It comes as no surprise that the United States is leaving Grosvenor Square, the historic park in the heart of London that was home to the U.S. embassy since 1938. This is part of a regrettable trend, in which the State Department builds drab, fortress embassies on the outskirts of foreign capitals, leaving American diplomats more secure but also more isolated from the political environments they are supposed to understand and communicate with.
Worse, the State Department, by its own admission, can't fully staff these buildings, old or new. This is because it's easier to propose, support and implement projects that promise physical security than it is to put real people in the field — people who might actually inform and influence the environments that seem so unsafe.
This is the baleful balance sheet on what has become an American retreat from the public forms of overseas diplomacy. It is by no means a new story, but it bears repeating in the light of recent reports (see Melinda Bouwer's latest “Diplomacy” blog). The truth is that while America has retreated into fortress embassies, all the activities that once represented official America's effort to reach out to the publics of foreign countries — exhibits and concerts, film showings, literary evenings, bi-national centers, American libraries — all these things are now gone, tagged passé. Also gone are the official American magazines and publications that were once published in dozens of languages around the world. Official American radio and TV broadcasting — such as the Voice of America — is also a shadow of its former self.
In its place there is virtually nothing — because all that remains is virtual. The State Department produces splashy Web sites and holds discussions in the virtual “Second Life.” How can this replace real contact with real people? For all the value of instantaneous communications technology, nothing can replace direct face-to-face contact and broad, public engagement. The retreat of American public diplomacy behind the walls of fortresses and into the Internet is just that — a retreat.
The public face of America overseas is now most likely military. That is why there is more discussion of public diplomacy at the Defense Department than at State. That is why the most forceful arguments for public diplomacy come from the Secretary of Defense instead of the Secretary of State. And that is why Defense has more resources — much more — for public-diplomacy type activities than our diplomats themselves have.
Robert Kagan writes that the decline in America's popularity did not begin with George W. Bush's presidency. True. It began when when we took America's popularity for granted and then, facing budget constraints and terrorist attacks, decided to take refuge in new technology and fortress embassies.
2 Comments So Far»
Mark — Thank you for this important and much needed commentary. Best, john
I think that this story belies the clear facts that a unilateral political tone and military strategy has been the hallmark of the George Bush White House these last eight years. Defending America vis-a-vis war, military intelligence, back channel diplomacy, and increased sophistication of intelligence technologies is no replacement for maintaining a friendly cultural dialogue in other countries.
The present Administration has been more interested in tinkering with privately contracted security corporations, like Blackwater USA, then in funding well established diplomacy channels, educational initiatives, and grass roots opportunities for dialogue with and among other cultures.
The moving of the US Embassy from the heart of London should be on the next President's foreign policy agenda to reverse! That and the long list of other places we’ve abandoned in favor of military-diplomacy fortresses.
How can we stand for anything less?
As Americans, we must demand from our leaders that they see our greatest asset is the diversity of our people and therefore our culture. The free exchange of ideas, honesty, and openness to local perspectives, promotes dialogue, builds trust, and that's what the tradition of our Diplomatic Core does.
By eviscerating face-to-face diplomatic relations with the public, even amongst our major allies, people are left to think we are aloof, arrogant, and have something to hide.
It's almost as if the current Administration has never sought to consult the work of any prominent Sociologists or Anthropologists before funding these relocation projects. Sure, move sensitive security concerns and personnel to secure locations, when necessary, but leave the front stoop where it is!
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” –Mother Teresa
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