Malia Everette on "Citizen Diplomacy"

“Since my grad school days in International Relations, and my days heading up Global Exchange’s human rights delegations, ‘citizen diplomacy’ has provided the foundation to many journeys. Citizen diplomacy is based on the concept that individuals have the right to help influence and shape foreign policies for their country by informally meeting with global citizens and learning about their reality. This idea becomes imperative when formal diplomatic communications between countries, governments, and opposition groups have broken down. The value of these exchanges is that they provide the opportunity to enhance mutual understanding and foster trust between peoples. On AltruVistas citizen diplomacy journeys, our travelers meet with a diverse spectrum of individuals, including those from nation states demonized or referred to as the ‘axis of evil’ or ‘troika of tyranny,’ to gain a better understanding of the ‘other’ and demystify the negative, misperceived images often portrayed by U.S. media outlets.”