Changing Minds Winning Peace. A New Strategic Direction of U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World

摘要

In the aftermath of the cold war and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States of America is engaged in a major struggle to expand the zone of tolerance and marginalize extremists, whether secular or religious, especially in the Arab and Muslim world. While the conduct of policy is the primary determinant of success or failure in this struggle, the role of public diplomacy has taken on critical importance in the effort to understand, inform, engage, and influence people in this important region of the world, home to some 1.5 billion Muslims. While we refer here to the Arab and Muslim world, we recognize that Muslim societies and countries are diverse culturally, linguistically, ethnically, and even religiously and that, as in other regions of the world, we have to tailor our approach accordingly. While our mandate is focused on the Arab and Muslim world, the analysis and recommendations that we present in this report necessarily go to the larger challenges of U.S. public diplomacy.