The notion that American principles and values are universal, or worse, that they should be made so, is one of the most persistent flaws in today’s prevailing political discourse. One stuffed shirt on CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer suggested that since Hollywood and Madison Avenue were made in America, we should be able to sway the Arab public with the same success seen in the United States.
This arrogance and lack of realism on the part of our leadership toward understanding the differences between American and foreign (and particularly traditional cultures) is astonishing, at first glance. However, it becomes easier to comprehend these failures of our elites when viewed against the background of the idea that the United States is a universal nation and that multiculturalism is destined to reign supreme. America’s decadent elites are increasingly prisoners of their own narrow assumptions, and, left unchecked, that will bring about their ultimate demise. The elite view that the United States can be a successful, microcosmic version of the United Nations will prove untenable. One can only hope Americans will someday learn this without paying too high a price in blood and treasure.
Reliance on Hollywood and Madison Avenue to make America’s "case" to the average Arab is unwise, simply because the denizens of the Middle East are not, and can never be in a true sense, Americans. In our "diverse" society, it seems Americans have forgotten what foreigners are, that non-Americans might see things in fundamentally different ways. Surely, we cannot tout such forgetfulness as one of the elusive "strengths" of diversity about which we are always lectured. Indeed, our leadership is proving itself hypocritical. Far from respecting the differences of others, plans to intensify the blanketing of the Arab world with American news and culture stamp out diversity and lead to forcible global homogenization.
The average Arab is much different from the standard TV-addicted American. Arabs live in traditional cultures. Life is lived a little more slowly and in consonance with enduring values. This means Arabs tend to have much longer memories. They are unlikely
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to forget the many injustices generated by America’s hyper-interventionist foreign policy over the years. America may give the Arabs more radios, and even TV’s and remote controls, but no matter how many times we invite them to click through 500 channels, the Arabs will see the same thing: American materialism and decadence.
Pouring new money and effort down the rat hole of a new "Radio Free Europe" type project in the Arab world is useless, not to mention dangerous. As satellite technology beams MTV and Skinemax around the world, replete with programming increasingly reliant upon gratuitous and blatant sexuality and looseness, traditional peoples are not likely to be convinced of American virtues. Indeed, such a sharp contrast (brought to you by the likes of Hollywood and Madison Avenue) will only heighten suspicions of American Machiavellianism as we attempt to seem good, rather than be good.
 A true demonstration of American virtues, the kind that typified the Old Republic, would be quite different from the current plan to step up our propaganda in the Arab world. Rather, America should end its open-ended military adventurism abroad, including in the Afghan theater, and cut off all types of aid to that rogue regime most responsible for inciting Arab ire: Israel. On the cultural front, America is better off shutting its mouth rather than building new megaphones and erecting broadcasting towers. It is high time to clean up America’s popular culture that so revolts those more spiritual peoples overseas and plenty of Americans here at home. Pulling the plug forever on borderline pornographic media products, including MTV, should be a priority. Such a bold, America-First plan is sure to eliminate the primary cause of terrorism against us: the pushiness and projection of American decadence. 
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here has been much discussion about America losing the public relations war in the Arab world. Various pundits and politicians have come before the cameras, calling for renewed "Voice of America" and "Radio Free Europe" style operations directed toward the Arab public. They believe such efforts will better communicate America’s "message," although it is unclear what exactly we plan to tell the Arabs as our military shuttles about their ancient and hallowed lands.