John Hughes examines lessons learned from the practice of public diplomacyâ€â€especially international broadcastingâ€â€in the cold war and tells how the United States could more effectively counter extremism, promote democracy, and improve understanding of itself in the Islamic world. He offers Indonesia as a successful example of the melding of democracy, Islam, and modernity and suggests that this country and other nations where Islam and democracy coexistâ€â€such as Turkeyâ€â€could play a significant role in helping thwart Islamist extremism.
Author Biography
John Hughes is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for his coverage of Indonesia and the former editor of the Christian Science Monitor. He is currently a professor of international communications at Brigham Young University. He has served as the associate director of the United States Information Agency, the director of Voice of America, assistant secretary of state for public affairs, and State Department spokesman. He writes a nationally syndicated column for the Monitor.
