On July 29, the U.S. Senate confirmed a long-time political adviser to President Bush, Karen Hughes, as the State Department's chief of public diplomacy. Ms. Hughes won unanimous approval by the Senate as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, charged with explaining the American government's policies to the world.

The public diplomacy chief says, the United States is "involved in a generational and global struggle of ideas, a struggle that pits the power of hate against the power of hope." She plans "an aggressive effort to share and communicate America's fundamental values while respecting the cultures and traditions of other nations."

In this series of reports, VOA looks at the daunting challenges confronting the American public diplomacy effort.