July 11

“Most people my age loved them from the very beginning and couldn’t wait to get a hold of them. I don’t think we’ve ever changed our minds.”

--74-year-old Ethel Gant, regarding the panty hose; image from Boing Boing

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Obama White House's First Try At Second Life - Charles Cooper, CBS News: "Since entering the White House in January, the Obama administration has made use of a myriad of social networking and Internet communications tools, such as blogs, the YouTube video service and Twitter, to interact with the public. Come Saturday, you can add a virtual world appearance to the list. When President Obama, who is visiting Ghana, speaks to a live audience tomorrow morning, his speech will be streamed on Second Life and Metaplace.These computer-simulated worlds offer 3D avatar-driven environments where participants can use voice or text chat to communicate. In this instance, however, there will be no Obama avatar. But the Obama speech will be accompanied by a virtual event discussion, which will feature musician and activist, D.N.A.,, Ambassador Kenton Keith, and African historian Professor Tim Burke. The guest speakers will be talking about the speech and its broader implications. Although Barack Obama is arguably running the most Web-savvy Presidency since the emergence of the commercial Internet, the use of virtual worlds by the U.S. government predates his arrival in the White House. In fact, the United States State Department has been hosting virtual events for the last three years as part of its own public diplomacy push. People involved in earlier State Department projects with virtual worlds say they were attracted to that kind of online venue because they viewed its attributes as a collaborative medium more favorably than alternatives, such as video conferencing or online chat." See also (1) (2). Image from

Africa UnPlugged for the Future – President Obama in Ghana Alanagh Recreant, Africa in Virtual Worlds: "In Second Life, representatives from Uthango Social Investments were invited to join the University of South California Centre for Public Diplomacy to be part of a conversation during the screening of the President’s talk in Ghana, Africa. We have always had the utmost respect for the efforts of universities inSL to use the virtual worlds platform in innovative ways. We hope, in the future, that we will be in a position to assist African-based universities to use Second Life and participate in these initiatives."

Punctuated Equilibrium & Phased Transitions – John Matel, World-Wide-Matel: "I am feeling like I just missed a train. I liked blogs. I felt reasonably comfortable with Facebook. But I really don’t have much use for SMS or Twitter and I positively don’t like Second Life. I used to be kind of a leader in new tech methods of public diplomacy. I was a pioneer, a mapper of strange new waters - at least that is what it seemed to me. Now colleagues are swimming effortlessly in the new media ocean, while I am looking out after them like a beached whale. The wonder is that this all happened in the course of about a month. The world I have known for some years have shifted, hence my thoughts of punctuated equilibrium and phased transitions." Image from

State Department Briefing by [Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs] Phillip J. Crowley, July 10, 2009, posted at eNews Park Forest - "MR. CROWLEY: As I’m sure you’re aware, the President will be making a speech tomorrow in Ghana, tomorrow morning, and the State Department has been doing a variety of things to help support that speech, a lot of – I think there was an announcement from the White House with details about a variety of things that our embassies in Africa are doing, promoting events, and I would encourage you to see those kinds of significant public diplomacy efforts."

About Me: N. Perkins - Central Exit: Bringing Humanity Beyond a World of Chaos: Smart Power as the Central Exit: "By developing and implementing ideas across borders, we can secure a better future for ourselves and others. Public diplomacy and military precision can be combined; Soft Power and Hard Power in perfect balance become Smart Power. Smart Power is the key to bringing these positive changes; bringing humanity beyond a world of chaos. Smart power is the Central Exit."

Diverse group of nonprofits including Grassroots International seek meeting with Obama administration on new rules for charities - Relief Web: "Barack Obama President of the United States 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500



Dear Mr. President, We are writing as American nonprofit organizations to thank you for the comments in your Cairo speech that recognized the problems current rules for charitable giving create for American Muslims, and for your commitment to correct the situation. We are seeking a meeting with you and the appropriate representatives of your administration to provide background information on how current national security rules create problems for all U.S. charities and to provide recommendations for change. … We are confident that new approaches that reflect the mission and expertise of the U.S. charitable community are not only possible, but essential to the success of your national security and public diplomacy strategies. We formed this network to work toward that goal. Such changes would benefit U.S. organizations, our international NGO partners and the people we serve around the world." Image from

OpenDocument Human Rights in China: Trends and Policy Implications – The CIA Memory Hole: "The United States government has attempted to promote human rights in Chinathrough a multi-faceted approach. U.S. efforts include formal criticism of the PRC government, official bilateral dialogue, public diplomacy, and congressionally-sponsored legislation, hearings, visits, and research. The U.S. government alsoprovides funding for rule of law, civil society development, participatory government, labor rights, preserving Tibetan culture, Internet access, and otherrelated programs in China."

It’s True – Rob, Arabic Radio Shack: "I don’t know enough about Public Diplomacy to agree or disagree with Armstrong’s prescribed solution – repeal_the_Smith_Mundt_Act. I’ve heard compelling arguements [sic] both ways. In any case, I’ve got a post coming soon on a new idea related to strategic communications." Image from

Growth of Research on U.S. Students Abroad - International Higher Education Consulting Blog™A Source for News on International Education and Public Diplomacy by David Comp: "I’m slowly working on … creating new bibliographies including one on international education and public diplomacy/soft power."

From middle to emerging power – Pragmatic, Pragmatic Euphony: "Andrew F. Cooper, writing in the latest issue of the Public Diplomacy magazine, contends that India — along with other BRIC nations — has moved on from being a middle power to an emerging power. … Is India’s case really a success story of rebranding itself through public diplomacy as Andrew would like us to believe? For those who strongly disagree, Andrew hedges his bets in the conclusion. Middle powers can be squeezed hard by the prevailing forces of power in the world. By their very nature, middle power states are sometimes seen as floundering or in decline. Certainly each state can differ on where the middle is as well as their place within it, but all have a high degree of aptitude as well as a sense of safety associated with being in the middle. It is identities such as these that play well for how middle powers project themselves in the world." Image from

Honduras’s Zelaya: Blood on the Runway: Public Diplomacy Goes Awry in Honduras – Truth about Honduras: "The events which took place at Toncontin airport in Tegucigalpa on July 5 appeared to have been taken straight out of an action movie. The dashing former Honduran president, always possessing a penchant for the dramatic, swoops out of the sky in a Venezuelan jet. He attempts to land at the airport, which has been blocked by Honduran troops. His followers, emboldened by the sight of their leader, rush the troops and attempt to break through the security cordon. In the melee, shots ring out and a protester falls dead. The event appears to be a classic case of police repression, and Latin American history is hardly short on similar cases. However, a closer look at events raises more questions than it answers."

Photo exhibit offers an intimate look at America's jazz ambassadors: Black jazz legends were sent abroad as part of a State Department diplomatic push even while segregation continued back home - Carla Murphy, Christian Science Monitor: "Three months after Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a Montgomery, Ala., bus and roughly at the same time that black Americans were facing censure and arrest as a matter of law and whim,

the US Department of State entrusted jazz musicians with representing America to the world. 'When the US sends jazz musicians overseas, it's not the same as sending an opera singer,' says Nicholas Cull, professor of public diplomacy at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, who points out that jazz's interactive and improvisational nature makes fast friends. Professor Cull hopes that President Obama will match rising interest shown by emergent powers China and Russia in sending their artists abroad." Image from article: Benny Goodman performs for a young audience in Red Square, Moscow, Soviet Union, 1962.

First Person: A Graduate Reflects - Jamie Zebrak: "Jamie: Jamie Zebrak was born and raised in Atlanta Georgia. She moved out ... to attend the University of Oregon where she majored in Psychology and International Studies with a focus in the Middle East. During her four years in Eugene, Jamie

was involved with Chabad, Hillel, and the Jewish Student Union. … In 2008 Jamie and her partner Jodi Meyerowitz founded a non profit for Jewish college students in America and in Israel which focused on Jewish identity and social justice. The program, Shomer Achi, is in it's [sic] pilot year and will scale to other campuses in the coming years. Jamie is currently working in Boston at the Consulate General of Israel serving New England as Director of Public Diplomacy." Jamie image from blog.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ON TWITTER

metameerkat: watching President's Obama speech #inSl at University of California Centre for Public diplomacy #ObamaGhana about 3 hours ago from web

orbitus: The Homegrown Face of Regime Change: Social Media's Influence in Public Diplomacy http://tr.im/rQXQ #iranelection about 10 hours ago from tr.im

CoryOndrejka: Obama event in SL and Metaplace http://tr.im/rQRY with @ashong @robinharper @tor17 go public diplomacy! about 10 hours ago from web

BrightMagnet: Social Media in Public Diplomacy http://bit.ly/7VfM1 //securitydebrief.adfero.com/the-face-of-regime-change-social-medias-influence-in- ... about 12 hours ago from Nambu



Image from

NomiLite: Israel + Latin America = dream public diplomacy job: http://bit.ly/xie5Z about 20 hours ago from web

adfero: RT @SecurityDebrief: The homegrown face of regime change: Social media’s influence in public diplomacy http://tinyurl.com/lcbao3 about 21 hours ago from web

planetrussell: Social Media as Public Diplomacy: http://tr.im/rMn7 Effective use = geopolitical influence RT @MountainRunner #gov20 #fb about 23 hours ago from HootSuite

fantomplanet: I'd rather be doing public diplomacy right now. about 23 hours ago from TweetDeck

NomiLite: writing the best policy memo ever. trade + public diplomacy = awesome USFP. going to be a policy rockstar. about 23 hours ago from web

SecurityDebrief: Reading: "John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review, Version 2.0: July 10" ( http://bit.ly/6sYce ) 1 day ago from twitthat

ems122: RT @securitydebrief The homegrown face of regime change: Social media’s influence in public diplomacy http://tinyurl.com/lcbao3 1 day ago from TwitterGadget

xlifegames: useful #diplomacy synopsis for this week RT @ivante July 10 Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review http://bit.ly/13m6T9 1 day ago from web

RELATED ITEMS

Colonizing Iraq: The Obama Doctrine?- Michael Schwartz, TomDispatch: Most colonial regimes erect systems in which foreigners involved in occupation duties are served (and disciplined) by an institutional structure separate from the one that governs the indigenous population.

In Iraq, the U.S. has been building such a structure since 2003, and the Obama administration shows every sign of extending it. As in all embassies around the world, U.S. embassy officials are not subject to the laws of the host country. The difference is that, in Iraq, they are not simply stamping visas and the like, but engaged in crucial projects involving them in myriad aspects of daily life and governance, although as an essentially separate caste within Iraqi society. Military personnel are part of this segregated structure: the recently signed SOFA insures that American soldiers will remain virtually untouchable by Iraqi law, even if they kill innocent civilians. Image from

U.S. Drones Have al Qaeda On the Run: Strikes by CIA Drones to al Qaeda Sanctuaries in Pakistan Are Working - David Martin, CBS News: It's not often the enemy tells you something you're doing - strikes by CIA drones against al Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan - is working. But in this document posted on the Web, a top al Qaeda commander writes: "The harm is alarming. The matter is very grave." Both senior government officials and outside experts say it is an extraordinary confession."It exposes for the first time a level of paranoia and a level of self-consciousness and a lack of confidence in al Qaeda's leadership in their propaganda that we just haven't seen up until now," said Nicholas Schmidle, the author of "To Live or to Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan."

Imagine Communication Presenta All’ischia Film Festival Nuove Opportunita’ Per Il Cineturismo – Ischia Film Festival, E-Basel: Imagine Communication ha presentato ieri, 10 luglio, all’Ischia Film Festival nell’ambito del convegno “Dal Product Placement al Cineturismo: i contenuti come driver di un’esperienza”, una proposta operativa di intervento per la promozione delle destinazioni protagoniste di set cinematografici, grazie all’expertise nel settore Entertainment di Propaganda G.E.M. e ad una rete di aziende e professionisti della comunicazione con grande esperienza nel settore turistico, in grado di fornire strategie ed interventi operativi in Italia e sui principali mercati.


L’obiettivo delle attività di Entertainment Marketing è quello di creare una piattaforma di comunicazione allineata sui contenuti del film per sfruttare l’onda mediatica creata dallo stesso ed incrementarla” - ha dichiarato Marina Marzotto, A.D. di Propaganda Italia, sede italiana del network internazionale Propaganda GEM - “Il vantaggio va a tutti i giocatori in campo: istituzioni, enti locali, operatori turistici e aziende ne beneficiano così all’ unisono sfruttando il glamour cinematografico e partecipando ad una campagna integrata con un semplice gettone”. Ischia image from

Propaganda Posters USA vs Russia - RusUSA.com

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Television, advertisements, the way rock stars dress to look cool -- it's all propaganda."

--Shepard Fairey, the artist best known for his "HOPE" portrait of Barack Obama

AMERICANA


--From The Significant Objects project, Boing Boing

July 10

"For me, all art is propaganda; and it is high time that modern art became propaganda for social justice instead of propaganda for the flatulent and decadent ideals of bourgeois Capitalism."

--British artist Eric Gill (1882-1940); on Gill, see

“Propaganda got to be a bad word because of the Germans . . . so what I did was to try and find other words [such as] Public Relations.”

--Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud and American-based pioneer in the field of public relations

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Lawmakers urge integration: Concerns Loom About Strategic Communication, Public Diplomacy - Inside The Pentagon (by subscription only): From summary of article: "As U.S. government strategic communication and public diplomacy programs grow in importance overseas, Senate authorizers are concerned about whether those programs are fully integrated within the Pentagon or the broader U.S. government and if lawmakers can properly oversee the funding for the multitude of efforts." Courtesy LB.

Rising politicos: John O. Brennan - Mike Allen, Politico: "John O. Brennan, who holds the dual titles of White House homeland security adviser (the job created after Sept. 11, 2001, for former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge) and deputy national security adviser for counterterrorism, is a rising star who’s headed for an even bigger job when one comes open — perhaps secretary of homeland security or maybe even national security adviser. … In an interview with National Journal during last year’s presidential campaign, Brennan said that although Obama would make public diplomacy a major part of his foreign policy approach, 'there needs to be the companion discussion about the need to act forcefully to ensure that U.S. lives and property are protected.'” Brennan image from

U.S. International Broadcaster Voice of America Unable to Recover from a Crippling Cyber Attack for More Than Two Days – ted, Blogger News Network: "While other U.S. government computer networks have long been back in operation after the cyber attack launched last weekend, the lead Federal agency in charge of communicating with the world on behalf of the United States suffered a catastrophic failure, which it has been unable to overcome for several days. As of Thursday morning, the Voice of America (VOA), the main U.S. international broadcaster, still could not make its main website, voanews.com, operational, days after a suspected North Korean cyber attack. Those attempting to access VOA multilingual websites were still experiencing major problems Thursday morning. The main VOA English website and foreign language websites were partially restored by early afternoon Thursday." Image from

Xinjiang media update for 9 July 2009 - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "[A]n excellent start would be to merge the RFA [Radio Free Asia] and VOA broadcasting efforts to East Asia in general and to Xinjiang specifically. This is because it is difficult to get reliable news out of Xinjiang and to transmit it back into Xinjiang. Doing so is not facilitated by having two entities competing for scarce resources and duplicating one another's efforts. Furthermore, a merger

would eliminate the need for the budget increase so many … conservatives advocate … . If all the good reporting in English from RFA, and from RFE/RL (which also, officially, does not have an English service), and from VOA could be smooshed together, the resulting English-language news website could be a contender. It probably won't happen, because such a smoosh could realistically be accompanied by a budget cut, and the conservatives would probably object to that."

Iran media update for 9 July 2009 - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: Mention of the Voice of America and BBC.

The Homegrown Face of Regime Change: Social Media’s Influence in Public Diplomacy - Chris Battle, Security Debrief: "Social networking’s influence in the realm of public diplomacy and cross-cultural communications is becoming ever clearer. An article published in IslamOnline ('Iran’s Crisis in the Western Media' ) inadvertently highlights the power of sites such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to give voice to the once-voiceless in the seminal events of contemporary history. … One has come to expect the standard assertions from apologists for Middle Eastern autocrats (both those who are hostile to and those who are friendly with the U.S. government) that American media are controlled by the U.S. government. And certainly CNN and the New York Times take their hits in this article. What is fascinating, however, is how quickly new media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook have achieved the same level of fear and loathing from these apologists in such a short amount of time." Image from

Foreign Ministry reaches out to Latin America
Daniela Feldman, Jerusalem Post: "[L]ast month, the Foreign Ministry and the Knesset hosted a conference for diplomats in Israel and 26 leaders from 13 Latin countries. The conference lasted four days and was aimed at exposing legislators to Israel and regional issues. David [deputy spokesman Andy David] said funds have been budgeted to increase outreach and diplomatic activity in Latin America. This type of public diplomacy is very important to build economic ties with developing markets, he said."

Eritrea: Representatives of Consular Affairs And the PFDJ in the U.S. Reiterate Readiness to Counter Hostilities – allAfrica.com: "In an assessment meeting they held in Washington D.C. from July 3 to 5, representatives of Eritrean Consular Affairs and the PFDJ [People's Front for Democracy and Justice] in various parts of the United States asserted that they would enhance their role in countering hostilities and psychological warfare. Speaking on the occasion, the Eritrean Ambassador to North America, Mr. Girmai Gebremariam, pointed out that the Eritrean government is exerting utmost endeavors to expand equitable social services in all parts of the country and stressed the significance of the meeting in strengthening the contribution and organizational capacity of Eritrean nationals residing abroad. Following the presentation of reports on the activities of communal and consular activities in all cities, the participants conducted extensive discussion on various tasks. They also mapped out action program aimed at undertaking strong community activities in the coming 6 months on the basis of public diplomacy." Miss Eritrea image from

Eisenhower to Guides: "He Warned Us Not to Brag..." - Global Publicks: "This blog will be devoting a great deal of attention in the days ahead to the role of the 75 American guides who were the heart and soul of the American exhibition in Moscow fifty years ago -- and we at the George Washington University are thrilled that so many former guides and exhibit staff will be able to join on at the 'Face-off to Facebook' conference on July 23. … Former guide and retired Berkeley professor Dan Slobin has provided us a witty account of the White House photo-op in his journal of that summer, which is deftly written, wonderfully illustrated with his photos -- in short, thoroughly compelling even half a century after he wrote it. Image from article. See also: John Brown, "Subtlety one of the paradoxes of propaganda: The effective forms don't appear as if they're intentional," San Francisco Chronicle, which talks about the guides. Reference to conference at

Otto Reich Won't Rest Until the Real Coup Plotters Are Found – BoRev.Net: "Another day, another Honduras Op-Ed from some washed up Iran Contra shitbag. Only this one is different. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it seems somehow more...defensive. Nah! Probably just me. (First rule of public relations, mister 'office of public diplomacy,' when you argue your opponents' frame, you lose. Loser.)" On Reich, see.

EDWARD R. MURROW MEMORIAL CONFERENCE: SPEECHES AND PAPERS

A collection of speeches and papers presented at the 100th Anniversary Edward R. Murrow Memorial Conference

in cooperation with the Edward R. Murrow Center for the Study and Advancement of Public Diplomacy, Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, Communications and Media Studies Program, Digital Collections and Archives, and Tufts University on April 14 and 15, 2008. Image of Murrow in his early years from. On Murrow, see.

Alan K. Henrikson
“Credible Public Diplomacy:” Truth and Policy, Persuasion and People

Mark McDowell
Public Diplomacy at the Crossroads: Definitions and Challenges in an “Open Source” Era

Bernard L. Simonin
Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities

Leonard J. Baldyga
The Practice of Public Diplomacy and Its Perpetual Critics

Roberta Graham
Globalization’s Reluctant Shepherd

Lauren Brodsky
Broadcasting Democracy? Matching Foreign Policy Goals and Messages

Mark J. Davidson
Elements of Credible Cultural Diplomacy: “Landmarks of New York” in Tokyo

Harry Radliffe
Ed Murrow’s Legacy and the Real World Broadcast News

Erik Iverson
A Revolution in Informational Affairs: Winning the War of Ideas

Sandy Vogelgesang
Perspectives on Public Diplomacy: Vietnam to Iraq

RECENT PUBLIC DIPLOMACY ITEMS ON TWITTER

dominic_v: Proud and happy to report I got an A in my Public Diplomacy mid term exam! Hourra! Vive la diplomatie ouverte, j'adore ce cours. 40 minutes ago from web

hornokplease: RT @NomiLite My take on the coverage of Iranian elections & public diplomacy: http://bit.ly/eGxuV about 1 hour ago from web

NomiLite: My take on the coverage of Iranian elections & public diplomacy: http://bit.ly/eGxuV about 1 hour ago from web

RobinHarper: Second Life and Metaplace show how virtual worlds can contribute to public diplomacy. http://bit.ly/175BTV about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck

israelconsulate: RT @Israel's Public Diplomacy will concentrate less on Palestinians more on #Iran, Facebook & Twitter http://bit.ly/l1VDj (RT @transracial) about 1 hour ago from HootSuite

DavidSaranga: Israel's Public Diplomacy will concentrate less on Palestinians more on #Iran, Facebook & Twitter http://bit.ly/l1VDj (RT @transracial) about 4 hours ago from TweetDeck
ConsulateIsrael: Israel FM Embraces Social Media in Public

Diplomacy - According to a recent blog post on Transracial, with reports ... http://ow.ly/15HjtJ about 6 hours ago from HootSuite

RELATED ITEMS

Obama Surprises Russia - Vladimir Ryzhkov, Moscow Times: Obama’s visit made a very strong impact on Russia, the results of which will last a very long time. It will be difficult for the ruling elite to deny the fact that the world had changed and that the United States had also changed.

America has become more dynamic, wiser and more attractive, and the old, worn-out anti-U.S. propaganda that the Kremlin has relied on for the last eight years will no longer work. … No U.S. president has ever spent so much time meeting with Russian civil society as Obama did. Courtesy MP. Image from

Plumage -- But at A Price - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post: The perfect distraction from the major issue between the two countries: Vladimir Putin's unapologetic and relentless drive to restore Moscow's hegemony over the sovereign states that used to be Soviet satrapies. That -- not nukes -- is the chief cause of the friction between the United States and Russia.

Trampled by the 'Civilian Surge' - Anna Husarska, Washington Post: The U.S.-led provincial reconstruction teams’ (PRTs’) performance in Afghanistan has been criticized by humanitarian groups on the ground:

One aid worker from a European nongovernmental organization said they behave like "Humvees in a china shop." PRTs are a military tool attempting to perform civilian tasks. Inherently, they undermine the necessary distinction between the development objectives of humanitarian aid workers and the political-military objectives of coalition forces. Image from

The silver lining in Iran - Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy: Ironically, Iran's ideological appeal would have been enhanced had Ahmaninejad & Co. run a fair election and permitted the Iranian people to express their preferences without coercive interference, but they didn't do that. The one remaining tool in Iran's ideological arsenal is anti-Americanism, which still plays well in the region.

Mourn On The 4th of July – John Pilger, New Statesman, posted at Security without State: From his early political days, Obama’s unerring theme has been not “change”, the slogan of his presidential campaign, but America’s right to rule and order the world. Of the United States, he says, “we lead the world in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good . . . We must lead by building a 21st-century military to ensure the security of our people and advance the security of all people.” What is most extraordinary about the United States today is the rejection and defiance, in so many attitudes, of the all-pervasive historical and contemporary propaganda of the “invisible government”. A majority want the government to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Image from

The Big Whorehouse On The Potomac - Paul Craig Roberts, posted at Womblog: The US has no media. But it does have a Ministry of Propaganda. Americans were programmed with days of propaganda that Islamic Iran, a member of the US-designated “axis of evil,” stole the election from the Iranian people. According to the US Ministry of Propaganda, the Iranian people are allied with the US government against the Iranian government.

Global warming: The heat is on the U.S.: A climate-change bill in the Senate is a test of this country's commitment to deal with the problem – Editorial, Los Angeles Times: With his leadership on climate change at the G-8, Obama posited that the United States would no longer ignore a pressing global threat that is largely of its making. If the Senate proves him wrong, it would harm more than our international standing.

Rebranding Africa - Bono, New York Times: "On a visit there [Ghana], I met the minister for tourism and pitched the idea of marketing the country as the 'birthplace of cool.' (Just think, the music of Miles, the conversation of Kofi.) He demurred ... too cool, I guess. … If more African nations (not just Ghana) are going to meet the millennium goals, they are going to need smart partners in business and development. That’s Smart as in sustainable, measurable, accountable, responsive and transparent." Image from

Don’t just watch – Marc Lynch, The National: Today, after Obama’s grand visit to Cairo, the American battle with the Netanyahu government over settlements, and Iran’s electorally-induced implosion, the leaders of “moderate” Arab states seem to be in the driver’s seat. But their comfort will likely be short-lived. The leaders of the Arab world need to decide where they fit within Obama’s regional strategy. Thus far, they have largely continued on autopilot, pursuing Bush-era policies of bashing Iran, marginalising Hizbollah and Hamas, ignoring Iraq, and cynically maintaining domestic autocracy.

Exclusive: Career diplomats protest Obama appointments - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times: According to a list AFSA (American Foreign Service Association) keeps on its Web site and updates every two weeks, there are 175 ambassadorial positions around the world.

As of July 1, about 26 percent of them were occupied by political appointees, but more than 11 percent were vacant. The White House, unaware of historic norms, had been on track to give more than the usual 30 percent of ambassadorial jobs to political appointees until objections from career diplomats forced it to reconsider, administration officials say. Image from

DNC fundraiser tapped as ambassador to Germany - AP: President Obama plans to nominate Philip Murphy, a former finance chairman for the Democratic National Committee, to be ambassador to Germany, the White House announced Thursday. The nomination continues a pattern of naming high-profile fundraisers and contributors to Democratic politics to choice ambassador posts, a long-standing political tradition.

July 9

"Re: The Clash of Frames (none / 0)
What's another word for "public diplomacy"?
by Colman ...
Re: The Clash of Frames (4.00 / 3)
Er - Obama?
by ThatBritGuy ...
Re: The Clash of Frames (4.00 / 4)
Propaganda.
by de Gondi ...
Re: The Clash of Frames (4.00 / 4)
Astroturfing? A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous
by Migeru ..."

--Exchange in European Tribune re the article The Clash of Frames by Colman; red color added by PDPBR compiler; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Moscow's Fantasies: President Obama tries to work with Russia's regime without indulging its dreams of empire – Editorial, Washington Post: "By focusing first on nuclear arms control, the president allowed the Putin-Medvedev regime a forum reminiscent of the dual-superpower era. … While declaring that Russia has a 'rightful place as a great power,' Mr. Obama made an effort to coax Russians away from their leaders' misguided ideology. … The next few months will show whether the mix of warhead talks and public diplomacy yields benefits for more vital U.S. interests; the early indications are not good." Image from

Obama on Israeli attack on Iran: 'Absolutely Not' – Juan Cole, Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion: "I argued on Monday that Vice President Joe Biden did not intend, by his remarks on Sunday, to give Israel a US go-ahead to bomb Iran. ...[Comment by] Walking Wounded: Re Biden and US public diplomacy: Good cop-bad cop. [Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm.] Mullen yesterday said 1-3 years timeline to prevent Iranian weapons, which is radically shorter than a recent public Mossad estimate."

An Unfortunate Vacation - Bilbo's Random Thought Collection --Random observations and comments from the Fairfax County, Virginia, Curmudgeon-at-Large: "Like it or not, the First Lady and the members of the president’s family play an important part in what we sometimes call 'public diplomacy' – putting a human face on an America the rest of the world often sees only through the prism of policies and actions that in the recent past have shown an in-your-face disrespect for the interests, feelings, and opinions of other nations. To the extent that people around the world see Americans as a family on vacation

[reference is to the Obamas’ ‘recent European trip, complete with several photos and descriptions of shopping and sightseeing trips taken by his family in Paris and London after Mr Obama had already returned to Washington’], shopping and eating fish and chips in a London pub, rather than soldiers fighting in other lands, I think it’s a good thing. That said, of course, the President and his family also need to set an example. … [A]t a time when the economy is in the toilet, millions are out of work, and millions more have been ruined by the reckless greed of the financial management industry, this vacation was at the very least ill-timed, and sends a very unfortunate message to the American people." Image from

Special Representative to Muslim Communities Farah Pandith: “It’s not about the American flag being waved everywhere” - Shahed Amanullah, altmuslim: Altmuslin: "Let’s fast forward to today. You had done this work with the State Department with Muslims in Europe and then all of a sudden, there’s an announcement that you’ve been appointed in the Obama administration to continue that work, but at a larger scale. How did that happen? [Pandith reply]: It’s very rare that people who worked in a previous administration get validated and appointed to continue their work in a new administration. It was really funny for me because I had made plans to leave by the beginning of February. I came into government through a funny mechanism, which is for an area expert. … Clearly, she [Secretary of State Hillary Clinton]’s looking at the track record of the last 18 months in Europe and hoping to expand that across the world. Altmuslim: Without getting into specifics, what are the challenges you see in taking something that was designed for Muslim communities in the West and extrapolating that to the larger Muslim world? [Pandith reply:] Right. Well, I think that it’s really important that we understand what her [Clinton's] vision is for this role. This isn’t simply making everybody love us, that’s not what this job is. Altmuslim: There’s some confusion that this is similar to Karen Hughes’ public diplomacy role, which was seen by many as trying to make people calm down but not really do anything substantive in terms of relationship building. [Pandith reply:] If you look at the kind of work I did in Europe, you would know firsthand, from European Muslims as well as others, that it wasn’t about going in and saying 'you must love us.' There are significant and important grievances from all pockets around the world in different communities, and it’s important to have those conversations and hear what they are and not dismiss what is being said. But at the same time, this position has been created to seed new initiatives around the world that will allow us to build connections in ways that we haven’t, to connect like-minded thinkers who are doing cool things, and to build up communities organically." Pandith image from

Farah Pandit's America: Reality or Caricature?


– Akrasia: "It is good that the United States has taken the baby steps to explain itself to the Muslim worlds. However it, at the same time, constitutes an insult to the Muslim imagination to believe that a few words that caricature the United States can assuage the injury meted out to the Muslim collective conscious. ... [T]he best form of public diplomacy as well as real diplomacy on part of the United States may be to withdraw from the Muslim worlds and concentrate on real flaws and problems that define the contemporary United States." Image from

Secret Interim Review of Italian and Columbian MOU's - Cultural Property Observer:A Web Log Championing the Longstanding Interests of Collectors in the Preservation, Study, Display and Enjoyment of Cultural Artifacts against an "Archaeology Over All" Perspective: "Today's Federal Register indicates that CPAC Cultural Property Advisory Committee] will hold a closed session to undertake interim reviews of the Italian and Colombian MOU's. See: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-16058.htm CPAC's review will focus on Article II of each MOU. See: http://culturalheritage.state.gov/it06agr.html and http://culturalheritage.state.gov/co06agr.pdf... . The Obama Administration has promised transparency and open government. Moreover, the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' secrecy in processing import restrictions on cultural artifacts is under Court scrutiny in an ongoing FOIA case brought by numismatic groups. Yet, CPAC is conducting this interim review in complete secrecy. Given this secrecy, it is unclear whether any member of the archaeological community will be invited to the session. It is clear that no opponent of the Italian MOU has received any such invitation.Has the Administration's new Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy, Judith McHale, been briefed about the secret meeting? Is she aware that former CPAC Chair Jay Kislak has criticised State Department secrecy in a declaration filed in the FOIA litigation? See: http://www.accg.us/issues/news/accg-presses-claims-to-hidden-information/ Are the Obama Administration's promises of transparency and open government hollow when it comes to the secretive operations of ECA and CPAC?" Image from

Books on Propaganda – Sheldon Rampton, PR Watch.org, Center for Media and Democracy: "A student contacted us recently who who is writing a paper that 'explores the legal limits of US government propaganda.' He asked if we could recommend any books or essays that "deal with the limits of US legislation concerning PR and propaganda." Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of books written about this particular topic, although there are several that discuss how U.S. government propaganda techniques were developed and practiced, often to the detriment of democracy. … readers might be interested in Matt Armstrong's 'Mountain Runner' weblog. Armstrong is generally friendly to the arguments of some Pentagon strategists. For example, they would like to see revisions to the Smith-Mundt Act, which places limits on domestic dissemination of U.S. government information campaigns that target other countries. (It is the Smith-Mundt Act which states that Voice of America broadcasts cannot be rebroadcast within the United States.)"

Obsolete arguments to keep an obsolete law - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "By all means, let's keep a law designed for another era on the books because, well, it's there. That's the argument many have offered in defense of the restrictive provisions [prohibiting the domestic dissemination of public diplomacy]

added to the Smith-Mundt Act in 1972 and 1985. … It is time to really understand what the purpose of the restriction was and accept that purpose is gone, destroyed by both technology and basic reality of the purpose of public diplomacy, and yes strategic communication, today." Image from

More House and GAO scrutiny for TV Martí (updated) - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

VOA among websites affected by denial-of-service attack - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Most is best: RFA is Broadcaster of the Year - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy. On the USG-supported Radio Free Asia, see.

US jazz influence on Poland, decades ago - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: References to the VOA jazz programs of Willis Conover, with the note that “Actually, Willis did not begin broadcasting for VOA until 1955. He was heard on VOA until his death in 1996.”

Smart public diplomacy & outreach: US Ambassador-designate prepares a new plan - Ashish Kumar Sen, Dateline Washington, The Tribune: "Mr. [Timothy J.] Roemer, who if confirmed will replace former President George W. Bush’s appointee David Mulford, plans to make 'smart public diplomacy and outreach' part of his daily mission at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. 'Our relationship with India is a good news story. And while our relationship has gone through different stages, we are certainly moving ahead on an upward trajectory,' he said, adding, 'This is not a zero-sum game with winners and losers but a positive sum game — with India as a strong, stable global democracy increasing peace and prosperity for all.' Image from

Brussels to host next NATO-Azerbaijan meeting: minister - TREND Information: "On July 15, Brussels will host the NATO-Azerbaijan meeting in a 27+1 format, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told journalists on July 9. … The minister has expressed his satisfaction with the current level of cooperation with NATO, including in the fields, such as mission on stabilization, civil extraordinary planning, science and public diplomacy."

Azerbaijan responsible for Armenian refugees - PanARMENIAN.Net: "Azerbaijan is responsible for Armenian refugees, said Grigory Ayvazyan, leader of the Assembly of Azerbaijani Armenians. … He was critical about the public diplomacy. 'Armenia should be tougher because Azerbaijan is preparing for new aggression against Nagorno Karabakh,' he said." Image from

Facebook in the Kingdom - Emily Tavoulareas, US-Saudi Women's Forum on Social Entrepreneurship: "Minister Abdulaziz Khoja, Saudi Minister of Information, and a former Saudi Ambassador to Turkey, Russia, Morocco and Lebanon... has a facebook page. Yes... a facebook page. I hesitate to dive into all the hype surrounding 'new media' and 'web 2.0' as a revolutionary tool, but this move undeniably sends a significant message: Saudi Arabia, a country which has a track-record of blocking and restricting access to these types of sites in the past, now has an Information Minister who is embracing the networking site and using it to communicate with the public. … What does this mean for youth in Saudi Arabia? What does this mean for the future of communications-transparency-public diplomacy-etc... in Saudi Arabia? I guess we shall see..."
1 saudi

Lieberman shifting focus from Palestinians to Iran - Barak Ravid – Haaretz.com: "Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman convened a clandestine meeting in a Jerusalem hotel about a week ago with several senior officials in his ministry. The purpose of the meeting, which was kept secret from most Foreign Ministry personnel, was to begin an internal reform of the ministry. Lieberman's principal message to the participants was that instead of being preoccupied with the Palestinians, the ministry should wage an international campaign against Iran and engage in public diplomacy that would rehabilitate Israel's international status."

After Honduras coup outburst, Chavez works in wings - Frank Jack Daniel, Reuters: "When the army ousted Honduras' president, his Venezuelan ally Hugo Chavez at first let loose with typical ire by blaming Washington and threatening military action. But then he went uncharacteristically quiet. … It is the second time in a month Chavez has stepped back and let others head the public diplomacy, in a sign he knows his controversial style can obstruct foreign policy goals." Image from

Presidential poll monitored by 54 foreign observers - ANTARA News: "Some 54 foreign observers from 26 countries conducted direct observation in six areas in Indonesia on the country's presidential election, a spokesman said. The 26 foreign observers were invited to observe the presidential election in cooperation with Foreign Affairs Ministry in the implementation of the 'Indonesian Presidential Election Visitor Program', Andri Hadi, Information and Public Diplomacy Director General at foreign affairs ministry said here on Wednesday."

Book Review: Engaging the Muslim World by Juan Cole - zenpundit.com:

"I recently finished reading Engaging the Muslim World by Juan Cole, the influential academic, well known liberal-left blogger of Informed Comment, past president of the Middle East Studies Association and occasional media talking head. Cole has written an intriguing book on contemporary foreign policy that is of special interest to those readers concerned with public diplomacy, the Muslim world, terrorism and the domestic politics of American foreign policy, particularly the war in Iraq." Image from

Relocate to sunny Baghdad - Mark Overmann, Working World: "Word on the planned hiring surge of FSOs at the State Department is continuing to spread. LoHud.com (in New York’s Lower Hudson Valley) reports that potential relocation to Baghdad or Kabul looks a lot more appealing than it used to, because of ‘this economy’: ‘A hiring initiative called Diplomacy 3.0 now calls for the State Department to add 750 generalists and more than 500 specialists this fiscal year and a similar number next fiscal year. Most people apply to work in public diplomacy and politics; the agency is seeking more management, consular and economics officers.’ Also of note from this article is the tidbit that State is not just looking for young applicants, but more experienced ones as well."

TFD PD – Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I was offered a fellowship in Taiwan at the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy to research and write about Taiwan's Public Diplomacy outreach! I would be in Taipei and it would last for four months. I'm working on the details, the fellowship would either be during my second semester next year, or after I graduate." Image from

Joining CNAS - Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy: "I've joined the Center for a New American Security as a non-resident senior fellow. … I'm obviously quite excited about joining the CNAS team. I can't say exactly what I'll be working on over there, but one might imagine that it would involve public diplomacy and strategic communications, the Arab world and Islamist movements, that sort of thing. It should be intellectually exciting."

RELATED ITEMS

Israeli know-how - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen and the other chiefs are known from private conversations to feel that an Israeli strike against Iran, even with precision-guided ordnance, would produce heavy civilian casualties and silence Mr. Obama's voice of a new America in the Muslim world. Oil at $300 would be the least of it.

Consulting Shaykh Google – Joshua S. Fouts, DIP's Dispatches from the Imagination Age: Radical Middle Way has a new video up that is worth viewing. It's a discussion about the influence of the web on young Muslims. The UK panel discussion called "Wired Warriors," describes itself like this: "Welcome to Muslim 2.0 – a wired generation whose members would rather pose their tough questions to Shaykh Google than their local Imam and who feel more connected to the Facebook ummah than the congregation at the local mosque.

Never has Muslim conversation buzzed with so many divergent, combative and off-the-wall perspectives." … The power and potential the Internet provides, combined with the fact that teenagers often go outside their family for information about the world, creates a unique challenge to organizations who are trying to provide accurate information about religion and culture. Image from

Are “Cyber Attacks” Propaganda For Cybersecurity Act of 2009? - jeihesser, Daily Kos: You’ve probably heard or read some of the breathless corporate media reports in the past few days about "cyber attacks" against the U.S. government. Is all this a propaganda blitz to grease the skids for passage of the Cybersecurity Act of 2009? If passed, the Cybersecurity Act of 2009 will allow the U.S. President to shut down the internet and will give the government authority to demand security data from private networks without regard to any regulation, law, rule or policy restricting that access.

The People in Arms: A Practitioner’s Guide to Understanding Insurgency and Dealing with it Effectively - Colonel G. L. Lamborn, Small Wars Journal, posted at Civilian Irregular Information Defense Group: The hypocrisy of the American people and government concerning propaganda is only too obvious.
While condemning “propaganda,” American political parties and pressure groups regularly spend hundreds of millions of dollars shaping the views of the American voter and motivating him or her to support certain candidates and programs and to oppose others. By the same token, American advertising is a multi-billion dollar industry and has as its purpose the persuasion of the American consumer that one brand of toothpaste is far superior to all others and therefore only it is worthy of purchase. If propaganda is central to the way that we form the political and economic opinions of our own citizens – and it is – then it stands to reason that such efforts could be put to productive use abroad. Image from

Hostile propaganda against operations - Sajjad Shaukat, Pakistan Observer: Since the end of April this year when the Malakand military operations were launched, Pakistan’s armed forces have achieved unmatched victory by dismantling the command and control system of the Taliban and forcing them to flee from Swat, Dir and Buner, while these operations are now in progress in Waziristan. Meanwhile, some external and internal elements have intensified their propaganda against the security forces under one or the other pretext. These hostile propagandists include BBC Urdu Service, Indian media, human rights organizations, foreign and Pakistan-based NGOs entailing some of our particular newspapers and TV channels which are serving the interest of their external paymasters.

North Korea Sets Up Propaganda Mobile Web Site – Cellular News: The North Korean council for reconciliation and cooperation with the South has set up a mobile internet site to promote its news agenda and provide a propaganda image service. The move is reported by the Korea Herald as being partly a way of bypassing South Korean censorship on accessing North Korean websites. The censorship doesn't ­apply to mobile internet access.

AMERICANA

What makes the arts 'essential'? Let me draw you a picture: Experiencing art is a crucial to producing young people who can understand the world's complexity. That's something philanthropic leaders should remember - Ben Donenberg, Los Angeles Times:

Last month, the results of the U.S. Department of Education's National Arts Report Card revealed that only 16% of the eighth-graders visited a museum at least once last year. That's down from 22% in 1997. The percentage of adults who visited a museum decreased too, from 26% in 1997 to 23% last year. The performing arts are experiencing steadily declining audiences. And arts education in schools is being cut drastically. Image from

July 8

"What are they going to do -- send me back to Texas? … I'm already in Iraq."

--Army Pfc. Tina M. Priest, who died March 1 2006 of a gunshot wound to the chest in a non-combat situation in Taji; image from citation

“How can anyone fire me? I don’t have a job.”

--A valued PDPBR subscriber, referring to the current economic situation; no link

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Public Diplomacy: Books, Articles, Websites #46 Posted by Matt Armstrong, Mountain Runner Blog: Courtesy of Bruce Gregory, Professor of Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University:

July 7, 2009 Intended for teachers of public diplomacy and related courses, here is an update on resources that may be of general interest. Suggestions for future updates are welcome. Bruce Gregory Adjunct Assistant Professor of Media and Public Affairs George Washington University (202) 994-6350 BGregory@gwu.edu. Gregory image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Bin the soft words. Squeeze Iran sharply Talk about talks with Ahmadinejad is worthless. We need sanctions and firm diplomacy – Rosemary righter, Times, London: "Public diplomacy towards Iran … needs drastic overhaul. A basic Western misunderstanding has been that, 30 years after Khomeini’s revolution, Iranians are still brainwashed by his aggressively messianic message. This misconception underpinned the West’s pathetic eagerness to be seen not to 'intervene' in Iran’s drama, a sacrifice of principle for no reward since the regime blamed satanic meddling anyway. Even at the height of Khomeinist fervour, the massed black-clad rallies were far from the whole story — some five million Iranians have spent time in jail since 1979 — and experience has inoculated most Iranians against permanent Islamic revolution. Their courage has more than earned Iranians the right to be treated as adults. At least a third are plugged into the information revolution by satellite and mobiles. And they are in a mood to listen. They have been told that their nuclear programme is peaceable, and it is as such that it has massive support. Detailed evidence that the regime has lied to them is worth laying out, clearly and repeatedly, together with an explanation of the links between non-compliance and sanctions, and the rewards on offer for Iranian co-operation." See also. Image from

Obama Team Effectively Utilizes Online Social Networking for Public Diplomacy - Tori Horton, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Through the use of new technology, President Obama has made it clear that when he speaks in Ghana this Saturday, July 11, he intends to move from monologue to dialogue as the U.S. State Department opens up venues for greater public participation in the conversation. The U.S. State Department expects an outpouring of people from all over Africa. … [T]he U.S. Government has encouraged members in virtual worlds to pick up the event and host their own conversations. In Second Life, I have been participating with a group that is convening interested citizens for a conversation discussing what it means to be a global citizen and how technology has created a new virtual public sphere to develop a marketplace of ideas. These places offer individual citizens the chance to articulate their views and suggest viable solutions. In short, these initiatives demonstrate the very best potential for new technology to facilitate public diplomacy for dialogue and citizen engagement. … In terms of public diplomacy utilization of new technology, this outreach is one of the most progressive in U.S. history."

Africans invited to text Obama before Ghana speech - Michael Wilkerson, Foreign Policy: "Obama will respond to questions submitted this week by text message (SMS) in a recording made sometime before his speech at the Ghanaian parliament. The tape will be released to African radio stations and other media after his speech, and the speech will also be broadcast simultaneously on African radio stations and on the internet. … Erik Hersman, a new media guru who blogs at White African, worked with the White House on the platform and has a great post on log[is]tics and some of the reasoning behind the various outreach platforms. Hersman says that U.S. citizens cannot participate in the SMS platform because of cold-war era legislation on public diplomacy, but other efforts including a live chat on Facebook and a dedicated Twitter tag (#obamaghana) will try and encourage global discussion. News site allAfrica is also collecting questions for Obama." Image from

New Defense Department Plan on Strategic Communication and Science and Technology – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "The plan describes current efforts within the Department of Defense, the military services, the combatant commands and other agencies on SC. In total, these efforts could be linked together to form the foundation of an S&T thrust area for strategic communication. The report also includes a macro-analysis of capability gaps not being addressed by ongoing initiatives and lays out potential areas for future S&T investment."

If I have this right, new Defense Department report says strategic communication can be transmitted from geostationary satellites to, say, Oklahoma - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "Brilliant. This report [see above] has found a way to work around the Smith-Mundt clause prohibiting the domestic dissemination of public diplomacy. Just call it 'strategic communication.'"

Radio Russia: In the Soviet Union, politics and radio were inseparable. Some things never change - Mark Krotov, Paste Magazine: "Since the emergence of radio in the 1910s, Russians haven’t just listened—they’ve listened passionately, forcefully, illegally. … Some of them even risked their livelihoods to tell journalists from VOA—and Radio Liberty, another American-government-run station—the truth about government oppression. …

Voice of America emerged during the war [WWII] as the United States government’s official radio service, airing its first Russian broadcast on Feb. 17, 1947. The need to speak directly with Soviet citizens (perhaps undermining some of the U.S.S.R.’s authority along the way) was urgent, but American policymakers were reluctant to endorse and fund a program that by its very nature would be propagandistic—after all, VOA’s mission was to spread the word about America. ... VOA was much more than just Soviet-bashing; in its early days, it was schizophrenic, mixing righteous pro-American commentary with entertainment shows like Willis Conover’s Jazz Hour, which ran for almost 40 years and introduced an entire nation to jazz—and to Conover, who became a star in his own right. ... Just as Lenin had used Soviet radio to indoctrinate the Russian people, the West had accessed the same hearts and minds through the same medium. … In 1971, it was revealed that the CIA had channeled undercover funds to VOA and RL." Courtesy MC. See also. Image from article.

Soft Power and Soft Vowels – John Brown, Notes and Essays: "And now the good news. In his speech at the New Economic School (July 7, his last day in Russia) Barack Hussein Obama pronounced the last name of Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev [ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪˈdvʲedʲɪf] correctly."

Out of a job? State Dept. is looking for new diplomats - Noreen O'Donnell, Lower Hudson Journal News: "A hiring initiative called Diplomacy 3.0 now calls for the State Department to add 750 generalists and more than 500 specialists this fiscal year and a similar number next fiscal year. Most people apply to work in public diplomacy and politics; the agency is seeking more management, consular and economics officers."

U.S. diplomats use military role-playing to prepare for Iraq assignments: In a weeklong stint at Fort Irwin's National Training Center, they sleep on cots and work out of a tent near faux villages plagued by insurgent attacks, corrupt officials and sectarian rivalries - - Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times: "'You can forget at times that you are in California,' said Wesley Robertson, a public diplomacy officer who is trading a post in Chennai, India, for Iraq's violent Diyala province ... [and] joining Provincial Reconstruction Teams, or PRTs. These civilian-led teams, which include some military officers and representatives of other government agencies, were conceived in 2005 to help Iraq's local and provincial governments provide services, promote stability and stimulate development." Image from article: State Department diplomat George Tietjen, a former Marine, rides in the back of an armored Stryker in May during a week of intense training at the National Training Center at Fort Irwin in the Mojave Desert.

Chinese Public Diplomacy: Learning From Past Mistakes – The Negotiator: "In response to the ongoing riots in Urumchi, China took the now obvious strategies of blocking cellphones, Twitter, social networking sites, slowing access to the Internet, and the like. In a sign that China’s public diplomacy is clearly evolving – think the evolution from SARS to the 2008 earthquake to the Tibet uprising – to take advantage of foreign based reporters and the web, China has deployed some new tactics. In the NY Times: [']On the surface, at least, the government’s approach to the outside world has been markedly different. By Monday morning, the State Council Information Office, the top-level government public-relations agency, had invited foreign journalists to Urumqi to report firsthand on the riots. … [T]he Chinese appear to have decided that it is better to give the world a supervised peek at the nation’s problems — Uighur gate-crashing included — than to remain silent and let Beijing’s critics set the news agenda.['] So, for the Chinese the question is centered on who can, and how to, control the message and the messengers. Reporters have a corresponding, and somewhat age-old, dilemma to confront: Do I want access or do I want credibility? In most cases, both cannot be ensured."

Israel pushes for major upgrade in relations with NATO - David Harris, Xinhua "It is difficult to ascertain just how integral a part of NATO Israel would like to be. Becoming a full member demands active participation in military operations -- something Israel is unlikely to want to do. It has to deal with enough battles on its own front door without having to send its troops half way around the world. Despite that, Israel was the first country to sign an Individual Cooperation Program agreement with NATO and since then has contributed to NATO particularly in 'science, public diplomacy and armaments cooperation,' as the previous NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer put it during a visit to Israel in January. " Image from

The Fifth Annual Annenberg-Oxford Summer Institute on Global Media Policy: Technology and New Themes in Media Regulation - The Media Law Assistance Website: "Some background information courtesy of the Center for Global Communication Studies at the Annenberg School, University of Pennsylvania: … . In the past there have been sessions on freedom of information statutes, public diplomacy, media and economic and social development and the history of information transitions in the former Soviet Union."

John Mccain,From: Kyle Drennen Kate Klonick Kellydaniel CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney Tulip Lynn Sweet La Shawn John K. Wilson Brian Maloney(Brian Maloney) White Rabbit Tara Stiles /23578542 – Webmaster, john mccain: "McCain named Otto Reich as his adviser on Latin American issues, even though Reich was involved in the Iran-Contra scandal. In the mid-1980s, Reich ran the U.S. Office of Public Diplomacy and illegally coordinated with the CIA to run a 'White Propaganda' campaign planting bogus op-eds written by his speechwriters in newspapers. In 1987, the Republican Comptroller-General formally found that Reich had broken the law." On Reich, see. Image from: Public Diplomacy and Covert Propaganda; The Declassified record of Ambassador Otto Juan Reich; A National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book Edited by Thomas Blanton March 2, 2001

Yes, I am Alive - Copeland_Norcross, Summer in D.C.: "A few weeks ago I got to help prepare for our company's board meeting. It was quite an experience. So much preparation goes into an event that lasts about two hours. Nonetheless, it was an incredible experience. There's been a lot going on. We got a new chairman, who seems to be taking the organization in a very new and exciting direction.

As a premiere [sic] public diplomacy group, we're hoping to bolster our image and strengthen the creds." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

In Russia, Obama’s Star Power Does Not Translate - Clifford J. Levy and Ellen Barry, New York Times: Let other capitals go all weak-kneed when President Obama visits. Moscow has greeted Mr. Obama, who on Tuesday night concluded a two-day Russian-American summit meeting, as if he were just another dignitary passing through.

Michael Jackson memorial as international broadcasting event - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Youtube is preferred distribution site for jihadi propaganda - creeping sharia.com

'Mao' by Andy Warhol (1973) in high resolution - Andy Warhol Posters and Andy Warhol Prints:

Mao is one of a series of silkscreened portraits of the Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong (1893-1976) that Warhol produced in 1973. Nearly 15 feet tall, this towering image mirrors representations that were displayed throughout China during and after the Cultural Revolution (1966-76). Warhol was undoubtedly drawn to this subject because of the media’s attention to the opening of diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China in the early 1970s. His irreverent attitude toward China’s totalitarian propaganda is apparent on the surface of the painting. Image from article.

AMERICANA

Lights, Camera, Lots of Action. Forget the Script - Matt Richtel, New York Times: The pornographic movie industry has long had only a casual interest in plot and dialogue. But moviemakers are focusing even less on narrative arcs these days.

Instead, they are filming more short scenes that can be easily uploaded to Web sites and sold in several-minute chunks. “On the Internet, the average attention span is three to five minutes,” said Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment. “We have to cater to that.” Image from

July 7

"I guess the real reason that my wife and I had children is the same reason that Napoleon had for invading Russia: it seemed like a good idea at the time."

--Bill Cosby; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

FACT SHEET:U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission – Office of the Press Secretary, The White House: "The two Presidents agreed to create a Bilateral Presidential Commission, which they will chair and Secretary of State Clinton and Foreign Minister Lavrov will coordinate. The Commission will include the following working groups. … - Educational and Cultural Exchanges: Mikhail E. Shvydkoy, Special Presidential Representative for International Culture Cooperation, and Judith McHale, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs." Image from

US first lady tours Russian school for orphans - Natalya Vasilyeva, AP: "Michelle Obama took time away from her husband's public diplomacy, summit speeches and protocol meetings Tuesday to visit a Russian school for orphans and a nurse training college in Moscow."

Finding an Anti-Sweatshop Strategy That Works – TeamSweat: "Workers' Rights should be a fundamental principle undergirding both 'democracy promotion' and our public diplomacy endeavors. The approach should be informed by the same caution that a community organizer uses to size up a neighborhood in distress, buffeted by multiple external and internal forces. It is surprising how little we know about how industrial relations play out in the world’s export-processing zones—even after twenty years of press reports and activists’ campaigns." Image from

U.S. Government Activities to Promote Democracy – The CIA Memory Hole: "Specific executive branch bilateral government activities that support democracy reform include providing aid to support election procedures and good governance practices, assisting in building the legal system, assisting in military and police training, and teaching the importance of a free press. Public diplomacy programs such as U.S. international broadcasting, exchanges, and international information programs promote democracies overseas by showcasing American democracy and culture. Some exchanges provide foreign participants with training and experience in broadcast or print media techniques."

Questions for Judge Sotomayor on the Use of Foreign and International Law - Steven Groves, WebMemo #2525, Heritage Foundation: "[I]nfluencing foreign courts and creating a "good impression" is neither the duty nor obligation of a Supreme Court justice.
International politics and public diplomacy are by their nature functions of the political branches of the U.S. government, particularly the executive branch. Nowhere in the Constitution does it state that the Supreme Court should function in such a manner so that its jurisprudence influences foreign tribunals." Image from

Difficulties of the public diplomacy-cone - Mark Overmann, Working World: "Former State Department official Joe Johnston reminds us that there used to be a government agency that focused solely on public diplomacy. It’s been ten years since USIA was abolished and, as Johnston describes it, 'public diplomacy-coned' FSOs face real challenges in their career development. He also thinks, though, that sending a chunk of new FSO hires to the public diplomacy track could help with the problem."

Transcript: Roundtable Series on Public Diplomacy: Moscow, Washington, And The Future Of The Political Opposition In Russia - Council on Foreign Relations: "Speaker: Boris Nemtsov, Co-Founder, Solidarnost (Solidarity), Russia Presider: Daniel Senor, Adjunct Senior Fellow For Middle Eastern Studies, Council On Foreign Relations."

View the Democracy Video Challenge winners – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "Last year the State Department embarked on an ambitious mission of encouraging others to describe what democracy meant to them.

This was a smart and creative use of social media to amplify and empower trusted and authentic voices to speak about subjects that matter to them. Let’s hope State continues the concept… . Six winners were selected from the 900 people from nearly 100 countries submitted videos in the Democracy Video Challenge." Image from

Q-and-A with Philip Seib: "I want to advance public diplomacy to be a more prominent part of foreign policy for the U.S." – USC Annenberg News: "Journalism and public diplomacy professor Philip Seib ... was recently appointed the new director of USC's Center on Public Diplomacy. On his first day as director, Seib shared his plans for the Center, what sparked his interest in the field, and his former dream career. This interview is the first of a series of Q-and-A's with USC Annenberg faculty."

Former Guide -- and Current U.S. Ambassador -- John Beyrle on Exhibits – Global Publicks: "My colleagues at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow and in the State Department's Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs have put together a fascinating collection of interviews of former U.S. exhibit guides from the seventies and eighties, along with still photos of past exhibits which give a good idea of what 'typical' U.S. exhibits of that era looked like. Among the former guides who are interviewed is the current U.S. Ambassador to Russia, John Beyrle." Beyrle image from

NATO Public Diplomacy: Six Colors / Six Couleurs - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "NATO Public Diplomacy is a bit different than US public diplomacy. Unlike US public diplomacy which is (quaintly) aimed exclusively foreign publics, NATO public diplomacy is aimed chiefly at member countries and secondarily at partner countries. From the American perspective of audience-based tactics, this seems to be more like public affairs but the methodology is certainly more like public diplomacy."

Spain - Constitution of the Governing Body of the Casa del Mediterráneo – ISRIA: "The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Miguel Ángel Moratinos, is participating in Alicante in the ceremony for the constitution of the Governing Body of the Casa del Mediterráneo, whose Articles of Agreement was signed on April 30. The focus of this new organization is to become an efficient and necessary means for promoting the coming together of the different societies, cultures and people from both sides of the Mediterranean. The Casa del Mediterráneo was created in the image of similar institutions promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation such as Casa de América, Casa Asia, Casa Árabe, Casa África, and Casa Sefarad-Israel. These are specialized public entities aimed at promoting Spain’s relations with regions of interest for foreign policy by means of public diplomacy." Image from

Notes from the Armenian Blogosphere – The Armenian Observer Blog: "A group of Armenian and Azerbaijani parliamentarians and intellectuals initiated a one-day 'public diplomacy' trip visiting the Presidents and key officials in the disputed Karabakh region, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The action was designed to appeal to the publics in the conflict stricken region. Meanwhile, the Armenian bloggers were not impressed."

Tributes for retiring AusAID boss - Markus Mannheim, Canberra Times: "The long-serving head of the Australian Government's overseas aid agency has retired after 10 years in the job. AusAID's director-general, Bruce Davis, will leave his job tomorrow and take up a diplomatic post later this year. … Senior diplomat Peter Baxter, the head of the Foreign Affairs Department's consular, public diplomacy and parliamentary affairs division, will act in Mr Davis's position until a permanent replacement is found."

RELATED ITEMS

Though Obama Viewed Positively, Still Much Criticism of US Foreign Policy: Global Poll – WorldPublicOpinion.org

Russia and the Perils of Personal Diplomacy- The Editors, New York Times

Mr. Obama goes to Moscow - Ariel Cohen, Washington Times: To date, Russia has continued its policy of rapprochement with China, Iran and Venezuela - and consistent challenges to the central United States role in world affairs.

The global economic crisis has done little to change this behavior. Moscow has responded with minimal rhetorical nods, continuing its policy of push-backs and propaganda. If Russia reconsiders its anti-American stance and is serious about a new chapter in U.S.-Russian relations, the Obama administration should be prepared to offer real incentives. Image from

Don't Abandon Russia's Democrats – Boris Nemtsov, Wall Street Journal: In recent remarks, the U.S. president referred to democracy and free speech as "universal values." This gives us a hint of how he would like to remake America's relationship with Russia. Mr. Putin, however, sees these values as a dangerous threat to his rule -- his values are power and money. As long as American and Russian leaders continue to be separated by such an enormous values gap, it is terribly naïve to expect a serious "reset" in our bilateral relationship.

Israel’s blatant threat to Iran – Pakistan Observer:

There are clear indications that the United States is encouraging Israel to go for military aggression against Iran. In a latest development, US Vice President Joe Biden has claimed that the Jewish State has the sovereign right to attack Iran in a bid to eliminate Tehran’s nuclear assets. The statement of the US Vice President is accompanied by propaganda campaign by some sections of the Western press that the Gulf States especially Saudi Arabia would give tacit approval to such a misadventure. Image from

Several programmes in AIR, DD to counter anti-India propaganda – Business Standard: With a view to counter anti-India propaganda

from across the border, several programmes have been introduced both in All India Radio and Doordarshan, government today said. In reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting C M Jatua said proposals for setting up of new high power/low power AIR and DD transmitters, FM transmitters, even at high altitudes in Jammu and Kashmir are considered and approved by the government as per the requirement. Image from

July 6

"Are there not other alternatives than sending our armies to chew barbed wire in Flanders?"

--Question posed, during the bitter winter of 1914-15, by the first lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, to Britain's prime minister; Flanders map from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Say it ain't so, Joe – Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy: “It's hard to tell exactly what Joe Biden was trying to say this morning on ‘This Week’ with George Stephanopolous. But his remarks are being widely interpreted as a green light for an Israeli strike on Iran. If that isn't the case, Biden needs to issue a strong clarification immediately. If it is, then he has just committed the worst for[ei]gn policy blunder of the Obama administration. … [T]he regional media is overwhelmingly reporting the 'green light' headline interpretation of Biden's remark. Time to flex those public diplomacy and strategic communications muscles, folks...” Image from

Because the *real* audience is on Capitol Hill - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "It is perhaps not surprising that a commentator [John Hughes, writing in Christian Science Monitor, 2 July 2009] who was both an associate director of USIA and a director of VOA (he lists the two jobs in that order) tries, every few months, to re-muddle the distinction between public diplomacy and international broadcasting. The International Broadcasting Act of 1994 and VOA's separation from USIA happened because of an obvious conflict: the entity whose job is to report the news was located under the entity whose job was to advocate US foreign policy. US international broadcasting according to the Brownback plan ('the National Center for Strategic Communications ... would manage U.S. international broadcasts directly') would transmit content pleasing to Washington decision makers rather than serving the informational needs of any (former) overseas audiences."

Public diplomacy careers in flux - jjohnson47 Weblog: "The State Department began its stewardship of public diplomacy with a human resources deficit after USIA had lost a third of its budget during the 1990s, forcing years of downsizing and hiring freezes. State may hire as many as 1,000 new Foreign Service officers in Fiscal Year 2010 if Congress approves the Department’s budget request. Considering that there are no more than a thousand FSOs in the public diplomacy career track at this time, a healthy share of the thousand new officers could make a critical contribution to public diplomacy’s effectiveness by lowering vacancies and enabling adequate time for training between assignments. The new officers rightly call for more rigorous professional standards and training. That too will be necessary to improve the government’s public diplomacy programs overseas." Image from

Terrorist Watch: 23 Plots Foiled Since 9/11 - Jena Baker McNeill and James Jay Carafano, posted by John Frisby at Lux Libertas: "Continued expansion of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) would be an excellent way to improve global security without compromising global supply chains. VWP allows pre-approved travelers to visit the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. The program has undergone substantial security upgrades and has become a valuable security device and a useful tool of public diplomacy and trade. By adding new VWP member countries, the U.S. would develop valuable information-sharing frameworks with countries around the globe."

US Vietnam war architect Robert McNamara dies - Agence France-Presse: ABS-CBN News: "President Lyndon B. Johnson -- who took over when Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 -- ordered retaliatory air strikes on North Vietnam, and by mid-1968 the number of US soldiers sent to fight in Vietnam had risen to 535,000. 'If it was anyone's war in those early periods, it wasn't LBJ's war, it wasn't (top US general) Maxwell Taylor's war. It was McNamara's war,' Barry Zorthian,


who headed Vietnam operations for the US Information Service, the government's public diplomacy arm, told AFP Monday. 'He was very controversial,' added Zorthian, who said he traveled in 1964 with McNamara from Saigon to Hue and witnessed the defense secretary's 'can-do attitude' toward the war. 'His mood was upbeat. 'What do you need?' ' Zorthian recalled McNamara saying. 'Whatever you need you'll get it.'" Image: Barry Zorthian (R) with Gen. Westmoreland.

Neaman Document presented to Deputy FM Ayalon - Press Release, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "The Neaman Document, a study on Israeli public diplomacy, was presented on Sunday, 5 July, to Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon. The study was a joint project of the Neaman Institute, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The basic premise of the study was that Israel's battle over its image in the world will force it in coming years to face increasingly difficult problems. The project's objective was to devise a comprehensive policy to shape Israel's public diplomacy."

New Zealand Education - Perspectives in Public Diplomacy - Madhurjya Kotoky, The Public Diplomacy Blog: "India is a lucrative market for the international education industry. For institutions of higher education from Australia and New Zealand, growth depends on the influx of students from India and China. All these countries (primarily English speaking nations) have set up representative offices across Indian cities to aggressively promote their education among Indian students. US remains the first choice, now New Zealand too has joined the bandwagon." Image from

July 4: David Twomey – FeedRobot, A/H1N1 Swine Flu (Influenza) Timeline: "Mr. Twomey ... died Tuesday at age 27 from complications from H1N1, or swine flu virus . ... His professor and mentor wrote, “ ... [David] was and is an inspiration to all of us who have a passion for politics, and who believe in the promise of public diplomacy ..." . A 2001 graduate of Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine, Mr. Twomey pursued his love of new media and politics at Gannon University in Erie, Pa., graduating in 2005. He received his master’s degree in organizational and political communications in 2006 from Emerson College in Boston."

RELATED ITEMS

Obama's strategic blind spot: How many troops here; what anti-terror tactics to employ there -- those questions miss the point - Andrew J. Bacevich, Los Angeles Times:

The eighth anniversary of 9/11, now fast approaching, invites attention to the question: Are there not other alternatives than sending our armies to choke on the dust of Iraq and Afghanistan? Image from

The President's Mission to Moscow: Obama doesn't need to engage Russia's leaders. He needs to deter them - David Satte, Wall Street Journal: A population that lacks democratic rights and is subject to constant anti-Western propaganda can easily be mobilized against the U.S. By any measure, the state of human rights in Russia is unacceptable. Instead of resetting relations, we may just have to content ourselves with resisting Russian pretensions until such time as the mentality that gives rise to them can be changed.

Obama and Putin's Russia: Retro agenda: Arms control and arm-chair Kremlinology - Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal: This summit rests on a fiction: That Russia is an equal power to the U.S. that can offer something concrete in return for American indulgence. Some Russians see through the pretense. "Let's be frank: There's not a single serious global issue where the United States is dependent on Russia today," the pro-Kremlin political analyst, Gleb Pavlovsky, wrote in Nezavisimaya Gazeta last week. An American President in Moscow needs to keep his eyes on the bigger prize in Russia and the region. And that prize is an expansion of freedom, not a new START treaty.

Coverage of US Propaganda Against Iran – sakerfa, Dprogram.net

Countering Pal [estinian] Propaganda - Yisrael Medad Shiloh, My Right Word

Un-American Independence Day: What are Fourth of July celebrations like abroad? - Meredith Simons, Slate: All over the world, American diplomatic posts hold Independence Day events that are designed to mimic traditional celebrations.


Revelers eat backyard barbeque staples, listen to patriotic music, and, at the better-financed parties, watch fireworks. The fact that international July Fourth celebrations require the planning and participation of American diplomats means that for many embassy employees, the events are less an excuse to party than an opportunity to schmooze in a different setting. Courtesy MP. Image from

July 5

“Russia for me is like a wife. I can scold her as much as I find necessary, but if somebody else does it, I will smash his face.”

-- Yelizaveta Likhacheva, a museum curator in Moscow, describing her countrymen's views toward outsiders, by citing an old Russian saying; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

“Nuanced Approach” for US-Muslim Ties - amanavoice: "Outlining an ambitious program of reconciliation with Muslims, the new US envoy to the Muslim world has vowed new 'innovative' ways to bridge the gap with global Muslims. 'A strong part of thinking about engagement is to understand the nuances that are taking place in different regions,' Farah Pandith said in her first press briefing. … The Bush administration conducted public diplomacy to boost the US image among Muslims but it was criticized as ineffective because it failed to change policies hated by Arabs and Muslims. In a landmark speech to the Muslim world from Cairo last month, President Barack Obama vowed a new beginning with the Muslim world to overcome a decade of mistrust and discord. Pandith said being an American Muslim she would be in a better position to understand how to achieve US-Muslim engagement. … 'I think the might of the United States Government is not only one-way. It’s two-way, it’s how do you approach, how do you bring ideas together, how do you find initiatives that make sense?'” Image from

Public Diplomacy: Keeping our country safe - Michelle Kaffenberger, Heritage Foundation: "Public diplomacy, at its foundation, is an issue of national security. … But the State Department and USAID, the primary engines for public diplomacy, are short on public diplomacy leadership, personnel and strategy, leaving many gaps in the public diplomacy effort. The military is forced to fill in the gaps that the lack in civilian resources leaves, a role that the military was never meant to play and which diminishes its ability to defend the nation with hard power. … The Heritage Foundation, late last year, published an in-depth study of the nation’s public diplomacy which offers recommendations that could bring about vast improvement. The first recommendation is the establishment of a US Agency for Strategic Communications. Public diplomacy needs an umbrella agency to integrate and coordinate the various activities. Right now, efforts are so scattered that the right hand often may not know what the left hand is doing."

John Bolton Gets Another Op-Ed to Promote Bombing Iran - Meteor Blades: "This time, the bomb, bomb, bomb barker is John Bolton. One of the founding crew at the Project for a New American Century, he's been at his noxious efforts in various government posts since the Reagan administration. … Specifically, he wrote: … [']Those who oppose Iran acquiring nuclear weapons are left in the near term with only the option of targeted military force against its weapons facilities. Significantly, the uprising in Iran also makes it more likely that an effective public diplomacy campaign could be waged in the country to explain to Iranians that such an attack is directed against the regime, not against the Iranian people.[']" See also. Image from

The far side of the digital divide is not necessarily Camelot - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "I think Persian speakers wanted to go online, and in fact many already were, before President Obama's video [an online video, known as the 'Noruz message,' of Obama speaking directly to Persian speakers]. But here's the thing about the digital divide: A scant three decades ago, people in many countries had radios with shortwave bands (shortwave was used for their domestic broadcasting). They could hear their moribund state-controlled domestic broadcasting service, or they could tune to BBC and VOA. That was it. Now, when these people cross the 'digital divide,' they will have access to tens of thousands of sources of news, entertainment, gossip, and disinformation. BBC, VOA, America.gov, and State Department Facebook and Twitter accounts will have to compete with all that."

Comparing Iran 2009 to Hungary 1956 (updated) - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: Mention of RFE/RL.

Iran media update for 4 July 2009 - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: Mention of possible expansion of Voice of America Persian News Network and RFE/RL Radio Farda; mention of BBC.

The Australia Post – Starbuck, Wings Over Iraq: "The town of Cairns

has shown incredible hospitality to the visiting ships, even hosting a 4th of July celebration, complete with concerts and a fireworks display which rivaled any of those found in the US. The service men of the ships, likewise, have spent the week touring the city, diving the reef, and, of course engaging in 'public diplomacy' in the streets of Cairns. That actually roughly translates into walking up and down the streets, downing beer and interacting with young ladies of virtue untrue, but hey, no harm, no foul." Image from

Iraqi tourism workers - Hotel Jobs, Hotel Careers,Hospitality Jobs Online: "More than 100 Iraqi tourism workers will go back to work when U.S. forces leave their base in the city of Hillah later this year. The workers, formerly employed by the Babylon Tourism Hotel in Hillah, will return when U.S. forces move from the hotel to a patrol base on the edge of the city. … The 66-room hotel has been a U.S. center since 2003. These days it’s known as the Regional U.S. Embassy Office in Al-Hillah and serves as headquarters for the Babil PRT and the 172nd Infantry Brigade’s Task Force 2nd Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment. Jeff Daigle, a public diplomacy officer with the Babil PRT, said four other PRTs moved from the hotel to other facilities a year ago. The Babil team will move to Patrol Base Hillah, outside of the city."

Is Freedom for Free? Join the Debate! - Editorial Team, atlantic-community.org: "In a recent statement, Stefanie Babst, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Strategy, criticized the tendency of public diplomacy in general to be more about 'the talk and less about the walk.' In order to be a credible international actor, NATO should ensure complete continuity between policy and public diplomacy. This means that the Alliance must work more to ensure that the wider public is better informed." Babst image from

Borat indeed; Israeli Public Diplomacy in the age of Yvette - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "[A]ctually having a fascist night club bouncer for a foreign minister in Avigdor Lieberman makes Israel a diplomatic joke. Lieberman is a public diplomacy albatross. That this man sits in the seat once held by Abba Eban is a sad state of affairs for Israeli diplomacy. … Bibi [Netanyahu] has far too smart an understanding of public diplomacy to not know that Lieberman is a PD nightmare for Israel. Bibi's brief sojourn as Foreign Minister was a reminder of how good he can be in the art of public diplomacy, he has to know that Lieberman is a pub d liability. If you are serious about peace and Israeli PD, fire Lieberman and bring Kadima on board. Tzipi ('Believni') as FM and an Israel engaged in the public diplomacy and peace processes does far more to benefit Israel's security and Israel's standing in the world than an obstinate Lieberman and an isolated Israel."

Israeli Citizens Action Network ICAN For volunteer Public Diplomacy – Wouter, Israel & Palestijnen Nieuws Blog: "Dear ICAN members who are members of the medical profession[,] Anti-Israel activity and campaigns in the medical press are unfortunately nothing new; however they have reached a new 'low' in the last few months. The most recent manifestation of the anti-Israel phenomenon infecting the medical world is a letter spearheaded by Dr. Derek Summerfield and signed by 725 physicians, 'publicly protesting and appealing against the recent appointment of Dr. Yoram Blachar, longstanding President of the Israeli Medical Association, as President of the World Medical Association.'" Image from

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

On International Relations and the Determination to Make a Real Change: Interview with Former US Congresswoman Patricia Schroeder – Cultural Diplomacy News: "[I]n 1988 as a member of the US Congress’ Armed Services Committee she [Schroeder] visited Berlin, Germany to discuss some of the pressing issues of the cold war. Her visit brought her to the Amerika Haus, an institution affiliated with the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy, where she gave a speech and was honored by women’s organizations. …

Schroeder: I find it very exciting that lots of the younger people I talk to from Europe don’t think of themselves as German or French or Greek or something, they think of themselves as Europeans. Now, that’s a really wonderful, larger thing. And I think they’re getting close to thinking of themselves as world citizens too. And I think a lot of young Americans have travelled so much more, done exchange programs and met all sorts of people. I find it very, very exciting. Through this, young people are not just seeing the world as a place where they can just make money, they’re seeing the world as a place where they can give back and do very important things." Schroeder image from

Italy unveils 14 artifacts returned by Cleveland Museum - CBC.ca: "Italy has unveiled 14 artifacts, including a bronze statue of an archer and a pair of Etruscan silver bracelets, returned by the Cleveland Museum of Art after it was discovered they had once been looted. …

Culture Minister Sandro Bondi said Thursday the artifacts would be returned to their 'places of origin' under an Italian plan to display antiquities near the sites where they were found. 'This is a new success for cultural diplomacy and for the work of the magistrates and police,' he said of the deal with the Cleveland Museum." Image from article: A krater, a vase that was used to mix water and wine at banquets, is one of the 14 artifacts returned by the Cleveland Museum of Art. (Andrew Medichini/Associated Press)

Marketlink Direct Regrets The Loss of Michael Jackson - live-PR.com: "MLX Entertainment a division of Marketlink Direct Inc specializing in entertainment and event marketing, mourns the passing of Michael Jackson, a musical icon whose contributions to pop culture are immeasurable. … 'Jackson’s artistry was a form of cultural diplomacy that broke down barriers and made him beloved by millions of fans throughout the world,' remarked MLX Entertainment Chairman Ezell Brown."

Benetton Wants to Bring Avant-Garde Architecture to...Tehran?! - Cliff Kuang, Fast Company: "Benetton's decades-old tradition of pinching cultural mores at the tenderest spots is still healthy: Last week, they announced the winning design in a competition to design two Benetton buildings in Tehran. This sounds innocuous, but Benetton, which is popular in Iran, has sparked local condemnation over its Westernizing influence. The 'Designing in Teheran' competition appears to be a very savvy bit of cultural diplomacy. ...


For 'Project A,' [above] Grzegorz Witold Woronowicz covered the building in traditional Persian motifs, while the shape was based on ancient ziggurats, found throughout Iran and the Middle East, which are some of the most ancient buildings known to man.'

Obituary - Philip F. Gould. "[Gould] spent several years as a newswriter for Radio Free Europe in Munich, Germany during the early years of the Cold War, 1954-1959. ... In 1960, Gould joined the U.S. government as an information officer working for 31 years in Calcutta, Tel Aviv, Moscow, the Hague, Rabat, and Washington D.C. He has published two books, the novel Kitty Collins (1986) and a collection of three novellas The Eighth Continent: Tales of the Foreign Service (1991), as well as numerous articles and short stories." Courtesy LB.

RELATED ITEMS

New York Times: Decoding Russia: A Six-Step Plan - Clifford J. Levy, Americans, from intrepid travelers in the 1800s to recent missionaries, have often come to Russia and reached a singular conclusion: Russians want to be just like us. In fact, most Russians don’t. They envy the material comforts of the United States, and the level of anti-Americanism here is actually lower than in Western Europe. But they do not see the United States as a model. Image from

What the Russians Say About Us - New York Times: What do Americans not understand about Russia? On the eve of President Obama’s arrival in Moscow, The New York Times asked readers of its Russian-language blog at community.livejournal.com/nytimesinmoscow.

Six Reasons Why Iran Cannot Be Explained in a Twitter Feed - Eye on Arab Media; via

N. Korea stability rests on abuses and propaganda, say critics - Jon Herskovitz, Reuters: "The people of North Korea live their lives subject to messages from the government of pride, paranoia and fear," said Kay Seok, a Seoul-based researcher for the international group Human Rights Watch. "What is remarkable about North Korea is that they have successfully brainwashed people into thinking that this is the only way by not giving them any alternatives or letting them know there are alternatives," Seok said. Image from

Remixed Messages - Rob Walker, New York Times: Nowadays, of course, nobody waits around for the authorities to adjust the meaning of their slogans and images. We just do it ourselves.

Pulling Out – Emperor Andronicus: NEPTUNE -


As the Empire prepares to celebrate Dependence Day this July 4, planet Neptune celebrated National Sovereignty Day. Imperial troops withdrew from all major Neptunian cities as Operation Quagmire drew to a close, ahead of the Empire's annexation of the planet, the cause of celebration. Meanwhile, the Empire built up for a reinvasion of Uranus, a world we invaded years ago. "We pull out of Neptune and immediately plunge back into Uranus?"


said one patriotic citizen. "Maybe we should have finished Uranus before invading Neptune?""There's nothing like an invasion to make me proud of my Empire," explained Chancellor Jack, appointed governor of Uranus, "except perhaps a reinvasion." Images from (a, Neptune) (b, Uranus)