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Information and influence: public dipomacy organizations like the Voice of America allow the U.S. to appeal to the force of global public opinion.

Successful action in the war of ideas requires that policymakers be able to harness the prodigious power of global public opinion.  To acheive their aims they must understand the subtleties of that opinion and be able to channel it for their own purposes.  This is the purpose of public diplomacy, which is the method through which governments can inform and influence publics all over the globe.


Despite its strategic value, however, it has long been one of the most underappreciated and underfunded tools in the U.S. national security arsenal.  Born during WWII, U.S. public diplomacy was subjected to much neglect during much of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.  Organizations like the Voice of America (pictured at right), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the United States Agency for International Development, and the United States Information Agency labored for in years in relative obscurity.


It took the election of Ronald Reagan – who understood the vital importance of communicating America’s message to the world – for this situation to be remedied.  His political and ideological offensive against the Soviet Union was rooted in a renewed focus on public diplomacy.  The hope and purpose that this effort gave to the Soviet population played a profound role in fomenting the collapse of the communist government there. 


In today’s pitched battles with Islamic extremism, it is time to resuscitate U.S. public diplomacy, for it provides one of the most potent and cost-effective ways in which this country can combat the virulent and violent ideologies that motivate our enemies.

Frank Gaffney, Jr.
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