TRANSCRIPT:
VOA is much more than just objective news. It’s the voice of our country, the United States, and it represents American society, culture and government policies to broad foreign audiences. In this way, in doing this, VOA helps to build public understanding and support for the U.S. and U.S. policies in countries that are important to us around the world.
VOA, in this way, is a crucial part of American so-called soft power. The ability to convince foreign leaders and people to side with us through words and persuasion rather than coercion. To paraphrase the words of former Secretary of Defense General Mattis, “If we weaken American diplomacy and soft power, we will need to spend more on our military.” So in this way, it really helps America pursue its aims in an easier and a less expensive manner than through coercion and military force.
The U.S. has many critics and rivals around the globe, in particular Russia and China. And these critics, these rivals, daily spread information, false, misleading and harmful information about the U.S. and seek to counter U.S. efforts and U.S. interests around the globe. If we silence VOA, we leave the field open to these rivals and we leave the field unchallenged to their efforts. Why would we voluntarily do this to ourselves?
Published
Hill served as the head of the OSCE Mission to Moldova for two terms during the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. His career in the U.S. Foreign Service focused on conflict resolution and post-Soviet politics in Eastern Europe.