2007年VOA标准英语-US Public Diplomacy Chief 'Waging Peace' With N

By Mona Ghuneim
New York
28 September 2007

Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy¹ Karen Hughes says that if the United States wants to win the war on terrorism, it must continue to reach out globally with public diplomacy programs. From VOA's New York Bureau, Mona Ghuneim reports that Hughes also says the United States has to respect other nations and listen to what they are saying about America.

Hughes travels the world, championing the causes of women, opening schools and clinics, establishing English-language classes, and communicating with international media. It's her job as a U.S. government official, but she also calls it waging peace. And she says the need to reach out to the rest of the world is more important now than ever before for the United States.

According to polls like the Pew Global Attitudes Project, formerly² positive views of America have dropped significantly, especially in the Middle East. The U.S. government's actions overseas continue to be a key factor in anti-American sentiment abroad. Hughes says she hopes her new initiatives will prove to the international community that America does want to be friendly with every country.

One project Hughes created this past summer is the Counter Terrorism Communications Center. She says the group of State Department experts work in this program has an understanding of and is culturally sensitive to Muslim and Middle Eastern audiences. She says the center provides the intellectual framework for how the United States responds to terrorism.

"It's a small group of people who come to work everyday with the mindset of, how can I advance the ideological³ struggle against extremism and terrorism across the world today," Hughes said.

Hughes says communications, cultural exchange programs, and improving the lives of others through health, education and economic incentives⁴ can help to counter terrorism. She says reaching out to young audiences in other countries is the main target of this project.

Hughes recently launched another program aimed at young people, ages eight to 14, in 13, mostly Islamic, countries.

Speaking to members of the foreign press in New York Friday, Hughes said that the Youth Enrichment Programs, or YEP, offer sports, music, art and English classes to over six thousand youngsters, including in the West Bank and Gaza.

"We try to focus these programs in areas of disadvantaged youth that are both vulnerable to radical⁵ recruitment but also where they don't typically have these kind of opportunities," she said.

Hughes recalled a boy she met during a recent visit to an English class in Morocco. The youth told her that he had found work, thanks to his ability to speak English. She said this boy came from the same neighborhood as the Casablanca suicide bombers⁶, but that perhaps now, the youth had a reason to live rather than a reason to die.

Hughes says she hopes these kinds of programs will provide stability and opportunity for young people all over the world. She says the budget for these initiatives has gone up in her two years as Under Secretary of State but she would like to have even more funding for more work.

"These kind of programs ought to be a national security priority because I really believe that winning over populations and winning over the ideological struggle is as important as the military side," she said.

Hughes, a close friend of the president has once served as President Bush's White House counselor⁷ during his presidency⁸ from 2001 to 2002. The president asked her to come back in 2005, after he reelected for second term, to serve in her current position.

Hughes says she is trying to change the minds of those who dislike the United States, one person at a time if need be.

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 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

3 ideological   

a.意识形态的

参考例句：

• He always tries to link his study with his ideological problems. 他总是把学习和自己的思想问题联系起来。
• He helped me enormously with advice on how to do ideological work. 他告诉我怎样做思想工作，对我有很大帮助。

4 incentives   

激励某人做某事的事物( incentive的名词复数 )； 刺激； 诱因； 动机

参考例句：

• tax incentives to encourage savings 鼓励储蓄的税收措施
• Furthermore, subsidies provide incentives only for investments in equipment. 更有甚者，提供津贴仅是为鼓励增添设备的投资。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

5 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

6 bombers   

n.轰炸机( bomber的名词复数 )；投弹手；安非他明胶囊；大麻叶香烟

参考例句：

• Enemy bombers carried out a blitz on the city. 敌军轰炸机对这座城市进行了突袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Royal Airforce sill remained dangerously short of bombers. 英国皇家空军仍未脱离极为缺乏轰炸机的危境。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 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。

8 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。