THE COMMITTEE ON THE PRESENT DANGER is attempting to engage Americans in important foreign policy and security debates through fear tactics.
One good resource that seeks to engage Americans and those abroad who care about international affairs is a new guide, U.S. in the World: Talking Global Issues with Americans — A Practical Guide. I served as a Task Force member on this project and am very impressed with the usefulness of this guide for folks who are not foreign policy addicts.
From the introduction of the report:
U.S. in the World supports the work of advocates of pragmatic, principled, effective, and collaborative U.S. engagement in the world. It draws on the latest communications research and the insights of experts to outline convincing facts and arguments, and offer effective ways to put them across to non-expert American audiences.
The Guide flows from a straightforward core vision: an informed, empowered citizenry is needed to encourage policymakers to support the sustained investment, involvement and leadership needed from the United States to tackle 21st-century challenges effectively. Advocates and experts alike need reliable, cutting-edge advice on how to communicate those ideas to citizens.
The guide can be downloaded at no expense over the web — or CD and print versions can be ordered from the website. Take a look at these materials that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and Aspen Institute have put together.
While I don’t agree with every item in the guide, it’s one of the few serious and constructive contributions to informed foreign policy debate out there right now.
Those of you who are writers, teachers, speakers, or involved in other community groups may find this a better resource than the “fear factor” approach of Jim Woolsey’s various enterprises.
— Steve Clemons
