There was a time, not too long ago, where the phrase “global public affairs” would be considered an oxymoron. It was a time when Tip O’Neill’s famous quote, “All politics is local,” was considered a universal truth. Because governments were structured so differently and the knowledge across borders about how to influence public policy was limited, public affairs, like politics, was local. Corporate and agency public affairs experts generally relied on a local team to advance client of organizational policy goals.
That was then. Public affairs advocacy has gone global in a big, big way. Issues are global. See climate change, financial services, food safety, etc., etc., etc. And new media is transforming communications and is very much a global phenomenon, it is critical that strategies, tactics and messages be consistent all over the world for companies and NGOs that cross borders. No more can public affairs advocates say one thing in South America and something else in Russia.
This blog is designed to examine the ways in which public affairs is practice at the international level. By examining how issues erupt and are dealt with, either well or not so well, I hope to build a record of what to do and what not do in the public affairs arena.
Welcome to the World of Public Affairs blog. I hope you’ll come back.
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