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Public Diplomacy: Reinvigorating America's Strategic No. 1065 Delivered February 13, 2008 March 14, 2008 Public Diplomacy: Reinvigorating America’s Strategic Communications Policy Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D., Helle C. Dale, Colleen Graffy, Michael Doran, Ph.D., Joseph Duffey, Ph.D., Tony Blankley EDWIN J. FEULNER: I welcome you to this very important discussion on public diplomacy. First, a little bit of ancient history. Talking Points In the first Reagan Administration, I was invited by • U.S. government agencies and departments the President to serve as a Member, and then as the are hampered in their efforts to improve Chairman, of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Pub- public diplomacy by a combination of poor leadership, inadequate coordination, and lic Diplomacy. I had the honor of being a Member and insufficient resources. the Chair on that panel for almost 10 years, under both Reagan Administrations, the Bush Administra- • Some view the strategic communications of tion, and well into the Clinton Administration. I had the Cold War as the solution to our public diplomacy challenges today. Unfortunately, the opportunity to see public diplomacy up close and many of the solutions that were valid then to see the incredible importance it had in terms of con- fall short now. veying America’s message internationally and in terms of going beyond the customary notion of U.S. State • Some in D.C. believe that the U.S. govern- ment needs a separate agency to set the Department talking to a foreign ministry or govern- strategic direction for public diplomacy. ment talking to government. In effect, it was a people- to-people kind of communication. • Within the U.S. State Department the view prevails that public diplomacy should be a The Nature of Public Diplomacy function of the State Department alone. Public diplomacy for me is more than one more • As we seek to improve the U.S. image area of study; it is a central part, not only of our foreign abroad and engage in a war of ideas with and defense policy infrastructure, but something that Muslim extremism, improving the relevant I’ve been very, very much involved in. I also commend public diplomacy structures of the U.S. gov- our colleagues at our sister institutions, my own alma ernment will be crucial. mater, the Center for Strategic and International Stud- This paper, in its entirety, can be found at: ies, which is going to be holding a seminar on a similar www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/hl1065.cfm subject within the next few days with the new head of Produced by the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty from Prague, and of the others. Public diplomacy, in fact, has come back cen- Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis ter stage even as experts admit that we have some real Institute for International Studies Published by The Heritage Foundation challenges in terms of getting caught up again, if you 214 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC 20002–4999 will, in terms of public diplomacy. (202) 546-4400 • heritage.org Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflect- ing the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress. No. 1065 Delivered February 13, 2008 Shortly after the American Revolution, John What are our priorities? Do we need new tools to Adams was asked how many supported the war and get the job done? Have we learned from our public how many were opposed. Adams said about one- diplomacy successes and failures during the Cold third of the population had supported it, one-third War? Answering these questions, while immensely had opposed it, and about one-third was waiting to challenging, is critical to America’s future. It is, how- see who won. In many ways that’s the situation ever, a challenge I’m sure our panelists today will America faces today in the court of world opinion. not shy away from. There are still those around the world who wish to It’s now my very great pleasure to introduce our work with us, there are those who attempt to do us colleague, Helle Dale, who will moderate this dis- harm, and there are those who are simply waiting to cussion. She is the Deputy Director of our Kathryn see which side will prevail. Today, as has been the and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International case throughout our history, America has a peaceful Studies and the Director of our Douglas and Sarah message, yet we are doing some harm to the nation Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies. and to our credibility by not effectively advocating for ourselves. —Edwin J. Feulner, Ph.D., is President of The Heritage Foundation. This manifests itself in many ways, but especially concerning the War on Terrorism. As that distin- guished group of Americans said in the 9/11 Com- HELLE C. DALE: Washington has come to real- mission Report, “If the United States does not act ize that there is a problem with our public diplomacy aggressively to define itself in the Islamic world, the efforts. As Dr. Feulner mentioned in his introduc- extremists will gladly do the job for us.” Unfortu- tion, public diplomacy is an issue that The Heritage nately, that reality is part of why the opinion of Foundation has been engaged in for several years. America and our intentions remains abysmal in Speaking as a former journalist, it is also an issue most Muslim countries. A recent lack of effective that I care a great deal about, covering the way the public diplomacy abroad continues to affect world world looks at the United States. opinion in a negative fashion—even among many of If there’s one thing that the many, many studies our allies. on public diplomacy have taught us—going back to According to the Pew Center, only 9 percent of the studies done since September 11, 2001—it is the Turkish people and just 15 percent of Pakistanis that U.S. government agencies have been hampered have a favorable view of the United States. Thirty in their efforts by lack of coordination and by lack of percent of Germans have a positive view of America, a vision and leadership from the highest levels. It’s down from 42 percent as recently as two years ago. unfortunate that we have spent so much of our Our favorable ratings continue to drop even in our efforts on the high power/soft power debate while allies, Great Britain and Canada. neglecting the impact that soft power, communica- Studies like this have repeatedly found that U.S. tion, and strategic thinking have on how to commu- government agencies and departments are ham- nicate and influence audiences abroad. pered in their efforts to improve public diplomacy As part of the campaign on Leadership for Amer- by a combination of poor leadership, inadequate ica, which The Heritage Foundation has undertaken coordination, and insufficient resources. Complicat- over the next five to 10 years, public diplomacy is a ing the problem is the fact that we have to become really important part of our foreign policy agenda, more targeted, more deliberate and coordinated than reinvigorating American foreign policy and its pub- ever before when reaching out to foreign audiences. lic diplomacy functions. I am very privileged to be In short, the U.S. must develop a strategy that part of that effort, and the meeting we’re having reflects our current position in the world that utiliz- today with a set of excellent speakers is a kickoff es dynamic new ways to deliver information to indi- event for a yearlong effort that will look at how to viduals and to articulate the ways we want to be assemble a public diplomacy strategy, looking for- perceived. What should that strategy look like? ward to the next administration. page 2 No. 1065 Delivered February 13, 2008 Obviously, we have to give credit where credit is The next day I was interviewed by a reporter from due. I would say to some of our speakers here today Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and after a lengthy that the efforts for the last two years of the Bush interview he hesitated and said, “Please, I must ask Administration at least have intensified greatly, and you one more question on behalf of our listeners. We we have seen improvements in the public diploma- understand you are from Santa Barbara. Is every- cy arena. I’m delighted to be able to welcome one of thing really as wonderful as it is in the soap opera?” the key people on Ambassador Karen Hughes’ team, I have the feeling that just being from Santa Bar- which has been very instrumental in formulating bara doesn’t carry quite the same cachet here as it something closer to the kind of strategy we need, does in Russia and Eastern Europe where the soap creating more interagency interaction, and rapid opera is still in reruns. However, it is a good remind- reaction teams to deal with news reports all over the er of the power of television and of the challenges world that are detrimental to the reputation of the we face in strategic communications today. United States. Many view the strategic communications of the Colleen Graffy assumed her duties as Deputy Cold War as the solution to our public diplomacy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the challenges today. Unfortunately, many of the solu- Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the State tions that were valid then fall short now. Of course, Department in September 2005.
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