Re-Thinking Public Diplomacy Ten Lessons From Its History

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Re-Thinking Public DiplomacyTen Lessons From Its
History

• Nick Cull
• University of Southern California

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USIA

• Founded by Eisenhower in 1953
• Built from State, Marshall Plan OWI
• Included Film, Radio, TV Publications
• Embassy information centers libraries
• Achievements astonishing
• Cold War won FOR the free market but NOT won BY
  the free market media
• Consolidated back into State in 1999
• Lost its academic support structure

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1 The Practices are OLD

• Advocacy
• Cultural Diplomacy
• State Sponsored News
• Psychological Warfare

• in Ancient Greece
• in the Roman Republic
• in Medieval Germany
• as old as War Paint

Consistent Lessons I. The power of PD as a
multiplier II. The importance of credibility III.
The danger of the unintended consequence IV. Need
for analysis supply-side study
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2. The Term in NEW

• Coined 1965 by Edmund Gullion,
• Embraced by USIA
• Better than Propaganda or Information
• Argument for expansion
• Argument for professional respect
• NOT used elsewhere till 1990s
• NEW PD goes beyond govt. to include international
  CULTURAL RELATIONS
• MOVING beyond the past

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3. The US is Sceptical

• Feared like a standing army
• Justified only in emergency
• US prefers commerce/philanthropy
• LACKS a major constituency
• PLENTY of natural rivals
• Often VENUE for domestic struggles.
• NEEDED its Advisory Commission
• Needs advocates today

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4. The Cold War was Anomalous

• US PD born of WWII New Deal liberalism
• KEY FACTOR threat of Communism
• NEVER fully accepted on Hill
• Actually a dimension rather than a crisis tool
• US PD hostage to the end of Cold War
• Beware of arguments based on War on Terror
• Second Chance to build on the best practice
• Opportunity to get it RIGHT

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5. Its Elements Are Contradictory

• Advocacy, Culture, News agendas clash
• Field Washington can clash
• Contradictory agendas guarantee tensions
• Tensions guarantee external spill over into press
• VOA divided Journo v. Lang. v. FSO v. Admin.
• News, Advocacy Culture can harm each other
• Answer firewalls (like VOA charter)
• Needs advocacy for elements as well as whole

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6. It is very Leader Sensitive

• Newcomer to bureaucratic hierarchy
• Responsibilities tread on toes
• Starts from position of weakness
• Tendency to attract criticism
• Need a special sort of leader
• Need direct link to White House
• NEED C. D. Jackson or Charles Z. Wick
• HAVE USoS w/o management capacity
• NEED intervention at campaign level

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7. It is NOT separate from Foreign Policy

• NOT a magic bullet to move the needle
• CANT save a flawed policy
• CANT dodge the audiences agenda
• MUST have in-put UP the policy chain
• NEEDS a mandated seat on NSC
• OTHERWISE cleaning-up after the parade
• NEEDS to be figured into policy equation

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8. BUT PD is distinct

• Needs career path valued staff
• Needs nurture of special diverse skills
• Original staff recruited mid career
• Needs bank of experience
• Needs attention to parallel practices
• Needs professional career development
• Needs scholarly analysis and advocacy
• Needs restored role of Academic support

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9. Not all messages are intended

• Excellent work can come from small things
• Excellent work can be undone by bad policy
• Beware of the unintended consequence
• Foreign Students need especial care
• Showing AND Telling (case of Watergate)
• Need for sustained analysis
• Need to think outside the box
• Watch for missed opportunities

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10. There must be mutuality

• Goal better relationship
• Need BOTH sides speaking
• Need BOTH sides respectful
• Need BOTH open to being changed
• West needs to LEARN to listen
• Need PD from THEM to US
• Need develop THEIR PD
• Obvious role for USCs Center

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The Present Crisis

• Danger of short term-ism
• Inadequate structure _at_ State
• Under investment trade offs
• Spill-over of security concerns
• Misapplication of lessons of the past
• Iraq 2005 is not Germany or Japan, 1946
• Middle East 2005 is not Eastern Europe, 1988
• Can always reach for a new generation
• Potential of expanded NED

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The Future

• New competitors
• New alliances
• New opportunities
• New players
• New methods
• New ways of living

• China
• Europe
• Iran
• NGOs
• Internet etc
• Ampersands

In this great future, you cant forget your
past Value in studying the history of PD