Public Diplomacy and U.S. National Security Policy

Security Studies Program Seminar

Kristin M. Lord
Elliott School of International Affairs
The George Washington University

April 16, 2008

Outline of Talk

1) What is public diplomacy?

Public diplomacy is the promotion of national interests through efforts to inform, engage, and influence foreign publics.
Not a new phenomenon, but newly important. Why? Four reasons:
- rise of global transparency;
- rise of mass politics;
- rise of global norms; and
- limits of military force.

2) Why is public diplomacy important?

Five reasons:
- Foreign support or at least acquiescence is necessary to advance U.S. interests.
- Prefer a climate in which active support or “agreeing to disagree” is not politically impossible.
- Global challenges sometimes require cooperation with friends competitors and even enemies.
- Need to avoid creating new enemies or networks of support for enemies.
- Public diplomacy is an effective tool for achieving national security objectives.
Achieving national security objectives is more difficult in the current climate.
Anti-Americanism does matter.
- Rising Anti-Americans, according to the 2008 Pew global attitudes survey.
- Goal of US to weaken and divide Islam (April 24, 2007 PIPA survey).

3) What is public diplomacy for?

“Moving the needle” is a flawed way to look at public diplomacy. Have to measure success by how U.S. interests are advanced.

4) How has public diplomacy evolved?

Long history of ambivalence with public diplomacy (even during the Cold War). The U.S. was slow to adopt compared to other great powers.
PD seen as a wartime necessity, abandoned in peace.
Fluctuations in budge commitment, tactics, and philosophy.
Strategic objectives for public diplomacy have been, historically:
- Promote support for American policies
- Promote understanding of America
- Promote positive change
- The problem? Sometimes these goals compete and domestic politics adds complexity

From Strategy to Action

Tactics in U.S. public diplomacy:
- Maintain complex attitudes about America
- Segment audiences
- Appeal to multiple aspects of identity
- Build dense networks of relationships
- Play to strengths
Then build programs to achieve goals.
Public diplomacy: Not pixie dust or playing defense. Not a magic dust that you throw on policies to spruce them up. Not something that is done on the back-end of policy.

5) What are the instruments of public diplomacy?

Ask first: what do we wish to communicate to whom, by whom, in what manner by what means?
Once establish desired ends, choose appropriate means: exchanges, publications, websites, advertisements, broadcasting, libraries, area and culture, science diplomacy, speeches, visitor programs, video games, cherry trees.
How do you pick tactics? Pay some more attention to data; Zobgy poll shows points of entry.
This is harder than it seems. Four tactical challenges are:
- The “drop in the bucket” problem.
- The “who's the real audience” problem
- The security paradox problem (need to protect American people and facilities overseas, but this sends the wrong message)
- The diffuse gains/targeted costs problem

6) Who conducts public diplomacy?

7) Vision for the Future

Rapporteur: Stephanie Kaplan