Hughes on tour

last updated 8 January 2015

Cairo

Karen Hughes, the Bush confidante and the new undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, launched a goodwill tour of the Middle East this week. Hughes acknowledged that her task is daunting. “I’m probably not going to change many minds,” she said. Hughes said she would try to show the contrast between “the American way,” which gives children “education, opportunity,” and the terrorist way, which forces young people “to strap on bombs and blow themselves up.” This is Hughes’ first mission abroad, and she seemed nervous, The Washington Post reported, noting that she consulted what “appeared to be the diplomatic equivalent of Cliffs Notes.” The papers contained helpful reminders, such as that Turkey is a democracy and that Egypt is the largest Arab state.