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September 12, 2008
Posted: 2356 GMT
London, England – The U.S. Defence Secretary, Robert Gates, makes it a habit now to tell people that the United States "cannot kill or capture its way to victory" in its war on terror.
A 'very, very interesting woman.'
It also needs to prevail in the war of ideas. "We have to tell America's story," as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, James Glassman, put it at a speech in London this week. "We need to find the words, the deeds, and the images that show the United States to be a good and compassionate nation," he said. Mindful of the poor standing of the U.S. in some parts of the world – those parts being the ones Mr. Glassman is inevitably more concerned about – one might expect a rather dour assessment of how things are going. But actually Glassman reckons he has a hit on his hands. Or rather two hits: Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. "Public Diplomacy loves the Presidential election campaign," he said. "It's got people excited about the United States." "It shows the kind of change that's possible when there's an African-American man in the race and a very very interesting woman." A simple, powerful message. And where does Glassman need it to resonate most strongly? Right here in Europe, which, along with the Middle East, he said, ranks among the areas of greatest animosity towards the United States. Posted by: Andrew Carey, International Security Producer |
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