If we are concerned with U.S. smart power, we have to recognize the importance of successful public diplomacy. If U.S. public diplomacy is ever to work, we Americans will have to meet the world half way. It simply will not be enough for us to send our message out to friends and foes and expect "them" to understand, respect or even recognize our positions. Instead, we must make a better effort to not only listen, but to also demonstrate to the world that we want to listen.
Accordingly, kudos to Good Morning America, Diane Sawyer and ABC News for broadcasting live from Damascus this morning. Sawyer interviewed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and gave viewers a valuable look into Syrian society.
Surely there are other areas of interest around the world, and surely this is just one small example (also, the coverage was no-doubt bookended by news on the latest celebrity gossip and this week's diet fad). Still, ABC News did their viewers a service this morning. Here's hoping the competition takes notice.
Comments (1)
I like this point about listening.
To add to this, in my experience, the best way to show that you are listening is not to say "I am listening" or "I care about your point of view." These things are nice, but they can also backfire, as they are the kinds of things that people who are not listening learn to say to get away with it.
No, the best way to show that you are listening is to demonstrate that you have accurate, relevant knowledge of your dialogue partner's situation. That is, if you show that you understand what they are trying to say, you show that you must be listening. This is not hard.
What is a bit harder is articulating their point of view accurately without feeling like you must automatically agree with what they are saying. People/nations feel that if they show the other they are listening by making a strong case for the other side's point they will be forced to back down from their own point of view. But this is nonsense. Why does their having a point mean that you have no point? You would only have to agree if you, yourself, only had a weak point!
In short, we should learn to listen and understand the other with the confidence that sympathy and acknowledgment do not equal acquiescence. That is, unless you believe that your gut feelings are your only guide to action, in which case I guess you are kind of a slave to whomever you listen to, and so the only way to maintain your point of view is to avoid listening.
Posted by DM | February 6, 2007 10:44 PM
Posted on February 6, 2007 22:44