ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the research findings and the experiences of the practitioners is that clearly the best form of image cultivation for nation-states is for them to be democratic, to observe human rights, and to pursue policies of openness. Because this is so, Panama under General Noriega, Iran under Ayatollah Khomeini, Romania under Ceaucescu, North Korea under Kim il Sung, Ethiopia under Mengistu Haile Mariam, or East Germany had no chance of acquiring a positive image in the Western media. There is a three-phase approach to building up a positive or breaking down a negative image. The chapter discusses a situation analysis, that is, to gather information about the actual image one's country has abroad in general or in a particular country. It examines the reaction that acts on one's own initiative. The chapter explores the positive information that can be more widely conveyed, transitioning smoothly to continuous image cultivation.
