Public understanding - simplicity is genius (part 1)

If you want to communicate

successfully,

if you want to get your message out

successfully, you need to listen.

And we have tried hard in the past

years to improve our listening skills.

Explaining the Strategic Concept

is about where NATO is headed,

but it is also

a golden opportunity to define

what NATO is and NATO does

in the 21st century.

Back when I grew up and I woke up

and someone said NATO,

I knew what was meant: the defence

against an identifiable threat.

We need in the 21st century

once again to have a sense

of what this NATO is for

in a very different

and complicated

and complex environment.

Everything that NATO is doing,

is in many European countries

immediately suspicious.

And then it takes a while

to convince people that it is not.

It should be the opposite.

Getting away from old style

messages

could make a big difference.

This is the first time in my career

where there are more people

in the audience than on the panel.

So I’m truly glad about that.

The reason we focus so much

on the new Strategic Concept

being succinct,

being easily digestible is simple.

NATO does have

a public relations problem.

Fewer and fewer people

in NATO member states understand

what purpose the alliance serves.

We focus on so many different things,

it isn’t easily describable

what it is that NATO does

and because of that

we look at low public support

for defence spending and for

missions in which NATO is engaged.

Our constituencies,

our peoples, they vote,

they give us the mandate

to decide on using force.

And there is too little understanding,

too little shared…

...vision of what NATO shall do

and what NATO shall not do.

The old Concept by virtue of being

too long and too waffling did do

that the idea

is a new Concept should be a tool

for the governments to restore

NATO’s reputation with the public.

Involving the public

has already begun.

I intend to make this the most open,

the most inclusive consultation

process in NATO’s history,

and I dare say, in the history

of any international organisation.

It's already a surprise

and that’s a clear intention

of this new Strategic Concept

to go to the public. Much more

than any previous NATO document.

Not at least because not

all NATO allies are very efficient

in explaining their population,

the need for security and defence.

You know the rhetoric is not enough.

We have to be able to deliver.

That means political, broad based

political support back at home.

And I think that is

where we haven’t been too good.

You cannot delegate the need

to rally your own public behind you

to NATO or to its public diplomacy

division or to your magazine.

All these things can support,

but the basic requirement

to explain people that security

is important, defence is necessary,

and transatlantic relations are

the key of our security and defence...

This has to be done

by the governments.

This is the great opportunity,

is to cause people, both citizens,

voters as well as policy makers,

to understand

that there is a higher calling here.

That NATO is the bedrock

of western European

civilisational defence.

What the Strategic Concept can do

or what its writers can do,

is produce a succinct, understandable

and stirring document,

which the NATO member states

can take to their public

and say:

This is what the alliance is about.

Drawing up the Strategic Concept

already involves external experts.

They know

that having a clear strategy

could impact on everything

from budgets to Afghanistan.

The more clear

that we are in our final advice:

These are the threats,

this is the mindset for NATO.

And if the public

understands that well,

the public will understand

that you then need resources.

That is budgets, equipment, etc.

And if people understand

the importance of this alliance

and the importance of what

were doing in Afghanistan,

then there is more likely

to be a degree of public support.

There is uncertainty.

It’s one of the reasons we’re having

a deliberative attempt to look

at what our strategy should be for

Afghanistan and how to move ahead,

so we can better explain to the public

why we need to continue,

why success is important

for the security of the NATO countries.

The same is true with NATO.

And finally, it’s clear that those

countries who keep a close eye

on NATO and its operations

will be looking equally closely

at its new Strategic Concept.

Of course it will be read in Moscow

and in most of the Islamic countries,

but I think

by being very clear on intentions,

you are much more eligible

as a partner for these countries,

because they know

what you are talking about,

what do you intend, so therefore,

yes, it is directed to both areas

and I think that the interest

in both areas will be quite high.