Hughes' Legacy

In Rebuilding Brand America, I suggested that Karen Hughes represented the best available opportunity to improve America's public diplomacy.

After a rocky start -- at least in U.S. media coverage of her Middle East "listening tour" -- she has delivered on that promise, as this interview by Robert McMahon of the Council on Foreign Relations demonstrates.

Hughes hasn't improved America's reputation in the Middle East or in Europe. I doubt anyone could.  But she has won a seat at the table for our public diplomacy professionals, ensuring that they participate in the "take offs" as well as the "crash landings" when policy is decided.  Plus she has significantly expanded funding for proven programs such as educational and cultural exchanges, as well as language training. All of which will give her successor something to build on.