Public Affairs

Public diplomacy complements and reinforces traditional diplomacy by communicating U.S. interests directly to the Indian public and by fostering mutual understanding and building trust between the United States and India.

The Public Affairs Section is responsible for press relations, cultural, and educational affairs, and exchange and information activities that articulate U.S. foreign policy and promote greater mutual understanding between India and the United States.

The Public Affairs Section in Kolkata also supports the American Library, located in the American Center, and an information center in Patna known as the American Corner. Information about the United States is readily available in both institutions.

As part of its overall program of bilateral cooperation, the Public Affairs Section also has a wide range of academic and professional development exchange programs with India. The programming section organizes the Democracy Dialogues, an ongoing series of interactions on themes related to governance, democratic systems, law enforcement, and judicial reforms. With a new topic introduced every month, the American Center has already conducted dialogues on Anti-Corruption and Kleptocracy Strategy, Witness Protection programs, and the Governance of Tribal Territories. The programs promote sharing of perspectives and debate on what makes for healthy democracies and fosters citizen networking and interaction with representatives from across the spectrum of civil society.

As public interest in, and access to, communications technology continues to grow worldwide, the public dimension of diplomacy is becoming more important than ever. For further information about the United States, its institutions, values, and people, please see the "Information USA" section.

                                           Democracy Dialogues Series

Strategies to fight Kleptocracy

----by David M. Luna, Director - Anticrime Programs Division, Bureau
for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) Affairs, U.S.  State  Department.

David M. Luna's Profile

David M. Luna's Presentation

----by Dr. Loretta Breuning, Founder-Principal of System Integrity Resources and Professor Emerita – International Business, California State University.

Loretta Breuning's presentation

Loretta Breuning's homepage

Governance Of Indigenous Territories
---by Virginia Davis , Associate Counsel, National Congress of American Indians

 

Click for powerpoint of Virginia Davis