[Media-watch] U.S. revs up PR machine as Iraq war looms

david Miller david.miller at stir.ac.uk
Fri Mar 28 10:35:22 GMT 2003



http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20030124-0800-iraq-usa-communications.html 
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Showdown with Iraq 
U.S. revs up PR machine as Iraq war looms 
        
By Randall Mikkelsen
REUTERS 

January 24, 2003 

WASHINGTON ­ As it prepares for a possible war with Iraq, the United States is revving up a global public relations effort, including daily conference calls with chief ally Britain and opening a London office to manage ties with the al Jazeera pan-Arab television network. 

The effort is coordinated by the new White House Global Communications Office, which aims to promote Washington's case abroad against Iraq and to fight anti-American sentiment, particularly in the Muslim world. 

The effort recalls wartime propaganda campaigns of previous U.S. presidents, and seeks to take advantage of what office director Tucker Eskew described as the powerful "megaphone" of the presidency. 

"If you look at the last 100 years you see that Americans were most effective at getting their message across ... when presidents and White Houses were actively engaged in that process," Eskew said in an interview with Reuters. 

Analysts said the office recognizes the need to address an image of U.S. arrogance and insensitivity, but could only work if it also helps shape U.S. policies rather than simply trying to sell them. 

"Unless you understand how the world sees you and you build that into your policy, you're not likely to succeed," said Shibley Telhami, a University of Maryland Middle East expert who has met with officials of the new office. 

The office was formally established by President Bush this week, but its staff of 11 has been busy since last year. 


VARIOUS PROJECTS 

Among the projects the office has taken part in are: 

- Daily telephone conference calls to coordinate foreign policy messages among U.S. government agencies and representatives of British Prime Minister Tony Blair. This is supplemented by a "Global Messenger" e-mail of talking points sent almost daily to administration officials, U.S. embassies, Congress and others. 

Blair's chief spokesman, Alastair Campbell, or other aides participate in the calls, Eskew said. Other countries participate in other ways, he said. 

- The State Department's pending creation of an Islamic media center in London to manage U.S. communications with the al Jazeera satellite television network. 

Al Jazeera has irritated the Bush administration in the past, including its airing of messages from Islamic militant Osama bin Laden, but the administration also recognizes its powerful influence on Arab public opinion. 

- Bush's efforts to reach out to Muslims last year during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which included a presidential statement disavowing the anti-Islamic comments by prominent conservative Christian leaders. 

- Overseeing the dispatch abroad of U.S. teams to respond locally to news developments. Such teams were launched during the 2001-2002 Afghanistan campaign to quickly counter Taliban media statements. 

Asked whether the United States was preparing new teams for use in any Iraq war, Eskew said, "We've thought about, and planned ahead for any future needs." 


'ARROGANT, SELF-INDULGENT' A report last year by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank, which urged the establishment of a presidential overseer for "public diplomacy," outlined the challenge facing the United States. 

"There is little doubt that stereotypes of the United States as arrogant, self-indulgent, hypocritical, inattentive, and unwilling or unable to engage in cross-cultural dialogue are pervasive and deeply rooted," it said. 

Amy Chua, a Yale University law professor and author of "World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability," said the impressions are fueled by factors of the Bush administration's own making and others borne of an inherent resentment toward dominant forces. 

Such factors include America's unrivaled "hyperpower" status since the fall of the Soviet Union, unhappiness over U.S.-backed international lending policies which have caused economic hardship, restrictive immigration policies and anxiety over U.S. threats of war with Iraq. Other experts have also cited Arab opposition to U.S. Middle East policies seen as favoring Israel. 

Moreover, Chua said, the most common public images of the United States inspire resentment, and those images are pervasive and hard to counter. 

"The rest of the world sees our president, our supermodels, Hollywood and our multinationals ... America looks glamorous, rich everywhere, white and powerful," she said. 







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