Public Diplomacy
Another U.S. Deficit -China and America- Public Diplomacy in the Age of the Internet
On February 15, 2011, Senator Dick Lugar released a report prepared by the minority staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In his letter accompanying the report, Senator Lugar wrote:
Official U.S. interest in China for political,
economic and strategic reasons has been part of our foreign policy
for decades. Most Americans, on the other hand, when they have
thought about issues outside our borders, have tended to focus on
events in Europe and more recently the Middle East. But no more.
The latest Pew Research poll shows that for the first time Asia has
now overtaken Europe, by a wide margin, as the area of the world
most important to Americans.
This is not that surprising given the extent to which the United
States and China are currently entwined in our most complex bilateral
relationship. While we are increasingly dependent on each
other for credit and markets, we nonetheless eye each other warily
as each country copes with the economic challenges confronting it.
At the same time, U.S. global strategic dominance will face pressures
from China's growing military expenditures and nascent but
rising nationalist sentiment. Greater focus on China is necessary
not only to enhance our national and economic security but to improve
our ability to compete with China in markets overseas as
well.
U.S. International Broadcasting: Is Anybody Listening?
On June 9, 2010, Senator Dick Lugar released a report prepared by the minority staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In his letter accompanying the report, Senator Lugar wrote:
A key component of any nation’s public diplomacy effort is its ability to communicate with the rest of the world — either through people-to-people initiatives or through communications such as press briefings and broadcasting.
Tasked with ensuring the U.S. message gets through is the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The Board oversees the operations of the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Network and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, which together broadcast in some 60 languages through radio, TV and the Internet. The Board consists of eight members nominated by the President (four Republicans and four Democrats) with the Secretary of State as the ninth member.
The report addresses both the Board’s staffing difficulties, as well as the key issues and countries of concern that will confront the new Board when they are in place. Staff have consulted widely with experts inside and outside the government, former officials, public diplomacy experts in Washington and around the globe, as well as bloggers, journalists and academicians. As the title of the report suggests, we must not only work harder at gaining broader audiences for our programs, we also face fierce competition to keep our listeners, viewers and readers engaged.
Twitter vs. Terror
On January 6, 2010, Senator Lugar wrote an oped on ForeignPolicy.com encouraging the United States to use social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook in the global fight for freedom. Read the oped.
Broadcasting Board of Governors Vacancy Rate Analysis
November 18, 2009 update
Senator Lugar welcomed news that the Obama Administration has nominated four Republicans and four Democrats to fill the vacant positions on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG).
The Republicans nominated to be members are Victor H. Ashe, Dennis Mulhaupt, Dana Perino, and S. Enders Wimbush. More information on the Republican nominees is available via the White House announcement.
The Democrats nominated are Walter Isaacson to be Chair and Michael Lynton, Susan McCue, and Michael P. Meehan to be members. More information on the Democrat nominees is available via the White House announcement.
Senator Lugar urges the Senate to quickly consider and confirm the nominees.
The BBG oversees the international broadcasting entities of the United States including the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks and Radio Free Asia. The BBG was is comprised of eight governors, four Republicans and four Democrats, chosen by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with the Secretary of State serving as the ninth, ex officio, member. The President designates one member, other than the Secretary of State, to serve as Chairman of the BBG. The term for a Board member is three years, but they may serve "until a successor has been appointed."
In the 110th Congress (2007-2008), the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the nomination of eight Board members as either new appointees or to extend their existing terms. Not one of these nominations was ever ratified by the full Senate, thus leading to the current situation whereby, only four of the eight positions are filled. Of the four members serving, all their terms expired in 2005. Of the four positions vacant, one has been vacant for more than three years, two for more than a year and one for more than six months. The average vacancy for a Board position is 476 days.
Party
|
Board Member |
Date Began
|
Term Ended
|
Term Length
|
Replaced By |
Started
|
Vacancy (Days)
|
R1 |
Bette Bao Lord | 8/14/95 |
11/12/00 |
1917 |
Ledbetter | 11/13/00 |
1 |
Robert Ledbetter | 11/13/00 |
12/22/03 |
1134 |
Rodman | 12/26/03 |
4 |
|
Veronique Rodman | 12/26/03 |
12/11/04 |
351 |
McKinnon | 1/4/07 |
754 |
|
Mark McKinnon | 1/4/07 |
12/31/07 |
361 |
Vacant | 892 |
||
R2 |
Alberto Mora | 8/14/95 |
8/3/01 |
2181 |
Simmons | 11/27/02 |
481 |
Steven J. Simmons | 11/27/02 |
Current |
2549 |
||||
R3 |
Tom Korologos | 8/14/95 |
8/5/02 |
2548 |
Tomlinson | 8/6/02 |
1 |
Kenneth Tomlinson | 8/6/02 |
6/6/07 |
1765 |
Glassman | 6/8/07 |
2 |
|
James Glassman | 6/8/07 |
6/10/08 |
368 |
Vacant | 730 |
||
R4 |
Cheryl Halpern | 8/14/95 |
11/26/02 |
2661 |
Cullum | 11/26/02 |
0 |
Blanquita Cullum | 11/26/02 |
Current |
2550 |
||||
D1 |
David Burke | 8/14/95 |
10/31/98 |
1174 |
Pattiz | 11/13/00 |
744 |
Norm Pattiz | 11/13/00 |
2/28/06 |
1933 |
Vacant | 1563 |
||
D2 |
Carl Spielvogel | 8/14/95 |
8/8/00 |
1821 |
Blaya | 11/19/02 |
833 |
Joaquin Blaya | 11/19/02 |
Current |
2557 |
||||
D3 |
Marc Nathanson | 8/14/95 |
8/5/02 |
2548 |
Hirschberg | 12/9/02 |
126 |
Jeffrey D. Hirschberg | 12/9/02 |
Current |
2537 |
||||
D4 |
Edward Kaufman | 8/14/95 |
12/1/08 |
4859 |
Vacant | 556 |
|
Average Length of Board Vacancy (as of 6/9/10) |
476 |
Lugar welcomes public diplomacy moves
On May 22, 2009, Senator Dick Lugar welcomed the Senate’s unanimous confirmation of Judith McHale as the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy.
"Ms. McHale brings serious business and media experience to this position that I trust will serve her well as she manages the world of traditional and new media and engages with the world to tell America’s story to the world and to listen to what they have to say," Senator Lugar said. "This position has historically remained vacant for more than one-third of the time, with nominees staying, on average, barely over a year. I am hopeful that Ms. McHale will buck this trend."
The Senate also unanimously passed Senator Lugar’s public diplomacy resolution, S. Res. 49, which calls for the Secretary of State to initiate a reexamination of the public diplomacy platform strategy of the United States with a goal of reestablishing publicly accessible American Centers, and to consider placing United States public diplomacy facilities at locations conducive to maximizing their use, consistent with the authority given to the Secretary in the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act.
Lugar: Time for U.S. to 'get back in the game' of public diplomacy
Senator Lugar has released a report prepared by the minority staff of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In his letter accompanying the report, Senator Lugar wrote:
"Recent polling suggests that support for the United States throughout the world is on a slight increase but remains well below the fifty percent mark in many countries, even among those nations normally considered strong allies. This less-than-positive attitude towards our nation has impacts ranging from national security threats, to lost trade opportunities, to a significant drop in tourism, to parents overseas refusing to allow their children to be educated in U.S. universities.
"The sources of this problem are many. Some of these include honest disagreements with our policies and our actions. But many are based on misrepresentations of our goals, values and motives targeted at those prepared to believe the worst about us. Yet, in spite of recent actions to counter these misperceptions, our efforts to present our point of view have not been getting through. It is time to re-think how we conduct our Public Diplomacy.
In addition, Senator Lugar introduced S. Res. 49 on February 13, 2009, expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of public diplomacy. He also wrote an oped for ForeignPolicy.com on this topic.