White House Needs United Voice To Coalesce the World's Support

Now that Secretary of State Colin L. Powell has communicated to the United Nations a strong case for disarming Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction, it is essential that the White House follow suit by tightening its message on this very same issue.

Over the last several months, the United States has produced a cacophony of contrary and parallel statements concerning the potential for war due in part to the careless use of belligerent rhetoric and undisciplined spokesmen issuing contradictory messages. The net result of this has been confusion on the part of both American citizens and American allies, thereby weakening the support the administration seeks from both groups. Recently, President Bush took a step toward rectifying the situation by signing an executive order establishing a White House Office on Global Communications. It is important that this office leverage presidential leadership while providing oversight and synchronization with all government officials who communicate with international audiences. Our allies abroad have heard too many messages from too many voices in this administration.

Sen. John Kerry has pointed out that some of these undisciplined voices are actually alienating our longtime friends and allies - contributing to anti-Americanism around the world. At a time when we purport to be seeking a coalition, some members of the administration talk as if we are pursuing a unilateralist strategy. These tough talkers are talking our friends right out of our coalition.

The Office on Global Communications is modeled after the administration's very successful Coalition Information Centers that held political campaign-style war rooms in London, Washington and Pakistan. It concentrated on communicating accurate information about the military campaign that crushed the Taliban in Afghanistan. With the cooperation of the British government, these centers got the truth out and coalesced world opinion in support of our effort.

This office should provide strategic direction and themes to the U.S. agencies that reach foreign audiences while relying on the secretary of state to provide tactical and strategic coordination of the diplomats overseas. It must draw on many agencies and Americans to convey a few simple but powerful messages. We need a strong and disciplined information campaign to compete with expanding anti-American rhetoric and we need to stop insulting our allies.

Based on the president's policy objectives, the Office of Global Communications must help identify influential and mass audiences across the globe; correlate media and other communications channels used and outline priorities, set by the president, for U.S. government communications. Its goal should be to develop, with the State Department, credible and effective public diplomacy themes, priorities and means of communication that display a unified U.S. position.

Now more than ever, Washington needs an information apparatus that can communicate in a 24-hour news cycle. Better information to international audiences will help clarify our policies and amplify our voice while conveying the truth about America. The Office of Global Communications can be an important tool in fighting the war on terror and combating international anti-Americanism.

Charles H. Dolan is vice chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. A former Massachusetts political consultant, he is a senior vice president at Ketchum Public Relations in Washington and adjunct professor at The George Washington School of Media and Public Affairs.