North America Archive

As the “global war on terrorism” enters its fifth year, it has become increasingly evident that the United States and its allies are involved in an ideological war, in which propaganda and moral suasion will play a large part. Some Bush administration officials, such as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, have recently jettisoned the “GWOT” moniker in favor of the less martial and more comprehensive “struggle against violent extremism.” National security advisor Stephen Hadley has also begun emphasizing the ideological nature of this conflict, recently telling a reporter that the United States is involved in “more than just a military war […]

The Bush administration’s latest budget contains a significant increase in spending on ”public diplomacy” — government-sponsored programs to communicate with the citizens of other countries through the media and cultural and educational exchanges. The increase has been met with a sigh of relief from foreign policy watchers who believe public diplomacy is an essential pillar of American ”soft power” and have watched that pillar slowly crumble since the end of the Cold War. During the Cold War, the U.S. Information Agency led America’s public diplomacy assault, broadcasting Radio Free Europe to Soviet Bloc states, broadcasting the Voice of America throughout […]