Towards introspection: Rethinking United States public diplomacy in the Arab world after 9/11

A recent report published by the Council on Foreign Relations regarding the state of U.S. public diplomacy notes that, "there is a growing cultural gulf between the United States and much of the world. These two groups view the world through vastly different cultural lenses that impose conflicting sets of values." If this is the case with much of the world, then perhaps there is no greater gulf than the one that exists between the United States and the Arab world. It is a widely held view that the people of Arab world, from whose ranks the September 11 attacks were carried out, command the spotlight as the target of American foreign policy defined as the war on terror. Reports from the Arab world show that opposition to American foreign policy is a critical point of contention, a feeling that existed long before September 11, but never more explosive than in the years since. Who is to blame for this dreadful state of relations? I will posit that underlying cultural gaps have been exacerbated by poor policy choices combined with a shallow understanding of the Arab cultures. In this study, I evaluate American public diplomacy towards the Arab world at the confluence of foreign policy, intercultural, and conflict resolution perspectives. It is my belief that the underplayed gaps between our two worlds may be best served by shifting away from assertive unilateral behaviors to engagement with Arab counterparts.