PUBLIC

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE SOVIET UNIONAND THE REPUBLICS• Recent events in the Soviet Union createunprecedented opportunities to encouragepeaceful change and democratic reform. Anexpanded American presence in the republicsshould be one of the nation's top priorities.

• America's best small investment, highyield approach to the Soviet Union and therepublics today is public diplomacy: educa-tional exchanges, information and culturalprograms, and international television andradio broadcasting.

• The Advisory Commission recommendsnew program priorities, consolidation of cer-tain assets, and immediate redirection of$50 million of international affairs funds toactivities that support free market economies,rule of law, independent media, free tradeunions, and other foundations of democracy.

T he collapse of communism and theSoviet empire is the salient strategic event ofour time. Power is shifting from the center tothe republics. Democratic and free marketreformers occupy leadership positions.Sweeping changes, with enormous implicationsand uncertain outcomes, have rendered oldpolicies and paradigms obsolete.

Vital American interests are at stake,with opportunities comparable to those inGermany and Japan after World War II. Ifdemocratic reform efforts fail, the long-term costto the United States and the cause of freedomwill be enormous. If they succeed, Americanscan look forward to increased security, areduced defense burden, and expanded trade.

A Public Diplomacy Strategy

The Commission believes people-to-people exchanges, information and trainingprograms, radio and television broadcasting- core elements of American public diplo-macy for decades - are the most sensible,cost-effective ways to promote peacefulchange and democracy in a newly pluralisticSoviet Union.

There are limits to what outsiders cando to affect change, and in the end reformscan only be accomplished by the reformersthemselves. But intense interest existsthroughout the republics in market-basedeconomic models and democratic institutions.Public diplomacy is the ideal vehicle by whichto multiply contacts quickly with republic andlocal leaders, and become visibly engaged inways that benefit both U.S. interests and theprocess of democratic reform.

Reassessing priorities. During the ColdWar, the U.S. emphasized shortwave broad-casting and large exhibits in the Soviet Unionbecause most other means of communicationwere limited or denied. Today, there areopportunities to pursue a full range of publicdiplomacy programs, and we must adjust ourpriorities accordingly.

International visitors, television place-ment, English teacher training, academicexchanges, book translations, the WirelessFile, media training, libraries, small exhibits,cultural centers, speakers, expansion ofVOA's local radio placement affiliates, andmany other activities are now possible. We do

"The following is

BY's [Russian

President Boris

Yeltsin} address

to the Army.

Submit it toUSIA. Broadcast

it over the

country. Maybe

'Voice of

America. '

00 it! Urgent!"

From a faxedmessage to theCenter forDemocracy inWashingtonduring the firsthours of thefailed Soviet coup.August 1991

not need to invent new programs. We do needto use and expand those public diplomacy activ-ities that have been successful elsewhere.

USIA should be the lead agency in thiseffort. Ideas are what USIA is all about.Ideas won the Cold War, and ideas will shapethe new era that follows.

Other public and private sector organi-zations have important roles, the NationalEndowment for Democracy, the Peace Corps,the International Media Fund, and the CitizensDemocracy Corps among them. But fragmen-tation and overlap can hinder democracybuilding, and we should avoid the problems ofcoordination and focus that have affectedefforts in Eastern Europe.

Congress and the Administration must .work together to identify what each agencydoes best, concentrate resources in thoseagencies with contacts in the republics andexperience in democracy building, anddevelop clear delineations of responsibility.Inter-agency Memoranda of Understandingcan be useful tools to this end.

Consolidating assets. Some public diplo-macy assets, particularly in international broad-casting, should be consolidated. VOA andRFE/RL compete for listeners, stretch U.S.requirements for broadcast frequencies, andduplicate newsgathering and programming.

The Commission does not recommendimmediate termination of surrogate broadcast-ing to the Baltics and the republics. Butevents since August 18 have changedAmerica's international broadcasting prioritiesdramatically. In the future, the U.S. will nolonger need two government-funded interna-tional radio stations.

Decisions at the highest levels of gov-ernment to phase out some surrogate ser-vices should be based on country-by-countrydistinctions and well-defined criteria: indige-nous free media, established democratic insti-tutions, and basic human rights. At the sametime, USIA should strengthen the regional andcountry orientation of its television program-ming and VOA broadcasts.

Enhancing resources. The Commissionrecommends an immediate $50 million sup-plemental appropriation for public diplomacyin the Soviet Union, the republics, and theBaltic states. Redirection of funds within the

international affairs budget (the 150 account)is the logical source of such an appropriation.A small investment in national budget terms, itcould be offset against the $16.4 billion for-eign assistance budget for FY 1992.

The practice of funding the democracy-building activities of USIA and other agenciesthrough State Department-coordinated trans-fers from appropriations to AID has notworked well. Insufficient allocations and longdelays in transferring funds are hampering theprocess. Direct appropriations to eachagency, without Congressional earmarks,would be more efficient and productive.

Funding offsets should not be sought inUSIA's budget. Mandated cuts, primarily inWestern Europe, have eroded the Agency'sability to communicate with policymakers,opinion leaders, and educated elites on impor-tant regional and bilateral issues.

Public diplomacy managers will knowbest how to allocate a $50 million supplemen-tal appropriation. The Commission suggestsa general distribution of $30 million for newposts and programs in the Soviet republicsand Baltic states, $10 million for needed inter-national television and Voice of Americabroadcasting enhancements, and $10 millionto restore programs in Western Europe andelsewhere.

Field Pr-ogr-ams

An expanded American presence in theSoviet Union and the republics - people,posts, and programs - should be the firstpriority.

Effective public diplomacy relies, firstand foremost, on language-qualified USIAofficers, supported by foreign national staffs,on the ground. The Agency's professionalshave the contacts, the communications skills,and the management experience to carry outprograms that promote democratic ideals.They should be assigned wherever newembassies and consulates are established.

Programs should be highly visible,using libraries, information and cultural cen-ters, binational centers, and other venuesappropriate to public dialogue. Operationalchanges are essential. The U.S. should abol-ish its "no foreign national employees" rule,and seek to lift travel restrictions, numerical

limits on staffing, and reciprocity requirementsfor centers and other facilities.

The Commission believes the followingshould have priority.

USIA Posts - new posts in key republiccapitals, a visible American presence in otherrepublics, enhanced operations in Moscow,st. Petersburg, and Kiev, and permanentposts in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

International Visitors - the single mosteffective way to influence foreign leaders byletting them see for themselves what theAmerican experience is all about.

Television - placement on local sta-tions of American programs in Russian andnationalities languages and cooperative pro-ductions with republic television crews in theUnited States.

English Language Instruction - multi-plier programs such as teacher training, cur-riculum development, teaching materials, andexchanqes of foreign and American specialiststo meet extraordinary interest in learningEnglish.

Centers - venues for information andarts presentations, computer links to U.S. databases, office space, the opportunity to hireforeign national employees, and access to citi-zens at all levels.

Magazines and Publications - pam-phlets on free market economics and demo-cratic institutions in language versions;America Illustrated magazine, with an editorialfocus on democracy building, published inUkrainian as well as Russian.

Books - translations of textbooks andmonographs in Russian and other republiclanguages and donations of book collectionsto educational institutions.

Student Advising - an educationalexchanges office and trained staff in Moscowto implement U.S. government academic pro-grams and advise students on study opportu-nities in the United States.

Media Training - the Voice ofAmerica's U.S.-based training to sharpen theskills and professionalism of foreign radio,television, and print journalists.

Speakers - short-term speaker andinternational teleconferencing programs, sup-plemented with experts to conduct workshopsand advise on technical issues for three tosix months.

UNITED STATES ADVISORY COMMISSION ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Exhibits - small, mobile multi-mediathematic exhibits that combine speakers,graphics, electronic media, and other meansof communication, serving as a travelingAmerican presence, especially in thoserepublics without USIA posts.

Educational, Professional, andCultural Exchanges

Academic exchanges and professionalinternships in fields such as law and businessadministration are essential to building thedemocratic and entrepreneurial civic culturesneeded if reformers are to succeed. Fulbrightscholarship programs should be increased.Humphrey mid-career fellowships should beawarded to professionals in the region. RecentCongressional exchange initiatives are a wel-come first step.

On balance, first-hand exposure to theAmerican democratic experience is moreeffective than sending Americans to therepublics. Exchanges with government, mili-tary, and defense/industrial sectors should beemphasized.

Those teaching market economics inthe Soviet Union today were teaching Marxisteconomics two years ago. Creation ofschools of business administration and train-ing in economics should be a priority.

A U.S. cultural center in Moscow willfacilitate cultural and information programsand educational exchanges.

Television and RadioB.>oadcasting

International broadcasting remains vitalto U.S. interests in the Soviet Union, butrapidly changing, highly competitive mediaenvironments require new approaches.

Television is the primary source of newsand information worldwide in countries whereit is available. In Russia and other republics,audiences are turning more and more fromshortwave radio to credible and attractive localTV programs, satellite-delivered television,VCRs, and a variety of other informationoptions. The U.S. should allocate a largershare of its broadcasting budget to television.Enormous interest in the republics in educa-tional programs on economic and political sub-

"The [USIA

International

Visitor] project

made it clear to

us what the

costsofa

command-

administrative

economy have

been. [We have]

great plans to

the end of

establishing a

free market

economy in

Soviet

agriculture. "

Comments ofSoviet Ministryof Agricultureofficials after aUSIA-sponsoredvisit to theUnited States.September 1991

jects calls for syndicated programs in locallanguages and English, donations of TVROdishes and other equipment, media trainingand TV cooperative productions. TV coopsin particular, bringing republic television crewsto the U.S. for stories about America, areinexpensive and assure maximum use.

Placement of VOA's broadcasts on AMand FM radio stations in the republicspromises better signal quality and access tomuch larger audiences than shortwave inlocal media markets. Other Western broad-casters have begun to do this. The U.S.should move quickly to lease airtime on localaffiliates, and investin equipment donations,additional satellite capacity, marketing staffs,and aggressive promotional efforts.

Shortwave radio will be needed forsome time to come to reach the Soviet Unionand the republics, politically unstable areasthat cover 11 time zones. Shortwave remainscost-effective in crisis situations and in coun-tries with state-controlled and developing freemedia. Its importance will diminish, however,with the advent of Direct Broadcast Satellitetechnology, and as television, local placementand other forms of public diplomacy becomerelevant in increasingly competitive informa-tion environments.

Audience research and programevaluation must be enhanced if these newapproaches to U.S. broadcasting are to beeffective. USIA has consistently underin-vested in audience research in comparisonwith the BBC and RFE/RL. Research isessential to competitive programming in freemedia environments, to frequency selection,to signal delivery decisions, and to radio andtelevision marketing.

Newsgathering and program productionin nationalities languages should be strength-ened as well. Needs include additional newsbureaus, a network of stringers in allrepublics, access to regional and republicnews services, and augmented staffs to pro-vide tailored programs for the republics. VOAmay have to look at trade-offs between itsRussian shortwave capability and nationalitieslanguage services.

Bold initiatives are needed if the UnitedStates is to communicate effectively with demo-cratic reformers struggling to succeed. Thepotential for chaos, renewed repression, andthe discrediting of democracy is real. Windowsnow open may close.

But America's response must be morethan a short-term reaction to unprecedentedopportunity. Public diplomacy provides a long-term investment in a revolution of ideas that canbenefit U.S. interests for generations to come.

"[Latvian

Parliament

President]

A. Gorbunovs was

very pleased to

inform journalists

during the press

conference about

one concrete

example of such

help. The U.S.

Information

Agency (USIA) is

planning to

donate TVequip-

ment to our

Latvian TV."

From PresidentGorbunovs'remarks to thepress released bythe LatvianParliament'sPress Center.September 1991