Vision

“Of course it cannot be expected that the whole body of any people will study international law; but a sufficient number can readily become sufficiently familiar with it to lead and form public opinion in every community in our country upon all international questions as they arise.”

-Elihu Root, U.S. Secretary of State (1905 - 1909)

“At Google, as we strive to organize all the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful, our success depends on users, employees, and partners understanding the reality of interdependence in today’s world. Resources like Foreign Policy Digest will help the next generation of leaders engage more effectively in an important global dialogue about the issues which shape their lives.”

-Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google

Problem

Americans today increasingly live in boundaryless communities that stretch beyond local, state, and national realms. Technology and innovation have created global interconnectedness that enhances the flow of communication, relationships and ideas.


Unfortunately, while the capacity for creating an international dialog and spreading knowledge related to issues of foreign policy has never been greater, major news outlets are scaling back their coverage of international issues.

A recent study by Public Radio International shows that only about 20% of evening news coverage/airtime is devoted to covering international affairs. And of that 20%, the majority pertains to Iraq and Afghanistan.

This disconnect leaves us uninformed about the present and unprepared for the future.

Solution

Foreign Policy Digest is the answer. FPD focuses exclusively on world affairs and provides a platform designed specifically for the new social media generation. The purpose of the digest is to provide greater access to international issues for a new generation of Americans who have grown up online.

Every month we publish a series of articles for each of five regions of the world: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe/Russia, and the Middle East. Each article highlights a significant news event and features a clear explanation of the issue involved, the appropriate level of background to provide readers with necessary context, and an analysis of how the issue is likely to impact the lives of Americans.

Our advantage over established print outlets like Foreign Affairs or The Economist is that our content is designed specifically to be distributed through all the virtual networking outlets and be accessible to Americans on a much larger scale. The content created by Foreign Policy Digest can be fed to any website, blog, email, Facebook page or even cell-phone. Our podcasts and video interviews will be made available on iTunes and YouTube, respectively.

We understand that today’s generation of students and young professionals gets their news and entertainment from various Internet sources. And we want to connect with this new generation where they are—online. Foreign Policy Digest is committed to spreading awareness of international issues and increasing access to world affairs.

By reaching out to Americans in different venues, alternative mediums, and innovative forms, we hope to provide more people with the opportunity to know the world they live in.