WASHINGTON, Dec. 22 (Xinhuanet)-- The US State Department announced Thursday that it was suspending "Hi" magazine, an Arabic-language monthly once billed as a key component of U.S. public diplomacy but derided by critics as pop-culture "brainwashing."

    The department said that the decision was made "to assess whether the magazine is meeting its objectives effectively."

    "The purpose of this review will be to develop quantitative data on how broadly Hi magazine is reaching its intended audience," the statement said.

    "Hi" magazine, launched in July 2003 after the invasion of Iraq,had been distributing 55,000 copies in 18 countries, although 95 percent were given way for free, officials said.

    The publication, published by a private Washington-based company with State Department backing, was intended as a "window on American culture" targeting Arabs from 18 to 35 years old.

    However, distributed at a cost of 4.5 million dollars a year, it had been selling only 2,500 copies a month.

    Middle East watchers have not been kind to the magazine since its inception, accusing it of trying to sweep aside substantive concerns over U.S. policy among Arab youth and feed them nothing but cultural fluff.

    "Many critics think the magazine is too naive to be anything other than an exercise in brainwashing," the Al-Ahram Weekly wrote shortly after Hi hit the Arab streets. Enditem