Brookings Fellow Calls Pentagon Lead on PD "Risky"

Brookings Fellow Kristin Lord has a recent op-ed in the Christian Times Monitor regarding DoD's leadership on public diplomacy. The bottom line: "Putting our military, not civilians, at the forefront of US global communications undercuts the likelihood of success, distorts priorities, and undermines the effectiveness of US civilian agencies."

Lord is concerned by increased funding and manning for Defense Department public diplomacy efforts. According to the article, "the Department of Defense will pay private contractors $300 million over three years to produce news and entertainment programs for the Iraqi public" alone.

She drives home her point that soldiers, airmen, marines, and sailors in uniform might not necessarily project the "right" image of the United States in the world, especially "in areas where the public feels threatened by American power."

The discussion descends into the age-old commentary about how State is undermanned and under-resourced. It references the perspective that the Pentagon is doing what State can't. Pragmatists would say "we shouldn't let the perfect stand in the way of the good."

As Lord so poignantly comments: "Doing public diplomacy well means putting civilians at the forefront and giving them sufficient resources." It will be interesting to see whether a change in administration will revolutionize the way that the Congress and the State Department program for and execute public diplomacy resources.

Reinventing PD wholly supports Kristin's conclusion: "the Congress should give public diplomats the tools they need to do their jobs, and then hold them accountable."

Full text available here.