The Foreign Service Journal, October 2009

school–age individuals, and English- teaching programs have become a medium to reach disadvantaged youth who can’t afford to travel. All exchange programs suffered a downturn after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, prompted heavy restrictions on foreign travelers. But for the past few years, student num- bers have been climbing, both for Americans going abroad and for in- bound foreigners. Concern about hostility toward the U.S. led Con- gress to appropriate more funds for State Department ex- changes. New monies have concentrated on the Muslim world, displacing to some degree the former Soviet Union as a regional focus. Nearly one million people from America and around the world have already participated in programs conducted by ECA. Last December former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy James Glassman summarized the role of exchange programs as a tool of pub- lic diplomacy this way: “The problem with exchanges is that they’re relatively expensive — though, compared to what the gov- ernment spends in other areas, maybe not so expensive. So we’d like to do more, and we have in- creased those exchanges dramati- cally. They’re up 50 percent in the last three to four years. It’s a pretty dramatic increase. We know they work, and it does make sense to put resources into things we know work.” Reduced Budgets, Wildly Inflated Expectations USIA focused tightly on opinion-makers and future leaders, without spending great sums on youth programs or casting its net widely. But the State Department is now expected to appeal to untold millions of young people — especially in the Muslim world— through mass outreach. Relatively cheap ventures on the Web will not get the job done. Under Secretary McHale will ask Congress for signifi- cant additional funding, probably stressing programs like English Access Microscholarships. Since it started in 2004, this program has allowed some 44,000 teenagers in more than 55 countries to learn English after school and in the summer. The idea is to start a relationship with young per- sons from poor backgrounds who are seeking a better life, mindful that English opens doors to employment and ed- ucational opportunities around the globe. Cultural exchanges have become more youth-ori- ented, as well, and more likely to occur outside the tra- ditional concert hall and museum. For example, the Rhythm Road American Music Abroad program, co- sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center, sends 10 U.S. music groups a year abroad to present original American music, including jazz, urban and roots. Because musicians tend to show off on the Web, this program has a vibrant foot- print in social media. Another major idea comes from Capitol Hill. Sena- tor Richard Lugar, R-Ind., wants to expand venues where diplomats can meet the public outside their se- cure but remote embassy buildings. USIA’s network of America Houses, binational centers and libraries was 26 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 9 F O C U S It’s important to remember that overseas opinion is shaped more in Arabic, Russian, Chinese and other foreign languages than in English. Joe B. Johnson Reading Room 2009