public diplomacy

PD Foundations: Principles of Public Diplomacy

Paul Kruchoski

06 Dec 2025 — 1 min read

This index provides navigation for the "Principles of Public Diplomacy" volume of PD Foundations, the State Department's foundational doctrine for contemporary public diplomacy practice.

Overview

"Principles of Public Diplomacy" outlines the practice of contemporary public diplomacy and its contribution to U.S. foreign policy and national security. Its purpose is to establish a common understanding of PD for various audiences by discussing PD from various perspectives. This publication focuses on U.S. public diplomacy, with some generalizations. It may be directly useful introductory material for new public diplomacy practitioners. PD practitioners may also draw on it when framing public diplomacy for non-PD partners, including Congress, interagency partners, and external stakeholders.

Chapters

Introduction to Public Diplomacy

Scope, intent, and core definitions. What makes something "public diplomacy" as opposed to traditional diplomacy, public relations, marketing, propaganda, development, or influence operations.

Chapter I: Power, Statecraft, and Diplomacy

The international system and information environment, the nature and sources of power, statecraft and diplomacy, and frameworks for analyzing instruments of national power including DIME and hard/soft/smart power.

Chapter II: Policy, Strategy, and Tactics

Building blocks and vocabulary for PD discussions. Defines policy, strategy, and tactics; explores their relationships; and situates public diplomacy within the U.S. strategic context from NSS to ICS.

Chapter III: How Public Diplomacy Works

The strategic logic of PD, making connections between goals (ends), concepts (ways) including understanding, informing, influencing, and relationship-building, and the PD toolkit (means).

Chapter IV: The Profession and Craft of Public Diplomacy

Core values, productive tensions, metaphors for the craft, and the fundamental premises underlying PD. Shared mental models and habits of mind that unify PD practitioners into one professional community of practice.

PD Foundations: Public Diplomacy in Practice — Practical implementation guidance and tools

Source: Principles of Public Diplomacy (2023), Office of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy

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