Part 4
By Patricia H. Kushlis and Patricia Lee Sharpe
The Trifecta:
Information, Culture, Education
Informational, educational, cultural—these are the co-equal
mutually-supportive elements of an effective PD program. Properly orchestrated, they enhance the
overall American image, making the
Planning for Success
Because every country is different—even Canada and the United States
differ in ways that would call for modulated communications strategies—a
Washington-dictated, one-way, one-size-fits-all approach to public diplomacy,
however tempting it might seem to bean counters, doesn’t work. Therefore, once
In
the past, USIA posts were required to submit an annual country plan assessing
the state of the bilateral relationship, describing (in cooperation with the
entire mission) how the post proposed to nourish the relationship while
promoting, according to carefully specified strategies, Washington’s policy priorities
and, last but not least, requesting the financial, human and material resources
to do so. Expectations for evaluation
and feedback were built in. Naturally
big posts in big countries enjoyed more staff and bigger budgets. But all posts in all countries were
guaranteed sufficient resources—Public Affairs Officer plus American and/or
locally-hired personnel; a vast range of highly-responsive, Washington-based
backup services; firewalled budgetary authority; the wherewithal to run a full
service American Center; an appropriate inventory of up-to-date equipment; and,
last but not least, PD-controlled vehicles—to offer a high-quality,
well-balanced, year-round program that could and would put America in the best
possible light.
The State Department has a habit of bemoaning the lack of
administrative skills among its high level officers—and yet, at every post,
there was, for decades, a whole cadre of field-tested managers who were also Foreign Service Officers: the
public diplomacy people. Even fairly
junior officers had managerial responsibilities, and anyone who wanted to be a
Public Affairs Officer had to be an adroit CEO, a dollar-squeezing CFO, a
supervisor with a knack for delegating, a program coordinator, a cultural
impresario, a human resources geni, a master of media, a public relations whiz,
a social psychologist, a linguist, a self-confident performer—and make it all
look smooth and easy to the public, which is why, perhaps, the typical State
Department officer found it so difficult to appreciate what those public
diplomacy colleagues were doing. Even
today there are calls for outside hires to supply the State Department with
managerial talent. Meanwhile, the superb
managers that State acquired when it absorbed USIA, were ignored or
devalued. Many, therefore, retired
prematurely. Although a very few
prospered and even became Ambassadors, Deputy Chiefs of Mission or Consul
Generals, most public diplomacy operational skills are in a state of disuse
bordering on atrophy and will soon be lost, except as recorded in the memoirs
of better times. Talk about squandering capital!
The Information Imperative
Someone has to figure out how to make American policy goals accessible
and attractive. Someone has to counter
the inevitable misinformation, disinformation and plain old
misunderstandings. That’s what
information officers do every hour of every day, when they aren’t feeding media
reaction to
Educational Programs
Finally, it makes a certain sense to include under the educational
rubric the recruiting of academics and
other experts who contribute their knowledge, in person or via interactive
media, to address issues or themes needing attention in a given country. Knowledgeable Americans may also be asked to
join seminars or conferences with local scholars or government administrators
or judges or—well, the range of
counterparts is practically infinite, depending on the knowledge gaps the field
post deems it important to fill.
Cultural programs
Private Sector Dividends
With the big ticket cultural items, private support is also
essential. Transporting and housing a
theatre company or an orchestra or a dance ensemble is very expensive. Nobody finds it amiss if a corporation
sponsors a performance with a few discreetly placed banners or a display ad in
the program. However, and this is very
important, even the most generous sponsor doesn’t get to choose the performance or
control the invitation list. Public diplomacy is about activities orchestrated
for the primary benefit of furthering America’s interests abroad. Each recital,
each lecture, each press conference, whatever its intrinsic interest, plays a
part in this larger purpose.
The Heart of Public Diplomacy
The heart of a public diplomacy program abroad has always been the
American Center, a welcoming full service information operation with a good
collection of American books and journals and banks of computers and a
congenial professional staff to help each visitor, whatever his or her rank,
make the best possible use of them. To
save money in recent years, American Centers have been closed and materials
have been transferred to a minuscule “American Corner” in a local library.
Studies indicate that usage suffers badly, which should surprise no one. Other studies show that the use of American
information materials housed in fortress embassies falls by 85%. Either people can’t get in at all---or
they’re unwilling to put up with elaborate security barriers that come across
as insulting.
Without a center or a library, PD
also loses an important in-house program venue for conferences, films, exhibits, discussions,
English teaching---and even holiday parties.
No local person says with a smile and good memories, “And there’s the American Center!” while showing visitors around the city.
Even when policy issues vex bilateral relations, the U.S. reputation for
intellectual achievement, for cultural vitality and for high quality education
shines out from the American Center. When
economically disadvantaged students have
free access to these facilities, the American Center says something valuable about American
society. Above all, an American Center
declares that America wants to engage the world on an intellectual and cultural
level, not just with missiles and Special Forces. Yes, it costs money to run an American
Center. But it was, and could be again,
money well spent, if the State Department’s budget and regard for public
diplomacy were what it should be—and if security experts were willing to
cooperate.
Note: We promised four segments to Public Diplomacy Today. There will be five. The next and last will appear next week. Meanwhile, here are links to the three previous segments:
1. PD Today: What It Is, Why It's Needed and How It Could Work Well for America Again
2. PD Today: A Profession within a Profession
3. PD Today: Deconstructing the Interactive Shibboleth