The Foreign Service Journal, October 2006

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 19 hy do they hate us?” There is no shortage of possible explanations. Waging war on Iraq seems to be one of the least popular policy decisions in the modern history of the United States, both at home and abroad. Then factor in the widespread perception, strengthened by the latest round of fighting in Lebanon, that Washington favors Israel in its conflict with the Palestinians, and it’s fairly easy to understand why America’s popularity around the world — especially in the Middle East — is at a low ebb. F O C U S O N P U B L I C D I P L O M A C Y D AMAGE C ONTROL : K AREN H UGHES D OES PD A YEAR INTO HER TENURE , IS H UGHES MAKING EFFECTIVE USE OF F OREIGN S ERVICE EXPERTISE ? B Y S HAWN Z ELLER “ W Darren Dygi