Phil Taylor's papers
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BACK TO : PROPAGANDA AND THE LONG WAR - Year 8 - 2009
Policies, Not Communication Failures, Responsible for Negative U.S. Image - AUC 
U.S. Public Diplomacy Chief says Bush Policies, Not Communication Failures, Responsible for Negative U.S. Image "Inaugurating the Adham Center's new Virtual Newsroom, the head of U.S. public diplomacy told a group of Egyptian bloggers that Bush administration policies, not a failure to communicate America's message, are responsible for negative attitudes toward the U.S. in the Muslim world. The comments from James Glassman, who steps down Friday from his post as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, came in a unique dialogue with Egyptian bloggers in The American University in Cairo's new Virtual Newsroom in Second Life, an online interactive environment. To view the entire virtual broadcast, click here:
"There is no doubt the views of the U.S. were influenced by the policies the U.S. adopted. Now is it a matter of us not explaining our policies well or people not liking what we are doing? I lean toward people don't like what we are doing, but I do think we can do a better job of explaining our policies," Glassman, a Bush appointee, told the bloggers. Glassman said the biggest lesson he has learned in his seven months in office is that the U.S. must "avoid hubris," which has sometimes characterized the America's approach to the world. "The U.S., like any other country, will follow its own interests ultimately, but we're not doing a very good job of listening or respectfully hearing what they have to say. That as a criticism of this administration is an apt criticism," he said. GAZA The virtual dialog brought together the bloggers, based in Cairo, and Glassman, who was speaking from Washington. It came against the background of the current conflict in Gaza. Challenged by the bloggers, he defended the U.S. decision to abstain from voting for a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, but said that position does not mean the U.S. opposes the measure. "Even though we abstained, we actually support the goals, but look toward what Egypt is doing as potentially the most effective way to obtain a durable and sustainable ceasefire," the undersecretary said. Asked whether apparent support for Israel's actions in Gaza hurt America's relations with the Muslim world, Glassman rejected the idea that the Bush administration "has been lenient" toward the Jewish state, but acknowledged that American interests "tend to align with those of Israel." "I think the U.S., not just the Bush administration, Americans are big supporters of Israel. That is just a fact for a number of reasons, partly because it's a democratic country," he said. "The vast majority of Americans have an affinity for Israel." That relationship, he said, also extends to policy. "There is a general recognition, especially in many Arab countries, that the hand of Iran is behind what is going on in Gaza and here is an area where the U.S. and Israel clearly have the same interests as, by the way, do the vary majority of Arab nations." Several U.S. public diplomacy chiefs since 9/11 have sought to "rebrand America" through television commercials and slick packaging. Glassman rejected that tactic. "I don't think that my job as undersecretary of state is to improve America's image. I don't see this as a PR job. I think there has been too much focus on this idea of image burnishing or image building," he said. "One of the things that I've learned is that the best way to advance American interests is not to preach or yell or scream at people and not to constantly try to blow our own horn but to do a better job of respectfully listening," he added. NEW MEDIA The "virtual" meeting with the bloggers, viewed online by a global audience, was part of a larger USAID-funded project to help Egyptian bloggers better understand the U.S. political process. The effort is coordinated by the Kamal Adham Center for Journalism Training and Research at The American University in Cairo, which sent eight bloggers to the U.S. to cover the elections. The AUC Virtual Newsroom was created as a venue where Arab journalists can meet virtually with experts and officials around the world. The event was produced by Dancing Ink Productions of New York, which also built the Virtual Newsroom. Glassman has spearheaded the use of new media for what he calls Public Diplomacy 2.0. He says the interactive nature of the internet facilitates the kind of open dialogue he believes is crucial to winning support. "These tools are frankly anathema to violent extremists. They run cult-like organizations where it is important to seal off people from any kind of criticism of outside influence," he said. Glassman rejected criticism that his efforts to communicate U.S. policy on the Gaza crisis have been too focused on new media at the expense of mainstream news organizations. "We have certainly done what we can to have discussion about what's happening, but sometimes the traditional kinds of techniques of PR, issuing press releases standing up and doing press conferences, I'm not so sure we have a lot of people listen to that," he told the bloggers. EGYPT He also defended U.S. policy toward Egypt. "Are we happy with everything the Egyptian regime is doing on the democracy process? Absolutely not," he told the Egyptian bloggers, who suggested support for "authoritarian" Arab governments was undermining attitudes toward the U.S." As evidence of U.S. displease, he cited U.S. protests to the Egyptian government for preventing several Egyptians from participating in a youth gathering organized by his office, and criticism of actions against pro-democracy activists such as Saad Eddine Ibrahim and the detention of former presidential candidate Ayman Nour, but added, "I don't think just because we have concerns that we should break off relations with Egypt or any other nation that does not uphold the highest standards of democracy." Glassman said he did not expect the approach toward Egypt, or the essentials of U.S. Middle East policy, to dramatically change under in Obama White House. "In general, if you look at American history you don't see abrupt foreign policy changes from one administration to another," he told the bloggers. "There is likely to be more continuity than change," adding that during the transition from the Republican Bush administration to the Democratic Obama team there has been "a degree of cooperation that I think most people around the world would find very surprising." Since he is a political appointee, not a career diplomat, Glassman steps down a few days before President-elect Obama takes office. It was evident to the bloggers that he was sorry to end his tenure so soon. "I would personally like to work for the new administration, but I don't think that's going to happen," he said. |