Foreign Student Exchange Program in Relation to Public Diplomacy

When pursuing my degree in International Relations at NYU, I had taken a course called Public Diplomacy taught by a wonderful professor, who was also one of the ambassadors at the United Nations. So during our coursework, we had covered Soft and Hard Tactics in Public Diplomacy and agreed to list the foreign student exchange program under essential soft tactics for a country to maintain a positive image.

What a disturbing story has been circulating in the media this week about 12 foreign exchange students! Those exchange students, who lived in the United States for a year and just returned to their homes abroad, were heavily malnourished, resided in appalling conditions, and on top of that some were placed to live with ex-convicts!

The students mentioned in the report were placed in the United States by a non-profit organization based in California. The foundation received over a million dollars from the State Department to coordinate the program. In addition, the exchange students have also made their own payments to the organization.

Their major disappointment with the poor experience in the United States, the country considered by many as the greatest in the world, will reverberate throughout their lives. Note to the State Department - this is an example of extremely poor public diplomacy.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jxERKSqMjpws3LyimDxcwLbWtE6wD99FQ05G1