Every Citizen A Diplomat

I recently came across a new Council on Foreign Relations report that looked at all the recent global public opinion polls on international issues.  Below are a few excerpts I especially liked:

American Attitudes on World Issues

Many Americans view current global challenges as too complex and daunting to be tackled by unilateral or even regional entities or organizations.

• There is support for a global system based on the rule of law, international treaties, and robust multilateral institutions
• Americans believe their government should abide by international law, even if it is against national interest
• A large majority of Americans reject a hegemonic role for the U.S., but do want the U.S. to participate in multilateral efforts to address international issues

UN

Globally, publics see the UN as playing a positive international role but are disappointed by its actual performance.  Many support UN reform.

Many want the UN to play a larger role in promoting human rights, going as far to say that UN actions would not be improper interference in sovereign affairs

There is strong support for adding additional members to the Security Council and they regard the Security Council as the premiere institution for conferring legitimacy on the use of armed force.

Most believe the UN should take the lead on:

• Aid to developing countries
• Refugees
• International peacekeeping
• Protection of the environment
• Protecting human rights

Trade

• There is strong support for globalization, but many fear it is happening too fast.
• Publics see globalization as a positive force for their nation and support the WTO.
• They also support labor and environmental standards.

Foreign Aid

• Global support for foreign aid is robust and developed and developing countries say wealthy nations are not doing enough

Climate

• Majorities in all countries, including the U.S., say global warming is a threat and action needs to be taken.
• They also recognized that this would result in a lifestyle change.

American Exceptionalism

• Majority support internationalism, the importance of international law, and multilateral cooperation to address global issues
• Most favor a world that is multi-polar or led by the UN
• They believe that all nations must abide by international law
• A large majority support participation in the International Criminal Court
• They also believe the UN is a necessary force in the world today
• These results challenge long-held stereotypes about attitudes toward world order and international cooperation, both in the U.S. and abroad.

International Cooperation

• Europeans and Americans see common values between the two and emphasize the increase in transatlantic cooperation
• Europeans favor cooperation over competition, the same goes for Americans
• A majority of Americans think the government should be more cooperative than it really is

The world has breathed a sigh of relief as President Barack Obama displayed gestures of respect and honor on his recent Asian trip.

When we respect and honor other cultures, doors are opened to dialogue and good will. He is a great ambassador for the United States.

— The. Rev. Denny Coon, Iowa City | Des Moines Register

We have a great story to share with you today!

Alexander Blass participated in the Arab American Business Fellowship program this October and has returned to the U.S. ready to start his journey as a citizen diplomat.  He recently sent U.S. Center President & CEO Ann Schodde a letter about his experience and how it has affected his outlook.  The Center thanks him for allowing us to post this excellent example of citizen diplomacy in action.

Dear Ann,

I just wanted to tell you again how much of a pleasure it was to meet you, and how extraordinary the 2009 Arab and American Business Fellowship experience was for me.  I am deeply grateful for having had this opportunity, and I can’t thank you enough!  Please allow me to share some of my thoughts with you as I reflect on the past several weeks, and I know that all of my fellow Fellows feel the same way.

I believe expressions such as “transformational” and “life changing” are often overused in our culture, but they genuinely describe my feelings about this trip.  This was without question, one of the most exceptional experiences I have ever had.  This fellowship has moved me and opened my eyes and mind in ways I could not have fathomed or predicted.  The Palestinian portion of the trip was by far the most impactful for me, both as an American, and as an American who happens to be Jewish.  With Dubai, it was unbelievable and impressive (as typically portrayed in the media), and I look forward to going back soon as well.  When it comes to Palestinians, the media coverage in America is often negative.  We tend to hear about the sensational stuff, as it may sell more newspapers; not the everyday, wonderful people, who comprise the vast majority.  They are just trying to get by, put food on the table, provide for their families, build successful businesses, live fulfilling lives, and make the best of what is a very challenging situation for everyone.

For a little background on me, as the American-born child of a Holocaust survivor from Hungary, my siblings and I were given a strong education in and appreciation for our faith and history, as parents often strive for in any culture.  I visited Israel when I was in college, but never Palestine, and had not returned to the region at all for a very long time.  I mention this because I think it is important to note that everyone comes into a new situation from their own background and perspective.  Unfortunately until now I never had the opportunity to truly see the situation from the Palestinian point of view, in their own land, in their own words.  As someone born, raised, educated, and living in the United States, I certainly am not naïve enough to claim to be some newly minted expert on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict after a brief visit to the region.  But I do now have a far, far greater and deeper appreciation for the complexities and challenges of the situation, and its real impact on the Palestinian people.

The similarities with my own culture amazed me, not just in Palestine, but across the Arab nations we visited.  The language, the culture, the people, the religion, the architecture, the food.  Ironically, once I was there, I felt more at home than I ever could have imagined.  From my perspective, I truly felt like I was with old friends–or if I may be so bold to say–even long lost relatives.  I believe I have made a number of lifelong friends on this trip, whom I deeply respect and admire.

Although the official program has ended, for me I know that the journey has just begun.  I will be honored to go back to the region to share my business expertise with the Arab world’s next generation of aspiring entrepreneurs as well as business leaders in Palestine, Dubai, Jordan, and elsewhere.  I will try to encourage some of my media contacts to share more positive stories of success from that region with their audiences, of which I have now personally witnessed countless examples.  Locally and regionally, I will share my extremely positive experiences there with friends, family, colleagues, as well as larger audiences.  I hope to encourage them to separate the people from the politics, and hopefully visit these extraordinary places and people as well one day to see the reality for themselves.  It is easy for one to dislike or unfairly stereotype a diverse community when they are merely an abstract concept or a soundbite.  I feel that it is not just my pleasure and privilege to educate people on what I encountered, but that it is now also my responsibility to try to help break some of the cultural stereotypes and misunderstandings.

I have no doubt that I can depend on the Arab Fellows on the program to do the same, in reverse, in their communities, having visited the United States and meeting wonderful, respectful people here as well.  I also recognize that when one doesn’t know the native language of a region, it can add additional barriers to communication and cultural understanding. Therefore, I have decided to study Arabic to at least hold a basic conversation.

I will never forget the people I met, the places I saw, and the things I learned and experienced first hand.  Although I am now back in America, the images that remain in my mind from the Middle East are extremely powerful.  Believing in the expression “talk is cheap,” I will be returning to this extraordinary part of the world at the earliest opportunity, and strive to do my part to make a positive contribution.  My goal is to be an ambassador of change for what the fellowship stands for, and the complementary missions of both BDA and YAL.

Thank you again for the opportunity, as well as your time, generosity, and insight.

ma’a ehtranme wa takderee,

Alexander Blass

President & CEO

Alexander Blass International

If you would like to contact Alexander Blass, visit www.alexanderblass.com

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Have you had a recent eye-opening experience abroad?!

If you have, we want to hear it!  The Center is collecting stories and experiences, so we would love to hear from you! You can either post a comment or send Derek an email at dforsythe@uscenterforcitizendiplomacy.org.

All stories will be posted on our website in an effort to show interested citizen diplomats what a great experience traveling abroad really is, so we hope you will share your story!

BACKGROUND

On February 5, 2009, the USCCD launched the Initiative on Global Citizen Diplomacy at the National Press Club with a Call to Action and Letter to the President.  Since then, thousands of Americans from across the country and citizens of the world have signed the letter, and House Resolution 569 was introduced in Congress encouraging the President’s support and endorsement of the Initiative and Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy.

The U.S Center for Citizen Diplomacy is pleased to announce a National Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy to be held in 2010 in Washington, D.C. The Summit will launch a national initiative that includes a multi-year educational campaign and calls upon the private sector in partnership with the public sector to expand the number of American volunteers of all ages who are engaged in international activity both at home and abroad.

The Summit broadens the momentum generated from the work of the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD) a national resource base and network for Americans to be engaged as citizen diplomats, two major leadership forums held in 2008 (USCCD & The Johnson Foundation) and 2009 (The Leaders Project & The Gilman Foundation), and extensive reports conducted by the Center for Global Leadership, the Building Bridges Coalition, and the Center for Strategic International Studies, among others.  These forums and reports engaged more than 200 leaders in international affairs and diplomacy who strongly endorse a revival of citizen diplomacy as a critical component of U.S. public diplomacy strategy and U.S. foreign policy.

With support from the U.S. Department of State – Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, the proposed Summit and national campaign are being submitted to the White House for the President’s endorsement.   The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy will partner with the administration to organize the summit and collaborate with some 1,000 U.S. NGOs devoted to providing opportunities for Americans to be involved in international activity whether at home or abroad. Leaders in international affairs are organizing twelve private sector task force groups to solicit and prepare summit presentations.  The sectors include Business, Community and State-based Exchange Organizations, K-12 Education, Higher Education, International Service, Development Assistance, Cultural Diplomacy, Sports, Travel & Tourism, Volunteer Youth Service, Global Health, and Environmental organizations.

OBJECTIVES of THE SUMMIT

The National Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy is the first such meeting since President Eisenhower’s People to People conference on the same subject in 1956. Most importantly, the summit will support current efforts of President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Undersecretary of State for Public Affairs Judith McHale to make global citizen diplomacy a national priority through efforts to:

• Focus national and international attention on the importance of citizen involvement in international activities as citizen diplomats, whether at home or abroad and show why citizen diplomacy is a vital foreign policy tool;
• Establish the United States as a collaborative world leader in the promotion of international understanding through the interaction of Americans with people throughout the world;
• Enhance current U.S. best practices and strengths of global citizen diplomacy and present new, creative and collaborative programs that build upon and leverage the strengths of existing U.S. international organizations and engage international partners throughout the world;

• Accomplish the first important recommendation in the Initiative for Global Citizen Diplomacy report (publication) – to conduct a national summit; and
• Provide showcasing opportunities for the expansion of funding for innovative programs from the public and private sector, both in the United States and worldwide.

Ultimately, the Summit will stimulate a significant increase in the engagement of global citizen diplomats in the U.S. and throughout the world by:

• Energizing the private sector to support and engage broad citizen involvement throughout the globe;
• Increasing opportunities for international volunteer service both in the United States and abroad;
• Increasing private sector interest and funding from individuals, corporations and other philanthropic foundations and organizations; and
• Increasing media support and coverage of citizen diplomacy in both the United States and abroad

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Help us support the vital work and positive impact of citizen diplomacy efforts by joining the call for the President’s endorsement of a National Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy!

SIGN THE LETTER TO THE PRESIDENT and learn more on our Web site:  WWW.USCENTERFORCITIZENDIPLOMACY.ORG

WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR REPRESENTATIVE(S) encouraging them to co-sponsor H.R. 569: “Supporting the work of citizen diplomacy organizations and encouraging the     convening of a Presidential Summit on Global Citizen Diplomacy.”

BE INVOLVED! Sign up for our email list, find an opportunity to volunteer, or make a donation to the USCCD or any one of the many exemplary citizen diplomacy organizations listed on our Web site.