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While the U.S. has
demonstrated superior military might in Afghanistan and
Iraq, the war of public opinion in the Middle East
remains in doubt. This is a public relations challenge
of the highest magnitude.
A 13-member group of former
diplomats, public policy experts and academics recently
returned from the area and declared that we are losing
the “information war” in Iraq. The study, chaired by
former diplomat Edward P. Djerejian and titled "Changing
Minds, Winning Peace", stated that despite many new
media outlets appearing in the country, including
newspapers, radio and television, the public is not
getting the U.S. side of the story. Instead of being
seen as a liberator, many people in the area see the
U.S. as a conqueror and occupier.
Fueled by a lack of
information, the Muslim and Arab populations in the
region are seriously distressed by U.S. actions in the
area and anti-American sentiment is running high,
according to the group.
A key contributor to
America’s poor media image in the region is a lack of
funding for public relations. Of an estimated $150
million spent on public policy programs in the area, the
majority has gone to exchange programs instead of
outreach programs.
While a lack of funding has
clearly hurt, the lack of a cohesive strategy is also an
issue. This problem that may be addressed by creating a
cabinet-level position – a “PR Czar” with White House
muscle to temper foreign policy decisions with public
relation implications.
Although improving the media
relations effort can help, the commission pointed out
that this is not a simple “spin” problem. Some foreign
policies may need to change to improve relationships in
this fragile region.
The fact that we are losing
the PR war in the Middle East has been noted by Trylon
Communications. In a letter to the editor of
Adweek published July 14 of this year, president Lloyd
Trufelman pointed out the shortcomings of the State
Department's first attempts get the U.S. message out via
an advertising campaign.
The key to a successful
campaign, reflecting the goals as outlined by the
commission above, is to generate third-party credibility
- something especially crucial when trying to reach
people in different nations and cultures in their native
voices.
Trufelman cited the U.S.
Committee on Public Information used in World War I and
the Office of War Information in World War II as working
models of such a campaign. Resurrecting the
eviscerated U.S. Information Agency was a proposed
starting point.
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