The Arrogance of American Power: What U.S. Leaders are Doing Wrong and why It's Our Duty to DissentRowman & Littlefield, 2007 - 249 pages We hear 'anti-American' on a daily basis, it seems. When does it indicate a serious threat to security? When is it merely a label that the Bush administration slaps on anyone who dares to disagree with its foreign policy? Nancy Snow tackles not only the government's manipulation of the term, but also the broader use of U.S. propaganda for public relations. She further connects these to the tendency of U.S. administrations and media_past and present_to focus on projecting a better U.S. image rather than addressing the issues behind why the country's image is so poor, both at home and abroad. Snow is an American propaganda expert and a former U.S. Information Agency and State Department official. If America truly cares what others think, she argues, it needs to get over itself as the 'number-one country.' The government needs to spend less time diverting public attention and more time enlisting the public to help improve foreign relations. It needs to involve all citizens, not just government-approved lackeys, 'journalists' paid to talk nice, or the predictable influentials and elites typically involved in foreign affairs. And the public needs to exercise its right to dissent_a critical power at the heart of democracy_rather than letting the government or the media halt foreign policy debates with labels, propaganda, and arrogant rhetoric. |
Contents
LIVING IN THE NUMBER ONE COUNTRY | 5 |
TAKING INVENTORY OF WHERE LANGUAGE LEADS US | 10 |
AMERICA IN ATTITUDES AND OPINIONS | 13 |
ON DISSENT AND FREE SPEECH | 16 |
PROMOTING AMERICAN CULTURAL VALUES TO THE WORLD | 21 |
WASHINGTON AND THE WAR STRUGGLE BATTLE OVER ISMS | 25 |
AMERICA AND FOREIGN ISMS | 28 |
AMERICA AND THE UNITED NATIONS | 32 |
WE BECOME PROPAGANDISTS AGAIN | 112 |
INFORMATION WARS | 118 |
ITS ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS | 122 |
THE HARD SELL AND SOFT POWER | 127 |
MEDIA IS A BATTLEFIELD | 134 |
THE FOX PERSUASION | 137 |
IMAGE WARS | 153 |
CLOSING THE PERCEPTION GAP | 156 |
PERCEPTION IS REALITY IN MARKETING THE NUMBER ONE | 38 |
PROPAGANDA AND THE PERCEPTION GAP | 46 |
DECONSTRUCTING A LABEL | 51 |
AMERICA AND THE PATRIOTIC DUTY OF DISSENT | 55 |
FEAR APPEALS AT HOME AND ABROAD | 59 |
TELLING OUR STORY TO THE WORLD FROM A GRITS PERSPECTIVE | 64 |
YOU CAN CALL ME AL JAZEERA | 68 |
WE ARENT THE WORLD | 71 |
HOLLYWOOD PROPAGANDA | 73 |
AMERICAN PROPAGANDA AND THE PRESS | 82 |
JOURNALISM PUBLIC RELATIONS AND GOVERNMENT PROPAGANDA | 86 |
WHEN TRUTH IS A DANGEROUS THING | 90 |
BEYOND POLITICAL BIAS | 93 |
CREDIBILITY AND THE AMERICAN PRESS | 95 |
KILL YOUR TV | 101 |
MARRYING PRESS AND PROPAGANDA IN AMERICA | 104 |
THAT WOULD BE NICE | 108 |
WERE NOT FREE WHEN OTHERS DONT BUY IT | 160 |
ENLARGING THE AMERICAN BRAND | 165 |
THE MORE CREDIBLE MESSENGER DEBATE | 168 |
A METHOD OR MADNESS? | 170 |
THE PROPAGANDA CZAR FROM PARIS AND TEXAS A PREMONITION | 172 |
KAREN HUGHES II AND WHAT THE WORLD REALLY THINKS OF AMERICA | 174 |
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL | 182 |
AN OUTSIDETHEBELTWAY PERSPECTIVE ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY | 184 |
AMERICAN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND THE TWOWAY STREET | 192 |
WHAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE KNOW AND CAN TEACH US | 196 |
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY POWER ELITES AND THE PHANTOM PUBLIC | 202 |
A CALL FOR GLOBAL EDUCATION IN PUBLIC DIPLOMACY | 208 |
BUILDING A CULTURAL DIPLOMACY ENVIRONMENT MOVEMENT | 212 |
BIBLIOGRAPHY | 222 |
233 | |
ABOUT THE AUTHOR | |
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abroad advertising agency Al Hurra Al Jazeera American culture American public diplomacy Arab and Muslim attitudes and opinions audience Brand America broadcast Bush Administration campaign Center citizens corporate countries credibility critical democracy democratic diplomatic economic efforts elites enemies Europe exchange film Fox News Channel freedom Fulbright Fulbright program George hard power Hating America hearts and minds Hollywood Hurra intercultural communication Iraq Iraqi Jazeera journalism journalists Karen Hughes Keith Reinhard listening live marketing mass Middle East negative overseas Pentagon percent perspective political President Bush promote propaganda public diplomacy public opinion Radio Sawa scholar society soft power Soviet speech story television tell terror terrorist U.S. foreign policy U.S. government U.S. military U.S. public diplomacy United University USIA values war in Iraq war on terror Washington White House William Fulbright York