An Embarrassment in Shanghai
Helle Dale /
As a world leader, the United States cannot be lackadaisical about the power of symbols and images. Ronald Reagan knew this and as one of his first official acts as president, he turned the lights back on the monuments in Washington, which had literally been darkened by President Carter during the energy crisis. One wonders what Reagan would have thought about the symbolism of the U.S. pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo, and – for that matter — about Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s current visit to China in the name of the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which proceeds today and tomorrow. Most likely, he would not have been impressed.
Somehow, the United States has ended up with the worst of two worlds, in public diplomacy terms. China is billing the Shanghai World Expo as the biggest World Expo ever – a public diplomacy extravaganza on par with the Beijing 2008 Olympics in its symbolic messaging. While the U.S. media has just about ignored this international event, China is stating that as many as 100 million visitors are expected between now and October 1. Less than a year ago, the United States did not even have plans for the construction of a pavilion, and no money was appropriated in the State Department budget for it. (more…)