The "apparatus of public diplomacy" (the official government euphemism for overseas public relations) "has proven inadequate, especially in the Arab and Muslim World," says Harold Pachios, a commissioner on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. In testimony before the U.S.

As political unrest grows in Haiti, the United Nations warns of an impending humanitarian crisis and dozens of people are killed, there is some good news for Jean Bertrand Aristide: "Global Market Solutions, which is based in Washington, DC, is rallying to the side of [the] beleaguered Haitian president." The PR firm "has promoted Aristide's willingness to talk with the rebels and commitment to democracy." Robert Magu

"For those in the business of masterminding public-relations stunts... Janet Jackson's big expose during CBS's airing of the Super Bowl has raised a serious issue: how to top it," reports Claire Atkinson for Advertising Age. Desiree Gruber, whose firm Full Picture handles PR for Lisa Marie Presley and Arnold Schwarzenegger, agreed that the uproar is benefiting Jackson. "Janet is a brand, just as much as Frito-Lay is... She sells and she sells directly to the public," she explained. Sometimes more directly than others.