The Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs leads Department efforts to expand and strengthen the relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other countries.
This grant aims to enhance regional cooperation by bringing together established opinion leaders (EOLs) from the think tank sector in the United States, Japan, Australia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia for a three-day residency in India. This residency will facilitate dialogue and collaboration among 15 leaders from these regions and their 15 Indian counterparts. The overarching goal is to achieve an attitude shift and perspective/behavior change towards the United States among these leaders, encouraging them to make data-informed decisions. This is expected to manifest through the writing of at least 15 joint research papers or articles on regional cooperation and best practices within the Indo-Pacific, guided by the Indo-Pacific Strategy Pillars. These publications aim to impact policymaking and tackle defined challenges in the Indo-Pacific region by being disseminated in global journals and media outlets, including those in participating countries.