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September 18, 2003
Council on Foreign Relations
September 18, 2003 - World opinion of the United States and U.S. policy has plummeted in the wake of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. The resulting widespread anger, fear, and mistrust, warns the Council-sponsored Independent Task Force on Public Diplomacy, are creating immediate and long-term problems for the United States that must be addressed urgently.
The Task Force, which first issued a report after September 11, points to evidence that, despite administration efforts, anti-Americanism is more widespread and dangerous than ever. The consequences are substantial, ranging from the difficulty faced by the Bush administration in forming a coalition for U.S. efforts in Iraq, to the increase of new terrorist attacks on American interests, to strained relations with its transatlantic partners.
The Task Force recommends the immediate integration of public diplomacy into the foreign policymaking process rather than just trying to explain policies after the fact— present at the “take offs, not just the crash landings.” Failure to take this and other steps will make it more difficult for the United States to maintain the war against terror and other policy undertakings, the Task Force concludes.
“Growing anti-Americanism means that foreign leaders are finding it increasingly difficult to cooperate with us,” said Task Force Chair and Council Chairman Peter G. Peterson. “This is a sober and practical reality.”
The Task Force, comprised of former top government officials and leading figures from industry and academia, offers specific measures to improve U.S. standing in the world.
Among the recommendations of the Task Force:
The report commends a number of positive steps taken by the administration since September 11, including the formation of a White House Office of Global Communications, as well as the funding of Arabic and Farsi radio and television broadcasts in strategically important areas. But the Task Force warns that real progress will be elusive until the administration implements meaningful change in how the United States makes foreign policy and communicates with the world.
Established in 1921, the Council on Foreign Relations is a nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank, dedicated to increasing America's understanding of the world and contributing ideas to U.S. foreign policy. The Council accomplishes this mainly by promoting constructive debates and discussions, clarifying world issues, and publishing Foreign Affairs, the leading journal on global issues.
Full text of Finding America’s Voice: A Strategy for Reinvigorating U.S. Public Diplomacy
Task Force Members
Peter G. Peterson
The Blackstone Group
Chairman
Peter Ackerman
Rockport Capital, Inc.
Roger Ames
Warner Music International
Donald A. Baer
Discovery Communications, Inc.
Former Assistant to the White House Director of Strategic Planning and Communications
Ali Banuazizi
Boston College
Kathy F. Bloomgarden
Ruder Finn
Joan Ganz Cooney
Sesame Workshop
Geoffrey Cowan
University of Southern California
Former Director, International Broadcasting Bureau
Raghida Dergham
Al-Hayat
Joseph Duffey
Sylvan International Universities
Lynn Forester de Rothschild
ELR Hodlings, LLC
Barry Fulton
Public Diplomacy Institute, George Washington University
Peter Georgescu
Young & Rubicam, Inc.
Marc Charles Ginsberg
NorthStar Equity Group, Inc.
Former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco
Martin Gross
Sandalwood Securities
Bruce Gregory
Public Diplomacy Council
Henry A. Grunwald
Former Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc. Publications
Former U.S. Ambassador to Austria
Bernard Haykel
New York University
John W. Leslie, Jr.
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
Bette Bao Lord
Freedom House
Lewis Manilow
U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Randolph Martin
International Rescue Committee
Scott Miller
Core Strategy Group
David E. Morey
DMG, Inc.
M. Ishaq Nadiri
New York University
Advisor to Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai
Nancy Nielsen
Pfizer, Inc.
Harold C. Pachios
U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy
Norman J. Pattiz
Westwood One
Broadcasting Board of Governors
Richard Plepler
Home Box Office
Moeen Qureshi
Emerging Markets Partnership
Interim Prime Minister of Pakistan, 1993
Walter R. Roberts
Public Diplomacy Institute,
George Washington University
William A. Rugh
AMIDEAST
Former FSO, U.S. Information Agency
Jill A. Schuker
The Kamber Group
Former Senior Director for Public Affairs,
National Security Council
Ron Silver
Primiparous Productions, Inc.
Elliot Stein
Caribbean International News Corporation
Shibley Telhami
University of Maryland
James J. Zogby
Arab American Institute
Barry Zorthian
Public Diplomacy Foundation
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