On Nov. 1, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at Annenberg hosted a presentation by Sarala Fernando, a Fulbright Professional Scholar from Sri Lanka. Fernando discussed the role of public diplomacy in Sri Lanka's transition from three decades of armed conflict. As an Indian Ocean state, Sri Lanka is in the middle of an important trade route, Fernando said. The Indian Ocean hosts 90% of global commerce, 40% of sea borne crude oil supply and 50% of the global merchant fleet. Therefore, it is important for Sri Lanka to maintain strong global relationships. As the conflicts within Sri Lanka drew to a close in 2009, "Sri Lanka has positioned itself to get its old place back in the world," said Fernando. The country has undergone immense restoration that includes roads connecting the north and the south, rebuilt schools, and new shelters, as well as new airports and ports that connect Sri Lanka to the rest of the world. The substantial progress made within the country is obvious to Sri Lankans: "People are grateful,"Fernando said, "they are glad that children can go to school and that there have been no bombs or terrorist attacks since 2009." However, the global perception of Sri Lanka is still one riddled with ideas of human rights abuses and consistent conflict. But in fact Sri Lanka kept its human development credits high throughout the war, said Fernando. Sri Lanka maintained a low infant mortality rate and a high literacy rate. "Hostilities stopped to vaccinate children in conflict areas," she said. The country maintained free universal health care and education -- "These things didnt stop because of war," Fernando said. In order to change Sri Lanka's image, young diplomats are being trained in communication and presentation skills, leadership skills, negotiations, strategic analysis, and intelligence gathering, as well as reshaping traditional models for promoting trade, investment and tourism. "Foreign policy is now more than ever dependent on domestic policy," said Fernando. Without sound domestic policy strategies, foreign policy will not succeed.