Public diplomacy toward Cuba

Paul Hare, former UK Ambassador in Havana, has written a strategy paper for United States “public diplomacy” toward Cuba.

It is to Ambassador Hare’s great credit that he doesn’t limit his scope to political messages and means of delivering them.

He defines public diplomacy as “engaging with Cuban public opinion,” and his recommendations call for concrete U.S. government actions that will send important messages in themselves.

The implicit assumption is that the United States is behind the eight-ball; that many of the Cuban government’s messages about the United States and its policies resonate with the Cuban public. I think he’s right on that score.

His paper, published by Brookings, is here (pdf).

An earlier article by Ambassador Hare is here.