During the annual conference, which drew 700 scholars and 1,400 students, the assistant dean in the School of Communications discussed the growing challenges facing public diplomacy professionals today.
Vanessa Bravo, professor of strategic communications and assistant dean in the School of Communications, served as a keynote speaker at the annual congress of the Mexican Association of International Studies (Asociación Mexicana de Estudios Internacionales, AMEI) on Oct. 17.
Invited by AMEI’s Division of International Communication and Public & Cultural Diplomacy, Bravo delivered a 75-minute lecture exploring the evolving challenges facing public diplomacy professionals. She reflected on how these practitioners – tasked with building positive relationships with international publics – must navigate a global environment where political leaders in the United States and abroad often shift policies abruptly on issues such as trade, immigration, international education, and diplomacy itself.
Held in the Auditorio Juan Pablo II at Anáhuac University (Universidad Anáhuac) in Quintana Roo, Mexico, Bravo’s keynote drew scholars, government officials, and students eager to engage in dialogue about diplomacy and communication in uncertain times.
AMEI’s annual congress attracts hundreds of academics and professionals from Mexico and abroad, including ambassadors, consuls, and representatives of government organizations. The 2025 conference welcomed more than 700 scholars and 1,400 students representing disciplines such as political science, international relations, law, sociology, and economics.
“I was very honored because each of the divisions at AMEI can nominate only one international expert as keynote speaker,” Bravo said of her experience presenting at AMEI. “The International Communication and Public Diplomacy Division selected me as theirs due to my work and research about public diplomacy by governments and diaspora groups from Latin America, which is also the focus of my co-edited book, ‘Latin American Diasporas in Public Diplomacy.’ They also treated me really well, so I am very grateful.”
The 2025 AMEI congress program is available online. Next year’s gathering will take place in October in Guadalajara, Jalisco.