My new piece at truthout on State Department-Pentagon relations...
State Department Still Unsure of Its Role One Year Later
Tuesday 08 December 2009
by: Allen McDuffee, t r u t h o u t |
One year after Obama takes office and appoints Hillary Clinton secretary of state, the State Department struggles to determine whether it really wants to separate from the Pentagon.
At a December 3 closed briefing to a group of foreign policy journalists from the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism on the concept of "smart power" under the Obama administration, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said that the Obama administration was taking "a more holistic approach to national affairs." Over the course of two terms under the Bush administration, the State Department was increasingly characterized as one of diminishing value, with ascending realms of diplomacy falling under the purview of the Pentagon.
Read the full report at truthout.
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