*EPF306 10/29/2003
Tutwiler Welcomes Challenge of Improving U.S. Image Abroad
(Says U.S. must listen more, reach out to non-elites) (640)

By Jay Richter
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The negative image of the United States that now persists in many countries did not come about overnight and will not be solved overnight, says Margaret Tutwiler, who is President Bush's choice to be under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.

Testifying during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee October 29, Tutwiler described the current view abroad of the United States as "complex" and said "there is much that is respected and admired about our country ... and yet, regrettably, we have lost some of the respect that was a part of past generations. We all know that we as a nation have a problem ... one that must be seriously addressed."

While there are many public diplomacy and public affairs activities sponsored by the State Department to educate and inform foreign publics about the United States, its citizens and its policies, these activities need to be focused on "maintaining and in some respects regaining respect and understanding," said Tutwiler.

Although both Republican and Democratic administrations have done a "very good job" of communicating with foreign governments and have interacted effectively with foreign elites and opinion leaders, Tutwiler said she strongly believes that the United States has given insufficient effort and focus to "the average person, the non-elite[s] who today have a much stronger voice within their countries than they did in the past."

Tutwiler said she also believes that officials in Washington "need to do a much better job of listening." She said that her experience in two administrations has demonstrated that "as much as we would like to think Washington knows best, we have to be honest and admit we do not necessarily always have all the answers."

U.S. government officials on "the front lines have good, solid ideas that advance understanding and nurture our country's image," she said, adding that "we should be more active in soliciting and more open to receiving their suggestions." In addition, the United States needs to listen more carefully to citizens of other countries and explain its policies and values in ways that resonate in their communities, Tutwiler said.

In opening remarks at the hearing, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Richard Lugar observed that the committee is conducting a review to determine how U.S. diplomatic institutions can be transformed to be in a better position to win the war on terror. "Any successful effort must include improvements in public diplomacy, and the challenge for Congress is to ensure that the position of under secretary of state for public diplomacy has the power and the funding and the political support required to do the job," Lugar said.

The chairman said during the hearing that he believes the present organizational structure within the Department of State does not provide the under secretary for public diplomacy with sufficient authority to fulfill the U.S. government's mission. He added that the current level of resources appears to be problematic as well. Tutwiler said that she intends to expand the role of her office appropriately to ensure that public diplomacy is more fully incorporated into departmental decision-making.

Lugar said that during his June trip to Iraq, he observed that public diplomacy efforts there could be greatly strengthened. In response, Tutwiler advised the committee that she appreciates the urgency of the situation there, and she noted that 24 State Department public diplomacy officials will be deployed shortly to the 18 regions of Iraq.

There is no quick fix to the problem of America's image abroad, she said, but "there is every reason to believe that together all of us can and will contribute to reversing this."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)

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