State Department Official Urges
Citizen Involvement in U.S. Diplomacy
Mike Rast Jr. - Reporter
Atlanta - 11.19.07
GlobalAtlanta.com
A State Department official said that negative perceptions of the U.S. around the world must be countered by a combination of governmental and citizen action at the second annual Atlanta Summit on Citizen Diplomacy Nov. 16.
Professional diplomacy carried out by the government is not enough to combat false portrayals of American life in popular culture, according to Brad Minnick, director of the Office of International Visitors.
Citizen diplomats can show that controversial governmental policies are not necessarily reflective of the sentiments of the American populace, he added.
The summit, hosted at the Georgia State University Student Center, was an effort by the Georgia Council for International Visitors to encourage individuals to play a role in improving America ’s image worldwide.
“Against rising anti-American sentiment, citizen diplomats have a responsibility to engage with the rest of the world in a genuine, mutually beneficial dialogue,” Mr. Minnick said.
He added that recent studies of America’s allies show that only 36 percent of Europeans see the U.S. as playing a positive role in the world, compared with approximately 20 percent of people in Egypt and Jordan and 9 percent of Turks.
Additionally, he said that by hosting international visitors, supporting sister city relationships and raising awareness of international issues, average citizens can help foreigners “put a face on the U.S.”
As a part of these efforts, Mr. Minnick’s office runs the International Visitor Leadership Program to bring international leaders in politics, education and business to see the U.S. firsthand.
Alumni of the program include Abdullah Gul, president of Turkey and Gordon Brown, prime minister of the United Kingdom.
He said that several recent initiatives attempt to attract Muslim visitors, due to the low opinion of the U.S. in many predominately Islamic countries.
“Muslim groups believe that Americans hate Muslims and the American government hates Muslim governments,” Mr. Minnick said.
He added that family members of a female delegation told them that if they wore traditional Islamic veils in the U.S. they would be torn off and mocked in the streets by Americans.
“Those fears were unfounded but common, based on perceptions of the U.S. in their countries,” said Mr. Minnick, adding that many Muslims are surprised to find that Americans are free to practice any religion.
He said that a program begun last year to bring Iranians to the U.S. recently hosted its 100th visitor.
Another recent delegation was comprised of tribal and government leaders from Al Anbar province, Iraq; one of the most secure parts of the country since local leaders decided to cooperate with U.S. forces to fight Al Qaeda.
Mr. Minnick said that his office is attracting more visitors to the U.S. than ever before and that 591,000 visas were issued to international students last year.
He closed his speech by showing a video developed by Walt Disney Parks and Resorts LLC titled “Welcome: Portraits of America,” a promotional video that debuted in Washington about three weeks ago.
The film features scenes of smiling, waving Americans interwoven with landscapes, skylines and views of monuments such as the Statue of Liberty. Mr. Minnick said that the video will be on display in airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, to welcome visitors to the U.S.
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