The Struggle to Win Hearts and Minds

If we are to move people, we need to meet them where they are—physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, ideologically. The bigger the gulf between “us and them,” the less likely effective communication will take place.

Consider, for example, the U.S. government’s communication in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. The Bush Administration concluded that it needed to win the hearts and minds of Muslim communities around the world. The Administration hoped that building support of Muslim communities would make extremist attacks on the U.S. less likely, and that the U.S. would have more flexibility projecting power to parts of the world whose population is predominantly Muslim.