The Role Of The Foundation In US Public Diplomacy

The United States is a public diplomatic power in today’s world. Public diplomacyis an important means to carry out the America’s foreign strategy, to shape its nationalimage and to safeguard its national interests. The foundations and othernon-governmental organizations play an important role in America’s public diplomacyactivities. The Ford Foundation is one of America’s Foundations which are engaged inoverseas programs. It is the most interested in global affairs in numerous foundationsin the United States. So it is one of important NGOs which United States implementpublic diplomacy. The Ford Foundation keeps close relationship with China and makesa significant contribution to promote public diplomacy.Domestic circle has an unprecedented concern on public diplomacy in recentyears. Public diplomacy has officially been put on the governmental agenda. Chinawill push forward the public diplomacy firmly and maintain the legitimate rights andinterests of overseas. China will change the distorted image of China which westernhostile forces propagate maliciously and establish the peaceful, democratic,progressive and responsible image of China in the international community.However,the study of public diplomacy has just been begun in Chinese academia. In thiscircumstance, it is necessary to study and summarize the experience and lessons aboutpublic diplomacy of the Unites States in order to promote the development and benefitof China’s public diplomacy. Currently, Chinese scholars have a wide research instudying American public diplomacy, but they are mostly concentrated in U.S.government. And they pay less attention to NGOs which include foundations areimportant actors in public diplomacy. Foundations are especially to play an importantrole in the field of public diplomacy. Researching foundations will help to boost thedevelopment of China’s public diplomacy. This paper will discuss the relationship between the United States Foundation andits government and the relevant concepts and theories about foundations and publicdiplomacy. Then the paper will introduce all kinds of the Ford Foundation projects inChina in order to reveal both positive and negative aspects of the foundations whichinvolved in public diplomacy in the United States. The purpose is to provide usefulinspiration and important lessons for foundations and NGOs which participate inpromoting public diplomacy in China.