Improving America’s Standing in the World, pt 2

[nerdgirl 0]

(Part 1 here, from earlier this month.)

The “So What? Who Cares?” … or “Why should I care I care about what the world thinks?” is …

Because it makes executing America’s strategic and foreign policy goals easier and more effective. Easier equals less costly both in $$$ (i.e., American tax dollars) and decreased risk to deployed American service members. It’s “soft power.”

Additionally every terrorist group has a larger civilian base, albeit interdependence may vary highly. One of the most effective examples was following the Feb 1977 assassination of the manager of a U.S.-owned Du Pont Chemical facility located in Northern Ireland by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. Du Pont Chemical was the largest single employer in the county and as considered a very good workplace. The local populace responded and the PIRA campaign to target businessmen was “dropped quietly: without any public declaration” (Tim Pat Coogan, The IRA, pp. 377.)

At last week’s Network Centric Warfare forum, former SecDef Donald Rumsfeld emphasized that America is “losing the war of ideas in the Muslim world.” He proposed creation of the new office – a "21st century agency for global communications" -- somewhere between the now-defunct Defense Dept’s Office of Strategic Influence, the U.S. Information Agency, which was merged into the State Dept almost 10 years ago, and the White House of Global Communcations (OGC), which had/has great intent but never established (independent) credibility.

”Private media does not get up in the morning and say what can we do to promote the values and ideas that the free Western nations believe in? It gets up in the morning and says they're going to try to make money by selling whatever they sell... The way they decided to do that is to be dramatic and if it bleeds it leads is the common statement in the media today. They've got their job, and they have to do that, and that's what they do.

“We need someone in the United States government, some entity, not like the old USIA … I think this agency, a new agency has to be something that would take advantage of the wonderful opportunities that exist today. There are multiple channels for information … The Internet is there, blogs are there, talk radio is there, e-mails are there. There are all kinds of opportunities. We do not with any systematic organized way attempt to engage the battle of ideas and talk about the idea of beheading, and what it's about and what it means. And talk about the fact that people are killing more Muslims than they are non-Muslims, these extremists. They're doing it with suicide bombs and the like. We need to engage and not simply be passive and allow that battle of competition of ideas.”

He’s talking about the value of “strategic communications” (the buzzword) to improve America’s standing in the world.

Office of Strategic Influence failed and lost credibility because of its own actions and hubris. Perception is critical. The next attempt needs to be transparent and completely above reproach. The type of organization that former SecDef Rumsfeld describes should not be a Title 50 agency, i.e., *not* part of the intelligence community. A fire-wall (like there is with the Peace Corps) may not be a bad idea. Prolly not at DoD. Independent from State would be good. Connected into SSTR efforts.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[nanook 1]

That makes sense. Long as we are not trying to satisfy a self-esteem (community-esteem?) need versus a Policy Strategy, I can get on the Improvement of America's Standing bandwagon.

_____________________________

"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[vortexring 0]

So said the man who played such a significant role in spoiling it...

I'm therefore not surprised he seems more interested in addressing the issue through propaganda rather than by doing it practically and properly.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[rushmc 23]

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So said the man who played such a significant role in spoiling it...

I'm therefore not surprised he seems more interested in addressing the issue through propaganda rather than by doing it practically and properly.

As opposed to a fall guy?

Something to consider

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[vortexring 0]

Fall guy!? That's neither here nor there.

What is important is the rectification.

'for it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "chuck 'im out, the brute!" But it's "saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot.'

[rushmc 23]

Quote

Fall guy!? That's neither here nor there.

What is important is the rectification.

Retification for the right reasons?

It is neither here nor there weather you (or I ) gree if a change is only to have a fall guy. To assign blame if you will......

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[TheAnvil 0]

If separate from State, where would it go? Not DoD I would think. Commerce, perhaps? Mixed feelings about that.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[billvon 3,120]

>It is neither here nor there weather you (or I ) gree if a change is only to have a fall guy.

?? Could you perhaps rephrase that?

[nerdgirl 0]

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If separate from State, where would it go? Not DoD I would think. Commerce, perhaps? Mixed feelings about that.

I don't know as much about Commerce as I do other parts of the federal govt, so I'm hesistant to recommend for or against Commerce. Or, perhaps, consider something closer to an ACDA (before Pres Clinton merged it into State) or Peace Corps model -- completely independent. You have identified a critical piece at which SecDef Rumsfeld hinted: the need for 21st Century business acumen.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[rushmc 23]

Quote

>It is neither here nor there weather you (or I ) gree if a change is only to have a fall guy.

?? Could you perhaps rephrase that?

Not worth it at this point as it is water under the bridge

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[nerdgirl 0]

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As opposed to a fall guy?

Something to consider

Agree it is something to consider ...

Whether one excoriates or exalts former SecDef Rumsfeld’s leadership, he is much too active and assertive an individual to be a “fall guy.” He took a lot of risks and he took a lot of proverbial punches for those risks; I don’t recall him ever apologizing for being willing to take risks that he thought represented the best national security and foreign policy choices for the US. He may be responsible, culpable, or commendable (depending on one’s perspective) but is hardly a “fall guy.”

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[rushmc 23]

Quote

Quote

As opposed to a fall guy?

Something to consider

Agree it is something to consider ...

Whether one excoriates or exalts former SecDef Rumsfeld’s leadership, he is much too active and assertive an individual to be a “fall guy.” He took a lot of risks and he took a lot of proverbial punches for those risks; I don’t recall him ever apologizing for being willing to take risks that he thought represented the best national security and foreign policy choices for the US. He may be responsible, culpable, or commendable (depending on one’s perspective) but is hardly a “fall guy.”

VR/Marg

Maybe but, I dont think he would be above taking one for the team. I believe that is how devoted he was to his position.

"America will never be destroyed from the outside,
if we falter and lose our freedoms,
it will be because we destroyed ourselves."
Abraham Lincoln

[TheAnvil 0]

Did ACDA have its own budget line item with authority to obligate? I don't know. I think to be effective it would have to have a budget and authority to obligate. Its interaction with State would be critical - and DoD to a lesser extent.

The reason I was thinking DoC was that in the end, economics is one of the key factors in the dynamics of foreign policy. Not really famliar with DoC that much, but it seems a nice fit - in the abstract.

Vinny the Anvil
Post Traumatic Didn't Make The Lakers Syndrome is REAL
JACKASS POWER!!!!!!

[BIGUN 1,488]

General Cartwright.

Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard.

[nerdgirl 0]

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Did ACDA have its own budget line item with authority to obligate?

Yes.

Quote

Its interaction with State would be critical - and DoD to a lesser extent.

Concur on both. How to accomplish that & enable the independence & credibility mentioned in the original post is the challenge.

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying

[nerdgirl 0]

Quote

General Cartwright.

And ???
He should lead such an endeavor? Or he’s the fall guy? (The latter is teasing, since I expect you know he was in Nebraska for the last 3 1/2 years before being tapped to lead the next Nuclear Posture Review.)

And more importantly/interestingly – why?
What characteristics does General Cartwright demonstrate that you would recommend him? (I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with the recommendation - want to understand better the underlying thinking as you write from a different perspective than mine.)

VR/Marg

Act as if everything you do matters, while laughing at yourself for thinking anything you do matters.
Tibetan Buddhist saying