31 July 2002
Source: http://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=02073001.plt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml


US Department of State
International Information Programs

Washington File
_________________________________

30 July 2002

Council Report Recommends Major Public Diplomacy Overhaul

(Report aims to strengthen U.S. foreign policy abroad) (1840)

A report from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recommends a
sweeping overhaul of the U.S. government's public diplomacy agencies
and programs to improve America's image and strengthen efforts to
advance U.S. foreign policies abroad.

"Around the world, from Western Europe to the Far East, many see the
United States as arrogant, hypocritical, self-absorbed,
self-indulgent, and contemptuous of others," the council report said.

The report -- prepared by a 35-member task force that included
journalists, former diplomats, and scholars on the Middle East -- was
released July 30 in Washington. The CFR specializes in research and
publications designed to increase America's understanding of the world
and contribute to the formulation of U.S. foreign policy.

"The Task Force applauds the positive steps taken by the
administration, including appointing an under secretary of state for
public diplomacy and launching an Arabic language radio station
targeted at younger Middle Eastern audiences, but it also points to
recent polls showing America's image problem is global -- not just
isolated to the Middle East," the report's introduction said.
"Negative attitudes about U.S. policy are also pervasive in front-line
states in the war on terrorism and among our closest allies."

The report recommends:

-- Issuing a presidential directive on public diplomacy to make clear
the U.S. government's commitment to public diplomacy as a strategic
element of U.S. foreign policy;

-- Expanding the use of political campaign techniques, including
polling, to shape attitudes toward the United States;

-- Establishing a White House-based Public Diplomacy Coordinating
Structure (PDCS) to coordinate efforts, headed by a senior adviser to
the president;

-- Reforming the State Department to provide the necessary
organizational structure and resources to bolster the public diplomacy
effort;

-- Building congressional support for public diplomacy to
substantially increase funding overall; and

-- Establishing an independent Corporation for Public Diplomacy (CPD),
similar to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to develop
programs to communicate American messages abroad.

The full report can be found at
http://www.cfr.org/public/PublicDiplomacy_TF.html

(Note: In the text, billion equals 1,000 million.)

Following is the executive summary of the CFR report:

(begin text)

Independent Task Force Reports

Public Diplomacy: A Strategy for Reform -- Summary

A Report of an Independent Task Force on Public Diplomacy Sponsored by
the Council on Foreign Relations

Summary

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, the Council on
Foreign Relations assembled an Independent Task Force of experts and
opinion leaders from government, the media, the arts, advertising, and
public relations, as well as Islamic and regional scholars to examine
the current limitations in U.S. public diplomacy and to develop
practical, innovative recommendations for improving America's messages
and messengers. The "sine qua non" of the report's conclusion is that
public diplomacy must be a central element of U.S. foreign policy.

The Task Force's intention is to contribute to the general public
discourse, the administration's internal policy deliberations and the
current public diplomacy debate on Capitol Hill.

I. Right rhetoric, but more action needed

While President George W. Bush sounded the right rhetorical notes
about upgrading public diplomacy to combat terrorism and America's
shaky image abroad, and also took initial steps, he must do more, and
better, urgently. The Task Force applauds the positive steps taken by
the administration, including appointing an undersecretary of state
for public diplomacy and launching an Arabic language radio station
targeted at younger Middle Eastern audiences, but it also points to
recent polls showing America's image problem is global -- not just
isolated to the Middle East. Negative attitudes about U.S. policy are
also pervasive in front-line states in the war on terrorism and among
our closest allies. Around the world, from Western Europe to the Far
East, many see the United States as arrogant, hypocritical,
self-absorbed, self-indulgent, and contemptuous of others.

II. Integrate U.S. foreign policy and public diplomacy in a coherent
strategy with backing from the top

The Task Force warns that without the government's clear commitment to
public diplomacy as a central element of foreign policy, public
diplomacy efforts will founder. The report concludes that it is
essential for the administration to "listen" to the world, even as it
defines American interests and defends and asserts them abroad. Public
diplomacy cannot be an afterthought. It must be present at the
creation, when and where policy is sculpted.

III. Specific measures to reorganize the U.S. public diplomacy
machinery and improve the quality of America's messages and
messengers:

-- Issue a presidential directive on public diplomacy to make clear
the U.S. government's commitment to public diplomacy as a strategic
element of U.S. foreign policy. Early in 2001, the administration
undertook to review previous efforts to integrate public diplomacy
into the policy process before implementing its own interagency
coordinating structure. In July 2002, 17 months later and 10 months
after September 11, this review is still ongoing. By issuing a
presidential directive, President George W. Bush will generate
widespread public and private sector attention, bolster public
diplomacy planning and review processes, and strengthen America's
ability to communicate effectively with foreign publics.

-- Create a Public Diplomacy Coordinating Structure (PDCS) led by the
president's personal designee to ensure action and coordination at the
highest level. Similar to the National Security Council in its role as
adviser, synthesizer, coordinator, and prioritizer, the role of the
PDCS would be to develop public diplomacy priorities and to oversee
and coordinate public diplomacy between government agencies themselves
and between government agencies and the private sector.

-- Reform the State Department to provide the necessary organizational
structure and resources to bolster the public diplomacy effort. The
Task Force recommends providing increased budget and operational
authority for the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and
public affairs, and making public diplomacy the primary responsibility
of the deputy assistant secretaries in the State Department's regional
bureaus. Further recommendations include greatly expanding the use of
the department's multi-language Internet websites and leased satellite
TV and FM radio broadcasting channels, strengthening the Office of
International Information Programs, and significantly increasing media
skills and public diplomacy training for all ambassadors and foreign
service personnel.

-- Initiate an evaluation of diplomatic readiness through a
Quadrennial Diplomacy Review to keep officials energized and
accountable. This evaluation, similar to the Quadrennial Defense
Review, should be conducted by the secretary of state in consultation
with the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. It should
replace budget-driven reviews of the status quo with strategy-based
assessments of diplomatic readiness, requirements, and capabilities.

Build congressional support for public diplomacy to substantially
increase funding overall. To make public diplomacy the kind of
priority the administration has talked about would involve a budget
far in excess of the approximately $1 billion [$1,000 million]
currently spent by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of
Governors in their public diplomacy programming. As a point of
reference, just one percent of the Defense Department's proposed
budget of $379 billion would be $3-to-$4 billion. This pales in
comparison to the $222 billion American companies invest annually on
overseas advertising.

Increase the effectiveness of public opinion research and adopt an
"engagement" approach that involves listening and dialogue because
'persuasion' begins with listening. The U.S. government spends only $5
million annually on foreign public opinion polling. This amount does
not cover the research costs of an average U.S. Senate campaign and it
is a tiny fraction of the $6 billion spent by the U.S. private sector
to gauge overseas opinion. It is critical that we allocate additional
moneys and modernize methodologies in order to better understand the
audiences we want to reach. We must know in advance the likely
relevance of and level of attitudinal resistance to our policies and
the communications about them.

-- Focus public diplomacy on supporting moderate voices and reaching
out to younger people, particularly in the Middle East where the young
comprise an unprecedented and growing share of the population. The
Task Force recommends more intensive and creative use of interactive
media to reach the majority of this population, and calls for
identifying and supporting independent messengers in the region, who
can criticize fanaticism with more credibility.

-- Cultivate and improve access for foreign journalists because they
are the main transmission belts for what the United States is doing
and why. Foreign reporters are highly credible messengers, but are
generally given short shrift by administration spokespersons. The
administration should increase foreign press access to senior American
officials and engage foreign journalists more effectively at all
times, not just during crises.

Tie U.S. policies in our public diplomacy effort to basic American
values, shared and admired around the world in order to foster a
better understanding of these policies. U.S. efforts should build on
the positive side of the love-resentment divide that characterizes
much world opinion about the United States. To foster a better
understanding of American policies, the administration should link
them more closely to America's cultural values that are admired around
the world: our democratic tradition, freedom of expression, freedom of
religion, the universal reach of education, volunteerism, and an
expansive social safety net; as well as to American values that are
widely shared by many of the world's cultures -- the values of family
and religious faith.

Draw into our public diplomacy effort the talent and energy of the
private sector and bridge the gap between public and private sector
initiatives by creating an independent public/private not-for-profit
"Corporation for Public Diplomacy" (CPD). Modeled after the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the CPD would leverage private
sector creativity and flexibility. America's true voice heard globally
is a complex mixture of public diplomacy, journalism, marketing and
other commercial messages -- and pop culture in all its variety.
Independent and indigenous messengers, including young and moderate
Arabs and Muslims, mullahs, journalists, and talk show personalities
can be much more fluid in their ability to engage varied audiences in
"two-way" dialogue and debate, as opposed to conventional one-way
"push-down" communications. Much broadened use should also be made of
American life, including Arab-American firefighters and police
officers who rushed to the WTC [World Trade Center] scene, victims,
particularly women and children, including Arab and Muslim Americans
who died or lost loved ones, Arab and Muslim-Americans who are
thriving in the United States and the respect their religion receives,
as well as well-known American sports figures and celebrities like
Muhammed Ali and other business leaders, scientists, and healthcare
leaders.

In sum, the U.S. has significantly under-performed in its efforts to
capture the hearts and minds of foreign publics. The marginalization
of public diplomacy has left a legacy of under-funded and
uncoordinated efforts. Lack of political will and absence of overall
strategy have rendered past public diplomacy programs virtually
impotent in today's increasingly crowded communications world. While
sound public diplomacy is not a silver bullet for America's image
problem, making it a true component of the foreign policy-making
process is a vital step towards ensuring the nation's security.

(end text)

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