Just Words?

Judith McHale, the new Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, delivered an address in Washington recently talking about the role of public diplomacy. You can read the full text of the "as delivered" transcript here.

As speeches go it was a well written and coherent presentation on a subject of keen interest to some and not much interest to many. Good intentions and good words can go only so far however, as we have seen in other contexts of late. It has become fashionable to say "global engagement" when one means "public diplomacy" or "strategic communications" or perhaps half a dozen other buzz words. But saying global engagement doesn't mean doing global engagement any more than saying public diplomacy means doing public diplomacy. The time for words joined with action is upon us. And, so far at least, it is the Congress and not the Administration that is putting action behind words.

How so you say? Well Senator Lugar's S.49 is one example but a more striking one is the report of the first authorization bill for the State Department in years. Yes, there are appropriation bills most every year except of course when Congress gets gridlocked; but authorization, now that is another story. Congress is usually reluctant to open up that can of worms so instead of re-authorizing it merely appropriates funds. The House passed HR 2410, The Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011,"To authorize appropriations for the Department of State and the Peace Corps for fiscal years 2010 and 2011, to modernize the Foreign Service, to authorize democratic, economic, and social development assistance for Pakistan, to authorize security assistance for Pakistan, and for other purposes." There are some things in this authorization that are laudable, some less so but we shall have to wait until the Senate and reconciliation are finished to see what really emerges. Frankly a more dramatic change is needed than anything called for so far in the legislation. You can read HR 2410 here.