Recently, the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training asking me to write up the experiment in “rock diplomacy” that we undertook in embassy Buenos Aires when I was Ambassador in 2007-2009. We drew upon the mutual love of “rock” (and other popular) music between Argentines and Americans to help build bonds and overcome deep anti-American sentiment in Argentina at that time.

We took advantage of the tremendous popularity of American music among Argentines, the willingness of visiting US musicians to partner with us to embrace local youth, and the bonding powers of music to help move beyond differences and open space for dialogue. Music became one important facilitating tool in work to achieve our embassy’s public diplomacy objectives, and I got a nickname as a “rock ambassador,” which Secretary Clinton used when swearing me in as ambassador to Mexico in 2011.

US-Mexico collaboration against drug smuggling hit a low point in 2019-20 and has improved with hard work from both sides since 2021. Cooperation should continue given the great suffering cross border crime causes for
Mexicans and Americans. Tensions surrounding the arrests of El Mayo and Joaquin Guzman Lopez remind us that US-Mexico trust and cooperation fall short of what is needed to produce consistent and meaningful progress
against the deadly problems of illicit cross border flows of drugs, arms and money.

US law enforcement and justice agencies face pressure to detain those charged with grave offenses, and Mexico’s government remains deeply sensitive to protecting its sovereignty. These and related issues, including
corruption, prevent the two governments from building the level of mutual trust that is needed for more effective intelligence sharing, operational planning, and coordination to bring criminals to justice.

Given the timing of the El Mayo’s arrest during Mexico’s presidential transition and the US election, both governments will likely work to manage
tensions and to maintain cooperation, but this is a clear reminder that collaboration against cross border criminal organizations needs to improve significantly for the interests of both countries.

Mexico’s incoming president Claudia Sheinbaum and her team worked well with US officials on public security when she was Mexico City’s mayor. Sheinbaum’s government plan highlights the need to improve coordination across agencies and calls for better intelligence gathering against crime. Hopefully this outlook will help improve cooperation, but much will depend on the outcome of the US election.

Twitter feed about USMCA at 4 and trade and investment across North America and China's role. Diego Marroquin and I drafted it.

Welcome to the second in our recurring series looking at what to expect from Claudia Sheinbaum’s incoming administration. This time, we caught up with Washington’s former Ambassador to Mexico, Earl Anthony Wayne, who served under President Obama from 2011 - 2015. Here, he lays out the five key things policymakers in Washington will be watching as President-elect Sheinbaum takes office.




















Constitutional reforms.Will Mexico’s constitutional reforms cause damage to...

Since coming into force on July 1, 2020, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) has undergone a trial by fire and delivered remarkable results. Despite the COVID-19 crisis, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and rising tensions with China, goods and services trade within North America has soared by 50% and investment in new ventures has grown by 136%. Representing a third of the world’s Gross Domestic Product, USMCA's stable and enforceable framework has successfully addressed multiple tra...

Mexico made history on June 2, 2024, when it elected its first female president, Claudia Sheinbaum. These elections were the largest in Mexico’s history, with representatives for more than 20,000 public office positions at the congressional and local levels chosen, according to the AP. Election results are likely to be finalized later this week, but Sheinbaum was declared the winner of the presidential election based on a very high margin of victory in preliminary results reported late on June 2

On June 2, Mexicans will choose a new president, a new congress and many thousands of state and local officials in Mexico’s largest elections ever.

At present, polls show a large advantage to Claudia Sheinbaum, the presidential candidate supported by incumbent President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), over her principal rival, Xóchitl Gálvez, who heads the opposition coalition ticket in Mexico’s presidential elections.

Beyond the presidential race, the outcomes in congressional and state e

On June 2, Mexicans will choose a new president, a new congress, and many thousands of state and local officials in Mexico’s largest election ever.

At present, polls show a large advantage to Claudia Sheinbaum, the presidential candidate supported by incumbent President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), over her principle rival, Xochitl Galvez, who heads the opposition coalition ticket.

Beyond the presidential race, the outcomes in congressional and state elections will have big implications ...

A quick look at rankings and evaluations on democracy in Mexico by respected international studies and reports.

by Joe B. Johnson

When I was a college senior, I would have jumped at the chance to advise the Department of State on its public communication. Now, Anthony Wayne, a PDCA member and Diplomat in Residence at American University’s School of International Service, has enabled some of his students to do just that as part of State’s Diplomacy Lab.

Diplomacy Lab, launched by State in 2013, is a public-private partnership with more than sixty U.S. colleges and universities to sponsor research around various Department-identified topics. It is part of the Office of Global Partnerships, where State engages with outside entities in many ways.

Influencers and public diplomacy …

When Amb. Wayne put me in touch with his six seniors at SIS as one source for their project, I was skeptical. Their topic focused on the use of "Influencers" as part of U.S. public diplomacy. Their client was the Global Public Affairs Bureau (GPA). This area, which has not been spelled out in Department manuals, is much discussed by practitioners who seek to project policy messages through independent voices. I asked myself:

• What are the ethical guardrails that separate legitimate local partnerships from deceptive “sock puppetry"?
• Is this topic too difficult for college seniors with limited practical experience?

The team interviewed a number of sources including PDCA members and some of my former colleagues on the Foreign Service Institute’s training staff. More importantly, they conducted extensive desk research, which shows in their comprehensive report.

The report begins with a general survey of PD, citing 63 sources in a literature review. The team endorses a comprehensive approach incorporating messaging with cultural programs and other PD elements. It upholds transparency and two-way communication. And it describes the alignment of messages, goals and audiences that characterizes effective programs.

After reviewing 2,849 media releases to ascertain themes (security, economic policies and social justice) reflecting the Department’s most important priorities and to identify milestone events, the team went online to find the most effective influencers for specific topics and events, and even provided pitches to propose partnerships. They did the same for specific taskings by GPA like the NATO Summit and migration and refugees. Their descriptions of potential partners with large online followings makes for a fascinating read.

On June 2, Mexicans will choose a new president, a new Congress, and thousands of state and local officials. The outcomes and the aftermath will have major implications for the United States as well as for Mexico. The U.S. must pay close attention.

The U.S. relationship with Mexico touches the daily lives of more Americans than any other country in the world. Mexico is the U.S.’s largest trade and co-production partner. It is the pathway for most irregular migration and the largest single sourc

This presentation was provided to by a team of six American University seniors to describe their work and conclusions as part of a project undertaken under the Department of State's Diplomacy Lab program during the spring semester of 2024. The student team represented the School of International Service and was mentored by Professor Earl Anthony Wayne. The final written report is posted separately.

This report was prepared as part of the Department of State's Diplomacy Lab program. It looks at ways to measure and achieve effective border security with attention to addressing illicit arms and technology transfers. The report identifies best practices from a range of countries and organizations and offers findings and recommendations. A team of seniors at American University's School of International Service prepared the report under the mentorship of Professor Earl Anthony Wayne.

This report was prepared as part of the State Department's Diplomacy Lab program in the Spring semester 2024. It examines the illicit and licit flows of arms to selected countries in the Western Hemisphere countries and the relationship to crime data in recepient countries. The report seeks to draw conclusions from the data and research available. It discusses significant gaps in the data currently available and makes recommendations for reducing those information gaps in order to better assess and respond to the problems flowing from these arms flows. The report was prepared by a team of students at American University's School of International Service under the mentorship of Professor Earl Anthony Wayne.

This powerpoint presentation accompanied the Diplomacy Lab report prepared for Department of State representatives as part of a Diplomacy Lab project at the end of the Spring Semester 2024. It specifically examines the role of influencers as a part of public diplomacy and offers specific suggestions for events and influencers that may be of value in US public diplomacy,

This Diplomacy Lab Report explores the use of influencers as a part of Public Diplomacy efforts by the United States and others and provides recommendations of specific events and influencers for potential use by the U. S. Department of State. It was completed in the spring semester of 2024 by a team of seniors at American University's School of International Service under the mentorship of Professor Earl Anthony Wayne.

This is the powerpoint presentation for a Diplomacy Lab report on the illicit and licit flows of arms from the US to select Latin American countries prepared for the Department of State in the Spring semester, 2024 by American University students under the mentorship of Professor Earl Anthony Wayne. It examines the flows of licii and illicit arms to selected Western Hemisphere countries and the challenges in understanding the magnitude and impact of those flows.