Rick Santorum from The Philadelphia Inquirer
Dealing with terrorism in India is being called President-elect Barack Obama's first foreign-policy test. His transition team appointment of economist Sonal Shah, formerly a relief coordinator for a Hindu extremist group,makes one question his capacity for wise discernment. [Read More]
Rick Santorum on The Gathering Storm
As President-elect Barack Obama secures the lineup for his national security team, provocateurs of American patience continue to work apace. [Read More]
Public Diplomacy in the Age of Obama: Getting the War of Ideas Right
A Discussion with Jeffrey Gedmin and Kenneth Pollack
Friday, November 21, 2008
RFE/RL President Jeffrey Gedmin and Brookings Institution scholar Kenneth Pollack today assessed the impact of Barack Obama's election as President of the United States on America's image abroad as well as the challenges his administration will likely face as it confronts the 21st Century's 'War of Ideas.'
"In public diplomacy, the messenger matters," Gedmin said to a packed house at the DC-based Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC). "President-elect Obama's global appeal marks a real opportunity for the U.S. to improve its image overseas. But the message matters, too - his administration needs to craft sound policies that advance our interests and values."
A transcript of the discussion can be found here.
Rick Santorum, a Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, established and directs EPPC's Program to Protect America's Freedom. He is writing a book on the "gathering storm" of the 21st century -- the challenges posed by radical Islamic fascism and its growing alliances around the world.
Mr. Santorum served as United States Senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1991 to 1995. As a United States Senator, he was a champion of efforts to counter the threat of radical Islam, to protect victims of religious persecution, and to promote democracy and religious liberty around the world.
U.S. and international efforts to combat the financing of terrorism are an underappreciated and little-understood aspect of the global counterterrorism campaign. But since terrorist attacks are often inexpensive to mount -- the September 11 attacks were staged for less than $500,000 -- why should governments devote so much attention to tracking and severing the money trail for terrorism?
In this new Washington Institute Policy Focus, senior fellows Matthew Levitt and Michael Jacobson explore the critical role that money plays in the success of terrorist organizations, and why countering financial flows must be an integral part of the U.S. government's counterterrorism strategy.
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We encourage you to read newly appointed Undersecretary James Glassman's October 28 Congressional Briefing on the future of public diplomacy as we transition to a new administration.
Read MoreIn its efforts to counter political opposition and consolidate power, the government of President Hugo Chávez has weakened democratic institutions and human rights guarantees in Venezuela, Human Rights Watch said in a 230-page report released today:"A Decade Under Chávez: Political Intolerance and Lost Opportunities for Advancing Human Rights in Venezuela." Read More