We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:34:40 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification [Denizen Commentary - Kat] Cannoneer No 4 Issued a request for thoughts on reconstituting the USIA (United States Information Agency) and received several responses. My own response revolved around the major stumbling block to the establishment and effective use of this agency: the great divide over the position of terrorism and non-state actors (ie, terrorists) on the scale of national security imperatives. Until we can come to a consensus as to its status and degree of threat, reconstituting the USIA would be an act of futility. Somebody high up must read the Cannoneer's site because Gates quotes the Cannoneer in... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html Tue, 27 Nov 2007 02:59:19 -0600 IIRC, USIA had a foreign service cadre wholly separate from the State Dept.'s FSOs. Since USIA was consolidated into DoS, those officers were rebranded as the public diplomacy "cone" of the U.S. Foreign Service. USDA and, I think, USAID also have their own distinct foreign service components which are not the same as State Dept.'s. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67126 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67126 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 09:12:07 -0600 conditioning foreign TA's to have generally positive feelings about America even if they opposed specific US actions. Residual goodwill which got America benefit of the doubt it doesn't get anymore. Even if we could reconstitute it, and keep it nonpartisan, it would take longer than one Adminstration's first term to pay off in higher approval ratings overseas. ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67116 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67116 Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:36:34 -0600 linked to you here.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67108 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67108 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 21:18:25 -0600 State got much of USIA. And haven't done anything any more convincingly good as far as I can tell. Then again, we haven't been attacked by any Rhodesians or Tibetans, so I guess that's all good. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67102 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67102 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:00:05 -0600 Wasn't the USIA integrated into another (not sure which) government collective? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67100 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67100 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:29:22 -0600 Hat tip for an excellent post. I added you to my blogroll! Keep up the good fight! http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67085 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67085 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:38:02 -0600 Well, I think that the politics will keep it from happening. I think that the congress might consider bumping states budget, but that the historical idea of the USIA, its relationship to cold war activities and the general view of all such activities as tantamount to the Soviet Pravda, people (congress) will be unwilling to invest in its reconstitution. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67084 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67084 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:25:32 -0600 I disagree on the issue of USIA, Kat. We can reconstitute the function, putting out our side of the story, without too much foofaraw on the specificity of the targeting. So there's utility in resurrecting the capability. The politics of it, that's a different issue, fought in a different arena. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67070 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2007/11/information_war_1.html#comment-67070 Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:11:45 -0600