Talk to Karen Hughes

The current guest on Talk to Power is Karen Hughes. The Undersecretary of State and longtime Bush adviser is taking your questions this week. Her responses will be posted Tuesday, Nov. 28. Thanks in advance to our readers for comments and questions and to Ms. Hughes for taking part in Talk to Power.

Undersecretary of State Karen Hughes

Undersecretary Hughes was born in Paris, France, but attended high school in Texas and went on to Southern Methodist University. After graduation in 1977, she worked as a television news reporter. In 1984, she went to work as the Texas press coordinator for the Reagan-Bush campaign.

Ms. Hughes served as an adviser to

She returned to Washington in 2004 and currently serves as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Her duties include "leading efforts to promote America's values and confront ideological support for terrorism around the world," according to the State Department's Web site.

Focus on

Not surprisingly, readers have focused on the war in Iraq and, more broadly, on the question of terrorism and how to counter it. The majority of comments have been sharply critical of the administration's conduct in Iraq. Many readers feel that America is falling short in terms of expressing its values and goals to the world.

One, who identified himself as a father of three on active duty in

Another reader, though, wondered if there is any value in trying to counter prevailing perceptions of America abroad, writing: "The message I'm picking up is most of the world has contempt for us, despite – or maybe as a result of – our altruistic generosity. Are we getting any ROI for: our foreign aid, our inclusive negotiations and any other [good] deeds? Mightn't this entire paradigm be a colossal policy mistake?"  

Separately, a reader asked if the Bush administration has framed the debate properly. "The Bush administration has lumped so many activities and programs under the broad banner of "War on Terror" that it's very difficult for the American people to determine who's winning and who's losing, or even who the enemy is to begin with. Why is the administration referring to it's entire agenda as a 'war'? Would we be better off to declare war on specific individuals, groups or nations, and then refer to the rest of the policy positions individually instead of referring to the whole entire campaign as a 'war' on terror?"

Another reader framed a similar question in a different way: "In my opinion, we need to send the message that access to clean water, global food distribution and

And another reader wondered how America can promote its interests in the wake of misteps in Iraq and elsewhere. "If one of your assigned commitments is to counter the ideology of terrorist recruiters, how do you counter the terrible news about prisoner abuse in Guantanamo and Iraq and in secret prisons around the world? It seems to me we are creating many more enemies than we are eliminating."

On

Numerous readers raised the question of the longrunning Israeli-Palestinian conflict and its broader impact on international relations.  One wrote: "Given your extensive travels in the Middle East, would you say that the strong anti-American sentiment would be reduced significantly if there was a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? ... It would seem that such an initiative, if moderately successful, would ultimately help Israel and relieve the Palestinians of the state they are in, probably worse than anytime in their history."

On the

"Is the U.N. still effective in maintaining collective security? It seems difficult to get hundreds of nations with diverse cultures to agree on what actions are justified with respect to threats (

On peaceful solutions to conflict

"I am curious now that you have been in this job for about two years what you think the most effective policies and government programs (military, humanitarian, education etc) would be to get the world back to one which can negotiate its differences civilly?"

On Darfur

"While I understand the emphasis and focus on the War on Terror, and how it relates to our present operations to that end, presently with genocide happening in Sudan, I wish to know why it is that we are not doing anything more for the Darfur Conflict? If we have established a willingness to violate the sovereignty of a nation to promote our sensibilities, I can see no better place than to do it in Sudan to stop genocide."

Real-time media

"What is it like working in the White House now days with the 24-hour news cycle — and every utterance flashed instantly around the globe? How hard is it to 'think before you react' in the current 'pop news culture'?"

On women and the Middle East 

"Is the 'I'm a working mom' rhetoric that you've employed in the Middle East an effective way of communicating with Middle Eastern women? It always seemed to me like a weird way to approach these women in what are often closed, autocratic societies, where they may not even be allowed to drive, or in societies where chaos is the norm and women are just trying to survive, let alone have careers. I am a single, 30-something American woman."

* * * * * 

We continue to welcome your comments and questions on Undersecretary Hughes' foreign policy goals and her role with President Bush and the White House.

Please be sure to include a little bit about yourself in your posts. As with all our guests, we request civility on the boards. Be sure to check back early next week for Ms. Hughes' responses. Thank you again for participating.

Next: Karen Hughes responds

Previous: Talk to Rep. Steny Hoyer

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