This is an opinion piece, and not an analysis of US public diplomacy to date. Public diplomacy, once less obscurely known as propaganda, is a special challenge in a country with a free media. When the media is hostile to the government, it is even more difficult to get the message out. I don't know how our administration is doing in the battle for "their" hearts and minds, but I hope it's doing a better job abroad than it is at home.

A soundly-presented opinion piece, this story provides good evidence for the stated belief that the Bush administration isn't strong on diplomacy.

A good synopsis of some—not all—the faux pas of the Bush administration in its Keystone Kops approach to diplomacy, which has been based on ultra conservative dogma rather than upon professional international relations.

More polemic than anything, replete with cherry-picked facts and no effort to analyze the major efforts of American public diplomacy, including the website govcom.org, the Arab-language television stations, etc. It also simply does not deal with the fact that if you are occupying an Islamic countries, however pure your motives, you are not going to have much success. Also, I am not sure that their job is "to wage a battle of ideas against radical Islam". I would say that their job is ... More »

While a critique of Bush's public diplomacy may be warranted, Stephens conflates different issues - support for a repressive Egyptian regime, support for Muslim artists who don't tow a pro-Israel line, and support for a Muslim group in the United States with questionable etiquette (funded by key American ally Saudi Arabia).

A roundup of the mis-steps of the Bush administration in its attempts to confront the vile ideology of Islamic fascism, and a blueprint for a workable approach. Thorough on both counts.