well as harmony, hate as well as tolerance, destructive as well as constructive consequences of the distribution of information, knowledge, and power.  Lord's analysis uses reasoned argument, empirical evidence, and case studies to both support and challenge optimistic assumptions about the implications of transparency.  Her chapter on "Transparency and Intergroup Violence" -- the benefits and the dark side of cross-cultural communication -- is especially useful to teachers of cultural diplomacy and practitioners of people-to-people exchanges.        

Pilon, Juliana Geran. Why America is Such a Hard Sell:  Beyond Pride and Prejudice, (Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2007).  In this book, self-described as "somewhat eclectic," Romanian born Pilon (currently with the Institute of World Politics, formerly with The Heritage Foundation) examines America's idealism, tarnished reputation, and challenges in its "strategic outreach."  Chapters include observations on English and American literature, America's immigrant culture, its historical legacy of pride and exceptionalism, public diplomacy, and soft power.  Her recommendations for "global strategic outreach" emphasize the importance of understanding others, "a dose of healthy self-criticism," and if "hard pressed to make so-called structural recommendations . . . an independent entity called the American Global Outreach and Research Agency."  

Robb, John C.  Brave New War:  The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization, (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2007).   Robb, a former Air Force officer, consultant, and author of Global Guerillas blog, looks at the future of warfare.  Using numerous examples, he argues that a variety of asymmetric adversaries are using ideas, networks, commercially available technologies, and adaptive strategies to leverage the vulnerabilities of large, open state-based societies to advantage.  Countering this new breed of adversary, Robb argues, requires new mindsets, "de-escalation of rhetoric," and more flexible and resilient social systems.   Includes a foreword by James Fallows.  Robb's blog: click here

Ross, Dennis. Statecraft and How to Restore America's Standing in the World, Farrar, Strauss, Giroux, 2007.   Veteran diplomat and Middle East negotiator Ross offers an informed primer on statecraft, which he defines as "knowing how best to integrate and use every asset or military, diplomatic, intelligence, public, economic, or psychological tool we possess (or can manipulate) to meet our objectives."  Ross provides a well written analysis of methods and issues, case studies, and judgments on the uses of statecraft in a world were non-state actors and a globalizing world present new challenges.  His assessment of negotiating strategies includes an appreciation of the media and public diplomacy.  In retrospect, he states candidly that during his negotiations in the Clinton years, "I was far to cautious in using the media to set a tone and convey messages to all sides and their publics."   

Rushing, Josh.  Mission Al Jazeera:  Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World, (Palgrave Macmillan, 2007).  Rushing, a former Marine and now a correspondent for Al Jazeera International in Washington, DC, writes about Arab and American perceptions, his experiences in Iraq, his participation as a military public affairs officer in Control Room, the documentary film on Al Jazeera, the Pentagon's response, and the value to Americans of seeking to convey positive aspects of their culture and policies on Al Jazeera and other Arab media.  

Sen, Amartya.  Identity and Violence:  The Illusion of Destiny, (W.W. Norton & Company, 2006).  Sen, winner of the Nobel prize in economics and now a university professor at Harvard, argues that conflict and violence are sustained by illusions of single ethnic, religious, or other identities.  Iindividuals, he argues, have many affiliations that include class, gender, profession, language, literature, science, music, morals, and politics.  Sen vigorously challenges Samuel Huntington's "clash of civilizations" and examines the possibilities for reason and human freedom in multiculturalism, global civil society, and responses to terrorism and sectorian violence.

Slaughter, Anne-Marie. The Idea That Is America:  Keeping Faith with Our Values in a Dangerous World, Basic Books, 2007.  The Dean of Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School asks and answers the question:  "How should we stand for our values in the world in a way that is consistent with our values?"  Her chapters in this slim volume deal with liberty, democracy, equality, justice, tolerance, humility, and faith.  "If we are serious that our greatest strength is not in our army, our land, or our wealth," she argues, "but is instead in our values, then we must rethink a whole set of current strategies and practices to reflect and promote those values."

Snow, Nancy.  The Arrogance of American Power: What U.S. Leaders are Doing Wrong and Why It's Our Duty to Dissent. (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006).  Part scholarship and part political and policy advocacy, Snow's book critically examines "U.S. government propaganda and public diplomacy campaigns" and calls for a country that privileges listening, dialogue, and dissent by its citizens rather than "public relations and image management" by its government in dealing with anti-Americanism.  Contains an extensive bibliography and numerous cases and examples to support her argument.  Snow is a professor of communication at University of California, Fullerton, and an adjunct professor in USC's Annenberg School of Communication.