The Foreign Service Journal, October 2010

rently broadcast in English in the United States. Even al- Qaida has reportedly launched an English-language on- line magazine that will be available in the United States. Meanwhile, recent Arabic-speaking immigrants to the United States are able to watch Al-Jazeera, yet are pre- vented by Smith-Mundt from viewing Alhurra. These re- alities, coupled with the rise of the Internet, which enables computer users in the U.S. to receive video and audio streams of BBG broadcasts and readily access BBG Web sites, demonstrate that the legislation is both anachronis- tic and potentially harmful. • As part of its FY 2011 budget submission, the BBG has proposed closing its last U.S.-based shortwave broad- casting facility, located in Greenville, N.C. The board proj- ects a $3.2 million savings as a result of this closure. While there is no question that the audience for shortwave is de- creasing in some countries, policymakers need to decide if shuttering the only remaining facility on American soil makes strategic sense. Moreover, while the U.S. has been jettisoning its shortwave facilities, closing some 60 stations in the last 10 years and leaving just 200, China has been doing the opposite, almost doubling its number to 284 in the same period. Time for Fresh Thinking These and other concerns all stem, in one way or an- other, from the fact that U.S.-funded international broad- casting today operates in an environment where technology is changing rapidly, competitors are multiplying, the global political scene is fluid and the federal budget is under stress. Despite the difficulties, getting this aspect of public diplomacy right is important to our foreign policy goals. The matters I have outlined and others that are sure to arise all demand attention from a fully engaged BBG. I am confident that the new board will bring to these challenges seriousness of purpose, fresh thinking and a focus on results. And I am hopeful that in the future, Con- gress and the rest of the executive branch will also do their part to see that the BBG is treated with the priority it de- serves. ■ O C T O B E R 2 0 1 0 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 21 F O C U S