A Public Relations Perspective From Jim Cox Senior Vice President, Hill

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A Public Relations PerspectiveFrom Jim
CoxSenior Vice President, Hill Knowlton
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An introduction

• Hill Knowlton is one of the worlds largest
  public relations firm, and part of WPP, the
  worlds largest communications services
  companies.
• HK has been operating in the Arabic Gulf Region
  for the past 18 years
• I serve as the global account manager for SABIC
  and Saudi Aramco, two of the largest companies in
  Saudi Arabia.
• Watched the War in Iraq on Al-Jazeera

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The Challenge

• Communicating with skeptical audiences is easy
• The hard parts are
• Convincing them
• Understanding them
• And the skepticism is mutual.
• They dont understand nor
• persuade us very well.

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Building Bridges of Understandingto the Muslim
World

• A Public Relations Perspective

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The Pew Center Perspective

• Growth of negative views among Muslims
• 7 of 8 Muslim countries see U.S. as a military
  threat to their country
• 20 of 21 countries (even Israel) believes the
  U.S. favors Israel too much over Palestinians
• 71 of Palestinians say they have confidence in
  Osama bin Laden to do the right thing regarding
  world affairs
• The Pew Center
• June 3, 2003

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One Size Doesnt Fit All

• Nobody in the West has really spent enough time
  thinking about what differentiates in the Muslim
  mind. We assume that if it works in New York, it
  will work in Baghdad, but there are significant
  differences. There has to be more sensitivity to
  this issue.
• Sir Martin Sorrell
• CEO, WPP Group
• Wall Street Journal
• October 1, 2003
• Muslims are 26 of the worlds population
• 30 by 2014

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Vast Differences in Style and Substance

• Face-to-face communications
• Tribal culture a chief at the top but with
  abundant dissent and debate
• Preponderance of Kingdoms
• Disbelief of institutions lots of gossip to fill
  the void
• Need to communicate at 2 to 3 levels
• The vagaries of private diplomacy
• The various shades of Islam

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And Vast Differences in Policy

• Palestine
• Iraq
• Democracy vs. Islamic state
• Different approaches to the War on Terrorism
  e.g. funds for charities
• The threat of radical Muslim clerics
• A solution to Palestine an Arab-run Iraq
• could be big healers in the Gulf

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Four Points of Considerations

• To understand the challenge and
• plan our approach

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Four Points for Consideration

• The search for commonality of interest.
• Actions are the operative imperative.
• Fear as a distorter.
• Domestic politics always has a loud voice.

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The Search for Commonality of Interest.

• Commonality of Interest is a cornerstone in PR
  planning.
• Questions What might bring us together? What
  do we agree on?
• Some considerations
• Children
• Families
• Moral issues

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Actions are the Operative Imperative.

• Dont trust governments.
• Dont trust the U.S.
• Actions are the what they can see
• Invasion of Iraq
• Civilian deaths and destruction
• Immigration policies
• Single-minded focus on terrorism
• Domestic political speeches at the U.N.

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Fear as a Distorter

• In the U.S.
• Domestic fear after 9/11
• An anxious search for terrorists
• Fearing the worst from Iraq
• In the Islamic World
• Powerhouse militaries Israel and the U.S.
• Angst that their country is next
• Muslims under attack
• Need to understand our fears, and theirs

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Domestic Politics Always Has a Loud Voice

• In the U.S.
• George Bush gives a domestic speech to the U.N.
• Homeland Security, Immigration policies
• And there is a re-election campaign starting
• In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Kings title Keeper of the two Holy Mosques
• Islam is protected and advanced
• Dont want to appear subdued by U.S. demands
• Private diplomacy is private no public influence

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Four Recommendations

• For U.S. State Department initiatives
• to build better trust in Muslim countries

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Four Recommendations

• Create a Muslim adviser/ombudsman.
• Be more visibly consultative/cooperative.
• Re-open student exchanges.
• Translate U.S. policies abroad.
• To Build Bridges of Understanding

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Create a Muslim Adviser/Ombudsman

• Consider as a White House adviser
• Acknowledge the lack of trust and
  misunderstandings on both sides
• A Muslim widely accepted in the Islamic world
• Make the role visible as a leader of cultural
  and politic changes
• Show policy changes that result
• Need a symbolic commitment with substance

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Be More Visibly Consultative/Cooperative

• We typically go abroad to sell our position
• May need a Islamic World Summit meeting at the
  White House
• Reach beyond our immediate interests to bridge
  the chasm
• Embrace issues of important to Muslims
• Create U.S. public support for the initiative
• Publicly showcase the fine art of listening

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Re-open Student Exchanges

• Huge immigration hurdles for Arab students
• Limited cross-exchanges of U.S. studies in Arab
  countries
• Students help to build understanding, acceptance
• Scholarships could expand the reach beyond the
  privileged
• Challenge of balancing homeland security with
• need for relations, understanding in Islam

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Translate U.S. Policies Abroad

• Pres. Bushs U.N. speeches more for domestic
  politics than bridging the gulf
• Need messages that play on both sides of the
  Atlantic
• The tough face at home creates fear abroad
• As a world leader,
• we need to be able to speak to the world

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Whats Ahead for U.S.- Muslim Relations?

• Taking a longer view of relationships

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A Look Ahead

• A lot is working now good dialogue among
  leaders
• Iraq will look better with a civilian transition
• An agreement on Palestine would be a blessing for
  all
• No new wars would be healing
• Need a maturity of anti-terrorism
• Less terrorism would give peace a chance
• And time can heal a lot of wounds

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A Public Relations Perspective