Areas of Expertise
U.S.-Asia Relations; U.S.-Japan Relations; Grand Strategy; International Communications, Propaganda, and Influence Operations; International Exchange and Education; U.S. Domestic Politics; International Business Strategy
Over three decades, Mark Davidson has worked in and on the Indo-Pacific region as a senior diplomat, business executive, and academic.
As a career U.S. foreign service officer, Davidson served four times in Japan, including as U.S. Embassy Cultural and Educational Attaché and, later, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs. In Washington, DC, he worked on the Japan and Korea desks, managed Asia issues on the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives International Relations Committee, and directed global public diplomacy planning, policy, and resources. At the direction of President Obama, he established and was the first director of the Global Counterterrorism Communications Center. He also served in Caracas, Madrid, Asuncion, and Islamabad.
Davidson achieved the senior foreign service rank of Minister-Counselor, equivalent to a two-star general in the military. He received the State Department’s Superior Honor Award and the Secretary of State’s Career Achievement Award, among other honors.
From 2015 to 2024, Davidson oversaw government and external affairs, communications, and corporate social responsibility for a major U.S. multinational corporation, based in Tokyo. He won the 2020 Gold Standard Award for directing the most socially impactful corporate philanthropy program in the Indo-Pacific region.
In 2014-15, Davidson taught U.S.-Japan Relations and grand strategy in the Master’s program at the U.S. National War College, National Defense University, in Washington, DC. He has lectured widely, published book chapters, articles, and op-eds in three languages, and appeared live in multiple media outlets analyzing U.S. politics and foreign policy, including NHK TV’s prime time news.
Representative Publications
- Davidson, Mark J. 2014. 「ソフトパワーからスマトパワーヘ」(“From Soft Power to Smart Power: Advancing American Interests through Public Diplomacy”). Chapter in パブリックデイプロマシ ー戦略 (Public Diplomacy Strategy). Edited by Masafumi Kaneko and Mitsuru Kitano. Tokyo: PHP Press (In Japanese).
- Davidson, Mark J., et alia (U.S. Co-author). 2013. Final Report of the Japan-United States Education Task Force.
- Davidson, Mark J. 2013. “Marketing America: Pulling Back the Curtain on 21st Century Statecraft.” The Journal of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan 50, no. 7 (July 2013): 17-19.
- Davidson, Mark J. 2008. “Elements of Credible Public Diplomacy.” The Fletcher Forum of World Affairs 32, no. 3: 75-82.
Education
- AB in Religion (with high distinction), Dartmouth College
- MA in International Law and Diplomacy, The Fletcher School, Tufts University. (Thesis: ”Power and Civilization: Racial Ideology and U.S. Diplomacy in the Treaty of Portsmouth”)
- American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship, School of Advanced International Studies, the Johns Hopkins University (one-year post-graduate research and practicum on Congress and foreign policy)
Previous Academic Appointment
Full-time Faculty Member, U.S. National War College, U.S. National Defense University, Washington, D.C. (2014-15) (Taught U.S.-Japan Relations and Grand Strategy at the Master’s level)
Professional Associations and Boards
- American Foreign Service Association
- Leader, U.S.-Japan Council
- Council of Advisors, Japan-America Society of Rhode Island
- Member, Board of Directors, U.S.-Japan Bridging Foundation
- Member, Board of Overseers, Temple University Japan
- Chair Emeritus, Government Relations and Education Committees, American Chamber of Commerce in Japan