From TomPaine.com
At the risk of stating the obvious: This is a rough time for U.S. public diplomacy. Recent studies have shown that over the last four years the world’s perception of the United States - although slightly improving - has remained disconcertingly negative. In fact, a June 2005 Pew Research Center Poll revealed that the populations of just six of 16 major industrialized nations gave the United States a favorability rating of 50 percent or above. While the ongoing Iraq conflict is a key source of frustration, it is not the only one. U.S. policy on a broad range of issues including climate change and development policy has failed to consider the wishes of the global community, including our key allies.As sad as these statistics are, even more depressing has been the ineffectual steps the Bush administration has taken to repair America’s sagging reputation. Assuming that the use of more multilateral rhetoric and the appointment of Karen Hughes as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy will solve this crisis suggests a fundamental lack of understanding of the problem facing the country. Practical changes in policy will do more than rhetorical flourishes to improve global perceptions. A good place for the administration to start is with a simple reconsideration of the way the U.S. engages countries who are party to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The ICC is the only permanent international court capable of trying individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity when there is no other recourse for justice.
