VOA常速英语2007年-US Public Diplomacy Chief Departs Amid Praise,

By Jim Fry
Washington
11 December 2007
 

By the end of December 14, Karen Hughes will leave her State Department post as the chief of the U.S. public diplomacy¹ effort. The Texan, a Bush loyalist and former senior White House aide, became undersecretary for public diplomacy two years ago. Her job was to improve America's standing² in the eyes of the world, particularly among Muslims at a time of war in the Middle East. VOA's Jim Fry reports from Washington.

Karen Hughes came to Washington from Texas, a close confidant of President Bush and one of his inner circle. She worked for Mr. Bush when he was Texas governor and received much of the credit for the campaign communications strategy that helped place Mr. Bush in the White House in January 2001. She served as counselor³ to the president, managing the White House communications offices, including media affairs, speech writing and the press secretary.

By the middle of 2002, Hughes left the White House and departed for Texas, citing the need to spend more time with her son during his crucial high school years.

She served Mr. Bush as a consultant⁴ in his 2004 reelection campaign, but by the next year, she was appointed Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. At the time, public-opinion polls showed the U.S. image plummeting⁵ in Muslim nations.

Hughes quickly embarked⁶ on a tour of the Middle East.

"I came home from my very first trip and asked to see the president," she said.

She says she told Mr. Bush that making progress on the creation of a Palestinian state would be the single most important thing he could do for public diplomacy among Muslims worldwide.

Arab American Institute Chairman George Salem says Hughes had the ear of the president.

"She has better access than any member of the cabinet," said Salem.

By 2007, Mr. Bush had convened⁷ the Annapolis Peace Conference, restarting negotiations⁸ between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Although critics in the Middle East and at home sometimes skewered⁹ Hughes and her efforts to reshape opinions about U.S. policy, she tells VOA it is important for American officials to reach out.

Hughes called that first trip overseas as the head of the U.S. public diplomacy effort a "listening tour." Hughes was repeatedly confronted over the war in Iraq.

During a women's roundtable in Turkey, one participant directly challenged the under secretary.

"In every photograph that comes from Iraq there is that view of fear in the eyes of women and children," said the participant.

"As a mother, I do not like war," said Hughes.

Salem says it is in the U.S. interest for senior government officials to understand the region's anger.

"I think it was an important moment for people in the region to be able to confront a senior American official about issues of concern for them," said Salem.

Visits such as this were part of what Hughes calls "people-to-people diplomacy." She says she increased U.S. outreach to domestic and overseas Muslim audiences and she says participation¹⁰ in exchange programs grew from 27,000 people per year in 2004 to nearly 40,000.

"Public diplomacy is about things that unite people as human beings," said Hughes.

Hughes says she has helped make public diplomacy a national priority. Analysts¹¹ say she took some of the steps recommended in 2003 by a congressionally mandated¹² Advisory¹³ Group on Public Diplomacy.

One of Hughes innovations was a rapid response team of Arabic-speaking analysts that watches Middle Eastern media in Washington and overseas. The new office sends talking points to diplomats¹⁴ worldwide, many of whom Hughes says were once reluctant to risk their jobs speaking publicly.

"We now say: 'No. Go out. We want you to do media interviews.' And, by the way, we also rate now every foreign service officer on public diplomacy," she said.

As she departs her job, Hughes still has her critics. Columnist¹⁵ Rhami Khouri of the Lebanon Daily Star called Hughes's tenure¹⁶, "a political catastrophe¹⁷, ineffective and probably counterproductive."

"Ouch! And then he blamed that on 60 years of American foreign policy as if I could snap my fingers and change that overnight," said Hughes.

But opinions of Hughes are not all negative. Thomas Carothers at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace says Hughes did good work projecting a positive image.

"It is not enough to say, 'We care, we listen,' when people point to specific things and say, 'Okay, let me tell you what my concerns are,'" said Carothers.

Hughes replacement¹⁸ will be James Glassman, a conservative commentator¹⁹ and journalist who is chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees²⁰ VOA.

Hughes says her efforts will not be measured in Tuesday's polls, but instead judged over decades by the long-term relationships she began building in her two years as the U.S. chief of public diplomacy.

1 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 counselor   

n.顾问，法律顾问

参考例句：

• The counselor gave us some disinterested advice.顾问给了我们一些无私的忠告。
• Chinese commercial counselor's office in foreign countries.中国驻国外商务参赞处。

4 consultant   

n.顾问；会诊医师，专科医生

参考例句：

• He is a consultant on law affairs to the mayor.他是市长的一个法律顾问。
• Originally,Gar had agreed to come up as a consultant.原来，加尔只答应来充当我们的顾问。

5 plummeting   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Prices are rising, falling, going up, going down, shooting up, plummeting, etc. 物价在上涨、下跌、上升、下落、猛然上涨、骤然下跌等。 来自辞典例句
• The enemy plane went plummeting into the sea. 敌机直直掉进海里。 来自辞典例句

6 embarked   

乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事

参考例句：

• We stood on the pier and watched as they embarked. 我们站在突码头上目送他们登船。
• She embarked on a discourse about the town's origins. 她开始讲本市的起源。

7 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

8 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

9 skewered   

v.（用串肉扦或类似物）串起，刺穿( skewer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He skewered his victim through the neck. 他用扦子刺穿了受害人的脖子。 来自辞典例句
• He skewered his foot on a nail. 他的脚踩在钉子上了。 来自互联网

10 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

11 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

12 mandated   

adj. 委托统治的

参考例句：

• Mandated desegregation of public schools. 命令解除公立学校中的种族隔离
• Britain was mandated to govern the former colony of German East Africa. 英国受权代管德国在东非的前殖民地。

13 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

14 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 columnist   

n.专栏作家

参考例句：

• The host was interviewing a local columnist.节目主持人正在同一位当地的专栏作家交谈。
• She's a columnist for USA Today.她是《今日美国报》的专栏作家。

16 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。

17 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

18 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

19 commentator   

n.注释者，解说者；实况广播评论员

参考例句：

• He is a good commentator because he can get across the game.他能简单地解说这场比赛，是个好的解说者。
• The commentator made a big mistake during the live broadcast.在直播节目中评论员犯了个大错误。

20 oversees   

v.监督，监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网