09 June 2008

New U.S. Public Diplomacy Head Cites “Arsenal of Persuasion”

State Department official stresses better communication in public diplomacy

By MacKenzie C. Babb
Staff Writer

Washington -- Using the “arsenal of persuasion” -- soft power, smart power and public diplomacy -- is critical to beating terrorism, says James Glassman, the newly confirmed under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.

Glassman, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate June 4, said at his confirmation hearing in late January that the "task ahead is to tell the world of a good and compassionate nation and, at the same time, to engage in the most important ideological contest of our time, a contest that we will win.”

To do this, he said, would require a combination of enhanced educational exchanges, new technologies and, most important, advocating American values to counter the ideology of violent extremists.  Soft power is a political science term, first used by Harvard professor Joseph Nye, which describes the ability of a nation to influence indirectly the behavior or interests of other nations through cultural or ideological means.

Glassman said he sees his role in the process as helping to “achieve the national interest by ‘informing, engaging and influencing people around the world.’”

Glassman added that he plans to work closely with American allies, especially in Europe, to achieve these ends.  He also addressed the concern of low public opinion ratings of the United States in global polls with plans to improve listening, to have more respectful engagement and to facilitate better information exchanges with other nations. 

“People in other countries will not agree with our policies all the time, but we want them to have an accurate picture of those policies and the motivations behind them, and we want the disagreements to be constructive,” he explained. 

Glassman previously served as a member of the Djerejian Group, which studied U.S. public diplomacy issues in the Middle East, and as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees the work of the Voice of America.  He also has spent more than 40 years working as a professional communicator -- publisher, editor, writer, television public-affairs show moderator and Web site host -- and founded two media businesses.

Glassman says U.S. international broadcasting is America’s largest civilian public diplomacy program, and one that “provides a lifeline to people seeking the truth” in many closed societies. 

Glassman will step down as the chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, but plans to stay on the board as the secretary of state’s representative.