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The Public Diplomacy Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School.

THE PEOPLE’S AMBASSADOR
NOV 10, 2006 - 11:54AM PST
Posted by Nancy Snow
All posts by this author

The State Department announced Thursday that figure skater Michelle Kwan would become a public diplomacy ambassador representing sports and U.S. values to the world. The 26-year-old five time world champion who vaulted onto the world figure skating stage at 15 is now a graduate student in political science and international relations at the University of Denver, alma mater of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Kwan seems like a good safe choice to represent U.S. values in diversity and sports excellence. From all I've seen of Kwan in the media, she seems a warm and gracious person and will likely do us proud. However I'm not sure if she alone can clean up the mess we've made by linking public diplomacy to the Bush war on terror. As Martha Bayles wrote in The Sun November 8th: "Today, the chief messages of U.S. public diplomacy -- that to fight terrorism, America must occupy Iraq, restrict visas, and suspend legal protections for both prisoners and citizens are seen as "big lies' by millions of people around the world. We can keep repeating this message, or we can change tack. Either way, our purpose is not well served by political correctness, on the left or on the right." Despite a blue-tilting Congress and the resignation of Rumsfeld, the proof of our unpopular foreign policies in the world continues unabated. I nominate someone who provides a face of the United States in the world that is decidedly politically incorrect. He may not have been the first person Dr. Rice or Karen Hughes thought of to help improve our image in the world. Actually, I'm sure he wasnגt even on their Top 10 list. I'd like to think he is equally competent to Ms. Kwan to handle the ambassadorial duties. He holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University, is a WWII veteran, and his resume includes countless random and purposive acts of representing the oft-touted U.S. values of free speech, free press, and social justice. Hes neither left nor right, but a radical (getting at the roots) truth-teller about why our national image remains checkered. Howard Zinn, author of the million-seller A People's History of the United States and You CanҒt Be Neutral on a Moving Train, spoke in Orange County to an overflow crowd at Chapman University in Orange, California. I hadn't seen him since the last time he was in The OC. His speech led to several standing ovations, and I know he'd be a big hit overseas. He wouldn't teach figure skating, maybe citizen activism and dissent. First thing you need to know about Howard Zinn is that he's an eternally-young octogenarian (I hope he doesn't mind my sharing his age range!), funny and sharp. The longtime Massachusetts resident and professor emeritus of Boston University opened with this: "When I told people I was coming to the OC, they said, really?" The OC continues to hold a conservative/reactionary image in the rest of the country, a stereotypical label with which I can commiserate as…... FULL TEXT
 
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Redante Asuncion-Reed on November 19, 2006 @ 1:54 pm:
Excellent! I have seen anti-American sentiment overseas personally and up-close as an immigrant from the Philippines. Howard Zinn as the US's public diplomacy ambassador would not change American image overnight -- and even Zinn would probably bristle at the thought of his job as being primarily to burnish US image overseas. But if the US were truly serious about changing its image overseas, there is no better way than to present itself as (what I like about American society best) a promoter of free speech, freedom of expression, and democratic debate. Not just in image but in reality. There is no better way to do it than picking someone like Zinn who is well-respected as a scholar and activist who can be critical of US policies.

orange notary public on January 8, 2007 @ 12:12 pm:
I am so impressed with Michelle's ability to move beyond her sports career. She is a talented young woman who deserves this opportunity to make something of herself.

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