The USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School hosted a discussion with Riffat Masood, the Consul General of Pakistan in Los Angeles, about the complicated relationship between Pakistan and the United States and how improving public diplomacy in both countries might ease tension. Misperception and lack of trust dictate how both Pakistanis and Americans view each other, Masood said. "The situation calls for a clearer understanding of the ground realities and bridging the acute trust deficit," she said. "Blame games, rigidity, arrogance, insensitivity to each other's interests will always be counterproductive." Masood said aid should be focused toward creating jobs and building schools rather than beefing up the military. Person-to-person contact between Americans and Pakistanis, she said, is important for building understanding and tolerance of a different culture. "In fact, building perceptions through the media, education exchanges, through exchanges of civil society, is what is going to make change to our government," she said. Masood's self-proclaimed bottom line was a call for greater transparency from both countries to foster open communication and a trusting relationship.