October 18

“Silence Is Powerful.”

--Rule no. 5 of the Cheney Rules, according to Barton Gellman, author of "Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency."


“What self-respecting nation would reduce itself to a ‘brand?’"

--Kim Andrew Elliott

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Letter: Use force, not speech, to deal with terrorists, 10-18-08 - Linda Rapoza, Herald News: “In their recent Guest Opinion in The Herald News, state Sens. Joan Menard and Rick Rendon make the impression that the only way to deal with terrorists going forward is to use ‘public diplomacy.’ Never mind that we haven’t had an attack on our own soil in over seven years. According to them, what our military has been doing in order to keep the crazies away from our own doorstep should be discarded and replaced with a softer, friendlier approach. … Cultural and educational exchanges are marvelous ideas for schoolchildren to advance on their own time, but not at the risk of the safety of the American people. The individuals who man those F-16 fighters, nuclear aircraft carriers and M1 Abram tanks are doing a heck of a lot more to keep us safe than any politician warming a seat in Washington (or Boston). Using carrots to replace sticks may work with horses, but they’re poor substitutes for keeping the American people from getting blown up.” Linda Rapoza is chairwoman of the Fall River Republican City Committee and a Republican state committeewoman.

Arming for the Second War of Ideas: the Department of Global Affairs – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: “Some suggest the War of Ideas is simply between us and ‘violent extremists’, ‘Islamists’, or some other derivative label for Al-Qaeda, Taliban, and associated movements from the Middle East to South Asia and eastward. There is even proposed legislation that places boundaries on who are adversaries are. However, while some of our policy makers continue to ignore or even reject the importance of information and persuasion in international relations from economics to war, our major competitors do not. … The U.S. is still not armed for the Second War of Ideas, a war we’re already 7-10 years into. To be effective, we need a Department of Non-State, functionally if not bureaucratically, armed with the appropriate tools and comprehensive collaboration across agencies and countries and organizations.“

The Diplomatic Surge - Andrew Curry, Foreign Policy: “Setting aside the question of how nailing six or seven multiple-choice questions [on the Foreign Service exam] proves I’m ready to manage employees, should diplomats be selected for their management skills, or for their ability to craft and implement effective foreign policy? Does it make sense to use the same test to hire managers as public diplomacy officers?” See also.

Credibility and the World Service – Andy Pryce, UK in USA bloggers, FCO bloggers: “Public Affairs Officers or Diplomats like myself can no more tell the [BBC] World Service what to report than we could tell Al Jazeera to spike a story on civilian casualties. The Arab ‘street’ or Soweto slums have become more and more media savvy. It would be a waste of money for the UK to pay for and serve up lukewarm propaganda. … There is a wide ranging debate underway in Washington on how the US Government should go about influencing overseas. There seems to be a wide range of suggested approaches. Some in Congress had expressed concern about the reporting of Voice of America. Some seem to want more independent public diplomacy initiatives, others do not. The Department of Defence recently signed a $300 million a year contract for the production of supportive media in Iraq. What do readers think that the UK and US can learn from each other approach and ideas?”

South Africa: Diversity Rocks - Phillip Kurata, America.gov: "Seven Los Angeles musicians who call their group Ozomatli played their blend of rock, hip-hop, jazz, reggae, cumbia, salsa and other musical strains October 3 to a mainly black crowd of young people in the city that was once the bastion of apartheid. Ozomatli's three-city tour of South Africa and a subsequent visit planned for Madagascar were organized by the U.S. government as part of its cultural diplomacy program." PHOTO: Ozomatli.

Breaking the mould – The National, United Arab Emirates: “Cynthia Schneider is one of the last people you would expect to show up in Hollywood. The former US ambassador to the Netherlands and a professor of diplomacy at Georgetown University has a CV that seems more UN Security Council than Sunset Boulevard. Still, Hollywood is exactly where she has concentrated her efforts of late, for one reason. ‘Popular entertainment wields tremendous influence,’ she says. Last year, that belief led Schneider, an expert in so-called cultural diplomacy, to form Muslims on Screen and Television (Most), a partnership between the Brookings Institution, the Washington, DC, think tank where Schneider is a non-resident fellow, and Unity Productions Foundation, a non-profit film company based in California. … The group’s primary objective is to connect content creators in Hollywood with experts and data on Islam and the countries where it is practised.”

International conference about Silk road at KU - Etalaat News Service: “Governor N N Vohra inaugurated the 4-day International Conference titled 'Dynamics and Revival of Silk-route: Perspective, Challenges and Opportunities' at Kashmir University on Tuesday. … Prof [Mansoora Haider—former chairperson of department of History at the Aligrah Muslim University] said that the most interesting feature of the Silk Route was the cultural diplomacy and international relations. 'All along the silk route, material, moral and artistic culture of Indian lies buried and its study can be rewarding is bringing to light Indian share in he glories of global culture,' she said."

ICD’s Afterhours: music and dance as cultural diplomacy - Tuuli Reissaar, Cultural Diplomacy News: “More than 70 people gathered on Tuesday evening at the restaurant En Passant at Savignyplatz in order to enjoy an evening filled with good music, food, wine, and most importantly, great company. In the words of ICD’s Director, Mark Donfried, 'Sherehe ya Afrika: A Celebration of Africa was organized for the purpose of making new friends and building connections.' The formation of these friendships and connections make it possible to transcend borders and build sustainable bridges between cultures and societies while music enhances cross-cultural interaction that cuts across various barriers such as language, ethnicity and religion.” PHOTO: Mark Donfried.

An Interview with writer, director of David & Layla Jay Jonroy - Kurdishaspect.com: Kurdish Aspect: “Your film David & Layla has received great reviews from the New York Times and the Washington Post. The American and Jewish communities have raved about your movie yet you have not received the notoriety you deserve in the Kurdish Community why do you think that is? … What would you like to see from the Kurdish community, and KRG in particular, to help promote the advancement of the Kurdish culture and theater? [Mr. Jonroy]: Every nation uses Cultural Diplomacy coupled with Political Diplomacy to advance their causes. Again, except Kurds. Kurdish activists need to appreciate that artists do not live on air. They need moral and financial support.”

Ministry stresses culture as backbone of new diplomacy – Viet Nam News: “The foreign affairs sector would continue its efforts to integrate cultural diplomacy with other diplomatic strategies, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Gia Khiem, said here yesterday. The Deputy PM was speaking at a two-day national forum about cultural diplomacy, held by MoFA’s External Culture and UNESCO Departmen. It was attended by 150 guests including statesmen, diplomats, scholars and entrepreneurs. ‘Realising the importance of cultural diplomacy, after our sector’s meeting in 2006, the ministry has implemented a series of solutions to make cultural diplomacy one of the three main foundations of Viet Nam’s diplomacy, alongside the political and economic,' Khiem said." See also.

Conference exploring Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy opens in Hanoi: Thanh Nien Daily, Vietnam: A national conference on strengthening cultural diplomacy to promote Vietnamese identity towards peace, integration and sustainable development opened in Hanoi Wednesday.

Avoiding Another Cold War Through Cultural Diplomacy Art and Cultural Diplomacy at the Forefront of Foreign Policy - Wang Guangyi, PRNewswire via COMTEX - “The Louise Blouin Institute is honoured to feature the first major solo exhibition in the United Kingdom of the renowned contemporary Chinese artist Wang Guangyi. The exhibition will take place from 17 October to 1 March 2009 and is part of the Louise Blouin Institute's 'Culture Beyond Borders' series, aimed at encouraging cultural dialogue.” PHOTO: Louise Blouin Institute.

Intellectuals rule Turkey's self-image at fair - Monsters and Critics.com: “Every year a new nation is chosen as special guest at the [Frankfurt] Book Fair, where most publishers put in long days of negotiating and selling and usually have little free time for cultural events. The cultural diplomacy opportunity is highly sought after, since it guarantees a short but intense bout of attention from the German media and the German reading public.”

Sale Of 'Stolen' Antiquities Halted: London auction house pulls items from Symes collection – ANSA.it: “Former Italian culture minister Francesco Rutelli … hit out at his successor, Sandro Bondi, for 'not taking sufficient action' to safeguard … artefacts. … Bondi said he did not wish to enter into ‘petty squabbles' with Rutelli, but underlined that Italian cultural diplomacy 'was not on hold.’''

The Sunshine Awards Special Honorees from Africa, the Caribbean And South America - TropicalFete.com, NY: “Habib Kagimu was born in the Republic of Uganda. He is an entrepreneur extraordinaire and business executive with extensive business background in international and multicultural relations. … Mr. Kagimu, as a philanthropist, supports many needy causes both at the personal and corporate levels and is a staunch advocate of cultural diplomacy. He played a central role in funding the visit of twenty children and three officials from the Save Our Souls Children's Home for orphans from Uganda on a one month Diplomatic Student Exchange Programme with orphans from Trinidad and Tobago.” PHOTO: Habib Kagimu.

RELATED ITEMS

Restoring America's reputation: The next president must make the U.S. a force for good again - Editorial, Los Angeles Times: A strong America, one worthy of respect at home and abroad, is one that grants those in its custody their rights, that declines to spy on citizens without warrants. It requires a president willing to share power with Congress and the courts and to subject himself to public scrutiny and accountability. Fervently we ask that the next administration lead us back to a position of honor in the world.

Barack Obama for president - Editorial, Los Angeles Times: In George W. Bush, the executive branch turned its back on an adult role in the nation and the world and retreated into self-absorbed unilateralism.

Our Military Propaganda Marches On... – C Tuttle, Main and Central: “We need to have serious Congressional investigations ASAP, and, appropriate actions taken to stop this [Pentagon] propaganda b*llshit and stop the further fleecing of the taxpayers...”

Open Editorialization = Propaganda – William "Papa" Meloney, Pa^2 Patois: Re the article, Private Military Contractors Writing the News? The Pentagon's Propaganda at Its Worst by Liliana Segura, AlterNet: "Where can I get a piece of the THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLAR pork pie? For writing 'feel-good' rhetoric to convince the Iraqi's that they are doing well??? … Wouldn't we be better served by supporting American social programs that have recently been gutted by our OUR economic downturn???” Segura article also cited at (a) (b) .

Priming the Propaganda Pumps: Four More Sales Pitches for the Spreading Human Terrain System (2.0) - Maximilian Forte, Open Anthropology: “What I think the Human Terrain System is meant to do … is to serve as a domestic propaganda effort and a deodorant for reducing the stench of increasingly unpopular wars. The aim is domestic stabilization, getting voters to better adjust themselves to corporatist war efforts by believing that these are ‘smart’” wars, fought by Ph.Ds, less lethal, more humane, winning friends and not just killing enemies. … The other aim of HTS is domestic intellectual counterinsurgency, shutting up critics, academics especially.”

McCain's plan for militaristic propaganda - adam ricketson’s blog: During the [recent presidential] debate, McCain suggested that the government has a special interest in getting retired soldiers into teaching positions … All together, this strikes me as plan for systematically introducing militaristic indoctrination into our schools.”

Al Jazeera Propaganda - Kansas Bob: Inane, Insane & Inspirational Intuitions: Re an Al Jazeera program: “I found this video to be a pitiful excuse for journalism from an Arab news channel. It presents a skewed view of Americans and is pure propaganda. The vast majority of US citizens do not hold the ignorant and biased views that are portrayed in this video. Sad that this is the view that is being presented in other parts of the globe.

Al-Jazeera issue off city ballot - John Briggs, Burlington Free Press: In the aftermath of their unsuccessful fight to have the 24-hour news channel Al-Jazeera English removed from Burlington Telecom’s programming, The Defenders Council of Vermont vowed to mount a petition drive and take the issue directly to voters in November. That won’t happen. VIA

Al-Qaeda Web Forums Abruptly Taken Offline: Separately, Sunnis and Shiites Wage Online War - Ellen Knickmeyer, Washington Post: Four of the five main online forums that al-Qaeda's media wing uses to distribute statements by Osama bin Laden and other extremists have been disabled since mid-September, monitors of the Web sites say.

A War for Empire: Afghanistan: Not a Good War Gone Bad - Larry Everest, Counterpunch: The war in Afghanistan is not the proverbial "good war," now gone bad. It was an unjust, imperialist war of conquest and empire from the start. And it continues to be an unjust, imperialist war of empire today

Attack on Iran Off the Table? - Ray McGovern, Common Dreams: “But attacking Iran would be crazy, you say. Not for nothing have many of the folks around Bush and Cheney been referred to as ‘the crazies’ since the early Eighties. Some are still there; and they do things.”

Poland excluded from visa-waiver list: Omission angers U.S. ally; S. Korea among newcomers – Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times: At a Rose Garden ceremony, Mr. Bush announced rescinding visa requirements for six other former communist countries -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- as well as South Korea, effective in about a month. But Poland, the Bush administration's strongest ally in Central and Eastern Europe, which was the most vocal supporter of the Iraq war and sent troops early on, was absent from the ceremony.

Going Global - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post: It took the collapse of finance to force governments to confront the limits of national power.

Kundera At Heart Of Novelistic Intrigue – Yefim Fishtein, RFE/RL: A report by a Czechoslovak state security official emerged from 60 years of oblivion, dryly summarizing the testimony of the young Kundera, a student, against a spy for the West -- a former military pilot -- who had just returned to Czechoslovakia.

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Russian Propaganda Style Kermit the Frog - Super Punch