Foreign Policy Program
Opinion
Summary: As the world continues
to be intrigued by the U.S.
electoral process, getting the
American message out to its
foreign audiences in a credible
manner will be one of the most
important agenda items and the
toughest challenges for the new
U.S. administration in January
2009.
When most political rhetoric is
viewed with skepticism, a new
American leadership needs to be
out front creating new realities
that match the verbal commit-
ment to take on a full range of
global issues from security to the
environment. With a pioneer-
ing foreign and domestic policy
and a strong diplomatic service,
the United States is uniquely
positioned to take on this public
diplomacy challenge.
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Getting America’s Message Out to a
Skeptical World
by Michael C. Polt, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, The German Marshall
Fund of the United States*
Almost universally, people around the ous U.S. Embassies around the world,
world discount much of what is said in two pictures were hung as constant
the course of political campaigns as reminders of the contrasting “American”
much as they view with skepticism any world vision, and what I would call the
government’s official proclamations of “Lil Abner” view, from the famous car-
its accomplishments, goals or even toon strip that included a character with
motivations. For America’s leadership a personal dark cloud hanging over his
and our diplomats, once our election is head. The pictures are the front covers
over this year and CNN has changed its of the British periodical The Economist
colorful sets to post-electoral coverage, and the German newspaper Der Spiegel,
this global popular skepticism presents both depicting the horrifying Janu-
both an ongoing challenge and a new ary 1986 explosion of the space shuttle
opportunity that must not be missed. “Challenger.” Their headlines read: “It’s
Getting America’s message out with still worth it” on The Economist and “The
credibility to foreign audiences makes shattered dream” on Der Spiegel.
public diplomacy as important a
challenge as any we face on our foreign Today, Americans fear their dreams are
policy agenda. To meet this challenge shattered rather than project a grim
and succeed, on January 21, 2009, we determination to forge ahead. With the
have to have meat on the bones of a new war in Iraq, the threat of a nuclear Iran
Administration’s agenda as soon as the and North Korea, a home mortgage crisis
newly elected president finishes the oath and consumer credit crunch, record-
of office. high energy prices, fear of an economic
recession, and a declining dollar, what
In the past, after the defeat of fascism in average citizen wouldn’t be rightfully
the Second World War, after declaring worried? What politician wouldn’t
victory in the Cold War, and certainly still dollop out reassuring patriotic messages
before 9/11, we were known as a nation of of America’s greatness to reassure the
optimists. We did not mind being called electorate? In fairness to all of us, we
naïve or even cockeyed, since we consid- are desperately seeking reasons for not
ered many of our critics to be worriers, becoming that character in Lil Abner.
paralyzed by the fear of failure, rather We look for hope and inspiration in
than energized by the belief in success. every political speech, no matter by
Over the past three decades, displayed on what political candidate or from what
my office wall during my missions at vari- end of the political spectrum. We want
*
The views expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State or the U.S.
government.
Foreign Policy Program
Opinion
to be pre- 9/11 Americans again. And as we try, as a people, to
convince ourselves of faith in the future, we must, as diplomats,
prepare to convince others outside our country that we are still
the Americans they once looked to for reassurance of the pos-
sible rather than confirmation of the impossible.
“The United States must be out front in
creating new realities on the full range of
global issues from global security to global
warming.”
So how do we convince ourselves and others? First of all, we
must realize that since hype does not convince us, neither will it
convince others around the world. We have to believe before the
rest of the world can believe. Second, it is as important to count
honestly our problems as well as our blessings. We have to move
beyond hoping, coping, persevering, protecting, or even fixing,
and focus and talk about looking beyond current problems and
charting future progress. Progress along the lines of, “a giant
leap for mankind” for our first step on the moon or “Mr.
Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” In both cases, the ideas came
from America; the achievements were the world’s. In both
cases, there were doubts whether such goals were achievable and
arguments that America had more important domestic issues to
deal with than walking on the moon or tilting at “Iron Curtain”
windmills. But a vision of progress needs not only a slogan. It
needs substance. The United States must be out front in creating
new realities on the full range of global issues from global
security to global warming.
As the current U.S. administration seeks to complete its agenda
and prospective transition teams start to polish their position
papers, our foreign policy professionals continue to translate
American can-do enthusiasm and concrete plans into the nearly
7,000 languages of the world, literally and figuratively. Armed
with both vision and substance, our President, our Secretary of
State, and our diplomats are able not only to inspire enthusiasm
for the American vision, but gain confidence in American lead-
ership around the world. The rest is diplomatic tradecraft and
the irreplaceable element of human interaction. We need our
diplomats outside the highly secured fences of our diplomatic
compounds and we need more of them, as President George W.
Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have asked for
in their newest budget requests for the U.S. State Department.
Diplomacy, despite its necessary elements of confidentiality, is
an ever-increasing public enterprise. We should be better at that
than anyone else. With a pioneering foreign and domestic policy
and a strong diplomatic service, we are.
Michael C. Polt, Senior Transatlantic Fellow, GMF
Ambassador Michael Polt joins GMF, on loan from the U.S.
Department of State where he most recently served for three years
as Ambassador to the Republic of Serbia. He is a career member of
the Senior Foreign Service of the United States and served as Secretary
of State Colin Powell’s Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
for Legislative Affairs prior to his posting in Serbia. He has also served
as U.S. Minister and Deputy Chief of Mission of the U.S. Embassy in
Berlin, Germany and Deputy Chief of Mission and Charge’ d’Affaires
of the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland. He served as senior advisor
to the Director General of the Foreign Service for Management
Reform and was a key member of the Senior Management Steering
Board directing the State Department’s 2003-2005 multi-million
dollar reinvention of its Diplomatic Communications System. He has
also previously been assigned to Embassies in Bonn, Mexico City,
and Copenhagen, as well as the U.S. Consulate in Bremen, Germany.
He received a master’s degree in public administration from the
University of Tennessee.
Ambassador Polt is the recipient of the Presidential Meritorious
Service Award and numerous Department of State Meritorious and
Superior Honor Awards for Outstanding Policy Leadership,
Management, Crisis Performance, and Political Analysis. He has
been awarded the Thomas Jefferson Award for Service to U.S.
Citizens Overseas by American Citizens Abroad.
About GMF
The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a
nonpartisan American public policy and grantmaking institution
dedicated to promoting greater cooperation and understanding
between the United States and Europe. GMF does this by supporting
individuals and institutions working on transatlantic issues, by
convening leaders to discuss the most pressing transatlantic themes,
and by examining ways in which transatlantic cooperation can
address a variety of global policy challenges. In addition, GMF
supports a number of initiatives to strengthen democracies. Founded
in 1972 through a gift from Germany as a permanent memorial to
Marshall Plan assistance, GMF maintains a strong presence on both
sides of the Atlantic. In addition to its headquarters in Washington,
DC, GMF has seven offices in Europe: Berlin, Bratislava, Paris, Brussels,
Belgrade, Ankara, and Bucharest.