The Foreign Service Journal, October 2009

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 9 ory of the assistance dies soon after the program stops, with little if any long-term PD benefit to the United States. Here is an example of how im- portant it is to put “people on the ground.” Responding to President John F. Kennedy’s call to volunteer overseas, thousands of young Amer- icans joined the Peace Corps and came to Ethiopia. They taught Eng- lish in cities, towns and villages across the country, each one reaching hundreds of impressionable teenagers and young adults. Several decades later, the ripple effects con- tinue. As I can attest, it is quite common for older Ethiopi- ans (many now in positions of leadership) to talk about “Miss Mary from Iowa” or another favored teacher who made such a profound, lifelong impression on them dur- ing their high school years. By contrast, today’s Peace Corps Volunteers mainly work in health care supporting HIV/AIDS programs. While that serves a critical role, no doubt saving lives, will Ethiopians 30 or 40 years from now be talking about “Miss Mary from Iowa” and how she taught them to use con- doms?! Surely the PD value to the United States is not the same, even though important work is being done. Here is another aspect to consider. In the past, USAID officials were personally engaged with the population in rural areas as they worked in agricultural assistance, water supplies, electrification and other areas of developmental assistance. Those officers did the bulk of the work them- selves, spending much of their time in the field. Now, however, it is common for contractors to run aid projects. Because these individuals are often third-coun- try nationals, the local population does not always make the connection to the idea that we are helping them. Moreover, no matter how diligently USAID works to brand every outreach effort so the American people get credit for what is being done, recipients often think that it is Catholic Relief Services or some other nongovernmen- tal organization that is helping them, not the U.S. govern- ment. At the same time that USAID and the Peace Corps were changing their focus, USIA began shutting down cul- tural centers around the world, thus removing yet another level of person-to-person interaction between Americans and foreign audiences. Those facilities have been replaced by Information Resource Centers inside embassies and American Corners in outside institutions run by partners. However, actual con- tact in these places between Amer- icans and local audiences is oc- casional and short-term. In addition, the emphasis in ex- changes has shifted away from sending Americans abroad to bring- ing foreign participants to the United States. While such programs are certainly a great and often life-changing experience for the participants themselves, far fewer people benefit from them than when an American Fulbright professor, musician, speaker or other participant goes abroad and interacts with foreign audiences. One Fulbright professor teaching in a univer- sity in Ethiopia for one academic year will influence far more people than an Ethiopian professor who spends a year in the U.S. Yet the cost is not significantly greater. Person-to-Person Diplomacy As these examples show, the diplomatic side of assis- tance programs has largely shifted away from putting Americans overseas in direct contact with foreign audi- ences. Such contact still occurs, of course, but not nearly on the scale of the past. In terms of building long-term relationships and posi- tive attitudes toward the United States, our focus should not be on “quality time,” but on the quantity of time that comes from Americans living in foreign countries and de- veloping personal relationships. The U.S. military understands this, practicing the kind of person-to-person diplomacy that the civilian side of gov- ernment seems to have lost. In Ethiopia, for example, civil affairs teams work directly with people in the most far- flung areas of the country, digging wells, building and re- furbishing schools, and carrying out other projects that affect local communities. Whether they work with con- tractors or do the work themselves, the units rack up “face time” that can pay dividends. Military doctors and veterinarians also take part in the Medical Civil Assistance Program and the Veterinary Civil Assistance Program. MEDCAP and VETCAP provide vaccinations, checkups and medical care in conjunction with local medical providers in villages and rural areas. In addition, U.S. Navy port calls often bring thousands of for- F O C U S Investments in libraries, universities and other “monuments” are a cost- effective way to achieve our foreign policy objectives.