Review of a Report: “Voices of America: US Public Diplomacy for the Twenty-First Century”

This report looks at how the United States (US) can engage, persuade, and attract foreign publics to cooperation; as well as offering concrete steps on how to improve the efforts to do so. The US has to improve its existing abilities because of the growing complexities in the global environment, most notably; the growth of new powers and actors and their influence on public opinion, and the new ways of communication. These new conditions challenge the traditional policies and practices of public diplomacy (PD). (Lord, 2008: 9-11) Public opinion is more important today than ever before, and conducting PD effectively is vital to the US being able to achieve its national interests. The recommendations which are presented in this report put forward a vision which is possible to achieve in the future by following certain steps, and is based on wide-ranging research and analysis.

Lord calls for the establishment of a new independent, public-private organisation; The USA World Trust. The goal of this organisation would entail strengthening US’ relations with foreign publics. This includes effective communication through the use of new media and technologies, strengthening the government’s voice, as well as including and empowering the private sector and the people. (Lord, 2008: 11) This idea also encourages changes within current government agencies in order to build up US public diplomacy, and in order to fit in this new organisation into a broader US strategy. This recommendation therefore does not require a huge amount of organisational change as it does not call for a new cabinet-level government agency which would be time consuming and a huge cost to resources; but it is rather a way of enhancing existing government agencies’ efforts in the practice of PD. (Lord, 2008: 3-4)

This new non-profit organisation would;

• Present a more accurate view of America to counterbalance the one-sided views sometimes presented by popular culture and foreign media
• Contribute to an environment of mutual trust, respect, and understanding in which cooperation is more likely
• Promote shared values
• Inform and support the US government’s PD efforts

This will be done through;

• Research and analysis based on the knowledge of experts and expressed in a form useful to practitioners of PD
• Including the private sector and engaging NGOs, companies, etc.,
• Providing grants to initiatives which advance the objectives of the USA World Trust
• Development and use of new technologies and media products that support US PD and strategic communication
• Addressing PD and strategic communication challenges by bringing together practitioners from the government, scholars, and visitors from the private and non-profit sectors

Through these activities, the new organisation will be a good resource to both the government and private groups which aspire to improve the image of the US, strengthen its relations with foreign publics, and also fight against anti-American ideologies. (Lord, 2008: 1-2) The USA World Trust would be there to complement government agencies rather than to compete with them, and there is a need for reallocation of resources as the amount devoted to PD does not reflect its importance (compared to military expenditure). (Lord, 2008:14-17, 36)

Lord restated the same recommendation in a policy brief (Lord, 2010); the need for a USA World Trust, “which would unleash the power of the private sector to further America’s PD interests”. (Lord, 2010:2) Her arguments on how the creation of such an organisation would complement the State Department, while being independent and including the private sector, are convincing. The evidence would suggest that there is a need for reform and new approaches if the challenges in today’s environment are to be met. The massive flow of information, as well as the diffusion of power to many different players, would indicate that governments need new approaches in order to reach their audiences, and the credibility may be enhanced if there is an independent organisation created which complements government efforts. The Council on Foreign Relations, Defence Science Board Task on Strategic Communication, CSIS Commission on Smart Power, and others, have published reports with similar recommendations. (Lord, 2010)

The report

Lord, Kristen M., “Voices of America: US Public Diplomacy for the Twenty-First Century”, Brookings Institute, 2008, available at www.brookings.edu/reports/2008/11_public_diplomacy_lord.aspx

References

Lord, Kristen M., “Engaging the Private Sector for the Public Good: The Power of Network Diplomacy”, Policy Brief, Center for a new American Security, January 2010, available at http://www.cnas.org/files/documents/publications/QDDR_Lord_Jan2010_code213_policybrf_0.pdf