WELCOME TO BUSY TIMES

On September 25 the US Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Kevin Sullivan welcomed two recently arrived members of his staff: Public Affairs Officer Thomas Mesa and Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer Katherine Ordóñez. In all likelihood, their posting in Buenos Aires (by the way, a coveted destination in many diplomatic services) was decided months ago. But new circumstances might mean that their workload will be heavier than that of their predecessors.

It is quite obvious that the bilateral relation is far from excellent or even good. And that — while the US is trying to tone down the disagreements — the Argentine government is trying to be as vocal as possible about them. Moreover, it does not seem likely that this state of affairs will change in the near future. Even if it does, the damage done to the US image and prestige in Argentine society will last longer than the intergovernmental spat that caused it in the first place. Controlling the damage and (ideally) reverting it, is a public diplomacy job. While traditional diplomacy is usually a government-to-government affair, public diplomacy is about engaging with the society of the host country, delivering messages, clearing misperceptions and fostering cooperation. Despite their individual efforts, this is not the day to day job of commercial or military attachés or even political councillors.

This is the job of people like Mr Mesa and Ms Ordóñez. Both their jobs are at the core of any public diplomacy effort. So let us meet them both with some bad news. For openers, anti-US feelings run quite high in Argentina, despite the local craze to visit Miami and New York. According to a recent opinion poll carried out by the Pew Research Centre only 36 percent of Argentines have a favourable view of the US.

Then there is the fact that they have arrived at the home of conspiracy theories. Many people find it difficult to accept that most things happen without being masterminded by “hidden powers.” And — unfortunately for the two recent arrivals — the US tops the league of those “hidden powers.”

The saga of Judge Griesa’s rulings in favour of the holdout / vulture funds is a good example of this. Many in the Argentine government continue to accuse the White House and the State Department of being in collusion against Argentina with Griesa and the plaintiffs. The fact that the US government is on record trying to help Argentina, albeit respecting the independence of the US judiciary, seems not to be registering. Never let facts get in the way of a good conspiracy theory.

Although this environment might seem discouraging, the bright side of public diplomacy work is that it is not about winning elections. And that only in very rare occasions it is required to deliver messages or influence the sum total of the population. In a world of scarce resources, Embassies tend to target their audiences and their messages quite carefully. And try to obtain results which are measurable in terms of quality and quantity. One interesting example is the above mentioned matter of the alleged collusion between the US Government and Judge Griesa. It is the kind of misperception which, if allowed to survive, could harm the US image as a business partner. Or harm the credibility of the US judiciary’s rulings in matters affecting global politics. Especially in a country like Argentina, where the independence of judges is such a sensitive issue. The target of messages about this is quite specific, and includes the local judiciary as well as current and future leaderships.

Another point in which the US Government is likely to have to deliver clear messages is that of sovereign states’ debt restructuring. Together with a number of countries, the US is opposing Argentina’s view that the issue of debt restructuring should be regulated by the UN. The US view is that international finance contains enough specialised elements so as to need the intervention of technical organizations like the IMF rather than a simple aye or nay at the UN. And because the IMF is many people’s demon of choice, to deliver positive messages about the US position will not be easy. Again here, there are specific audiences to be reached.

Finally, a note of colour to add to the newcomers’ concerns. Not-so-young people will recall that the late Juan Domingo Perón, the most important (not necessarily the best) political leader in twentieth century Argentina, was firmly convinced during many years that the world was governed by a “synarchy” collectively ruled by The Vatican, Zionism, Communism, Capitalism and — last but not least — the Freemasons. Fortunately for Argentina, in the last years of his life he seemed to have abandoned this theory. And today’s picture shows us that Moscow is not communist any more but a coveted member of the BRICS, the association of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa which (in the mind of some of Argentine government followers) is called to replace the US as a world power. And the Vatican now has an Argentine pope so the pilgrimage of Argentine politicians seeking family photos with Francis seems unstoppable. As for the Freemasons, they seem to have faded away from conspiracies.

So this is a point to celebrate. Possibly over some good beef and wine, another of the privileges of being posted in Argentina. Provided, of course, you are not a vegetarian.

@andresfederman

CREDITS: BUENOS AIRES HERALD