Throughout the world, the public face of the United States generates strong opinions, positive and negative. These public attitudes directly affect our ability to achieve our foreign policy and development assistance objectives. The Department leads the effort to shape these U.S. perceptions by relating this public face to our values as a nation and our history as a people.

U.S. values and interests drive our policies. Moreover, the values we espouse of political and economic freedom and the non-negotiable demands of humanity are increasingly recognized as universal rather than culturally specified. Successful public diplomacy will need to communicate and translate this intersection of values, interests, and policy while listening carefully to international publics. To this end, we must maintain a continuous dialogue, mindful of regional context and cultural traditions, on the substance of U.S. ideals and their relationship to specific policies. Through this dialogue, the Department will work to paint a realistic picture of the United States, one that enables audiences to make informed judgements about our policies, our society, and the relationship of both to their own interests.

The following strategic goal falls under this strategic objective:

Strategic Goal 11: Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

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