Out-Recruiting Bin Laden
Business for Diplomatic Action Challenges U.S. Business Community to Defeat the Terrorists' Recruitment Drive
October 25, 2004, NEW YORK - "BDA is committed to engaging the private sector in public diplomacy activities to 'out-recruit bin Laden'," said Keith Reinhard, president of Business for Diplomatic Action (BDA) and chairman of the advertising and marketing firm DDB Worldwide.
In the global war against al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, the United States must fight more effectively on what may be the most important front of all: the attitudes and opinions of the rapidly growing young populations of the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. In this struggle of perceptions, and war of ideas, America must draw upon a wide range of assets - including the marketing and communications expertise of its private sector.
These were the main messages at a recent Business for Diplomatic Action Board meeting. BDA is a new task force of preeminent global communications, marketing, political science, research and media professionals seeking to counteract the rise of anti-American sentiment worldwide.
At the meeting, Reinhard reaffirmed one of the central arguments he made during his testimony to the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats, and International Relations this past August.
"When asked my thoughts on the 9/11 public-diplomacy recommendations, I respectfully disagreed with the notion outlined in the report that bin Laden offers nothing but violence and death to his young recruits. In fact, to many he offers a form of dignity and respect, something the U.S. government has yet to recognize and address head on," Reinhard said.
"The private sector understands the recruitment process innately," Reinhard continued, "and we are committed to mobilizing our efforts to not only dry up the terrorists' recruitment drive but exceed their numbers by enlisting future generations in personal advancement and global prosperity."
As Ambassador Kenton Keith, chairman of the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange and a former U.S. representative to Qatar and Pakistan, noted at the meeting, "Business [engaged in public diplomacy efforts] is the only way to affect change. Business is the only one that can make a difference."
Joseph Nye, former dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, author of Soft Power and advisor to BDA, referenced a leaked Rumsfeld memo from last spring, which noted that "the number of terrorists that we're killing doesn't begin to match up to the numbers of young people that the madrassas are producing." He further emphasized, "American companies, their representatives and their brands directly touch the lives of far more people than government representatives dożbusiness must engage."
Participants said the need for such work is becoming ever more urgent. Lifelong political opinions and worldviews are often formed in adolescence and even childhood, and those age groups are expanding enormously in precisely those nations where al Qaeda and other major terrorist groups are most actively spreading their messages of hatred and annihilation.
For example, in both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, nearly 40 percent of the population is 14 years old or younger - twice as high as the percentage in the United States. In Iran, the median age is 23.5 years, compared to 36 years in the U.S. These demographic realities present great challenges for American foreign policy - but great opportunities as well, if upcoming generations can develop a more accurate and informed perception of the United States, its people and its values.
Some of the proposals discussed at the meeeting included the evolution of the "World Citizens Guide" effort, which launched two weeks ago in Dallas, massive inteern-exchange programs and language training, global e-pal teccchnologies with instant translation capabilities, dynamic citizen-diplomacy initiatives, and a comprehensive research proposal to help measure and guide future efforts.
As Reinhard concluded the meeting, he said, "The private sector has a vested stake in working to reduce the numbers of recruits bin Laden and al Qaeda are able to enlist. It is a matter of not only the war for talent, but for our collective national security. We must engage now and invest in long-term, private sector-led, public diplomacy activities. These efforts are too important to leave to government agencies that lack the urgency, impetus, credibility, and resources to engage effectively."
For more information about Business for Diplomatic Action, please contact Cari Guittard, Executive Director, at 415.732.3620 and cari.Guittard@sf.ddb.com.
Contact:
Cari E. Guittard, Business for Diplomatic Action Executive Director
415.732.3620, cari.Guittard@sf.ddb.com
Michele Nadeem, Business for Diplomatic Board Member, President Media Boston International
617.266.5969, mnadeem@mediaboston.com
