Public Diplomacy is not a new phenomenon; it is rather a magnification of what is going on in the 21th century world. Authors of Public Diplomacy regard the September 11, 2001 event as a turning point in line with the interests and wants of the west.

Karen Hughes is America's Top Gun communicator. But how will her job performance be rated 25 or even 50 years from now by her team in the State Department, elsewhere around the world and in the many politico-history books that will be written about her?

Of course it's too early to tell, as she is just finding her way as the new undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. But does she have the qualities that helped raise some former directors of the defunct U.S. Information Agency to legendary status?