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How to improve America's image abroad


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March 28th, 2007 issue

“Why do they hate us?”

That was the question on the lips of many Americans in the days and weeks following the terrorist attacks of September 2001. And, for the majority of Americans who don’t travel abroad, it’s still a puzzle.
But it doesn’t take being overseas long to understand the antipathy toward the United States, for everything from fast food to the warmongering of recent years. Much of it is undeserved, and, fortunately for expats, we’re seldom held responsible for the actions of our government or the latest trash from Hollywood.
But there are moments when it’s hard not to empathize with people like Jiří Poslední, the Czech musician whose visa nightmare detailed in the News section this week will have a familiar ring for anyone who’s ever dealt with the federal bureaucracy back home. Poslední became ensnarled in regulations that not only kept him from performing in the United States but have reduced him to begging for a simple letter confirming that he’s entitled to be reimbursed for his unused plane ticket.
Whatever one’s politics, it’s clear that reducing a member of the Czech Republic’s most prestigious orchestra to angry, helpless frustration is not doing much for America’s image abroad.
No one can accuse the U.S. Embassy of doing anything but following the letter of the law in this case. At worst, it’s guilty of bad manners, with consul officials failing to respond to a perfectly reasonable request for a small favor.
And that’s the rub. Embassy officials are right when they say they’re handicapped by regulations and budgets and decisions dictated from Washington. But there are always gray areas and matters of judgment and opportunities to extend a helping hand.
For those of us who cringe at how American culture is represented abroad, this incident stings. While organizations such as the French Institute, the British Council and the Goethe Institute pour tons of money and resources into showcasing the finest cultural exports of their countries, the United States seems content to let dubbed reruns of insipid television shows do the talking. On the rare occasion that an opportunity to support a first-rate cultural exchange blossoms, we flub it and then blame the home office.
It won’t do. If the United States’ image abroad is going to change — particularly in a country being asked to take on a highly controversial U.S. military facility ­— then a shrug of the shoulders and a citation from the big book of regulations isn’t going to cut it. A positive, proactive stance is required.
And Poslední’s problem would be a good place to start.


Other articles in Opinion (28/03/2007):

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