The Fernandez Problem

Remarks on al-Jazeera by Alberto Fernandez, director of the State Department's Arab media outreach office, that America had been "arrogant" and "stupid" in Iraq have already generated enormous controversy. The partisan hounds are out.   It isn't clear whether the State Department will rise to his defense.  It should, because there's a lot more at stake here than the partisan fallout of the reporting of his interview. 

What did he actually say?  The initial line was that he was misquoted;   I don't know since I haven't yet tracked down an Arabic transcript.   But a full translation by the AP's Baghdad office can be found here, which offers this fuller excerpt:

But what is important, we believe, is the exercise of flexibility and self- criticism and take responsibility for correcting mistakes and policies if those policies have failed or are unable to present the Iraqi people with what they want most: Security first, second and third, and then (solutions to) a long list of problems, including economic and political one.
...
Of course, some historians, history will judge American history in Iraq. We tried to do our best but I think there is much room for criticism because, undoubtedly, there was arrogance and there was stupidity from the United States in Iraq."

That's what is being quoted.  But look how he continues:

We focused today, and the media focuses on blame. There is no doubt that there is plenty of room for blame. Blame of the United States or others, but we haven't focused enough on the future and the possibility of failure in Iraq. If we are witnessing failure in Iraq, it's not the failure of the United States alone. Failure would be a disaster for the region. We, all of us in the region, countries in the region, have a role in what is happening in Iraq. Failure in Iraq will be a failure for the United States but a disaster for the region. We must all focus on saving Iraq for the sake of the Iraqi people and for our sakes, us in the West, and also you in the Arab world. I know that sometimes there is a kind of gloating in the Arab world that America has problems in Iraq. I fully understand that. But, in the end, we must think of the Iraqi people, the Arabs, the Muslims and the citizens of Iraq more than gloating about the United States.

Reading it makes clear that the parts of Fernandez's comments which have been quoted extensively are mostly a throat clearing preface to saying that Arabs need to move on and talk about Iraq's future instead of "gloating" over American problems.  This is a way of establishing credibility and a reputation for candor with Arab audiences - two things that almost all American spokespeople who stick to the administration's script lack.    His humility treats those audiences with respect, rather than trying to force talking points crafted in Washington down the throats of skeptical listeners who live in the region and know better.   At a time when everyone in America is talking about how and why the US failed in Iraq, and everyone in the Arab media is following those American debates, how credible could he be if he continued to whistle along and pretend otherwise?  The admission of some blame about the past sugar coats the key argument about the need for Arabs to step forward and take some responsibility for the future - which is exactly what the US needs right now. 

By the way, most of the furor over the interview has missed the really significant part of his interview:   his indication of American willingness to negotiate with any part of the Sunni insurgency other than al-Qaeda. This clearly is America's new policy, and it needed to be communicated directly to Iraq's Sunni communities without the filter of interested intermediaries.  By airing this invitation to talks on al-Jazeera, which is probably the most widely viewed television channel among Iraq's Sunnis, Fernandez accomplished something of real political significance.   

The controversy over Fernandez gets to the heart of the question of whether America can have an effective public diplomacy.  Dating back to my 2003 Foreign Affairs article,  I have consistently advocated getting American voices on to al-Jazeera and other Arab media and having them engage in real debate.  For all that it is demonized by too many Americans, al-Jazeera is still by far the most watched and most politically influential Arab television network.  Its programs are the most important place where Arab views of the United States and American policy are formulated.   Those arguments about America can happen with or without American participation.   All America's absence from those debates accomplishes is to cede the field to its enemies, to allow hostile arguments or allegations to go unchecked, and to give speakers on those programs no incentive to take American perspectives into account.   

Over the last year and a half, the American government - from Karen Hughes and the State Department to the Pentagon - have largely come to understand that reality, and have begun re-engaging with al-Jazeera for pragmatic reasons.  As a recent story about CENTCOM's efforts put it, "Influencing Arab opinion is a component of the Pentagon's new “long war” strategy, which says that America's conflict with Islamic extremists requires more diplomacy and less bombing."  If the US cares about Arab public opinion, reasonable people understand that it can't afford to ignore the most important media outlet shaping Arab public opinion.  Karen Hughes went to al-Jazeera (repeatedly) because that is where the eyeballs are, and CENTCOM does the same thing. 

As the American government has struggled to retool to act on this newfound understanding of the importance of engaging with the Arab media, Fernandez has been almost a one man show.   Fernandez has conducted literally hundreds of interviews in Arabic with various Arab media outlets at a time when few American officials could be bothered or could perform effectively when they tried.  In the first weeks of the Lebanon-Israel war, he was the only American official to appear on al-Jazeera, at a time when America desperately needed someone at least trying to defend it.    What made him effective was not just his fluent Arabic, but that he is willing to argue, to get angry, to make jokes - in short, to offer a real human face and not just a grim diplomat reading from a script.    He has established a strong reputation with Arab bookers and audiences not by "bashing America" but by being honest and candid, which has in turn made his defenses of American policy far more effective. 

This kind of public diplomacy is by far the most effective kind of engagement with the media.  But it's also dangerous for exactly the reasons currently on display.  I've been told by all kinds of old public diplomacy hands that Public Affairs Officers live in fear of having some off-hand comment picked up, translated and sent back to Washington to kill their careers.  That this has become ever more likely in the internet era (along with MEMRI and the blogosophere) has a chilling effect on would-be public diplomats.   Discretion as the better part of valor is good career advice, but terrible for the country's public diplomacy.  The partisan attack dogs who want to collect a scalp may care absolutely nothing about how this might affect the American national interest, but I hope that more serious people do. 

The State Department, and especially Karen Hughes, must back Alberto Fernandez to the hilt in this StupidStorm.  If he's fired, or transfered to Mongolia, the United States unilaterally disarms in the 'war of ideas' as currently waged in the Arab media.   While we do have 'rapid reaction' units coming online in Dubai and London, and CENTCOM has its own media outreach team, the fact is that Fernandez has been single-handedly carrying the American flag on the Arab broadcast media for years.   America simply can not afford to lose him over a silly partisan media frenzy.     And if Fernandez is punished, it's safe to guess that nobody will be foolish enough to step up and take his place and do what he did.  And that will be a major loss for America in a place where it can ill-afford any more losses at all.

Comments

[smintheus]

Marc, this is the best post I've seen on Fernandez's comments, which don't strike me as all that controversial. I interpreted his reference to stupidity and arrogance as you do--a concession to what his audience already knows, in order to make the case that Bush's policies are not malicious or entirely disreputable.

The right wingers are, as usual, under-informed and over-ventilated. I'm amused that you can link to Michelle Malkin with a straight face.

It's also true that the big story hear is that the U.S. has reached the point of announcing publicly that it is willing to negotiate directly with Sunni insurgents. I've had the impression since before Maliki announced his peace and reconciliation proposal that he wanted to block any direct negotiations between Sunni insurgent leaders and U.S. officials. Certainly the larger Sunni rebel groups announced immediately that they view Maliki as a joke and they would refuse to discuss reconciliation with his government; they said there was no point in talking to anybody except the U.S.

Maliki devoted several weeks to trying to give the (false) impression that major Sunni groups were in fact negotiating with him privately. My interpretation was that Maliki feared that he would be marginalized, perhaps even fed to the political wolves eventually, if the U.S. ended up cutting a deal directly with Sunni insurgents. The fact that Sunni/U.S. negotiations in Jordan started to become public this week may be linked to that curious call Maliki made to Bush, asking whether he still had Bush's support.

[Serx]

Amen Marc. As a PD-coned foreign service officer who speaks Arabic, I have held Alberto Fernandez as a role model. While it will be a while before I reach his level (both professionally and linguistically), I know that the next few days will really send a signal to me and my colleagues about what the Washington establishment rewards and punishes. Please, forward this post ASAP to anyone you know with pull in the Department.

[Rex Brynen]

Marc, I couldn't agree more with your comments on the Fernandez/al-Jazeera issue--frankness is exactly the right approach to take if the US wants to have any impact on Arab public opinion.

[praktike]

Well said, Marc.

[Nur al-Cubicle]

Lo, and Alberto Fernandez is joined by another State Department employee, Wayne White.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6075424.stm

[Nur al Cubicle]

We've heard of the legendary vindictiveness of the Bush Administration, which is sure to send Fernandez to Uzbekistan, where he will be discreetly fired. Next year Fernandez will beating the pavement with Craig Murray on the lecture circuit. The fellow's "gone native" and it not a good poodle diplomat like Dan Senor or Jeffrey Feltman.

[Nur al-Cubicle]

Sorry, me again.

Caving is the better part of valor. Although Fernandez will not be kneecapped, I fear it will not avoid a new assignment in the very near future. Via BBC:

US official retracts Iraq remarks
A US marine flies over Iraq (file image)
Mr Fernandez said that US policy was open to 'strong criticism'
The US state department official who said that the US had shown "arrogance and stupidity" in Iraq has apologised for his comments.

Alberto Fernandez, who made the remarks during an interview with Arabic TV station al-Jazeera, said that he had "seriously misspoke".

His comments did not represent the views of the state department, he said.

[moi]

Always enjoy your commentary Marc. Fernandez has just retracted his comments. Too much pressure I guess.

"This represents neither my views nor those of the State Department. I apologise," Alberto Fernandez, US state department director of public diplomacy in the Near Eastern Affairs bureau, said on Sunday.

[John K.]

A great post, but sadly this part is already moot: "The State Department, and especially Karen Hughes, must back Alberto Fernandez to the hilt in this StupidStorm."

As noted Fernandez apologized -- abjectly. But can someone tell me: to _whom_ is he apologizing? Bush? Condi Rice? The US troops? Even Bush and Condi have acknowledged mistakes have been made. Acknowledging hubris, and attempting to be humble, is a primary Christian tenet. Why does Fernandez have to _apologize_ for expressing such sentiment in this administration, putatively the most overtly Christian in memory?

One of the best acts of public diplomacy out of this administration, and it has to be withdrawn. What is the deal???

[Andrew Exum]

Has anyone found an Arabic transcript of this interview yet? I had to find this story (below) before I even knew which words he used.

http://www.aswataliraq.info/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=29272&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

[mch]

"His humility treats those audiences with respect. . . "

Indeed. That's the core of the outrage. The rest is merely detail and timing.

[Antiquated Tory]

Isn't it obvious that his 'apology' is a necessary concession to the jingoists at home? Won't that also be clear to al Jazeera's viewers? It's not like they've never seen someone retract a perfectly valid statement in order to appease the yobs before.
How do you 'retract' a clear and direct statement like that, anyway?

It does seem that the Administration has boxed itself in by relying on such extra-chromosomal domestic supporters that it can't manouever after, er, reassessing its foreign policy. My hope is he will simply be asked to keep it toned down until after Nov 7.

[moloch-agonistes]

Sorry, I think he's screwed. The controversy is all about intra-White House rivalries. Fernandez's comments are naturally (and correctly I would say) being taken as an open indictment of Cheney's office and the Pentagon civilian staff. The State Department famously had a non-stupid and non-arrogant alternative (Future of Iraq Project) that was ripped up.

It is impossible for a state department official to be frank so long as Cheney and Rumsfeld are unwilling to admit culpability. Anybody hoping for more such pronouncements is kidding themselves, and the chances of Fernandez holding on to his present job are iffy. Does that hamstring the "public diplomacy"/ external propaganda effort? Yes. But there is a reason the administration has put us in the mess we're in. Stupidity and arrogance come to mind. Does anyone really think that's changed since the invasion?

[The]

As I believe Fernandez is career, he can't be outright fired. His advancement can be ended, but he can't be fired as such.

[moloch-agonistes]

I think the issue is whether he continues to represent the U.S. on al-Jazeera and so on, not whether his employment is terminated. "Present job" in that sense.

[kvenlander]

Well, the Administration sure created a fine exhibit B in arrogance and stupidity in making Fernandez eat his words. Yanking him off TV will be yet another, should it come to that.

I sure hope somebody somewhere is keeping tabs on all the competent civil servants thrown overboard the ship of state in recent years. They're going to be needed if sanity ever returns to Washington.

[Badger]

On the lighter side, I think the aardvark is being a little hard of my friend Maamoun Fandy over on the left thumbnails. His column today is all about how the Arab regimes could bring Syria back into the Arab fold, by working on America, to work on Israel, to give him back the Golan Heights. And the key to working on America is to help them stabilize Iraq, which would involve the Shite question. He even suggests the Shiites should have a role in Iraq, which is nice. All in all a good read.

[aardvark]

I suppose I do tend to make fun with Mamoun... but he makes it so easy! But others less amused should check out Badger's translations of his articles for their actual content.

[Rami]

Interesting reading...

I think there seems to be a new shift in US public relations tactics, which started off with President Bush recent statement when he said he plans to consult with his generals over a new Iraq.

Since then, there has been several statements and reports, coming from people in different capacities associated with the 'war on terror', preparing the American and global public for the new shift.

An interesting report was recently carried by AP, regarding Iraqi youth wanting the coalition out. Now we're getting the sudden Fernandez honesty.

Could we see a time-table for withdrawal? I am not sure, but I am very sure a big shift in US policy in Iraq is about to take place.

[rami]

Alright - white house says my speculations are wrong. This morning the news read that there's no shift in Iraq strategy. Oh well.

[The Lounsbury]

Regarding this:

Well, the Administration sure created a fine exhibit B in arrogance and stupidity in making Fernandez eat his words. Yanking him off TV will be yet another, should it come to that.

Oh bollocks, Fernandez going back is merely standard operating practice in government when one accidentally has message leakage. There is nothing specific to the current American administration in that, nor anything particularly arrogant or stupid.

Sometimes "opposition" people get idiotic, arrogant and stupid in their criticisms.

Permanently yanking him from his position (as opposed to temporarily having him go quiet so that domestic party political howling quiets down) would be stupid, the small back-tracking is merely standard political maneuvering.

I would further venture as well that trying to discern real policy from PR spin intended for domestic audiencies is a losing proposition, although one has to admit trying to discern real policy from the Bolsheviks of the Right in this American administration is a losing proposition as well.

[Sherif]

I actually saw the interview and you are exactly correct. The US's policy was being attacked by a fellow guest and Frenandez was saying basiclly "sure, we have done those mistakes but..." and I agree fully that this is why most American public diplomacy officials dont resonate with the Arabic audiences becasue they never want to concede the fact that the US could have done something wrong.

I have to say that Mr Fernandez has been the best thing that US public diplomacy manged to produce for Arabic audiences...

[Anon]

If I might, this is a topic that has largely died, but I do feel I can add a little something to the discussion. Please see my post here:

http://nonarab-arab.blogspot.com/2006/11/belated-comment-on-alberto-fernandez.html