September 14

“We must not, Charlie, blink, Charlie, because, Charlie, as I’ve said, Charlie, before, John McCain has said, Charlie, that -- and remember here, Charlie, we’re talking about John McCain, Charlie, who, Charlie, is John McCain and I won’t be blinking, Charlie.”

--New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, regarding Sarah Palin’s interview with ABC’s Charlie Gibson

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Diplomat justifies US intervention in Muslim societies - InTheNews.co.uk: The United States cannot be a spectator in the struggle for power going on in Muslim societies around the world, a senior diplomat has said. James Glassman, the Bush administration's under-secretary of state for public diplomacy, told a Chatham House audience in London he has refocused his remit away from improving the US' "image" abroad and towards combating "violent extremism."

There are many issues waiting for an inspired and noble US leadership - Richard C. Holbrooke, Tagesspiegel, Germany: If history is a guide, issues that are neglected too long often emerge at the top of the policy agenda -- Somalia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Darfur, Myanmar, Tibet and Zimbabwe are only a few recent examples. US relations with the Muslim world will require special attention. Efforts so far to encourage moderate Muslims to deal with extremists have not worked. A new, creative approach to public diplomacy must be developed.

Other Matters: Chipping Away at the Voa - All About Jazz, PA: With esteem for the United States at a low ebb around the world, the government continues to dismantle the Voice Of America, for more than half a century one of the nation's most effective creators of good will abroad. The administration's relentless disassembling of one of the most effective and cost-efficient US tools of cultural diplomacy seems to have gone unnoticed by either presidential campaign.

Rethinking a New Epoch – Gary Smith, Tagesspiegel, Germany: “After ten years, the American Academy in Berlin is different than any of us had imagined. Admittedly, our very first printed program of lectures, seminars, and screenings announced that the fellowship program would become more than an academic monastery. As we would later extend invitations for shorter residencies to many distinguished writers, artists, and policy experts, their stays in Berlin might include up to twenty to thirty meetings, presentations, and roundtables. The Academy had become an experiment in privatizing public diplomacy. That it has, is only fitting.” The author is Executive Director of the American Academy in Berlin.

Why do we accept Foreigners tell us how to vote? - The Crazy World of the Z-Man… Just another Crazy Conservative: “I was browsing around the internet today and I came across of a speech delivered by Dr. Shashi Tharoor. He appears to be a brilliant person having several degrees and unbelievable resume, born and raised in England, but of India[n] descen[t]. In this 1 hr long speech, he discussed Restoring America’s Image in the World: the Public Diplomacy Challenge. … Matter of fact, he said if Obama does not win, the world will look us with resentment! Why? He was here… In US soil… Only in America, we allow these type of things to take place. “

Mediat dhe Politika: Kush "ndërton" lajmin ndërkombëtar për shqiptarët? - Gëzim Mekuli - Agjencioni FLOART-PRESS: Mention of public diplomacy.

Reflections on a reflection – Mike Hart, Like A Specter: “Of course, the trip wouldn’t have been possible without Theo Katic and Rima Tatevossian, who were the reasons I trekked to Serbia and Armenia. … Rima returned to the U.S. to enroll in a graduate program at the University of Southern California a couple of months after I visited her in Armenia. She now holds a Master’s in Public Diplomacy and recently worked as an intern at a public relations firm in New York.”

RELATED ITEMS

Budget-crunched Peace Corps cuts volunteer positions: Volunteers who thought their assignment was a sure thing learn otherwise - Cynthia Dizikes, Los Angeles Times: At a time when both presidential candidates have pledged to promote and expand national service, the popular humanitarian assistance program that sends thousands of Americans abroad annually is now planning to cut 400 volunteer positions in the face of an unexpected multimillion-dollar budget shortfall.

The War in Pakistan: U.S. attacks on Taliban and al-Qaeda targets are risky -- and necessary – Editorial, Washington Post: There's a risk that the missile strikes will prompt a breach between the U.S. and Pakistani armies, or destabilize Pakistan president Zardari's democratically elected administration, which is the friendliest Washington could hope for in a country with strong anti-American sentiment. But US missile and commando attacks must continue.

The mixed lessons, and legacies, of Munich 1938: European democracies must decide: remain dependent on U.S. protection or develop the capacity to defend Europe themselves - Ian Buruma, Los Angeles Times: Like permanent adolescents, Europeans and Japanese crave the security of the great American father, and deeply resent him at the same time.

Dealing with Russia - Toby T. Gati, Washington Times: To clarify what the U.S. can realistically achieve in its relations with Moscow and what it can't, it would be useful for the next administration to undertake a major strategic assessment of Russian power and the U.S. ability to shape it.

Dealing with Russia - Ariel Cohen, Washington Times: The next U.S. administration and its allies need to design a comprehensive policy countering Moscow's bid to shift the global balance of power away from liberal democracies and in favor of the oil-rich Authoritarian International. China and India will be the most important swing states in this struggle.

A Baltic Response to the Bear - Jim Hoagland, New York Times: The Kremlin's larger intent -- to create "a new world order" on the back of gathering U.S. weakness -- has emerged with stunning clarity and velocity in the past three months. Russia is thinking strategically about world affairs while an expiring U.S. administration is not.

Making America Stupid - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: Unless we make America the country most able to innovate, compete and win in the age of globalization, our leverage in the world will continue to slowly erode.

Reign of Counterterror - Michael Crowley, New York Times: As the U.S.'s moral standing suffers, so does its ability to shame other nations into cracking down on their nuclear black markets. And so does its battle for the hearts and minds.

We Got Trouble [review of The Limits Of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism by Andrew J. Bacevich] - Jonathan Tepperman, New York Times: Many of Bacevich’s points are well taken, including his critique of the hypocrisy inherent in Americans’ talk of their supposedly universal values. But surely what we require today, more than broad condemnations of American consumerism, are very specific solutions to very specific problems.

Weekend Video: Animated Soviet Propaganda: Russiatrek.net

AMERICANA

America's silly kid names: Once, no one dreamed of giving their children names like Brooklyn or Rhiannon or Darcy - Joe Queenan, Los Angeles Times: American children are no longer named after prophets, warriors, healers or cultural titans; they are named after Welsh fairies, characters in science-fiction movies, the outer boroughs of New York and trees.