18th Century Diplomacy for the 21st Century

The total collapse of the US financial system should tell Washington that their Gun Boat Diplomacy, which worked quite well in the early 1900's, has been replaced by a new "digital" diplomacy. The world is no longer to be conquered, but to be encouraged to invest, and buy goods and services. The Gunboat style of diplomacy bankrupted Spain, Portugal, Britain and more recently Japan and Germany. Carpet bombing villages does not win "Hearts and Minds"!

Today the electronic media carries the message and the image. Al Qaeda for example employs a very economical, low cost web network to rally it's supporters. Even though they embrace living in caves, with their thinking still in the Middle Ages they have learned to embrace the digital technologies, and get leverage from high impact visual images that influence the young.

It's about time that Washington embraced the New Digital World Order! The enemies of the United States are embracing every new device and network. The diplomacy of Washington, DC is stuck in a rut, and offends those who contribute to our wealth, and panders to those who deplete our wealth. We need to sell the benefits of the US to the world.

Changing America's Image Abroad

The need to develop a better shop window of the United States has been addressed before, very successfully, and this success can be repeated.

I have a longtime interest in the effects of the perceived image of America around the world for it was President Reagan that gave me the unique opportunity to travel around the world many times, visiting 125 US Embassies and Consulates advising on the required needs to implement the global WorldNet television network.

This involved meeting and briefing several hundred diplomats and Embassy staff, and meeting media, corporate and government leaders around the world, managing hundreds of projects in over 80 countries, and the logistics of delivering and activation equipment to make the network a reality.

Those were the days when the world listened when the President of the United States spoke. These days the emphasis has somewhat moved from government image to corporate image as corporations realize that the antics of blundering politicians can devastate their relationships, and they need their own image to be decoupled from the image of their government. The ability to minimize damage and maximize opportunity from business meetings is essential, and a good positive image is needed.

That image needs to apply from meetings with the CEO, down to product pitches by sales representatives. Global image is important for persuading people to Buy American and support the bloated US economy. Few understand how much we have borrowed to maintain our lifestyle, a media driven lifestyle beyond our means. As every unproductive foreign military escapade is launched, with money borrowed from the Chinese, our ability to repay, and our economic independence is reduced.

The US Economy appears strong, but like the roads and bridges around the country, it is crumbling at it's foundations.

It's time to Manage the Change of the global perceptions, and barriers to peace and prosperity. That should be the goal of the new Administration in 2009.

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