The new form of public diplomacy

The public diplomacy has become one of the major issues that the USA needs to deal with. After the six decades period during with the Israel/palestine conflict in which the USA was involved, the Iraki War and its consequences made the image of the USA in the arab world as worst as never. Karen Hugues -President's Bush adviser- has made considerable efforts to make the international community -and specifically the arabs- change its view on the USA. To implement her strategy, she has focused on three main aspects:

• Change the USA image and makes it shine,
• Marginalizing terrorists' effect on the USA,
• Enhancing communication with the world.

To do so, she did not only increased the budget allocated to public diplomacy, but she also diversified the usual way of dealing with it. She developed local platforms in the Arab and muslim world to counterattack the Arab media when framing the news in accordance with their beliefs and intersts. Also, she introduced an innovative way to dessiminate the american values and principles as being universal principles. She presented famous american figures in the sport's field to expand those values internationally and targeting the youth. Her strategy is very wise: she is targeting the youth as their mind is still uninfluenced. The use of PR to expand the american values as universal values aims at changing the image of the USA.

After watching the video of the interview with Karen Hughues, Gondoleeza Rice, and the famous baseball player, we can identify the strategic behavior that public diplomacy took at the level of the USA. Aiming at "transcending culture and identity" as state by Rice, the use of the baseball player as an unofficial diplomat will be used through the interaction with th einternational community -especially the kids-. As stated by the baseball player, sport is used as a universal language to expand the american values based on responsability, team work, perseverence, and commitment. Through this strategy, the american suceess will be shared with the youth all over the world. He will share life lessons thanks to "planting seeds" in the future generation.

Is this strategy successful or it is just millions of dollars that the USA is loosing? Does the plan help changing the image of the USA in the arab and muslim world or it is percieved as an american propaganda? The departure of Karen Hugues enforces those questions. We may wonder if she is leaving because of a feeling of failure. The discussion is open and no valid answer may be given.