Essentially, the concept of nation branding functions as a
(normally privatized) form of propaganda. Because suppressing dissent,
torturing protest organizers and using excessive force on unarmed demonstrators
generally requires all hands on deck, autocratic regimes are occasionally
forced outsource the management of their foreign propaganda to smaller public
relations firms abroad.
In September, just a month after the biggest massacre of
civilians in Egypt’s history, it was announced that the country's military bosses
overseeing the mass killing were looking
to hire professional apologists and advocates in Washington. I know what
you’re thinking, “You mean that just one month after nearly 600 civilians were
killed and nearly 4,000 people were injured in a pretty one-sided battle
between state security forces and supporters of a democratically-elected president who those security forces had forced out, the state began shopping around the contract
to advocate on its behalf in Washington? Why, golly, who want such a contract?”
Dear reader, let me tell you: The Glover Park Group! And think for
a second. How much money would it take for you to sell your soul and go to the
hill every day to convince legislators that a bunch murderous oligarchs are in
fact worthy of taxpayer-funded military aid? How’s $250,000
a month sound? Some people would have serious problems with this arrangement.
These are what I like to call “decent, reasonable human beings.” On the other
hand there are people who would jump at the chance. In the immortal words of Willard Romney, “Corporations are people, my friend.” Unfortunately, as far as
people go, corporations are sociopaths.
Take Bell Pottinger for instance. They have a reputation as
being the definitive global advocates of the earth’s most powerful scum. From Belarus
to Bahrain, Bell Pottinger seems to have no qualms about defending the most
terrible opponents of human freedom and dignity around the world. In 2011,
undercover reporters from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism went in to
Bell Pottinger’s office posing as representatives of the Government of
Uzbekistan and of said country’s cotton industry. Topic of the day: how best
can Uzbekistan polish its awful record on the use of child labor in its cotton
fields. During the interview Bell Pottinger representatives bragged to
undercover journalist about their influence with the UK’s government and their
ability to use “dark
arts” to scrub their reputation on the internet. It was an embarrassing
scandal for the firm, but fear not, corporations don’t have feels, and Bell
Pottinger’s dark arts continue to be practiced. The firm is currently in the
hunt for Bahrain’s
new public relations contract.
“Nation branding.” The phrase itself should make you feel dirty.
Really dirty. Like a Hosni-Mubarak-giving-you-a-foot-massage kind of dirty. The
reason being: I work full-time at unpaid internship that pushes the US
government and international actors to put more pressure on the government of
Bahrain. It can be difficult working for no pay, sure, but I really love the
work I do and the projects I get to work on, like drafting letters to
congressmen, documenting human rights abuses, etc.
What really screws me up though, is that somewhere out there
is a ‘Mirror,
Mirror’ version of me interning at some soulless PR firm drafting
press releases selling Bahrain as a great place for an international
sporting event—if you consider driving a car really, really fast a sport. Don’t
let political prisoners
wasting away due to lack of treatment bum you out; never mind persistent
allegations of torture; ignore the largely foreign police
force imported from abroad to bludgeon the locals: This spring break it’s “Destination
Bahrain: A nation on a Journey!”
Somewhere there are people as passionate about subverting
natural inclinations of human solidarity (aka “dark arts”) as I am about undermining
the efforts of despots.
