What concrete actions can the United States take to reimagine its strategic communications capabilities in an era of intensifying great power competition with China and Russia? Last December, William & Mary's Global Research Institute (GRI) partnered with the Gates Global Policy Center to convene the Inaugural Gates Forum, a meeting of high-level policymakers to distill insights from newly commissioned analysis by AidData and weigh options for U.S. foreign policy.

The conversation continues and on Thursday, February 23rd, at 6:00 PM EST, you are invited to join a panel of experts in-person in Washington, DC or online as AidData and GRI publicly launch the resulting research volume, “Reputational Security: The Imperative to Reinvest in America’s Strategic Communications Capabilities.” This series of reports and novel datasets quantifies the imperative to reinvest in U.S. strategic communications capabilities. ‍

‍In addition to a top-line synthesis of the research, presented by AidData's Director of Policy Analysis Samantha Custer, the event will feature a robust discussion with experts in the public diplomacy field. Notable panelists include Dr. Vivian Walker from the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy and Shawn Powers from the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the U.S. State Department. Thom Shanker from the Project for Media and National Security will moderate.

The research makes a rigorous assessment of lessons learned from America’s historical practice of international broadcasting and public diplomacy up to the present day, as well as blindspots and opportunities for the U.S. moving forward in light of the strategic communications playbooks in use by China, Russia, and Japan.

Related Gates Forum Research: U.S. Strategic Communications vis-à-vis China and Russia

Event Details

Reputational Security: The Imperative to Reinvest in U.S. Strategic Communications Capabilities
Thursday, February 23, 6-8:30 PM EST
Online and In-Person
W&M Washington Center
9014th St NW Suite 700
Washington, DC 2000

Panelists:

Samantha Custer, Director of Policy Analysis, AidData
Dr. Vivian Walker, Executive Director, U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Shawn Powers, Director, Strategic Planning and Communications, Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy, U.S. State Department

‍Moderator:

‍Thom Shanker, Director, Project for Media and National Security