McHale Appointed Amidst Debates

The Layalina Review

VOL. V NO. 9, April 10-April 27, 2009

McHale Appointed Amidst Debates

President Obama appointed Judith McHale for the position of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, according to The Briefing Room press release from the White House. McHale has a background in law and worked as a media and communications executive focusing on company development and non-profits globally. Many in the media have questioned her experience and whether it makes her qualified for the position.

Much of the debate has been fueled by Marc Lynch’s Foreign Policy blog where, despite his post's defensive title, "I have nothing against Judith McHale!" he is clearly concerned with the nomination. Many bloggers quote Lynch as saying that McHale is a "terrible, terrible pick." Lynch has defended himself claiming he is not convinced that she has the experience for the position.

Given that the job has been vacant for so long, Lynch hopes that McHale is quickly confirmed and proves his suspicions wrong.

In Lost in Translation, Amy Harder reports on James Glassman’s opinion of McHale’s appointment. The former Under Secretary is "thrilled that there is a nominee after nearly three months" and is pleased with the choice.

Glassman continues by saying that he is more interested in what McHale perceives the job to be. Harder further points out that Glassman believes Marc Lynch was too hard on McHale. She "certainly has the drive and talent to do the job," he adds.

Nancy Scola points out in her blog on techPresident that the shift to new media, Public Diplomacy 2.0, may help to explain the appointment of McHale, as she has extensive experience in expanding media internationally through her executive work with Discovery International. This form of tech-savvy public diplomacy is what Secretary Clinton is eager to continue and advance, starting with her "Digital Town Hall," which began under Glassman.

Kenneth Wollack argues for the Huffington Post that the position will require someone who can energize public-private partnerships and tap the great potential of communications technologies. Wollack believes that McHale's experience with the Board of the National Democratic Institute and the international standing of the Discovery Channel make her a perfectly suited Under Secretary.

He notes, "Under her two decades of leadership, Discovery's reach expanded to 1.4 billion subscribers in 170 countries, with translations into more than 30 languages." The channel's emphasis is on both local and global communication strategy, which is the same approach that "should underpin US public diplomacy efforts."

Wollack suggests that McHale's experience in these sectors means that she understands the issues at stake and will be able to revitalize public diplomacy programs in line with Clinton's vision of "smart power."

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