“The War of Ideas”

Regarding to the last post from the CNN article on Al Qaeda’s use of the Internet, I believe that this has been a lesson to U.S. government, and Glassman is well-qualified to head public diplomacy. A better image is what the U.S. needs for its own citizens and on a global level. Also, it is interesting to that Al Qeada, although not a state itself, is so good at publicizing its ideas and winning over people through digital resources. The comparison of Al Qaeda’s success versus the U.S.’s is telling of how the U.S.’s spirit of freedom can lose in a digital race to Al Qaeda’s ideals of jihad and radicalism. Future U.S. policies will test whether a nation’s public image can change from conqueror to liberator and win over the radical beliefs of Al Qaeda in the “War of Ideas” on the Internet and through all forms of communication.