I loved the article by Julio Burdman last week regarding the image of the USA in Latin America. Good idea to think that a communicator can sometimes make a better job than a technical person in the fields of diplomacy. Julio's concepts regarding the importance of international youth exchange, people who study in the USA, and professionals who specialize abroad are so true. These activities have proved to have a great positive impact in bilateral relations between the USA and the rest of the world. I can speak about the experience in Latin America of Rotary International's Youth Exchange Programs. The organization formed by business leaders who promote the sense and ideal of "Service above Self" has helped thousand of young adults who wanted to study abroad (in the USA mainly). These young people live with American families and are immerse in the day-to-day traditions of their adoptive communities. Thousand of people from the USA come to Latin America every year, and their experiences also contribute to bilateral understanding.
It's not only the positive image of the USA what we are talking about. It's the positive image of every society, and again, young people are making it real. I have included links to articles of young professionals that traveled to the USA to participate in Rotary Exchange Program and contributed in their own countries to a friendly and positive image of the cities they visited in the USA. http://www.rotarydevotoparque.com.ar/internacional.html (You'll find images and a report - in Spanish - of these young professionals' experience)