• The Economist, The New York Times, Wikipedia, Sourcewatch , Monday, October 27, 2008 11:30 AM

Times' op-ed columnist Nicholas D. Kristof wrote last week that an Obama victory "could change global perceptions of the United States, redefining the American 'brand' to be less about Guantánamo and more about equality."

Few observers dispute that Brand America is not as highly regarded in other countries as it has been in the past. The debate is more likely to be about how much that matters to our national interests. Kristof argues that, if Obama wins, we may have an opportunity to "rebuild American political capital in the way that the Marshall Plan did in the 1950s ... ."

The Economist is hosting a debate Sunday afternoon in New York on the subject. Advertising great Keith "You Deserve A Break Today" Rinehard, chairman emeritus of DDB Needham Worldwide, will join three other luminaries in chewing over whether Brand America can be "salvaged" and eventually "be as great as it once was."

Rinehard and Peter Beinart, a writer and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, will evidently maintain that it can. Political theorist Benjamin R. Barber and Parag Khanna, director of the Global Governance Initiative, will argue against the proposition. John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of The Economist, will moderate.

Efforts to actively promote Brand America began in the Clinton administration with the establishment of the position of undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs.

Charlotte Beers, who had an extraordinary career at J. Walter Thompson and Oglivy & Mather, reportedly had a frustrating tenure in the position from October 2001 to March 2003

Dick Martin, a former AT&T public relations hand, argues in Rebuilding Brand America (2007) that rather than having the opportunity to set strategic direction, Beers wound up defending political decisions that had already been made by others in the wake of 9/11. "Charlotte Beers made the classic advertising rookie mistake of giving her client what he wanted rather than what he needed," Martin writes.

The undersecretary position is currently held by James K. Glassman , a libertarian columnist and author. In testimony before Congress after he was nominated, Glassman brought up discussions in the press about the nature of the job before him.

"People speculated on what I would do to burnish America's image, to increase our popularity ratings -- as if the United States were a brand of soft drink or an entrant in "American Idol" seeking global votes," he said. Rather, said Glassman, "public diplomacy's role is to help achieve the national interest by "informing, engaging, and influencing people around the world."

It should be prove to be an interesting debate -- not only at Manhattan's Gotham Hall on Sunday but also as it plays out in the real world should Obama win the election. Or not.

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