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The agenda for the January 13, 2009, Smith-Mundt Symposium is below. It is final with the only likely change is a panel title or two.
The panels are being filled now, but more invites will be going out in the coming days. I'd like to finalize the panels by Thanksgiving. The goal is to have a variety of views to spark discussion and debate toward the goal of the Symposium: to have an informed and deliberated discussion about issues related to the cornerstone of America’s international engagement.
The structure of the event, as you can see by the agenda, is four ninety minute panels and two keynotes. Each panel will have four presenters and one moderator. The presentations should be 10-12 minutes with a 15 minute maximum (moderators will have firm instructions not to let panelists go beyond 15min) to leave time for questions and answers.
Both Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy James K. Glassman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Support for Public Diplomacy, Michael Doran are confirmed to give keynotes. The Under Secretary will give the morning keynote and the Deputy Assistant Secretary will give the lunchtime keynote between the second and third panels.
The first panel looks at the purpose and history of the Smith-Mundt Act and the second explores the impact the Act has on our international engagement today. The third panel raises issues about the future. While the first three panels are a mixture of academics, practitioners from State and Defense, media, and watchdogs, the fourth is Congressional and focuses on the what to do and how.
Here is the agenda:
7:00 – 8:00 Continental Breakfast / Sign-in
8:00 – 8:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:15 – 9:00 Keynote by Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James K. Glassman
9:00 – 10:30 First Panel: History of Smith-Mundt
10:30 – 12:00 Second Panel: America’s Bifurcated engagement
12:00 – 12:15 Break
12:15 – 1:45 Lunch & Keynote by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Michael Doran
1:45 – 2:00 Break
2:00 – 3:30 Third Panel: Limiting the Arsenal of Persuasion
3:30 – 3:45 Break
3:45 – 5:15 Fourth Panel: The View from the Hill
5:15 – 5:30 Closing Remarks
It will be a long day of tightly packed conversations. This could very easily be a two-day event, but we’re doing it in one.
The entire event will be on the record and possibly webcasted live (I’m working on that). A transcript will be available and a public report based on the Symposium will be produced.
Registration is free, open to the public, and required. In the weeks before the event, registrants will receive an email with a link to an electronic library of related briefing materials.
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Mark your calendar for January 13, 2009.
That is the confirmed date for “The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948: Past, Present, and Future”, a symposium to discuss the sixty-year old law that continues to set the parameters of America’s international engagement.
The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948 was passed as we were beginning a “war of ideology… a war unto death,” as our Ambassador to Russia at the time described it. But, beginning in the 1970’s, instead of promoting international engagement through information, cultural and educational exchanges, the law has been distorted into a barrier of engagement. From propaganda and counter-propaganda intentions, it became an anti-propaganda law for reasons that had little to nothing to do with concerns over domestic influence.
It is time to put the law into its proper context, especially in today’s information environment, is essential. We’ve seen the Defense Department step up to fight the information fight. The State Department has begun to do the same under the leadership of Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Jim Glassman. The keynotes given by both Under Secretary Glassman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Mike Doran demonstrate the interest in and the importance of this event.
The symposium is set for January 13, 2009. It will be in DC and open to the public. The event will be on the record and a report will be produced by on the event.
There will be no registration fee, but registration will be required. The details on registration and the location will be forthcoming.
There will be four panels plus two keynotes. The panels will be 90-minutes each and structured to encourage discourse and audience Q&A rather than monologue and PowerPoint.
The first panel examines the history of Smith-Mundt. The second panel, tentatively named “America’s Bifurcated Engagement,” looks at the present-day impact of the law. The third, “Limiting the Arsenal of Persuasion,” looks at a future with Smith-Mundt. The fourth panel, “What to do and How,” is a Congressional panel.
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The organizer and point of contact for this event is Matt Armstrong.
