Cold War. War of Choice. World War. Gulf War. War on Drugs. Cyber War. War Footing. War of Words. Civil War. War on Terrorism. War of Ideas. Star Wars. We tend to use the word “war” too much.
The perception around the world (broadly) is Americans are war-loving people. Proof can be found on satellite dishes offering sitcom re-runs to the far corners of the earth with options, such as Miami Vice, Cowboy Westerns, and Law & Order or an endless stream of ‘action’ movies as ambassadors of American society.
Obviously, the term “war-loving Americans” can’t be statement further from the truth. But, is perception reality?
Opinion seekers from the Pew Global Attitudes Project have studied American sentiment abroad since 2002. The news and trends aren’t good. A spirit of anti-Americanism around the world still exists and in certain regions, it runs high.
But if you ask Americans (as World Learning and the Aspen Institute did in a January 2008 survey), nearly 9 out of 10 citizens are concerned about the continuing decline in the United States’ reputation overseas. We can’t be too self-interested if we are fretting over how others perceive us. Can we?
How are we addressing this problem? Head on. Track Two diplomacy. Non-kinetic warfare. Soft power. Irregular warfare. PsyOps. Conflict prevention. Multi-track diplomacy. This double-speak will work flawlessly.
If we are so articulate about describing war, let’s be just as clear about what we want in its place: peace.
Question of the Day: What is the best way to combat the negative perception abroad?
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