Embassy of the United States

Foreign Relations

Diplomacy Archive

MEDIA AS GLOBAL DIPLOMAT.
U.S. Institute of Peace. Sheldon Himelfarb et al. June 1, 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 12 pages]

Public diplomacy in today's media climate favors a decentralized approach that reflects the fragmentation of information and builds on local partnerships that go beyond U.S. governmental broadcasting to foreign audiences, according to the report. Media companies, NGOs, and third-party news outlets can reach certain communities that the U.S. government media cannot. Citizen-to-citizen exchanges and citizen journalism allow for more access and participation in the "grand conversation" that takes place outside government channels. The United States needs to tap the potential of citizen media and citizen networks to enhance U.S. understanding of foreign cultures and overseas understanding of America, says the authors.

[Note: contains copyright material.]

U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: KEY ISSUES FOR CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT. U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE.
May 27, 2009.
Full Text [PDF format, 43 pages]

While the prior administration issued a national communication strategy in June 2007, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2009 requires that the President issue a new comprehensive strategy by December 2009 to guide interagency efforts. The issues discussed in the enclosures to this report should be considered in the development of the new strategic plan, related agency and country-level plans, and other areas such as State’s human capital and security policies.

TREATIES IN FORCE 2009.
U.S. Department of State. May 2009.
Full Text [HTML format with links to PDF file]

Treaties in Force is prepared by the Department of State for the purpose of providing information on treaties and other international agreements to which the United States has become a party and which are carried on the records of the Department of State as being in force as of its stated publication date, January 1, 2009.

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Ottoway, Marina DIPLOMACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST (Harvard International Review, vol. 30, no. 3, Fall 2008, pp. 68-71)
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Ottaway, Director of the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, discusses the new independence being shown by the Gulf countries. She feels that, while this presents a challenge for Obama’s administration, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for America to work with Gulf countries to tackle the major problems of this region. Since Saddam Hussein was removed from power in early 2003, the number of Arab governments that are antagonistic to the U.S. has dwindled to nearly none. However, regimes that have been friendly to the U.S. are not blindly following Washington’s lead. While not hostile to America, the countries of the Gulf are pursuing policies that they believe protect their interests, regardless of what Washington wants.

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Dessoff, Alan HIGHER EDUCATION AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (International Educator, vol. 17, no. 5, September/October 2008, pp. 16-20)
Full Text [PDF format; 4 pages]

Former Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs and current President and CEO of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Patricia de Stacy Harrison, gives an interview urging patience on waiting for returns on investments made in international education. Ultimately, international education is an incredible value as it fosters a community of people of goodwill with mutual respect and understanding. A joint Department of State and Homeland Security advisory panel recently issued a report specifically advocating international education as a key component of public diplomacy. Harrison concludes this interview by citing the need for international education to be a two-way street with American students also studying abroad.

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Amr, Hady; Singer, P. W. TO WIN THE ‘WAR ON TERROR,’ WE MUST FIRST WIN THE ‘WAR OF IDEAS’: HERE’S HOW (The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, no. 618, July 2008, pp. 212-222)
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The authors, both fellows at the Brookings Institution, offer instructions for the next president to undertake initiatives in public diplomacy to reach Muslim states. They feel that these initiatives should be of the highest national security importance and receive commensurate resources. The authors note that American efforts at communicating with Muslim-majority nations since 9/11 have been unsuccessful because they lacked energy, focus and an integrated strategy. To improve the deteriorating image of the United States in the Muslim world, the authors suggest ten public diplomacy initiatives, including establishing American Centers across the region, bolstering cultural exchange programs, and involving the whole federal bureaucracy in public diplomacy.

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Fallows, James THEIR OWN WORST ENEMY (Atlantic Monthly, vol. 302, no. 4, November 2008, pp. 72-77)
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After spending two years in China, Fallows wonders “how can official China possibly do such a clumsy and self-defeating job of presenting itself to the world? China, like any big, complex country, is a mixture of goods and bads. But I have rarely seen a governing and ‘communications’ structure as consistent in hiding the good sides and highlighting the bad.” China’s press policy, he says, reflects the view that scrutiny from the Western press is not really necessary and the ignorance and insularity among China’s leadership about the hows and whys of foreign opinion and its importance.

FOREIGN AID

Archive

AA08399
Jentleson, Bruce; Weber, Steven AMERICA'S HARD SELL (Foreign Policy, vol. 169, November-December 2008, pp. 43-49)
Full Text (EbscoHost; password required)

Jentleson and Weber, professors of political science at Duke University and the University of California at Berkeley respectively, argue that the public diplomacy strategies of the last century won't work as well in the 21st century. The "War of Ideas" metaphor is outdated and should be replaced with the "Marketplace of Ideas" where the U.S. competes for market share against other ideologies, some from nonstate sources. The authors contend that ideology is the most important component of national powers, technology massively multiplies soft power, and "domestic values" and "international values" must be consistent. The authors write that the U.S. will have to compete with countries, global corporations, religious movements, Internet communities -- each with strengths and shortcomings -- on a level playing field.

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A FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUDGET FOR THE FUTURE: FIXING THE CRISIS IN DIPLOMATIC READINESS (American Academy of Diplomacy and the Henry L. Stimson Center, October 2008, 75 pp.)
Full Text [PDF format,75 pages]

This report, a collaborative effort of 48 retired ambassadors and other foreign affairs experts, concludes that the U.S. faces critical foreign challenges with inadequate staff and resources as well as "authority shortfalls" relating to some economic and security assistance programs. The study reviews four categories of activity: core diplomacy, public diplomacy, economic assistance, and reconstruction/stabilization. It devotes 13 pages to public diplomacy activities, which it limits narrowly to exchanges, international information programs, and field operations carried out by the Department of State. For these activities, the report recommends increasing U.S. direct-hire staff by 487, locally employed staff by 369, and overall staff and program funding increases totaling $610.4 million by Fiscal Year 2014. In an Appendix, the report devotes a page to international broadcasting and two pages to a skeptical look at public diplomacy activities of the Department of Defense.

A FOREIGN AFFAIRS BUDGET FOR THE FUTURE: FIXING THE CRISIS IN DIPLOMATIC READINESS.
American Academy of Diplomacy. October 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 30 pages]

The report recommends that the State Department hire 4,735 more Foreign Service staffers and other key personnel between fiscal 2010 and 2014. New hires would be involved in core diplomatic efforts such as operating embassies and working with businesses and nongovernmental organizations abroad; engage in public diplomacy; administer economic assistance programs like those at USAID; and manage reconstruction and stabilization projects similar to ones in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those staffers would fill a 2008 shortfall of 2,400 employees, the authors say, and help State expand its activities while allowing more employees to receive much-needed training.

[Note: contains copyrighted material]

GETTING THE PEOPLE PART RIGHT: A REPORT ON THE HUMAN RESOURCES DIMENSION OF U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.
U.S. Department of State. 2008.
Full Text [PDF format, 41 pages]

Public diplomacy, the effort to understand, inform and influence foreign publics in support of foreign policy objectives, has never been more important to the security of U.S. than it is today. The challenges confronting U.S. public diplomacy (PD) are varied and there is no single easy fix for them. Getting the human resources dimension of public diplomacy right, however, can go a long way toward enhancing the overall effectiveness of our nation’s outreach to the world. The report casts a spotlight on these important issues and offers some concrete recommendations for improvement.

AA08333
Amend, Kurt COUNTERINSURGENCY PRINCIPLES FOR THE DIPLOMAT (Small Wars Journal, Posted July 19, 2008)
Full Text [PDF format, 15 pages]

The recent resurgence of interest in insurgency and counterinsurgency has revealed a deficit in material written by and for the diplomat, the actor ostensibly responsible for the political component of a counterinsurgency campaign. To make political headway the diplomat-counterinsurgent needs to develop a strategic narrative, build a political strategy around the narrative, acquire expertise, become a catalyst for political change, and maximize contact with the local population. In doing so, he will make important contributions to and help accelerate success in a counterinsurgency campaign.

AA08320
Snow, Nancy INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES AND THE U.S. IMAGE (Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, no. 616, March 2008, pp. 198-222)
Full Text available from your nearest American Library

Snow, Senior research fellow at the University of Southern California, reviews four special issues of The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science that were devoted to the issue of international exchange programs and the U.S. image. She concludes that methods of public diplomacy that were applicable in the past can still be applied today, including the importance of dialogue in overcoming stereotypes, building relationships, knowing the target culture, and enhancing the national reputation of America during ideological contests. The primacy of one individual in contact with another individual remains one of the most important opportunities to change attitudes and, thereby, improve the image of the United States.

AA08287
Taylor, Humphrey THE NOT-SO-BLACK ART OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (World Policy Journal, vol. 24, no. 4, Winter 2007/08, pp. 51-59)
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Chairman of the Harris Poll, Humphrey Taylor, defines public diplomacy as how leaders and countries explain themselves and their policies to the world. Most people around the world do not see themselves as others see them. Children are taught that their country is better than others and the media and politicians reinforce these beliefs. Public diplomacy should work closely with traditional diplomacy and rely upon culture and values to promote goodwill and respect between countries. The media in other nations is a potential tool of influence and America must work toward getting more positive coverage of the U.S. and its policies in the foreign media.

AN OLYMPIC LIFT TO U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS.
Brookings Institute. Cheng Li et al. August 5, 2008.
Full Text [html format, various paging]

The survey in the report shows that the people of both China and the U.S. widely accept the growing importance of the US-China relationship. The polling shows that 52 percent of Americans hold favorable views of China, while 60 percent of Chinese hold favorable views of America. The greatest opportunity is for the 20,000 foreign journalists converging on Beijing, many of whom are fanning out across China, to see and to report on the country in its vast fullness. A broader and more nuanced portrayal of China in the media is critical to the enhancement of Americans' understanding as well as to progress by policymakers.

[Note: contains copyrighted material]

AA08241
Kanjwal, Hafsa AMERICAN MUSLIMS AND THE USE OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY (Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 9, no. 2, Summer/Fall 2008, pp. 133-139)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

The author, who served on the board of the Muslim Students Association at Georgetown University, argues that one of our major challenges will be to address the growing mutual suspicion, fear, and misunderstanding between Western and Muslim societies. Cultural diplomacy should take precedence over public relations diplomacy, and the American Muslim community needs to develop a sophisticated cultural presence before it can be coherent on a civic or political level to create a cohesive and accessible American Muslim identity. There is a large percentage of Americans who are Muslim but feel they have been left out of the “core,” which is often preoccupied on theological issues. Through case studies, the author highlights cultural material being produced by the American Muslim community, such as MuslimGirl Magazine, and Musa Syeed, the young American Muslim filmmaker who produced the award-winning documentary “A Son’s Sacrifice.”

SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, AND AMERICAN DIPLOMACY: BACKGROUND AND ISSUES FOR CONGRESS.
Congressional Research Service, RL34503, Library of Congress. Deborah D. Stine. Web posted June 9, 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 13 pages]

Science and engineering activities have always been international. Scientists, engineers, and health professionals frequently communicate and cooperate with one another without regard to national boundaries. The report discusses international science and technology (S&T) diplomacy, instances when American leadership in S&T is used as a diplomatic tool. It enhances another country’s development and improves understanding by other nations of U.S. values and ways of doing business. The five developmental challenges where S&T could play a role include child health and child survival, safe water, agricultural research to reduce hunger and poverty, micro-economic reform, and mitigation of natural disasters.

Bellamy, Carol; Weinberg, Adam EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL EXCHANGES TO RESTORE AMERICA’S IMAGE (Washington Quarterly, 31:3, Summer 2008, pp. 55–68)
Full Text [pdf format, 14 pages]

Whoever wins the presidential race in 2008 will be faced with the challenge of restoring the U.S. image in the rest of the world… The exercise of public diplomacy has changed in an environment where technology moves information quickly and the U.S. government is less trusted. A new strategy must rely less on traditional media, and the messengers cannot be people who are perceived as spokespersons for U.S. foreign policy.

U.S. ELECTIONS AND THE WORLD.
Foreign Policy Association; “Public Diplomacy and the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election”. Web posted April 1, 2008.
Full Text

This item is a link to a blog maintained by the Foreign Policy Association and the Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School, University of Southern California. It includes numerous links to other blogs and websites that focus on public diplomacy. Its purpose is to collect and analyze statements by U.S. Presidential candidates on world opinion and world opinion on the U.S. elections.

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

AA08048
Ross, Dennis REMEMBER STATECRAFT? (American Scholar, vol. 76, no. 3, Summer 2007, pp. 47-57)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

Dennis Ross, formerly with the U.S. Department of State, urges the current administration to rediscover the lost art of statecraft. The definition of this term includes viewing the world as it is and not as we wish it would be. Those practicing statecraft must recognize that timing is crucial and opportunities for diplomacy must be recognized and seized. The author also provides historical examples of the use of successful statecraft by past administrations. In instances where statecraft has worked, the objective was clear, role players were recognized and personal work on the problem was necessary.

ARAB MEDIA AND US POLICY: A PUBLIC DIPLOMACY RESET.
Marwan M. Kraidy. Policy Analysis Brief, Stanley Foundation. January 2008.
Full Text [pdf format, 14 pages]

Over the past ten years, numerous polls have shown that the reputation of the U.S. has deteriorated. This negative image poses a challenge to the U.S. in the Arab region. Additionally, several studies, commissions, reports, and assessments have tried to diagnose such problems as a lack of international communications strategy, insufficient funds for public diplomacy, and inadequate public diplomacy structure. The author analyses these past studies and offers several remedies to the “deteriorating hearts and minds situation.”

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

AA08036
Roberts, Walter R. WHAT IS PUBLIC DIPLOMACY? PAST PRACTICES, PRESENT CONDUCT, POSSIBLE FUTURE (Mediterranean Quarterly, vol. 18, no. 4, Fall 2007, pp. 36-52)
Full Text [pdf format, 17 pages]

The author, cofounder of the Public Diplomacy Institute at George Washington University and a former member of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, writes that there is no agreement on what constitutes public diplomacy. A century ago, the populations of most countries were all-but-unreachable; no government had any reason to explain their policies to foreign publics. That changed with the invention of radio, which the Bolshevik and Nazi regimes used to great effect. It was the Nazi wartime propaganda activities in Latin America that prompted the U.S. to initiate cultural and academic exchanges. Roberts describes the post-WWII evolution of U.S. public diplomacy programs, which President Truman recognized were necessary during the newly-developing Cold War, and the often-thorny disagreements between “cultural” and “information” programs that led to the creation of the U.S. Information Agency. Roberts notes that in a modern, information-rich world, particularly with the development of the Internet, foreign publics are becoming more informed and sophisticated. Their attitudes are having an ever-greater impact on the actions of their governments, even in autocratic countries, and it is essential now that governments be able to reach the publics of other countries. The success of public diplomacy depends on a country’s policies, and has now become an essential part of our foreign policy.

AA07412
Burns, R. Nicholas AMERICA'S STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITY WITH INDIA (Foreign Affairs, Vol. 86, No. 6, November-December 2007)
Full text [html format]

According to Burns, U.S. under secretary of state for political affairs, the governments of the United States and India have only begun to catch up with the lead of the two countries' businesses in forming lasting alliances. Describing some diplomatic successes of the past few years, Burns lists several challenges remaining: strengthening military, intelligence, and law-enforcement cooperation to combat terrorism, drug trafficking, and nuclear proliferation; promoting India's agricultural production while narrowing differences over global trade; cooperating on innovations aimed at increasing energy efficiency and reducing harm to the environment; and promoting freedom and democracy worldwide. "The United States must adjust to a friendship with India that will feature a wider margin of disagreement than we are accustomed to -- but a friendship in which the extra effort will be made up for by rich long-term rewards," Burns said.

THE EMBASSY OF THE FUTURE. George L. Argyros, Marc Grossman, and Felix G. Rohatyn. Embassy of the Future Commission, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Web posted October 15, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 88 pages]

The purpose of this report is “to make the diplomatic pursuit of U.S. interests abroad even more effective than it is today.” Traditional diplomacy is being transformed. The Embassy of the Future Commission envisions an embassy with broad outreach that engages societies and builds relationships. The Commission suggests that the State Department needs more people, a well-trained workforce, modern technology, and communications tools to achieve “successful diplomatic engagement.”

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AND VISITING SCHOLARS: TRENDS, BARRIERS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES AND U.S. FOREIGN POLICY. Joint Hearing, Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on Education and Labor, U.S. House of Representatives. June 29, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 122 pages]

International students and scholars strengthen the U.S. economy by bringing in their dollars and their creativity. They also gain skills that allow them to confront poverty and promote economic growth in their home countries that in turn creates political stability and increases opportunities for trade and investment for the U.S. Additionally, students from other countries create familiarity and bonds of mutual respect. Under Secretary of State Karen Hughes testified that “having foreign students at American universities is one of the most powerful tools we have in our arsenal of public diplomacy.” 

This hearing discusses some of the difficulties international students have encountered since 9/11.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA: IS THE MESSAGE GETTING THROUGH?: HEARING. Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, Committee on Foreign Affairs, U.S. House of Representatives. May 16, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 82 pages]

This committee hearing discusses the challenge of “why we need to explain ourselves?” After September 11, it was clear that “public diplomacy should always have been a priority of U.S. foreign policy.” Eight years after the USIA was abolished and 5 ½ years after September 11, GAO [General Accountability Office] testified that “the government lacked an interagency communication strategy.” This hearing will examine the President’s Policy Coordination Committee on Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications and its pilot program in 18 countries.

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Lord, Kristin U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: CAN SCIENCE HELP? (Foreign Service Journal, July/August 2007, pp. 14-15)
Full text [pdf format, pages]

Lord, associate dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, DC, notes that the very group tasked with reversing America’s sinking global reputation, the State Department’s public-diplomacy officers, are “overworked, overburdened with administrative work, and too few in number.” Their frequent rotation inhibits their ability to develop lasting contacts. Lord argues that cooperation on science and technology (S&T) can provide a framework that is independent of the highly-charged foreign-policy atmosphere. She notes that in many Middle Eastern countries, public interest in U.S. S&T surpasses that for U.S. culture and our democratic system, and is an area that foreign audiences eagerly wish to engage in with the U.S. Lord writes that the State Department has many S&T experts who need to be brought into the critical task of public diplomacy.

DIPLOMACY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY: TRANSFORMATIONAL DIPLOMACY. Kennon H. Nakamura and Susan B. Epstein. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. August 23, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 32 pages]

Some foreign affairs experts anticipate a momentous transition in international systems; consequently, some officials have raised concerns about the need to reform American diplomacy. On January 18, 2006, Secretary of State Rice presented her vision for diplomatic change called “transformational diplomacy.” This report provides an overview of this plan, examines the calls for reform of diplomatic institutions, studies the Administration’s response, and presents experts’ concerns about specific elements of the proposal.

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Barron, Owen. A NEW APPROACH: ENGAGING THE MUSLIM WORLD THROUGH PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (Harvard International Review, vol. 28, no. 4, Winter 2007, pp. 30-33)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

Harvard International Review staff writer Owen Barron traces the history of American public diplomacy efforts. The author dwells on what is currently negative Arab public opinion of the U.S. However, although Arabs dislike American foreign policy, they affirm U.S. values. Barron offers several remedies for U.S. public diplomacy in this region of the world, including, not only explaining American values to Arabs, but, also, attempting to understand Islamic and Arabic cultures ourselves.

U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: ACTIONS NEEDED TO IMPROVE STRATEGIC USE AND COORDINATION OF RESEARCH. U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO). Web posted July 18, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 56 pages]

“DOD [Department of Defense] and USAID [U.S. Agency for International Development] use program-specific research to design, implement, and evaluate the impact of thematic communication efforts created to influence the attitudes and behaviors of target audiences. In contrast, we found that State [Department of State] has generally not adopted a research-focused approach to implement its thematic communications efforts.” GAO examined how research is used and how agencies identify end-user needs. GAO recommends that State adopt a research-focused “campaign-style” approach, assess user needs and satisfaction, establish protocol for sharing audience research, and create a research staff forum and clearinghouse of government-sponsored research. The agencies involved agreed with these recommendations.

AMERICA’S IMAGE ABROAD: ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. Lisa A. Curtis. Heritage Lectures, Heritage Foundation. May 31, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 6 pages]

The attacks on September 11, renewed Washington’s focus on reaching out to foreign audiences, particularly within the Muslim world. Defeating terrorist ideology requires dispelling negative perceptions of America, but worldwide polls suggest declining support for America. The author further states that merging the United States Information Agency (USIA) into the State Department sorely damaged public diplomacy efforts. This paper offers suggestions on how to improve U.S. public diplomacy through unified and consistent actions.

BUILDING MODERATE MUSLIM NETWORKS. Angel Rabasa, Cheryl Benard, Lowell H. Schwartz, and Peter Sickle. Center for Middle East Public Policy, RAND Corporation. May 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 217 pages]

Due to networks in the Muslim communities in North America and Europe, radical Islam has grown in recent years. Moderates Muslims do not have similar networks. The authors argue that the “United States has a critical role to play in leveling the playing field for Muslim moderates. The authors derive lessons from the U.S. and allied Cold War network-building experience, determine their applicability to the current situation in the Muslim world, assess the effectiveness of U.S. government programs of engagement with the Muslim world, and develop a “road map” to foster the construction of moderate Muslim networks.”

AA07221
Kofman, Michael HIGH HOPES: AMERICA’S PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (The Diplomatic Courier, vol. 1, no. 1, Fall 2006, pp. 35-40)
Full text [pdf format, 6 pages]

A new Washington-based global affairs magazine discusses the difficult mission of public diplomacy in a post-9/11 world where global public opinion is shaped by diverse sources of information beyond the control of any government. Kofman, a researcher with the U.S. Institute of Peace, writes that official U.S. government advocacy is forced to compete in a “vast sea of existing media, information, misinformation, news, propaganda and commercial marketing.” Four key U.S. policies consistently affect Muslim world opinion negatively, he says: the Iraq conflict; the U.S.-led war on terrorism; one-sided support for Israel in its conflict, first with the Palestinians, then with Hizbollah; and our unilateral pursuit of self-interest on the world stage.

It is not a marketing problem, Kofman says, and U.S. public diplomacy will never be very credible in the Muslim world “until the core policies that shape Muslim attitudes are changes.” Neither Under Secretary Karen Hughes nor Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are at fault, he writes. He says there are limits to the impact public diplomacy can have. The author says the U.S. government can advance broader policy interests by aiding and empowering its own civil society domestically to connect with others in the Muslim world and it should remove existing obstacles to such connections between U.S. and foreign organizations.

AA07220
Kaylan, Melik LOSING THE PROPAGANDA WARS (World Policy Journal, vol. 23, no. 4, Winter 2006/2007, pp. 19-26)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

The author, a Wall Street Journal commentator, writes that from the beginning of the Iraq venture, the Bush administration has not devoted much effort to winning over Iraqi public opinion, or in the greater Islamic world. Kaylan contrasts our tragic missteps in Iraq with the success in winning the Cold War; he believes that our descent “from zenith to nadir of preparedness ... is in considerable part a bureaucratic story”. The U.S. government’s public-diplomacy apparatus was largely dismantled and defunded by the Clinton administration after the Cold War, and suffered from a lack of direction during the 1990s; Kaylan fears that it will take years to rebuild. The present-day focus on the military rather than diplomacy has dismayed many longtime public-diplomacy professionals, who lament the “coarseness and inchoateness” of the current message.

Kaylan notes that, to the Muslim world, the U.S. appears to “be trying too hard, and badly” -– the U.S. needs to show the Islamic world that we know them better, and to provide an outlet for the democratic tradition of Islamic thought, that has been in retreat in the face of fundamentalist threats. The author notes that many high-profile reports have called for an overhaul of our public-diplomacy efforts, including the 2003 Djerejian report, and assessments by the Council on Foreign Relations, the General Accounting Office, and the Heritage Foundation. They all agree that more funding is needed, that there is a severe dearth of Arab speakers in the U.S. diplomatic corps, and that public diplomacy be represented by a Cabinet-level position with direct access to the President.

SOMALIA’S FUTURE: OPTIONS FOR DIPLOMACY, ASSISTANCE, AND PEACE OPERATIONS. Jennifer Cooke and David Henek. CSIS Report, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). January 17, 2007.
Full Text [pdf format, 13 pages]

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center held a conference on January 17, 2007, to discuss Somalia’s future. Representatives from humanitarian assistance organizations and regional analysts described the present situation in Somalia and outlined the challenges that the U.S. and the international community face in defining a “coherent strategy that is grounded in realism, caution, and patience.” This paper reports the findings of this conference.

AA07163
Mankoff, Jeffrey. RUSSIA AND THE WEST: TAKING THE LONGER VIEW
(Washington Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 2, Spring 2007, pp. 123-135)
Full text [pdf format, 14 pages]

The author, with the Olin Institute for Strategic Studies at Harvard University, notes that recent events, from the Kremlin’s support for separatist rebels in Georgia to the suspicious death of Aleksandr Litvinenko, have reinforced the idea the Vladimir Putin’s Russia is abandoning the West and “setting itself up as a serious rival to the agenda of spreading freedom and democracy around the globe.” Mankoff argues that recent Russian behavior “has been quite consistent with the strategy pursued by the Kremlin for the past decade, whose fundamental component is not challenging Western influence but proving that Moscow still matters internationally.” Putin, whom Mankoff describes as “about as pro-Western a leader as Russia can be expected to have,” is promoting Russia’s role as a great power rather than being anti-Western or anti-U.S. “A Russia that is sure of itself and of its standing in the world is likely to make a more stable, predictable partner for the West, even if it will not always agree with decisions made in Washington or Brussels.”

AA07162
Jarvik, Laurence. NGOs: A ‘NEW CLASS’ IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.
Orbis, vol. 51, no. 2, March 2007, pp. 217-238)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

The author, a writer and conservative critic, asserts that nongovernmental organizations have attempted to take control of civil society in many developing countries, displacing traditional governing institutions. This serves the interests of organized crime and extremist groups, who benefit from weak central government, and hinders the West's ability to mobilize allies to participate in the war on terror. NGO leaders who are hostile to the nation-state itself seek to transform a voluntary system of participation in international organizations by sovereign member-states via a “power shift” to an alliance of multinational corporations and NGOs. He argues that since they do not possess the traditional sources of legitimacy enjoyed by nation-states, they seek to impose their will by financial or other means, i.e., “sanctions” or “humanitarian intervention.” Jarvik asserts that a new class of NGOs has emerged that is essentially opposed to the diplomatic, legal, and military measures required for dealing with conflict.

AA07160
Cumings, Bruce. THE AMERICA WAY OF GOING TO WAR: MEXICO (1846) TO IRAQ.
(2003) (Orbis, vol. 51, no. 2, Spring 2007, pp. 195-215)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

The author, professor of history at the University of Chicago, asserts that, prior to the Iraq War, there had been a long series of American wars in which U.S. leaders often maneuvered the other side into “firing the first shot.” This strategy of “passive defense” amounts to an American way of going to war, and it dates back at least to the U.S.-Mexican War. The United States thus retained moral and legal legitimacy, but Cumings argues that the Iraq War represents a fundamental departure from this path. He believes that it might be the worst crisis since Vietnam, but that it was just the latest entry in the U.S. playbook for how to go to war. The Iraq War not only contradicts longstanding practices in American foreign policy, but it has the potential to create far greater international disorder than the Vietnam War. He believes that it may make future presidents more heedful of John Quincy Adams’ prophetic words: “go not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.”

AA07028
Smith, Pamela Hyde THE HARD ROAD BACK TO SOFT POWER
(Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Vol. 8, No. 1, Winter/Spring 2007, pp. 115-123)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

The author, a former ambassador to Moldova and currently teaching at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, describes some aspects of the continuing “downward slide in global public opinion” of the U.S. and her suggestions for reversing this worrisome trend. She contends that “Anti-American forces are taking advantage of the collapse of U.S. popularity across the globe, making anti-Americanism a national security threat.” Citing a string of alarming statistics about the U.S. image in the world, including a 2002 poll that indicated that there was not a single Muslim-majority country in which a majority believed that Arabs had carried out the 9/11 attacks, she observes, “Reservoirs of goodwill built up over decades have evaporated.” Pointing out that the U.S. “spends the same on public diplomacy as Britain or France,” she proposes a ten-fold increase in the public diplomacy budget and a reorganization of American public diplomacy efforts, removing the “long-term relationship building or ‘mutual understanding’ programs” from the State Department and moving them to a “Public Diplomacy Institute,” which would include all U.S. soft power institutions, such as the Peace Corps, USAID, the U.S. Institute for Peace, and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. She concludes, “ignoring the present crisis in American credibility will insure that the United States falters and fails in the twenty-first century.”

EMBASSIES AS COMMAND POSTS IN THE ANTI-TERROR CAMPAIGN.
Richard G. Lugar, Chairman. Committee on Foreign Relations, U.S. Senate. Web posted December 15, 2006.
Full Text [pdf format, 31 pages]

“Protecting Americans from terrorist attacks within the United States depends, to a great extent, on U.S. success overseas. The task is vast and worldwide. It requires enlisting host country policy to track and capture terrorists, uncovering terrorist financing, sharing intelligence with foreign partners, strengthening border surveillance in remote and unpopulated regions and building partnerships with foreign militaries. In the longer run, it requires convincing entire societies to reject terrorist propaganda and recruitment. A successful counterterrorism policy depends on strong relationships with foreign governments and the people residing in countries on every continent.”The committee staff members visited selected embassies to ascertain whether the State and Defense Departments were working together. The staff found:

• Blurred lines of authority between State and Defense departments which could undermine the effectiveness of U.S. policy against terrorism;
• “As a result of inadequate funding for civilian programs, however, U.S. defense agencies are increasingly being granted authority and funding to fill perceived gaps. Such bleeding of civilian responsibilities overseas from civilian to military agencies risks weakening the Secretary of State’s primacy in setting the agenda for U.S. relations with foreign countries and the Secretary of Defense’s focus on ware fighting.”
• “The increases of funding streams, self-assigned missions, and realigned authorities for the Secretary of Defense and the combatant commanders are placing new stresses on inter-agency coordination in the field.”
• “There is evidence that some host countries are questioning the increasingly military component of America’s profile overseas.”

The committee made a number of recommendations for (1) the role of the ambassador; (2) organizing foreign assistance; (3) rationalizing missions and money; and (4) regional strategic initiatives.

AA07011
Bradish, Christopher; Specter, Arlen DIALOGUE WITH ADVERSARIES
(Washington Quarterly, Vol. 30, no. 1, Winter 2006-2007, pp. 9-25)
Full text [pdf format, 17 pages]

This article encourages bilateral and multilateral talks between the United States and adversaries, specifically Iran and North Korea. Sen. Specter argues that the U.S. must engage with Iran and North Korea regardless of feelings about the countries’ policies and leadership. The senator gives examples of successful diplomatic efforts with Cuba and Syria, two other nations viewed as adversaries. He also describes a recent trip to Venezuela where he met with Hugo Chavez and convinced the president to meet with the U.S. ambassador, something Chavez had initially been unwilling to do. Specter concludes that in his experience, engaging political leaders, regardless of America’s position on their leadership, will lead to more successful diplomacy and may even prevent armed conflict.

DEALING WITH TEHRAN: ASSESSING U.S. DIPLOMATIC OPTIONS TOWARD IRAN.
Flynt Everett. The Century Foundation. Web posted December 6, 2006.
Full Text [pdf format, 34 pages]

“The United States needs a comprehensive and strategically coherent diplomatic approach to dealing with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Tehran is attempting to impede America’s ability to pursue its policy objectives in the Middle East and its war on terrorism. “This paper lays out a comprehensive strategy for diplomatic engagement with Iran. The paper’s core argument is that successful resolution of the Iranian nuclear issues requires a “grand bargain” between the United States and Iran—that is, an overarching framework in which outstanding bilateral differences are resolved as a package.”

According to this paper, there will need to be an American security guarantee to the Islamic Republic. Once this has been accomplished, the United States would gain meaningful limits on Iran’s nuclear activities, terminate its support for terrorism, and gain Iran’s cooperation in stabilizing Iraq.

This report is part of a series about Iran-related issues.

AA06449
Schneider, Cynthia P. CULTURAL DIPLOMACY: HARD TO DEFINE, BUT YOU’D KNOW IT IF YOU SAW IT (The Brown Journal of World Affairs, vol. 13, no. 1, Fall/Winter 2006, pp. 191-203)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

The author, former U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, argues that in the current period of conflict between the U.S. and the Muslim world, cultural diplomacy can be an effective or even the only viable way to communicate between peoples, since creative expression and the emotional appeal of art can help people from different societies find common ground. In the post-Cold War period, the U.S. has only paid “lip service” to cultural and public diplomacy (PD); Schneider quotes Walter Lacquer in arguing that PD has increased in importance, whereas traditional diplomacy and military power “are of limited use” in coping with the challenges of the Information Age. PD is a long-term engagement with more depth than merely supporting government policies and has the long-term goals of increasing understanding and building relationships and trust. PD initiatives will be all the more effective if they are perceived as being “separate from any goal of advancing specific policy objectives.” Likewise, she argues that it is “unreasonable” to expect PD to achieve short-term goals such as repairing damage caused by unpopular policies. Schneider advises greater awareness of cultural differences and suggests initiatives such as supporting independent Arab filmmakers, sending popular U.S. hip-hop artists to perform overseas and increased funding for Arabic book translations, including for Internet use.

ALLIANCES AND AMERICAN NATIONAL SECURITY.
Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall. United States Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (SSI). October 2006. Web-posted November 1, 2006.
Full text [pdf format, 49 pages]

This monograph makes the case that existing U.S. alliances need to be modernized and strengthened, and that new alliances should be established. The author stresses the value of peacetime security cooperation, which builds partnerships that may become alliances. She describes the need to evolve the concept of alliances to fit 21st century security threats that may not be confined to a particular region, such as proliferation of weapons of mass destruction or pandemic disease.

The paper contends that some traditional allies no longer depend on the United States for their survival as they did during the Cold War, and that the United States may depend more rather than less on its allies in Europe and Asia to achieve its global goals. "In the face of transnational dangers, the United States will need to promote alliances that are defined in broader terms than the classical geographically-based model. Transregional linkages among allies and alliances need to be forged in response to global threats." Sherwood-Randall recommends the networking of key U.S. alliance relationships into an "alliance of alliances."

AA06409
Field, Alan FINANCIAL DIPLOMACY
Journal of Commerce, September 4, 2006, pp. 18-19)
Full text available from your nearest American Library

Even as China's trade surplus with the United States continues to soar, U.S. businesses operating in China are pressing diplomacy to diffuse trade tensions between the two countries. The Bush administration has, in fact, turned away from confrontation with China over the exchange rate of the yuan. Instead, U.S. officials are working with the Chinese on making the reforms to their financial system that would make possible a fully floating currency.

AA06281
Harris, Shane NEW ORDER
(Government Executive, vol. 38, no. 13, August 1, 2006, pp. 31-38)
View on publisher's website

Harris describes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's views on transformational diplomacy. Secretary Rice states, "we have a view: the world is going to be better off if the world is a network of well-governed democratic states." The article describes management efforts to achieve that stated goal, moving the State Department from an information-processing institution to supporting diplomats who must become "first-rate administrators of programs," encouraging engagement with NGOs and foreign citizens to strengthen the rule of law, start businesses, improve health, and reform education.

DIVERSITY AS FOREIGN POLICY ASSET.
Michael Werz. German Marshall Fund of the United States. June 2006.
Download [pdf format, 31 pages]

This document argues that Europe's, and specifically Germany's, demographic changes over the last 15 years have not been reflected in the makeup of its governments and especially its foreign policy and foreign service. Werz makes a case that European governments could learn much from the United States' experience with its own foreign service and diversity in government.
"Former CIA director George Tenet said that 'the diversification of the CIA's workforce is not only nice to have, it's critical.' Only three days after being appointed secretary of state, Colin Powell echoed that statement when he said, 'America overseas ought to look more like America at home.'"

The author writes: "The U.S. government sees diversity in its workforce as not just an important strategy, but one that is necessary for the security of the nation and its people. Government hiring in Europe has been very slow to embrace the comparative advantages of a diverse labor pool, and foreign policy institutions in Germany and other European countries have little or no experience in conceiving and implementing employment plans that increase diversity."

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

INTERNATIONAL VOLUNTEERING: SMART POWER.
Lex Rieffel and Sarah Zalud. Brookings Institution. June 2006.
Download [pdf format, 9 pages]

The authors note that the appointment of Karen Hughes as under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs in March 2005 showed that the Bush Administration is committed to relying more on the kind of "soft power" that Harvard professor Joseph Nye has been advocating for more than a decade. They maintain that American volunteers overseas represent a type of "soft power" that the U.S. should encourage and expand.

They write: "The potential dividends from scaling up international volunteer programs are impressive relative to most other "soft power" programs of the U.S. government. The time is ripe for a breakthrough in this area, with policies aimed at strengthening existing programs such as increased funding for the Peace Corps, raising the public awareness of volunteer programs overseas, linking service and study, and measuring effectiveness. It is a smart way to knit the United States more effectively into the fabric of this rapidly changing world."

[Note: Contains copyrighted material.]

AA06194
De Maio, Jennifer MANAGING CIVIL WARS: AN EVALUATION OF CONFLICT PREVENTION STRATEGIES IN AFRICA (World Affairs, vol. 168, no. 3, Winter 2006, pp. 131-144)
View article on ProQuest (password required)

In a preliminary study, the author seeks to critically assess successes and failures in "preventative diplomacy" as applied by the international community in to Somalia (failure, 1988-91), Rwanda (failure, 1994), and South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal (success, 1994). De Maio concludes that in addition to the need for an "early warning system," to identify impending civil conflicts, nations need an effective analytical framework adapted to local conditions in order to correctly interpret the situation and form a winning mediation strategy. Domestic actors must be drawn into the preventive diplomacy proceedings and given incentives to stay engaged, typically the clear impression that violence will prove too costly to their long-term aims.

U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: STATE DEPARTMENT EFFORTS LACK CERTAIN COMMUNICATION ELEMENTS AND FACE PERSISTENT CHALLENGES. STATEMENT OF JESS T. FORD, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS AND TRADE. [GAO-06-707T] United States General Accounting Office (GAO). May 3, 2006.
Report [pdf format, 16 pages]

[Note: See also accompanying GAO Report

]

From Mr. Ford's testimony:
"Public opinion polls have shown continued negative sentiments toward the United States in the Muslim world. Public diplomacy activities-led by the State Department (State)-are designed to counter such sentiments by explaining U.S. foreign policy actions, countering misinformation, and advancing mutual understanding between nations. Since 2003, [GAO] has issued three reports on U.S. public diplomacy efforts that examined (1) changes in public diplomacy resources since September 11, 2001; (2) strategic planning and coordination of public diplomacy efforts; and (3) the challenges facing these efforts."

"[GAO has made] several recommendations in the last 3 years to the Secretary of State to address strategic planning issues, private sector engagement, and staffing challenges related to public diplomacy. For example, today's report recommends that the Secretary develop written guidance detailing how the department intends to implement its public diplomacy goals as they apply to the Muslim world. State has consistently concurred with our findings and recommendations for improving public diplomacy, and the department, in several cases, is taking appropriate actions. However, the department has not established a timetable for many of these actions."

U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: STATE DEPARTMENT EFFORTS TO ENGAGE MUSLIM AUDIENCES LACK CERTAIN COMMUNICATION ELEMENTS AND FACE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES.
REPORT TO THE CHAIRMAN, SUBCOMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, THE DEPARTMENTS OF STATE, JUSTICE, AND COMMERCE, AND RELATED AGENCIES, COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. [GAO-06-535]. United States General Accounting Office (GAO). May 3, 2006.
Report [pdf format, 65 pages]

[Note: See also related testimony

]

Public opinion polls have shown continued negative sentiments toward the United States in the Muslim world. Public diplomacy activities-led by the State Department (State)-are designed to counter such sentiments by explaining U.S. foreign policy actions, countering misinformation, and advancing mutual understanding between nations. GAO was asked to examine (1) what public diplomacy resources and programs State has directed to the Muslim world, (2) whether posts have adopted a strategic approach to implementing public diplomacy, and (3) what challenges remain to be addressed.

GAO recommends that the Secretary of State develop (1) implementing guidance for its public diplomacy strategy modeled on private sector best practices, (2) a sample country-level communication plan that could be adapted for local use by posts, and (3) a systematic mechanism for sharing best practices data to address long-standing program challenges. State agreed with the report's recommendations.

AA06152
Calder, Kent E. CHINA AND JAPAN'S SIMMERING RIVALRY (Foreign Affairs, vol. 85, no. 2, March/April 2006, pp.
129-139) View article on ProQuest (password required)

The author, Director of the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, notes that China and Japan account for nearly three-quarters of the region's economic activity and more than half of the military spending. Despite their deep economic ties and a doubling of their bilateral trade in the past five years, their relationship is increasingly strained - with dangerous implications for the U.S. and the world at large. Tensions have erupted over omissions from Japanese history textbooks and Prime Minister Koizumi's annual trip to the Yasukuni Shrine where World War II dead are buried. Calder argues that the U.S. should encourage cultural communication, exemplified by the State Department's International Visitors Program, which would be far more effective than official action, given the importance of personal networks in Asia. China has moved in a positive direction by appointing the well-regarded and Japanese-speaking former vice minister of foreign affairs, Wang Yi, as the ambassador to Tokyo. Japan should take the diplomatic high ground, allowing both countries to focus on the very real challenges of stabilizing their relationship and not be distracted by the peripheral yet politically contentious issues of history.

AA06118
Shea, Timothy TRANSFORMING MILITARY DIPLOMACY (Joint Forces Quarterly, Vol. 38, Third Quarter, July 2005, pp. 49-52)
Download the document [pdf format, 4 pages]

The growing need for security cooperation and the ongoing war against terrorism have increased the importance of U.S. military attaches serving in embassies around the world, the author says, pointing to examples such as their role coordinating the deployment of U.S. forces to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and training and equipping soldiers in the Republic of Georgia. "Many countries recognize the strategic importance of their military attaches and send only their best abroad," Colonel Shea writes. Subjects such as security and arms control would be better managed, he said, by trained attaches "with the requisite language skills, cultural knowledge and regional expertise." He also advocates the assignment of higher-ranking officers and urges the military services to view these assignments by soldier-diplomats as career-enhancing. He concludes urging the military attache corps to "adapt to the strategic environment, which demands skillful military diplomacy and knowledgeable professionals" as they carry out their mission to advise the ambassador, represent the Defense Department overseas, and manage important programs such as the International Military Education and Training and Foreign Military Financing.

2005 REPORT OF THE ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.
United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. November 2005.
View article on publisher's website

The bipartisan Advisory Commission's 2005 report on U.S. government international communications efforts examines the Commission's recommendations issued in its previous report, and reviews the level of implementation achieved to date. The Commission offers its review in three sections: short-term communication, long-term communication and international broadcasting. This report also presents a vision for bringing public diplomacy into the 21st century and offers thoughts on how public diplomacy practitioners can take advantage of 21st century capabilities. The Commission members emphasize that reforming public diplomacy will require a long-term, sustained effort.

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY: THE LINCHPIN OF PUBLIC DIPLOMACY.
Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy. U.S. Department of State. September 2005.
Full text available from your nearest American Library

Authorized by Congress and appointed in March 2004, the Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy was charged with advising the Secretary of State on programs and policies to advance the use of cultural diplomacy in U.S. foreign policy. The committee focused on: Increasing the presentation abroad of America's finest creative, visual, and performing artists; and Developing strategies for increasing public-private sector partnerships to sponsor cultural exchange programs that promote the national interest of the United States.

The Committee's report synthesizes the findings of several academic studies, independent task forces, and commissions and committees on public and cultural diplomacy. It incorporates insights gleaned by the Advisory Committee on a 2004 fact-finding mission to Oman, Egypt, and the United Kingdom, and from interviews with artists, choreographers, cultural activists, educators, film makers, theater directors, and writers in the U.S. and abroad. It also draws from discussions with American diplomats, State Department program officers, foreign officials, and journalists.

Among the report's numerous recommendations are the following:

• Increase funding and staffing for cultural and public diplomacy. Provide advanced training and professional development opportunities for public affairs officers, with particular attention to research, polling, and the uses of new media.
• Streamline visa issues, particularly for international students.
• Revamp Al Hurra, the Arabic-language television station, in keeping with the highest traditions of American broadcasting.
• Expand international cultural exchange programs, inviting more Arab and Muslim artists, performers, and writers to the United States, and sending their American counterparts to the Islamic world.
• Create more American Corners, with links to digital libraries and online books

STRENGTHENING U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY REQUIRES ORGANIZATION, COORDINATION, AND STRATEGY.
Stephen Johnson, Helle C. Dale, and Patrick Cronin, Ph.D. The Heritage Foundation. August 5, 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 16 pages]

Now that Karen Hughes has begun serving as Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the authors propose additional steps the White House and Congress should take to reshape and redirect U.S. public diplomacy. These are:

• Strengthening State Department public diplomacy by providing adequate authority and resources;
• Streamlining foreign broadcasting to ensure better coordination with global public diplomacy and development goals;
• Integrating public diplomacy efforts across the government by appointing a high-level coordinator and establishing an independent foreign polling center;
• Creating a public diplomacy doctrine and global strategy, developed by lead public diplomacy actors; and
• Abolishing domestic access limits on public diplomacy products contained in legislation dating from the 1940s.

The authors also recommend the following U.S. diplomatic strategies for countering the influence of Islamic extremism and defusing the root cause of terrorism:

• Promote regional and local media initiatives by encouraging the growth of independent private media, and counter misperceptions by providing access to U.S. Arabic-speaking spokesmen and program content that offer balanced news and commentary;
• Invest in education by enhancing support for existing American schools, offering local scholarships for the poor, increasing adult education opportunities, and reviving book translation programs; and
• Engage opinion leaders and media elites to ensure that they have the information to counter misperceptions, distortions, stereotypes, and lies about America.

OVERSEAS SECURITY: STATE DEPARTMENT HAS NOT FULLY IMPLEMENTED KEY MEASURES TO PROTECT U.S. OFFICIALS FROM TERRORIST ATTACKS OUTSIDE OF EMBASSIES. [GAO-05-642]
United States Government Accountability Office (GAO). May 9, 2005; Web-posted May 10, 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 49 pages]

U.S. government officials working overseas are at risk from terrorist threats. Since 1968, 32 embassy officials have been attacked-23 fatally-by terrorists outside the embassy. GAO warns that as the State Department continues to improve security at U.S. embassies, terrorist groups are likely to focus on "soft" targets- such as homes, schools, and places of worship. GAO was asked to determine whether State has a strategy for soft target protection; assess State's efforts to protect U.S. officials and their families while traveling to and from work; assess State's efforts overseas to improve security at schools attended by the children of U.S. officials; and describe issues related to protection at their residences.

GAO concludes that "The State Department is responsible for protecting more then 60,000 employees and their families who work overseas. Recent terrorist attacks and threats have heightened demands that State provide adequate safety and security outside embassy compounds. We found that State has not yet developed a strategy addressing the appropriate level of protection needed for schools, places of worship, and private sector recreation facilities where employees and families tend to congregate. State officials are concerned about the feasibility and costs associated with providing protection for these 'soft targets.' . . . we believe State should develop a strategy to protect U.S. officials and their families, and as part of this effort, undertake an assessment of the level of protection to be afforded to officials and their families while commuting, and at residences, schools, and other community-based facilities. We also believe that State should provide adequate counterterrorism training and fulLly implement its accountability mechanisms to afford greater awareness and implementation of security safeguards for U.S. officials and their family members while outside the embassy compounds."

A NEW BEGINNING: STRATEGIES FOR A MORE FRUITFUL DIALOGUE WITH THE MUSLIM WORLD.
Craig Charney and Nicole Yakatan. Council on Foreign Relations. Web-posted May 18, 2005.
Download the document [pdf format, 96 pages]

Note: Contains copyrighted material

For this report the authors conducted focus group research on anti-American attitudes in Morocco, Egypt, and Indonesia. They conclude that although hostility is intense, there is an opportunity to change minds. Among the report's recommendations:

• Focus on partnerships in support of local Muslim initiatives, without presenting the United States as the motor of change.
• Agree to disagree on contentious issues involving other countries, such as Iraq or Israel and Palestine.
• Engage local and regional media via press releases, interviews, Op-Eds, press conferences, and site visits.
• Launch an advertising campaign on U.S. aid and support for reform in local and regional media, and acknowledge the U.S. government as the source.
• Improve coverage of aid programs, particularly those concerning economic, education, and health aid, in U.S. government media.
• Tap credible spokespeople who speak local languages, such as aid recipients, exchange program participants, local executives of U.S firms, and Americans from relevant diasporas.
• Challenge stereotypes on U.S. foreign policy and alleged Jewish influence through non-governmental efforts, such as academic dialogues, videoconferences, and documentaries.

AA05134
Harris, Shane MADAM AMBASSADOR (Government Executive, vol. 36, no. 5, April 1, 2005, pp. 31-37)
View article on publisher's website

"Women diplomats have risen to the highest levels in some of the world's most dangerous places, but not without a fight," writes Harris in this in-depth profile of three high-ranking Foreign Service women. Although Ambassadors Prudence Bushnell (Guatemala and Kenya), Barbara Bodine (Yemen), and Elizabeth Jones (Kazakhstan) have made great strides, the glass ceiling still exists. Only 8 percent of the top diplomatic posts of ambassador or minister, deputy chief of mission or chargé d'affairs have been filled by women since 1933. Moreover, few women are serving in high office multiple times, women are underrepresented in top posts in the career foreign service, and the countries to which most women are posted are often regarded as unimportant to U.S. foreign policy. A statistical summary of women appointed to senior Foreign Service posts by presidential administration is appended.