Foreign Policy Effects on Strategic Communications and the Ability to Influence
Abstract
This paper provides an analytical analysis of how the United States Government conducted strategic communications from post World War II until the end of the Cold War with the former Soviet Union. In the post Cold War environment, the paper continues to analyze how the U.S. Government conducted strategic communications into the 21st Century without an executive agency to lead this very important form of national power. The discussion leads to an understanding of how deeds and words are inseparable when communicating with the global community, and how policymakers must understand the perceptions of the global community in order to develop effective policies that serve the mutual interests of the U.S. and the region for which the policy is intended. Regardless of the message we try to send, our deeds must match our words in order to communicate and ultimately influence the global community through dialogue. However, with the deactivation of the U.S. Information Agency the leaders in the Untied States have all but lost their ability to communicate with the international public. As a result, the U.S. fails to lead the global community as the champion of human rights in the struggle against militant religious extremism. This has resulted in the loss of a critical vulnerability within the U.S. Government at a time when the U.S. is attempting to fight an enemy whose base of support is primarily ideological. The paper concludes with a discussion and recommendation on how better to organize and use Informational Power within the U.S. Government.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 17, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA468761
Entities
People
- Robert M. Roth
Organizations
- National Defense University