Anti-Americanism and Its Impact on Public Diplomacy

Representative Henry Hyde (R-IL) posed the question: How is it that the country that invented Hollywood and Madison Avenue has allowed such a destructive and parodied image of itself to become the intellectual coin of the realm overseas? The United States is considered a world leader in the persuasion industries -- advertising, film, marketing, and public relations -- and yet it is these practices that are seen wanting in stemming the tide of 21st century anti-Americanism.

This study examines contemporary debate about anti-Americanism through various artifacts, including the more than fifteen reports and studies generated by U.S. think tanks and the U.S. government in response to 9/11, global media reactions and global attitudes surveys as well as multidisciplinary approaches in political communication, public relations, advertising, marketing, and critical communications.

The purpose of this analysis is to place anti-Americanism squarely in the center of the ongoing debate about public diplomacy goals and methods.

Nancy Snow's new book is The Arrogance of American Power: What U.S. Leaders are Doing Wrong and Why It's Our Duty to Dissent.

We hear "anti-American" on a daily basis, it seems. When does it indicate a serious threat to security? When is it merely a label that the Bush administration slaps on anyone who dares to disagree with its foreign policy?

Nancy Snow tackles not only the government's manipulation of the term, but also the broader use of U.S. propaganda for public relations. She further connects these to the tendency of U.S. administrations and media -- past and present -- to focus on projecting a better U.S. image rather than addressing the issues behind why the country's image is so poor, both at home and abroad.

Snow is an American propaganda expert and a former U.S. Information Agency and State Department official. If America truly cares what others think, she argues, it needs to get over itself as the "number-one country." The government needs to spend less time diverting public attention and more time enlisting the public to help improve foreign relations. It needs to involve all citizens, not just government-approved lackeys, "journalists" paid to talk nice, or the predictable influentials and elites typically involved in foreign affairs.

And the public needs to exercise its right to dissent -- a critical power at the heart of democracy -- rather than letting the government or the media halt foreign policy debates with labels, propaganda, and arrogant rhetoric.

Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States, says that "Nancy Snow writes with eloquence, passion, and crystal-clear prose. In this book she brings these qualities to the most important issue before our nation today: Why has the United States alienated people all over the world, and how can its citizens bring democracy alive to change national policy?"