‘Public diplomacy’ is a strange idea for people of Talleyrand’s generation. Diplomats have always said and meant different things, in public as well as in private. But today, they tend to say what they think they would like to mean, or what they think they ought to mean, without meaning anything much at all. America’s list of statements regarding the war against Gaza is a case in point. Since it began, the USA’s highest officials have advised the Israelis to exercise ‘restraint’. Either the message isn’t getting through or the meaning is different. Some possibilities: 1 We want you to stop killing so many people but we are powerless to stop you. 2 We don’t really care if you kill so many people so long as you keep our name out of it. 3 We don’t mind if you kill so long as it doesn’t go much beyond Gaza. 4 We don’t mind if you kill so long as you permit a decent interval before the US elections. 5 We’d prefer that you stop killing so many people but we have higher priorities. The meaning is probably some combination of all the above, hence the problem with the message and therefore with the messenger. The American president, secretary of state, national security adviser, the CIA director, and even the hefty secretary of defence and his retinue all have delivered it in person but the Israelis go on doing as they please; or at least they appear to be doing so. If and when the Americans really want to deliver a ‘tough’ message, they will face the problem of finding the right messenger because they appear to have run out of options. Well, maybe not. Last year there were a number of similar visits to China, none of which resulted in anything meaningful in public. That is, until the treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, made the journey, got high on mushrooms, and charmed the Chinese. The public tone of the bilateral relationship finally improved. Maybe it’s time to send her to Israel to teach these men a real lesson. The Israeli economy has begun to suffer, and they may, at long last, be seen to listen. |