Public Diplomacy

The mention of America Houses in class earlier this week caught my attention. As described, they were offices/houses around the world during the Cold War that had books of American literature, thereby promoting US foreign policy by introducing people to American thought and civic values. The same thing still exists today. The US government funds many NGOs worldwide, some of which teach English, have a library of US books, and organize exchange programs. It's a great empirical example of Carr's "power over opinion." The USG is helping improve the foreigners' socioeconomic ability, while also hoping for the students to internalize US civic values, thereby improving the American image abroad. One of the struggles, however, is that participants don't always recognize that the USG is funding their program. The USG doesn't need a thank you card, but it would be nice if people recognized that the USG is paying for them to learn English and is not only responsible for the things they see on television.