USC Center on Public Diplomacy

Direct link to this article: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/index.php/newsroom/specialreports_detail/2542/

Published: OCT 21, 2007 - 3:15PM PST

Special Reports
Special reports are articles collecting the most relevant public diplomacy articles and information on topical issues, and are posted periodically by our research team at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

UNIVERSITY DIPLOMACY — US : 0, IRAN : 1
OCT 21, 2007 - 3:15PM PST
by Iskra Kirova

Ever since his rise to power in 2005 Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has enjoyed being in the spotlight of American attention. Not without the help of the news media and the White House's preoccupation with his persona, the Iranian President successfully managed to turn many of his public appearances into public diplomacy triumphs. His musings on the Holocaust and the annihilation of Israel, and his defiance of the West over Iran's nuclear program have been the subject of much debate granting him rock-star-like popularity on a par with Bruce Springsteen. While nothing more than the demagoguery of an unpopular leader, these same narratives were the word of the day once more during Ahmadinejad's recent visit to the U.S. for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly. Incessant rumblings and great anticipation preceded Ahmadinejad's arrival, reaching a crescendo when Columbia University enlisted him as a speaker at its World Leaders Forum. Intended to meet "bad beliefs" with "better beliefs" and "hateful words" with "wiser words," Columbia provided a prominent public diplomacy platform in the battle of ideas. Yet, neither the soft power advantage nor the publicity opportunity was successfully clinched for American public diplomacy. The centerpiece of Ahmadinejad's visit to New York—his appearance at the UN—was largely overshadowed by Columbia's invitation. Ahmadinejad's speech was sponsored by Columbia's School of International and Public Affairs, which is launching a year-long series of lectures and events on the thirty years history of the Islamic Republic of Iran. News outlets were poised eagerly to cover the controversy as some condemned and others applauded the invitation. Fierce debate erupted over whether Ahmadinejad's views deserved to be granted such a high podium and opinions were expounded on free speech, Iran and American democracy. Coverage of the Iranian President was predominantly negative and even those who supported his right to speak in New York expressed their condemnation of the President's views and Iran's human rights violations. However, Ahmadinejad still managed to pull off an extraordinary publicity coup. Despite the fact that Manhattan teemed with world leaders and important gatherings, he remained the media's favorite celebrity. Aside from the Iraq war, Ahmadinejad's visit was the most closely followed news story during the week. According to the Pew Research Center, 23% of the public followed the story very closely, and 14% listed it as the single news story they followed most closely. Ahmadinejad's visit, and U.S.-Iranian relations in general, was the most heavily covered news story of the week. Fully 13% of the national newshole was devoted to this story. In an earlier poll, gauging news interest, Ahmadinejad ranked fifth in the list of people most often mentioned by American news outlets, preceded by O. J. Simpson, George Bush, Britney Spears and Hillary Clinton, and followed by General Petraeus. As Americans were watching, so were the Iranians. The entirety of Ahmadinejad's Columbia talk was broadcast on Iranian television the next day providing an unparalleled opportunity for American public diplomacy to communicate its message. Some argued that having Ahmadinejad…... FULL TEXT