Careful with your “Muslim” stereotyping. Public opinion polling in predominantly Muslim states in Africa have consistently demonstrated high favorability towards the U.S. Muslim Senegal and Mali have among the top ten pro-American populations in the world, according to Pew. Why is this? Or is it easier to just to ignore them in talking about the “Muslim” world as a monolith? It could be that there are other factors at play than religion. It could be, too, that two of the most influential American “celebrities” to hit West Africa in the last 50 years were Muslim, black, and had faced the wrath of Uncle Sam: Muhammed Ali and Malcolm X. It turns out that the actors who played the Hollywood versions of their stories, Denzell Washington and Will Smith, are far more popular among Africans that out any of the American celebs who make causes of Africa.

The American cultural ambassadors program of yesteryear had its bright spots, such as in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union where such celebrities as the New York Philharmonic impacted because of a shared culture. There were also plenty of dark spots that weren’t often reflected in the USIA reporting of the era. Take a look at Penny Von Eschen’s Satchmo Blows Up the World to read a complex and critical history of the Jazz Ambassadors, notably in Africa.

It’s an easy answer to say Uncle Sam must always do something. Sometimes, though, it’s the better half of wisdom not to do anything, and perhaps let our democratic culture — non-state actors — do what they do democratically. Muhammed Ali, silent though his voice is literally now, might have something to say about this, and believe me, if he does, that dadgum draft-dodging you-know-what will get a bigger audience that will pay closer attention out there in the Middle East and Africa than anything Washington might gear up in the name of national security.