Blog Post by: Caitlin Dobson

Our bags are packed, and we are ready to explore the public diplomacy landscape of Indonesia!

Tonight we take off from LAX Airport for a layover in Seoul, South Korea before heading to Jakarta, Indonesia. Throughout the week our delegation of USC Master of Public Diplomacy graduate students will explore the country of Indonesia and its current public diplomacy efforts, how the Indonesian government is working to promote its image abroad, how the United States Government is working to improve its relations with the emerging power, as well as how non-state actors in Indonesia are working to influence policy and improve relations with other nations.

On Monday we will be meeting at the U.S. Embassy with United States Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr to discuss current USG public diplomacy efforts. Following our visit with the Ambassador we will visit the @America cultural center and learn about the effectiveness of digital diplomacy within Indonesia. Our afternoon will end with a visit to local NGO Kontras, where we will explore current projects in relation to human rights within Indonesia.

Tuesday we are scheduled to meet with both the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, where we hope to gauge ongoing and newly-implemented public diplomacy efforts by both Ministries.

Wednesday will include visits with the International Organization for Migration, located in Jakarta, where we will meet with the Counter Trafficking and Labour Migration Unit. That afternoon we will meet with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, where we will learn about the Ministry’s current efforts in relation to faith diplomacy.

Thursday we will round off our meetings in Bali with the Institute for Peace and Democracy at Udayana University, where we will discuss the Institute’s endeavors surrounding democracy promotion. Our time in Bali will also be spent partaking in cultural experiences.

The level of gratitude and appreciation we feel toward those who helped make this experience possible for us is immense. We are excited to take off this evening, and we look forward to sharing this learning experience with you the entire way. Fight On!