Sponsored by USIP and ITVS, the Media as Global Diplomat series of summits has highlighted the expanding power of today's media to transform public diplomacy and promote peaceful international relations since 2009. This year's summit, Media that Moves Millions, looked at the unprecedented phenomena of user-generated media campaigns that have inspired masses of participants and rocked political systems.

panel speaking at the event

The first part of the event featured, on stage, those campaigns that have captured the world's attention by successfully using participatory media for social change, particularly in conflict settings, including the We Are All Khaled Said, Half the Sky, and Kony 2012 campaigns. The second portion of the day offered hands-on instruction by experts from Facebook, Twitter and Indiegogo to individuals and organizations alike seeking to use the ever-expanding toolkit of media for social change and peacebuilding.

Livestream: This event was livestreamed beginning at 9:00am EST on February 28, 2013. Online viewers were able to engage panelists and each other through live chat and Twitter discussions (Hashtag: #GlobalDiplomat).

Welcome Remarks and Introductions

  • Sheldon Himelfarb
    Director, Center of Innovation: Media, Conflict, and Peacebuilding, USIP
  • Kristin Lord
    Executive Vice President, USIP
  • Sally Fifer
    President, CEO, ITVS
  • Hari Sreenivasan
    PBS NewsHour Correspondent

Keynote Address

  • Alec Ross
    Senior Advisor for Innovation, US Department of State

PANEL I: From Screens to Streets

  • Frank Sesno (moderator)
    School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
  • Abderrahim Foukara
    Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief, Al Jazeera
  • Adel Iskandar
    Media Scholar, Academic
  • Matthew Perault
    Public Policy Manager, Facebook
  • Nadine Wahab
    We Are All Khaled Said
  • Oscar Morales
    One Million Voices Against The FARC

Keynote & Intro Panel II

  • Clay Shirky
    Author, Professor, NYU

PANEL II: Going Global – Building Networks of International Support

  • Frank Sesno (moderator)
    School of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University
  • Ben Keesey
    Executive Director, CEO, Invisible Children
  • Jenifer Snyder
    Executive Director and President, The mGive Foundation
  • Kathy Calvin
    President and CEO, United Nations Foundation
  • Maro Chermayeff
    Executive Producer, Half the Sky
  • Nicholas Kristof
    The New York Times
  • Veronica Eragu
    EDG Venture Consult, Uganda (Teleconference)

Lunchtime Keynote

  • Tamara Gould
    Sr. Vice President, National Productions and Strategic Partnerships, ITVS
  • Patricia de Stacy Harrison
    President and Chief Executive Officer, CPB
  • Nicholas Kristof
    The New York Times

Facebook for Content Creation, Curation and Movement Building

  • Brooke Oberwetter
    Associate Manager of External Affairs, Facebook

Unlocking the Power of Twitter and 10x10

  • Kate Gardner
    Founder, Dstl
  • Didi Bethurum
    Director of Marketing & Digital Strategy, 10x10

Crowdfunding

  • Danae Ringelmann
    Founder, Indiegogo

Half the Sky & Games for Social Change

  • Asi Burak
    Co-President, Games for Change

Latest Publications

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Moscow Concert Hall Attack Will Have Far-Reaching Impact

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

By: Mary Glantz, Ph.D.;  Gavin Helf, Ph.D.;  Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D.;  Andrew Watkins

On Friday, terrorists attacked the Crocus City Hall outside Moscow leaving 140 people dead and 80 others critically wounded. Soon after, the Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist group, which is headquartered in Iraq and Syria, has several branches, including in South and Central Asia. Press reports suggest the U.S. government believes the Afghanistan-based affiliate of the Islamic State, ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), was behind the attack. The Biden administration has publicly noted that it had warned the Russian government of the terrorism threat in early March in line with the procedure of “Duty to Warn.”

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

What Does the U.N. Cease-Fire Resolution Mean for the Israel-Gaza War?

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

By: Robert Barron

On March 25, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) passed Resolution 2728, calling for an “immediate” cease-fire in Gaza. The motion’s passage came after weeks of back and forth and posturing among the UNSC’s permanent and rotating members. The exact phrasing of the resolution and its relevance to the situation on the ground, as well as bilateral and multilateral relations — particularly U.S.-Israel ties — have been the subject of heavy public and media attention since Monday, raising questions about the resolution’s subtext, intent and limitations. USIP’s Robert Barron looks at these questions.

Type: Question and Answer

Global PolicyPeace Processes

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Angela Stent on the Terror Attack in Moscow

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Angela Stent

While ISIS has claimed responsibility for the devastating terror attack in Moscow, Putin has baselessly tried to shift the blame to Ukraine, says USIP’s Angela Stent: “[Putin] wants to use this to increase repression at home … and also to pursue a more aggressive path in Ukraine.”

Type: Podcast

What’s Driving India-China Tensions?

What’s Driving India-China Tensions?

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Dean Cheng;  Sameer P. Lalwani, Ph.D.;  Daniel Markey, Ph.D.;  Nilanthi Samaranayake

Since deadly clashes between India and China on their 2,100-mile disputed border — known as the Line of Actual Control (LAC) — nearly four years ago, the two countries have remained in a standoff and amassed an increasing number of troops on either side of the LAC. While India and China have held regular exchanges at the corps commander level since 2020, each side has also continued to militarize and invest in infrastructure in the high-altitude border regions, which may exacerbate risks of clashes or escalation. India-China competition has also deepened beyond the land border, particularly in the Indian Ocean region.

Type: Question and Answer

Global Policy

Three Conditions for Successful Engagement with North Korea

Three Conditions for Successful Engagement with North Korea

Monday, March 25, 2024

By: Mark Tokola

The September 13, 2023, meeting between Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un in Russia’s Amur Oblast marked a significant crippling of the decades-long U.S. pressure-based approach toward North Korea. The strategy of isolating and pressuring North Korea through United Nations Security Council resolutions to compel its nuclear disarmament in exchange for providing normalized relations, economic aid and sanctions relief may or may not ever have been a winning strategy, but now is no longer viable. The strategy required cooperation among the United States, South Korea, China and Russia, but this now seems a distant prospect.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

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