Transcript
THOMAS DINE: This subject has been addressed over the last several years in a variety reports inside the U.S. Government, around the U.S. Government, far away from the U.S. Government, and so it’s been shaken down, looked at, turned upside down and around many times. If there’s one common focus, however, it is we are in trouble in the global Muslim community, in particular in the Arab-speaking populations. And we’d better make policy changes, make adjustments in implementation of policy, redo the structure of American public diplomacy, including the use of strategic communications -- a new favorite phrase of so many of the report writers.
Interestingly, while each report demands better results from the U.S.G., very few of these reports recommend increasing budgetary funds to dramatically increase our impact. And having been a veteran for eight years in the Broadcasting Board of Governors -- I was President of Radio Free Europe -- Radio Liberty -- during that time. I know how hard it is to get funds, but funds are still essential and at the core.
I ask our panelists and our audience today to acknowledge the ends of public diplomacy and their means, such as policies; explanation of policies in pronouncements; dialogues about policy; educational exchanges, radio, television, Internet broadcasting; intellectual and journalistic independence; cultural diplomacy; science diplomacy; and engaging the business sector. I believe also we need to distinguish public diplomacy from strategic communications. As I indicated earlier, I'm a little itchy about such a coined expression. That is, the process of selecting, framing, and sharing information and images to create a favorable climate in which to advance America's interests and objectives. In short, we need a strategy to our public diplomacy.
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