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Battle for Hearts and Minds

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Part of the book series: Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations ((SID))

Abstract

The post-9/11 public diplomacy campaign to win the hearts and minds of the Arab and Islamic world was one of the most intensive and expensive campaign in U.S. history. The early post-9/11 phase of public diplomacy (2001–2004) is particularly significant from a communication perspective because it set the tone and in some cases the parameters for how subsequent initiatives faired. U.S. public diplomacy launched ever more innovative initiatives to reach publics in the Arab and Islamic regions. Yet, rather than gaining audience’s trust, the initiative appeared to generate more distrust and further eroded America’s credibility. This chapter surveys the various initiatives as well as the public reaction.

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Notes

  1. See Mohammed el-Nawawy, “US Public Diplomacy in the Arab World: The News Credibility of Radio Sawa and Television Alhurra,” Global Media and Communication, 2 (2006), pp. 185–205

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  2. Peter A. Furia and Russell E. Lucas, “Determinants of Arab Public Opinion or Foreign Relations,” International Studies Quarterly, 50 (2006), pp. 585–605

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  3. William A. Rugh, Arab Mass Media: Print, Radio and Television (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004).

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© 2010 R. S. Zaharna

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Zaharna, R.S. (2010). Battle for Hearts and Minds. In: Battles to Bridges. Studies in Diplomacy and International Relations. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230277922_3

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