Interesting to see the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen – America’s top soldier – quoted in the New York Times making the case for trust and engagement. “To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate.”
The NYT says: American messages to counter extremist information campaigns “lack credibility, because we haven’t invested enough in building trust and relationships, and we haven’t always delivered on promises,” quoting Mullen.
As a guide, Admiral Mullen cited American efforts at rebuilding Europe after World War II and then containing communism as examples of successes that did not depend on opinion polls or strategic communication plans. He cited more recent military relief missions after natural disasters as continuing that style of successful American efforts overseas.“That’s the essence of good communication: having the right intent up front and letting our actions speak for themselves,” Admiral Mullen wrote. “We shouldn’t care if people don’t like us. That isn’t the goal. The goal is credibility. And we earn that over time.”
His full words are here http://www.jcs.mil/newsarticle.aspx?ID=142
British Council USA has pulled out some of what we think are the most important quotes: “We’ve come to believe that messages are something we can launch downrange like a rocket, something we can fire for effect. They are not. Good communication runs both ways. It’s not about telling our story. We must also be better listeners … We haven’t invested enough in building trust and relationships … The goal is credibility. And we earn that over time … Only through a shared appreciation of the people’s culture, needs, and hopes for the future can we hope ourselves to supplant the extremist narrative. We cannot capture hearts and minds. We must engage them; we must listen to them, one heart and one mind at a time—over time.”
Our man in the US says – I cannot stress how significant this type of language is, coming from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The Chairman is the principal military adviser to the President, Secretary of Defense and the National Security Council – hence all the news coverage and PD blog discussion these past few days. Watch this space, the US investing in cultural relations could and would change the way the world works.
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