VOICES OF AMERICA: US PUBLIC DIPLOMACY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

December 17, 2008

The Levin Institute and Business for Diplomatic Action hosted their third joint event on December 17, 2008. BDA is a non-profit organization that enlists the American business community to improve the standing and reputation of America in the world.

The symposium was based on a recent report published by the Brookings Institution and touched on multiple aspects of the role of U.S. public diplomacy in the world. The report was written by Dr. Kristen Lord of the Brookings Institution and calls for reform in U.S Public Diplomacy.

Even though there are more than enough institutions already in existence, the report makes a strong case for the formation of a new non-profit organization which would complement and supplement current U.S. diplomatic efforts. Dr. Lord as well as, Gary Knell, President and CEO of the Sesame Workshop and Parag Khanna, a Fellow at the New America Foundation and author of the book “Second World Empires and Their Influence in A New Global Order”, joined in the discussion which was moderated by Levin President Garrick Utley.

When asked to define Public Diplomacy, Dr. Lord described it as the government’s efforts to inform, engage and persuade foreign publics. She emphasized that diplomacy may be led by government, but is not exclusive to the government and also includes efforts of NGO’s, private companies and individuals.

Lord went on to mention the impact that the communications and information revolution has had on expanding the number of voices involved in public diplomacy. Government outreach is now only a tiny part of the way in which the U.S touches foreign societies. The internet has created a de-centralized network system, which helps to advance the common interests between Americans and foreign citizens. Lord believes that this dense web of relationships, as opposed to a one-link, centralized system,actually help to make us more secure.

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Gary Knell expanded on the theme of the “many-to-many” communication network by stating that the U.S. must go back to being any “enabler” on a global scale through exporting innovation. He used Sesame Street as an example of how a U.S. company has succeeded in exporting innovation by teaching media organizations in foreign countries to produce an engaging TV program. Rather than exporting a program that is “made in the USA,” the Sesame Street model can be, and is, custom designed to translate the cultural messages that a country finds appropriate to promote to their public. Sesame Street has been successful world-wide in representing the U.S. as a multi-cultural, complex society.

Garrick Utley asked Dr. Lord to explain how she could prevent her proposed organization from becoming “Yet another organization”, and to discuss what would make this new organization relevant and effective. Lord mentioned that recently Washington has called for a large organization to be re-created to help run the nation’s public diplomatic efforts. In her report, Lord recommended the creation of a smaller, nimbler organization funded in conjunction by government and organizations outside of government to take on the task of aiding U.S diplomacy. She discussed the need for an organization that would be able to engage with private groups globally, and function as a service to government, but stay outside the bounds of government. The main focus of the organization would be to research ways to develop a more effective public diplomacy globally. The research would serve to help create an understanding of foreign cultures, as well as investigating the channels through which citizens of other nations obtain information.
audience

When asked about his thoughts on public diplomacy, Parag Khanna said he sees the voice of government at this point in history as very small in comparison to the cacophony of voices available globally from a multitude of sources. He believes diplomacy should be judged by not by public opinion polls, but instead by more long-term measurements such as how it has affected relationships between countries, or how it has advanced political change. Khanna cited the U.S. response to the earthquake in Pakistan and the tsunami relief in Indonesia as effective diplomatic actions. He went on to stress that the world is not “waiting for American leadership”, but instead is looking for solutions wherever they may be found. He believes that the leadership the world is looking for will come from any nation that is willing to step up and provide capital resources to solve problems.

Dr. Lord presented the surprising fact that in comparison to the $700 billion the U.S. government budgets each year for defense spending, only $1.5 billion is allotted for diplomacy. Lord pointed out that this ratio is devastatingly out of balance. She also pointed out that solving problems through diplomacy is much cheaper than engaging military force.

In conclusion Gary Knell reminded us that public diplomacy is not about selling America to the world, but about action and doing things to make change for the better. He reflected on the fact that we are living in a time when many of the old assumptions about our role and other countries roles in the world are up for grabs, and now more than ever we need to be globally literate as a nation and as individuals.

Click here for a transcript of the event.