US public diplomacy helping women in Pakistan

A blogger discusses the help of US public diplomacy in improving the role of women in Pakistan.

Public Diplomacy in China

Soft Power in China is a new book that explains China's use of public diplomacy to engage the world. This brief notice gives idea of the book's contents.

Growth in citizen diplomacy predicted

A blogger for media and peace predicts increase in citizen diplomacy during 2011.

UN and citizen diplomacy

Videos requested to promote the Millennium Development Goals and an opportunity to be a citizen diplomat to the United Nations.

NCIV and Citizen Diplomacy

New website of the National Council for International Visitors provides information on how one can become a citizen diplomat.

Afghanistan women entrepreneurs

A good article about a public diplomacy effort in Afghanistan that is helping women become entrepreneurs.

Jan. program on terrorism.

The Center for International Studies and Albuquerque International Association connected with the University of New Mexico will present a program in January:

January 21 (Fri) –International Terrorism since 9/11: New Trends and Lessons Learned by Dr. Paul R. Pillar, Georgetown University
The opening lecture will define terrorism and explore trends in the ways and means of terrorist activity since 9/11, as well as the ultimate nature of the threat and its implications.

Group to be sent to Morocco

Sister Cities International to send group to Morocco for 10 days to help promote citizen diplomacy.

Citizen Diplomat award

Greater Cincinnati World Affairs Council wins "Citizen Diplomat" award from the Wold Affairs Council because of its work, especially for the International Visitors Leadership Program.

Last part: Italian trip

This is the last post of our Oct. 2010 visit to Italian hill towns. Montepulciano, Pienza, Castiglione del Lago and Orvieto are covered below:



Montepulciano occupies a strategic hilltop and offers
great views of the countryside. The duomo’s unfinished façade casts a pall over the central piazza. The nearby Vino Nobile winery tour does raise the stature of the town noted for its red wine production.







Pienza lies only a few miles from Montepulciano,
and its small size is compensated by an attractive duomo
and adjacent papal palace. Easy-to-stroll streets make
for a pleasant visitor experience.








Castiglione del Lago, on Lago Trasimeno just inside Umbria
and almost touching Tuscany, provided an unexpected treat. The lakeside amenities, nearby ancient walled city and adjoining ramshackle fortress don’t make it into most major tour guidebooks. The lakeside amenities are geared to summer activities, so most establishments were closed by the time of our autumn visit. The small, walled town offers tempting shops, and accessible church, and luncheon spots overlooking the lake.





Orvieto is just a short diversion off the A-1 toll way between
Cortona and Rome. The side trip is highly recommended,
as the duomo’s exterior is simply magnificent. Shops and eateries abound along the streets.









How to get to the Italian hill towns:
Options abound for international flights to Rome, and most of our party took direct return flights between Chicago and Rome. Of course, you have options of flying to nearby Italian cities such as Florence and Milan.
Once in Italy it is easy to travel to major cities by train. If you don’t like the idea of driving in Rome, you can take the train to Arezzo and rent a car there for local trips. Rental cars are available at the airports, and U.S. companies such as Hertz offer their services in Italy.
A number of companies offer villa rentals, and their offerings can be viewed on the internet. We used a British-based company, Italian View Ltd., to secure our rental. You will have to pay a deposit to reserve the villa, and full payment is normally required prior to arrival. The company does have a local representative to help you with any questions, requests or assistance.

Global Pittsburg gives youth award

Urban Youth Action, Inc., the Pittsburgh-based non-profit organization that has taken groups of African-American teens to China for the past two years, will be honored by GlobalPittsburgh with its International Bridge Award for building bridges of understanding and communication between the Pittsburgh Region and other parts of the world.

Part IV: Cortona, Arezzo, Seina

Part 4 of Italian trip: Cortona, Arezzo, and Siena.



Cortona is an ancient walled town originally settled by the Etruscans before being conquered and consumed by the ancient Roman Empire. The small town provides a couple of streets lined with shops and cafes. Views over the countryside from the town are spectacular with valley and mountains stretching every direction into the distance.

Arezzo provided disappointments and pleasant surprises. The town has long outgrown its ancient walls, and operates as a regional hub. As such, traffic and parking can prove to be hassles. Since it no longer survives on tourism, its Medieval and Renaissance attractions seem to receive minimal promotion. Nevertheless, its Grand Piazza and duomo are worth the visit.

Siena is noted for its central piazza used for a once-a-year horse race. While I opted to spend an extra day in Cortona, five of our group drove to Siena. They reported back the charming ambiance of the piazza and the magnificence of the duomo. Next trip I must add it to my itinerary.

San Francisco tour company promotes citizen diplomacy

Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based human rights organization, is offering Reality Tours program to give Americans the opportunity to travel to countries around the world and learn the truth about them first-hand through “citizen diplomacy” delegations.

Part III: Italy trip

As our main site, we stayed in a villa near the hill town of Cortona. Here's the third installment:

The nearby town of Camucia, which is the service center for the more tourist-famous Cortona, offers an excellent Coop supermarket where produce, meats and other essentials, including wine, are offered for purchase. Also, the train and regional bus service runs through Camucia.

To provide ease of transportation, we had rented two cars at the Rome airport. Public transportation among the hill towns is limited, or slow, so for maximum flexibility an auto is required. A local train line runs through a portion of the area, and local bus service connects most towns, but schedules can be complicated for visitors who speak minimal Italian.

It can a bit harried to drive out of Rome on the major highways, but once located, the A-1 toll way (about €10) that ties Rome and Florence is a quick trip of a couple of hours to the Cortona exit.

Richardson to North Korea

KRQE TV station reports on New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson traveling to North Korea to engage in a bit of citizen diplomacy

Part II of Italy trip

Part II of trip to Italian hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria:

Eight friends gathered for this autumn visit, so we rented La Poventa villa, a renovated 19th century farmhouse just outside the Tuscan hill town of Cortona, as our base of operation. The villa had five bedrooms with the capacity to sleep 10 people, and four bathrooms.

Villa amenities included heating, full kitchen with cookware and dinnerware. Of course in this day and age, television and wireless internet came with the package.

The front-loading washing machine, with instructions printed only in Italian, proved too complicated for us to use. The manager has promised to provide English-language instructions for subsequent guests.

The villa featured a swimming pool, but with the cool October temperatures, only one member of our party was brave enough to take a dip.

A trip to Italian hill towns

In the next dozen or so posts I will talk about a recent trip to the hill towns in central Italian regions of Tuscany and Umbria:

“Under the Tuscan Clouds” served as watchwords for a recent visit to Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns of central Italy. We will just have to leave it to author Frances Mayes to share the experiences of her summers as recounted in her popular book, “Under the Tuscan Sun”.

Clouds, rain and cool temperatures provided the dominant weather pattern during our early October 2010 visit. An umbrella proved a practical item most days, and a jacket or a raincoat was appreciated. The cool temperatures, however, made for some great nighttime sleeping.

Autumn finds the hill towns of Tuscany and Umbria settling into a slower pace as the cooler weather reduced the hordes of summertime tourists. And many villa rentals enter a “shoulder season” with reduced prices when compared with summer rates.

On an earlier trip my wife and I had visted the larger Italian cities of Rome, Venice, Florence and Naples; this time around we wanted to acquaint ourselves with some of the smaller hill towns that dot the landscape of central Italy. So, on this trip we visited Cortona, Arezzo, Siena, Castiglione del Lago, Montepu1ciano, Pienza and Orvieto.

Visitors gain a cultural appreciation of Italy when visiting the hill towns. The people are friendly, the food and wine rate top notch labels, and the pace is considerably slower than found in the metro cities. So, if you are looking for relaxation and immersion in rural and small-town Italian life and history, the hill towns have no equals.

(Part Two will discuss the accommodations)

Fulbright and citizen diplomacy

Last week, 418 Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistants packed the Dean Acheson Auditorium at the U.S. Department of State for their mid-year seminar. They hail from 49 countries and are teaching 31 languages at 230 colleges and universities in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The event was designed to help Fulbrighters share insights and anecdotes after their first semester of teaching in the United States. This information comes from a U.S. Dept. of State blog.

Looking for Square Two

A new book, "Looking for Square Two," by a San Franciscan active in the peace movement sees a role for citizen diplomats in maintaining world peace. Looks like it's worth a read.

India and citizen diplomacy

Government of India holds conference Dec. 10-11 to discuss social media, public diplomacy and citizen diplomacy in the current era of diplomacy. Guess it thought needed to acknowledge reality.

International Committee for Citizen Diplomacy

International Committee for Citizen diplomacy is developing the youth in Eastern Europe to act as citizen diplomats.

US visitors shop a lot

Mandela Research releases preliminary information from study of 2,500 U.S. visitors and find that shopping is a major activity. Full report to be released in January. Perhaps retailers need to sharpen skills as citizen diplomats.

House passes NVCV resolution

U.S. House of Reps. passes resolution commending NCIV and citizen diplomacy.

Citizen Diplomacy Day

Finally the vote for supporting NCIV's recognition of citizen diplomacy day next Feb. was scheduled by the US House of Reps.

Plea for BDA to stay open

A call for Business for Diplomatic Action to stick around as WikiLeaks puts a dent into US public diplomacy efforts.

NCIV and Citizen Diplomacy

NCIV is considered for recognition for citizen diplomacy in a US House of Rep. resolution reports this blog. The vote is expected Dec. 7.

Public Diplomacy and WikiLeaks

Salon article shows that U.S. public diplomacy has shown that it is not always truthful in its approach to foreign people and governments, as the WikiLeaks documents show. Perhaps tha makes citizen diplomacy all that more important.

SCI Webinar on visitors' visas

Sister Cities International will sponsor a Webinar on Dec. 9 on how to help International Visitors obtain visas to the U.S. Go to the SCI Website to find out how to register.

BDA to close

Business for Diplomatic Action organization will close its doors a public diplomacy blogger reports.

Failure of U.S. public diplomacy

A new book discusses the failure of U.S. public diplomacy since 2001, especially in the Muslim World.

Woodrow Wilson Center & public diplomacy

Woodrow Wilson Center starts look at public diplomacy, especially the media aspects that have struggled since demise of the USIA.

New Hampshire and citizen diplomacy

In New Hampshire the World Affairs Council is a major instrument of citizen diplomacy by organizing visits to the state by foreign leaders.

NCIV and Citizen Diplomacy

National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) is featured in this blog as a prime example of citizen diplomacy in operation.

Citizen diplomacy in Egypt

George Washington University's School of Business urges tourism to Egypt as a means of citizen diplomacy.

Harvard and public- citizen diplomacy

Harvard University seeks to collaboration with everyone that practices public- and citizen diplomacy. The site has more information.

International Exchanges

The International Higher Education blog reports that the conservative Heritage Foundation in a background paper has suggested that all international exchange programs funded by the U.S. be eliminated. What a wrong-headed approach in my opinion.

Latin American arts and crafts

Sessions dealing with artists and artisans from Latin America and bringing their goods to trade in the U.S.A. will be held at the Hispanic Cultural Center in south Albuquerque, reported this story from KOAT TV in Albuquerque. The event starts Nov. 16 and runs through the 19th. This sounds like citizen diplomacy to me.

Social media and public- and citizen diplomacy

A group is working on providing a document talking about the use of social media in promoting citizen diplomacy and public diplomacy, which it is calling public diplomacy 2.0. Its working document is available online.

Henry S. Dakin obituary

The San Francisco Chronicle published an obituary of Henry S. Dakin a pioneer in citizen diplomacy, especially between Russia and the U.S.A.

citizen diplomacy

A link to a blog that gives information on Anna Marie Slaughter and a new book A New World Order. The site includes a video by Slaughter on civilian diplomacy.

Ameican Indian Summit

New Mexico Business Weekly writes about the National Council of American Indians that will meet in Albuquerque Nov. 14-19, 2010. Should be some good discussions about the future.

Citizen Diplomacy in San Diego

The interns at the San Diego Council talk about their experiences with citizen diplomacy and the International Visitors Leadership program.

Mueller and public diplomacy

Sherry Mueller, president of the National Council for International Visitors, spoke at the recent public diplomacy summit at American University in Washington, D.C. Mueller will speak at the Oct. 2011 Community Summit on Citizen Diplomacy to be held by the Albuquerque Council for International Visitors in Albuquerque at the University of New Mexico campus.

New organization for public- and citizen diplomacy

A blog recently reported information about Strengthening America's Global Engagement (Sage), a new organization out of the Woodrow Wilson Center to strengthen public- and citizen diplomacy without being tied directly to the U.s. government and State Department. Worth examining

Albuquerque Council for International Visitors

The Albuquerque Council for International Visitors (ACIV) will host two additional group of visitors to the area during the remainder of the year, the organization announced in its latest newsletter. The organization sets up appointments for the visitors to area companies, organizations and individuals to foster exchange in the interest of citizen diplomacy.
The two groups are: 1) from Latin America on Nov. 14-17 the visitors will study area efforts to control and prevent drug abuse, and 2) visitors from various countries will visit Nov. 30-Dec. 3 will study transparency in government.
For information people may call the organization at (505) 888-1867 or send an e-mail to aciv@juno.com.

Public diplomacy summit

A summit was held at U.S.C. to discuss the developing role of public diplomacy in the foreign policy of the U.S.

International students

A white paper talks about the importance of U.S. universities attracting international students.

Bahrain and USA

Bahrain seeks more cultural exchanges with U.S.A. I take it to mean citizen diplomacy is included.

Book on citizen diplomacy

You can buy a book about citizen diplomacy in an era of religious militancy from this site.

Citizen Diplomacy for Robert Redford

The Salt Lake Tribune recognizes Robert Redford for his citizen diplomacy awards in France and the United States.

International Education blog

This blogger keeps one up on the trends in international education and public diplomacy. Useful.

Citizen diplomacy at local level

The author of this article argues that public diplomacy must be below the national level. I think that this means citizen diplomacy, at least in most instances.

Nat. Awards for Citizen Diplomacy

Judith Jamieson of Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, among others, will receive National Award for Citizen Diplomacy later this month.

Citizens using new media for diplomacy

A blogger talks about the role of new media and the spread of information by citizens in spreading citizen diplomacy on a worldwide scale.

Citizen diplomacy in Wisconsin

The LaCrosse Tribune publishes a story about the role of the state of Wisconsin and the Lt. Gov. in promoting global citizen diplomacy.

New Public diplomacy journal

Syracuse University’s Association of Public Diplomacy Scholar based in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications, launched the first issue of Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy earlier this month.
This information comes from a release from Syracuse University.

Conference at American University on public diplomacy

A one-day conference will be held at American University on Nov. 8 talking about the need to listen as a part of public diplomacy. Here's where to find more information.

Foreign Journalists visit US

Washington - The State Department welcomed more than 150 young international media professionals representing 125 countries to the nation's capital as part of the fifth annual Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists that lasts from October 25 to November 12.

Job in citizen diplomacy

The Institute of International Education (IIE), a world leader in the exchange of people and ideas, seeks an experienced and dynamic executive with strong administrative skills, to serve as Regional Center Executive Director for the West Coast Office, located at 530 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA.
Here's a link to the agency offering the position.

citizen diplomacy by one man

A new book about one man's adventure in citizen diplomacy. This blog talks about the book, Exhaust the limits. Should be work a read.

citizen diplomacy in KC

This is the experience of one firm in Kansas City in promoting citizen diplomacy through the community connection program. Your firm could do this in Albuquerque through the Albuquerque Council for International Visitors.

Interactive site

This is an interactive website that talks about public diplomacy.

Public diplomacy sources

Here's a website that tracks resources for public diplomacy.

Cari Guitarrd on Public Diplomacy

Cari Guittard, who will be a speaker at the Oct. 2011 Albuquerque Council for International Visitors Community Summit on Citizen Diplomacy to be held at the University of New Mexico talks about the meaning of public, or citizen diplomacy in this radio clip.

Citizen Diplomacy proclamation

The U.S. Congress has moved to acknowledge Citizen Diplomacy Day.

Italy

Just back from a week in Italy. Visited the hill towns in Tuscany and Umbria. Recommended!! Here's a little shop in Castilione del lago in Umbria.

Reno summit

A Citizen Diplomacy summit will occur in Reno, Nev. in November. The event will be held a several locations and some events are free.
Next year a citizen diplomacy summit is planned for Albuquerque, N.M.

Limiting citizen diplomacy

One concern is that sentiment against Israel's unwillingness to negotiate peace with its Muslim neighbors can reduce citizen diplomacy by limiting visitors to universities in the U.K.

Panel on Citizen Diplomacy

Here's a panel discussing citizen diplomacy as part of a discussion series.
Thanks to others for sending me the information on the link.

Harvard prof talks about citizen diplomacy

Joseph Nye, a Harvard professor, talks about citizen diplomacy in a NYT editorial.
Worth a read.

LA and Citizen diplomacy

Citizen diplomacy will be celebrated in Los Angeles, Calif., later this month.
The event occurs Oct. 21.

Defining Citizen Diplomacy?

Citizen diplomacy is the effort by U.S. citizens to engage with people globally to foster positive relationships.

Attendees at the 2010 National Council for International Visitors were asked to define "citizen diplomacy" in this linked video.

Most people talk about it fostering global relationships "one handshake at a time."

The U.S. Department of State sponsors the International Visitors Leadership Program (IVLP) to bring emerging foreign leaders to the U.S. to study a topic of their interest. The participants are selected by the U.S. Ambassadors serving in the foreign country.

What is ACIV

The Albuquerque Council for International Visitors (ACIV) promotes citizen diplomacy in the state. It arranges many of the visits by participants in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitors Leadership Program who come to Albuquerque to gain information on a range of topics.
The volunteer organization strives to bring the International visitors into contact with residents of New Mexico.

The local organization is a member organization with the National Council for International Visitors.
The Washington, D.C.-based organization coordinates programs with the State Department.

ACIV, with support of the University of New Mexico, will hold a Community Summit on Citizen Diplomacy on Oct. 5, 2011, on the campus of the university.

Oct. Global Activities in ABQ

Albuquerque has a number of Global events going on this month:

Of course, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta takes up the first two weekends of October. Hundreds of hot air balloons, and thousands of spectators watch the early morning launches, evening glows and fireworks, plus demonstrations on the festival grounds.

The Grecian Festival is an annual event held at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 308 High St. Shuttle parking is available at Lomas and University. Admission is $5, plus tickets to purchase items. Features food, dances, music, jewelry, a store with Greek items, and other booths and activities. It runs from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 1 & 2, and from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 3.

The Global DanceFest runs for the four weekends in October at the N4th Theater, 4904 Fourth St. N.W. Films, dance, poetry and music will be featured.
Oct. 2: "Faat Kine" a film fron Senegal will be shown at 6 p.m., followed by "The End of Summer," a Japanese film.
Oct. 3: The film, "Quand les etoile recontrente la mer," from Madagascar will show at 4 p.m., followed by "Floating Weeds," Japanese film at 6 p.m.
Oct. 8: "The Talking Drum," features poetry at music from Zimbabwe at 516 ARTS.
Oct. 9 & 10: "The Crossing, and "The Bicycle Thief," will feature theatrical storytelling at the N4th Theater.
Oct. 15 &16: Will feature "SAN," a dance production from South Africa.
Oct. 22 &23: "Tyler Tyler," features Japanese dance and theater with American postmodern dance.
For more visit the link above or call 344-4542.

Fulbright will attend

The Community Summit for Citizen Diplomacy will have Harriett Fulbright attend and serve as the honorary chair of the event to be held Oct. 5, 2011.

Harriet Fulbright

Ms. Fulbright has a BA from Radcliffe College and an MFA from the George Washington University. She has also received Honorary Degrees: a Doctorate in Law from William & Mary College and the University of Scranton, Doctorates in Humane Letters from Long Island University, Arcadia University, the Bank Street College of Education, Pace University, and the University for Development Studies in Ghana; and a Doctorate in Philosophy and Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology. Ms. Fulbright was awarded the Order of Australia by the Governor-General of Australia, for service to educational and cultural exchange between Australia and the United States.

She also serves on a number of boards, including the International Foreign Policy Center and the Wendy and Emory Reves Center for International Studies of William and Mary College where she is chairman; the Academy of Educational Development, and the National Board of Certified Counselors. Ms. Fulbright shared with her late husband a dedication to the search for peaceful solutions to conflicts throughout the world.

State Department Official

The Community Summit for Citizen Diplomacy will have an official from the U.s. Department of State attend and make a presentation. The summit organized by the Albuquerque Council for International Visitors in cooperation with the University of New Mexico will be held on the UNM campus Oct. 5, 2011.

Carol Grabauskas

Carol Grabauskas is Deputy Director of the Office of International Visitors in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Carol joined the Office of International Visitors as a Program Officer in June of 1998 and became Chief of the Europe and Eurasia Branch in 2001. She was promoted to Division Chief in March 2007 and to Deputy Director in March 2008. As Deputy Director, she works with the Director in supervising the Office’s four divisions, a staff of almost 100 persons, and in management oversight of International Visitor Leadership Programs (IVLP) for approximately 5000 International Visitors each year from countries around the world.

Carol has designed and instructed numerous training courses on the IVLP for hundreds of Foreign Service Officers and other staff members from U.S. Embassies across the globe. Previously, Carol served as Program Officer and Group Project Manager for 14 years at the International Institute of The Graduate School. While there, she managed hundreds of IVLP projects, including multi-regional, regional, sub-regional and single-country projects for all world areas, and Voluntary Visitors. Her 26 years of experience in both public and private sector work with the IVLP has given her a broad perspective on the roles, responsibilities and challenges faced by the various organizations involved in carrying out these programs. Carol has an M.A. in International Training and Education from The American University, a B.A. from The American University’s School of International Service, and a diploma in French from The Sorbonne in Paris.

IBM on citizen diplomacy

So, what does citizen diplomacy do for companies? Here's a link to IBM talking about volunteerism, corporations and benefits of citizen diplomacy.

Cari Guitard will talk about this at her presentations at the Community Summit on Citizen Diplomacy to be presented at UNM Oct. 5, 2011.
Cari E. Guittard
Cari E. Guittard is a 32-year-old native of Dallas, Texas. She received her BA in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1997 and a Masters of Public Affairs in 1998. Upon graduation she was selected as a 1998 Presidential Management Internship recipient and began work as a computer security specialist and spokesperson for cyber threats and critical infrastructure protection for the US Department of State.

Guittard has traveled extensively to every region of the world working on State systems, developing threat perspectives and briefing and working with thousands of Ambassadors, Chiefs of Mission, Commanding Officers and senior US Government officials to include Secretary Albright and Secretary Powell as well as heads of US based corporations on cyber terrorism and related threats.

Put it on your calendar!

Another Summit speaker update

Another speaker has been lined up for the Community Summit on Citizen Diplomacy sponsored by the Albuquerque Council for International Visitors to be held Oct. 5, 2011, on the campus of the University of New Mexico. And this one is another biggie:

Sherry L. Mueller

Sherry L. Mueller joined the National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) staff as Executive Director in January 1996 and has served as President of NCIV since 2001. Before coming to NCIV, Sherry worked eighteen years at the Institute of International Education in positions of increasing responsibility, the last as Director, Professional Exchange Programs. She has taught as at the School of International Service, American University from 1981-1989, pioneering the first course on U.S. Public Diplomacy. Sherry has served as an Experiment Leader to the former Soviet Union, an English Language Officer for the U.S. Department of State, a lecturer at the University of Rhode Island, and a consultant to a variety of organizations, including the U.S. Department of State, Tufts University, and the National 4-H Foundation. She earned her Ph.D. at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the evaluation of exchange programs.

Looking forward to this event. And interest of transparency, I am heading the communications for this event.

Speaker update

At least one of the speakers for the Community Summit on Citizen Diplomacy sponsored by the Albuquerque Council for Citizen Diplomacy to be held Oct. 4 & 5, 2011, on the campus of the University of New Mexico has been chosen:

Walter L. Cutler

Ambassador Cutler was a career diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. He was twice ambassador to Saudi Arabia, ambassador to Tunisia and Zaire, and was ambassador-designate to Khomeini's Iran before diplomatic relations were broken. He was also deputy assistant secretary of state for Congressional relations and staff assistant to the secretary of state. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He holds an M.A. from the Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy.

He will be a person all Albuquerque residents interested in citizen diplomacy and international relations will want to hear.

Committee meeting

Plans are underway for a Community Summit on Citizen Diplomacy to be held on the University of New Mexico campus Oct. 4 & 5, 2011.

The Albuquerque Council for International Visitors will host the event in cooperation with the University of New Mexico and support of the National Council for International Visitors.

The summit will be open to the public.

More details will come later.