Public Diplomacy - Capturing the Information Terrain on the Way to Victory
Abstract
The impact that information operations and public diplomacy have on military operations is critical to the success of any campaign. However, the U.S. Government and, in particular, the military has not been very adept at planning and executing public diplomacy. Along with it not being one of the "sexier" tools to execute, public diplomacy in the United States has traditionally and consistently been reactive instead of proactive in helping to shape the battlespace. Especially in light of the events of 11 September 2001 (9/11), it has become obvious that the information terrain was available to whoever was best at capturing and controlling it ("information superiority"). One or the other, the United States or the Taliban, would capture the terrain and the media initiative, dominate the headlines, and, more importantly, the public domain. The U.S. Government and the military's inability to match an adversary on the public diplomacy level has been a continuing problem since the Vietnam era when images of battles were brought into the public's living room. It still is amazing in this era of technological advancements that an adversary such as Saddam Hussein can shape the battlespace and mount a successful propaganda campaign against such a sophisticated foe as the United States to help pressure the United Nations to review imposed sanctions on Iraq. But to the casual observer, this campaign might not be obvious. This paper details the public diplomacy campaign that Saddam executed in 2000 and impresses upon the reader that various public diplomacy techniques such as "faces with a name" can sway public opinion. Using this campaign as background, and to illustrate the value of capturing the information terrain, the events of 9/11 present an opportunity to review the U.S. Government and Department of Defense's public diplomacy strategy during the first 100 days of Operation Enduring Freedom. (34 refs.)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA420705
Entities
People
- Linda R. Urrutia-varhall
Organizations
- Air University