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April 16, 2005
Is More U.S. Spending on Public Diplomacy a Waste of Money?
Liz Sidoti of The Associated Press: "President Bush has made spreading democracy and halting terrorism in other countries a priority, and at first glance his budgets have leaned more on defense than diplomacy to achieve that objective. But a close look at spending trends since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, shows a growing reliance by the Bush administration and Congress on more than military might to accomplish that. Critics question whether the diplomatic spending is sufficient."
The question is not whether the spending is sufficient but whether it will do any good without a change in the Bush Administration's sometimes arrogant attitude in world affairs, especially in the Islamic word." I think more spending in this area is a waste of money but a good way to reward well-connected public relations firms. Here's Sidoti's analysis. Here's a link to the United States Information Agency Alumni Association website.
Posted by Munir Umrani at April 16, 2005 01:15 PM
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