You may have a tough job, but you probably wouldn’t want to trade places with Judith McHale.

She’s the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy.

It’s her responsibility to listen to the rest of the world – so we can do a better job explaining our actions.

McHale comes from a media background: she’s a former top executive for the Discovery Channel, which reaches audiences in 140 different countries.

So she knows that market research is a critical component of any effective mass communication.

Her main task is getting the American message out to the Muslim world.

So far, doing that has proved to be even harder than communicating behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War.

Back then, Americans knew there were people thirsting for accurate news and information.

We could broadcast and be confident that dissidents would tune in.

But communicating with Muslims requires our State Department to span a far wider religious gap.

Recent reports from Afghanistan indicate that the Taliban, having ratcheted up its own public diplomacy efforts, continues to beat the U.S. and its allies in the war of ideas.
When a group whose ideology includes taking the planet back to the 12th century is beating you, it’s time to re-evaluate your efforts.

As a first step, NATO opened up a strategic communications center in Kabul this year employing 120 people. They have their work cut out for them.

Winning the war of ideas against a radical Islamist ideology will require an unprecedented use of market research and communications resources.

To help, the Obama administration should establish a public-private communications partnership.

It would probably look similar to the RAND Corp., set up after World War II as a federally- funded research and development center that would bring together experts from the War Department, the Office of Scientific Research and Development and private industry.

RAND was assigned “to further and promote scientific, educational and charitable purposes, all for the public welfare and security of the United States.”

Today a new public-private communications partnership could be tasked with gathering information the government needs to advance the U.S.’s position in the war of ideas.

The attempt to win Muslim hearts and minds will be lengthy, so such a corporation would engage in long-term cultural research aimed at understanding foreign audiences, their “national narratives,” their cultures and their public opinions.

A team of experts would conduct audience research and analysis, so we’d know our message was getting across effectively.

When necessary, this corporation would hire specialist firms to perform opinion polling and organize focus groups.

Furthermore, these firms could team up with academic institutions in the U.S. and abroad to exchange information and learn cutting-edge skills.

Perhaps best of all, at a time when the Obama administration is worried about the cost of the war in Afghanistan, this group could be created at a minimal expense.

It would require some State Department seed funding, but we’re going to have to spend money on outreach no matter what we do.

Meanwhile, once it’s set up, the group would be able to draw in private-sector funding for research.

Better still, this information would be made available not just to the entire U.S. government, but to private corporations as well.
The U.S. can’t afford to lose the military war on the ground in Afghanistan, and we can’t afford to lose the battle for public opinion, either.

Our ideas and values are powerful, and the tide of history is on our side.

It’s time to make sure we’re properly explaining ourselves and winning new allies to our side.

Ed Feulner is president of The Heritage Foundation (heritage.org).