Y 4.IN 8/16:AM 3/7 THE MESSAGE IS AMERICA: RETHINKING U.S. PUBLIC DIPLOMACY COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION NOVEMBER 14, 2001 Serial No. 107-54 Printed for the use of the Committee on International Relations Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.house.gov/international_relations 76-189PDF U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE DEPOSITORY For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Fax: (202) 512-2250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-00B 2 6 2002 STANFORD UNIVERSITY JONSSON LIBRARY COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HENRY J. HYDE, Illinois, Chairman BENJAMIN A. GILMAN, New York DOUG PEREUTER, Nebraska ELTON GALLEGLY, California NICK SMITH, Michigan JOSEPH R. PITTS, Pennsylvania BRIAN D. KERNS, Indiana JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia TOM LANTOS, California DONALD M. PAYNE, New Jersey CYNTHIA A. MCKINNEY, Georgia JIM DAVIS, Florida ELIOT L. ENGEL, New York WILLIAM D. DELAHUNT, Massachusetts BARBARA LEE, California DIANE E. WATSON, California THOMAS E. MOONEY, SR., Staff Director/General Counsel (II) CONTENTS Page Norman J. Pattiz, Founder and Chairman, Westwood One, Inc., and Member, Broadcasting Board of Governors The Honorable Edward S. Walker, Jr., President, Middle East Institute, and former U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, Israel and the United Arab Emirates, and former Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs, U.S. Department John W. Leslie, Jr., Chairman, Weber Shandwick Worldwide Robert L. Wehling, former Chairman, Advertising Council, and retired Global LETTERS, STATEMENTS, ETC., SUBMITTED FOR THE HEARING Norman J. Pattiz: Prepared statement The Honorable Edward S. Walker, Jr.: Prepared statement John W. Leslie, Jr.: Prepared statement Robert L. Wehling: Prepared statement Mouafac Harb: Prepared statement John Romano: Prepared statement Analysis of Near East Policy from the scholars and associates of The Wash- ington Institute, by Robert Satloff, Parts I and II, submitted for the record by the Honorable Tom Lantos, a Representative in Congress from the The Honorable Benjamin A. Gilman, a Representative in Congress from the State of New York: Prepared statement The Honorable Joseph R. Pitts, a Representative in Congress from the State 59 THE MESSAGE IS AMERICA: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2001 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, COMMITTEE ON INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS, Washington, DC. The_Committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:20_a.m. In Room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Henry J. Hyde (Chairman of the Committee) presiding. Chairman HYDE. The Committee will come to order. It is by now obvious to most observers that the role of public diplomacy in our foreign policy has been too long neglected. The problem is more than a simple lack of attention. Even were it standard practice to accord public diplomacy a more prominent place in our foreign policy deliberations, few would assert that our existing programs have been effective in achieving even the modest goals set for them. I do not believe that piecemeal reforms are likely to produce major improvements. Nor do I believe that the problems we confront can be solved simply by spending more money on ineffective programs, although we must be open to the prospect of providing additional resources if needs are identified. Instead, we must reexamine our entire approach to the subject. The tasks are many, among the most important being how to make better use of the range of media available to us-such as radio, television, the Internet and other means of communication-to expand our potential audience. But greater access must be paired with compelling content, which poses an entirely different set of problems: how to better understand our target audiences and then tailor our programming to maximize its impact. Thus, reinventing public diplomacy is an undertaking that will call upon the talents of many. In addition to those in the responsible agencies who represent an enormous reservoir of expertise, we must draw upon the talents of those in the private sector who have acquired practical experience in the creation and promotion of compelling images and ideas here and around the world. Today's hearings are aimed at that objective but represent only an initial effort. However, even if we were entirely successful in our efforts to retool our public diplomacy programs, there is no guarantee that we would use this new instrument to any great purpose. It cannot be used effectively until it is part of a larger strategy. Which begs the question: What, in fact, is its purpose? To propagandize foreign populations? To depict a pleasing image of the United States? To |