The Foreign Service Journal, October 2006

Club, Chamber of Commerce, city council or church group. Of course, it takes time to go out and meet people, especially in a large country. And there is always something to keep us in our offices — a demarche or cable or meeting or manage- ment issue — and success in these duties largely determines the trajectory of an officer’s career. When I sat on a performance-pay board in August 2005, I was pleased to note that many senior officers mentioned their efforts in public affairs. If promotion panels accorded the same importance to contributions in this field as in others, more officers would get out and do it. Congress could also help. It should mandate fewer reports and make those still required shorter. It strikes many of us as ludicrous, for example, that our small embassy staff in Reykjavik has to devote many hours to prepar- ing an annual human rights report. Instead of repeating, year after year, that the govern- ment of Iceland respects in every important particular the liberties of its citizens, they could be out talking to Icelan- ders about America. If public diplomacy has fail- ed, as many critics now claim, it has not been due to an inability to find the secret slogan or magic message. These things are wills-o’-the-wisp. We build successful public diplomacy on sound foreign policies and per- sonal contact, on taking the message, in Edward R. Murrow’s ubiquitous phrase, “the last three feet.” It’s time-consuming and labor-intensive. But that — not dazzling special effects or catchy sound bites — makes for effective communication. F O C U S 38 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6 We build successful public diplomacy on sound foreign policies and personal contact.