October 7

“Reputation, reputation, reputation! O! I have lost my reputation. I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. My reputation, Iago, my reputation!”

--Casio, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice

“I've continued to find, wherever I go, America remains a repository of people's hopes, possibilities, and desires, and that despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, accomplished by our recent administration, we remain, for many, a house of dreams.”

--Rocker Bruce Spingsteen

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Iraq Fox News the Model - Eric Martin, Obsidian Wings: “Even if government-paid propagandists refrain from deliberately targeting US audiences, there is no real barrier between foreign news and domestic news. … What is more troubling, however, is what this reliance on propaganda reveals about the so-called democracy promotion agenda of the Bush administration and the Bush team's outlook regarding our public image in the [Middle East] region. … Throughout its two terms, the Bush administration has taken the position that America's image in the world (particularly the Muslim world) has been suffering not because of our implementation of wildly unpopular policies, but rather the lack of an effective communications strategy to explain these policies, and American ideals, to the target population.”

Dangling Conversations: Posing the moral questions facing the next American president - George Weigel, Newsweek Web Exclusive: “In the hope that it's not too late to raise the level of a public discussion too often conducted in sound bites, here are some urgent moral questions to be pressed on those who would lead us. … 4. What role does distorted religious conviction play in creating the dangers we face from terrorists? How can American public diplomacy address those convictions?”

Tribal Areas cauldron - Khalid Khokhar, Pakistan Observer: "As the U.S. National Security Strategy indicated, the United States cannot win the war on terrorism by military power alone, it needs to win the war of ideas. To win the fight against terrorism an alternative strategy is needed. The threat might focus on such policy objectives as … improving public diplomacy through ‘peace initiatives' with the tribal elders in FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas]." See John Brown, "'Our Indian Wars Are Not Over Yet': Ten Ways to Interpret the War on Terror as a Frontier Conflict," TomDispatch. NOTE: An earlier photo of a helicopter for this entry from the site was deleted.

Wishing for Ponies - Joshua Foust, Registan.net: “What better way to describe this bi-partisan report on how to move forward in Pakistan? They want the U.S. to be smarter, better engaged, friendlier, perceived better, and able to direct its funds and influence in a way to perfectly meet U.S. interests. … Let’s put these goals up side-by-side, and see how they really stack up. … Utilize 'public diplomacy' to highlight U.S. and Pakistani interests in combating extremism and getting rich peacefully. While [a]lso … [n]ot calling a fight against extremism a 'Global War on Terror.' I.E. Hope that Pakistanis are stupid and will fall for something so childish.“

A "Third Neighbor" Strategy for Asia - Michael Auslin, Asian Outlook, AEI Online: “The end of the Cold War provided a rare opportunity for the United States to move beyond the largely bilateral structure of its Asian alliance system and forge a more encompassing community of democratic and liberal-leaning states. … A deft public diplomacy program … would have trumpeted the rise of democracy and woven a compelling narrative of Asia's future that envisioned greater freedom for all in the region.”

The challenge of directing questions to the appropriate bureaucrat - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "'James Glassman, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, gave incomplete and misleading answers when asked Friday whether the elimination of vernacular broadcasts to Georgia, Russia, and India is going to hurt his 'war of ideas' effort. Speaking in Washington at a National Press Club luncheon on 'The New Age of Public Diplomacy,' Glassman seemed surprised and annoyed by the question.' Ted Lipien, Blogger News Network, 4 October 2008. Elliot Comment: "Maybe Mr. Glassman was annoyed because he is no longer CEO of U.S. international broadcasting, but now only one vote on the Broadcasting Board of Governors. Furthermore, the 'war of ideas' is a public diplomacy effort. To achieve the credibility necessary for success, U.S. international broadcasting must stick to reporting the news, and leave the 'war of ideas' stuff to public diplomacy."
On RFE/RL Russian service, see.

More Diplomats – Embassy Row, Washington Times: “The next president will need to increase the number of American diplomats by nearly 50 percent and expand their duties to keep up with the foreign policy goals of the United States, according to a report released Monday by the American Academy of Diplomacy. … The academy suggested adding 4,735 diplomats, a 46 percent increase; expanding public diplomacy duties; increasing funding to embassies to allow ambassadors to respond effectively to humanitarian and political emergencies; transferring authority over a $785 million security-assistance program to the State Department from the Defense Department; and establishing a 'surge capacity' for foreign reconstruction and stabilization programs."

State Department hosting Second Life event on education in virtual worlds this Thursday – Rik Santos Panganiban ("Rik Riel" in Second Life), The Click Heard Around the World: “This Thursday, October 9, I am honored to be participating in a panel discussion on 'Education without Borders' sponsored by the United States Department of State. … The event is specifically being put on by the Bureau of International Information Programs at the State Department, along with Cambridge Education, and the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy. Participants in this closed forum will be drawn from educators from an impressive 14 countries: Iran, the UK, Hungary, Latvia, Turkey, Finland, Bulgaria, Spain, Scotland, the Netherlands, Wales, Denmark, Canada and the United States. Unfortunately, this event is not open to the general public." IMAGE: Rik Riel

Operations: October 2008 – Headquarters, Department of The Army: “INFORMATION ENGAGEMENT IN STABILITY: 2.71: Successfully executing essential stability tasks also depends on informing the local populace and influencing attitudes. Although there are more tangible objectives that mark the success of a stability operation, the final measure of success or failure often rests with the perceptions of the people. Military forces must go beyond defeating the enemy. They must secure the trust and confidence of the population. This requires a mastery of information engagement: the integrated employment of public affairs to inform United States and friendly audiences; psychological operations, combat camera, USG strategic communication and defense support to public diplomacy, and other means necessary to influence foreign audiences; and, leader and Soldier engagements to support both efforts (FM 3-0).”
VIA

New Army FM on Stability Operations Short on PSYOP Content - Lawrence Dietz, PSYOP Regimental Blog: “The [above-cited] manual recognizes that information engagement is intertwined with the success of stability operations … . I have always marveled at the Army’s ability to use more words than necessary to explain something. The manual concedes that information engagement is critical to the success of stability operations … However, astoundingly enough there is only one paragraph on PSYOP in the entire document … . Apparently it is now up to the PSYOP community to absorb the enormity of the stability operations challenge and to craft its own doctrine to deal with this new challenge."

Response from Obama - Susan, Ruined for Life: “Obama, like Dick Durbin, responded to my letter about the inadequacies of the ETA and English Language Fellowship Program. … Mark Kirk, the Ambassador to Indonesia, and the Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy haven't responded.”

Public Diplomacy and its role in the EU's external relations - Margot Wallström, Vice-President of the European Commission, speech at Mortara Center for International Studies, Georgetown University: “Nicholas Cull, who teaches public diplomacy, outlines seven key lessons for public diplomacy…. To … Cull's 'seven lessons' I would add three more: Public diplomacy cannot be effective unless it devotes as much attention outside the capital as within it. We call it going local. … Public diplomacy should reflect not only what we do or want to do; but also what we are and what we stand for. As we move towards a new and uncertain global order, this is probably more important than it has ever been. The values we considered self evident before, may not always be so in future. And last, but not least. Public diplomacy should always respect and promote gender equality.”

Kazakhstan: Address of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Marat Tazhin at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace – Isria: ”I am pleased to praise fruitful cooperation between you and our Embassy in Washington, and your partners in Kazakhstan. The frequency of contacts between our experts and the mutual interest have inspired me to propose an idea of establishing the Central Asian Centre of Carnegie Endowment in Kazakhstan (Moscow Centre operates since 1993, other branches in Beijing, Beirut and Brussels were opened in the last three years) as public diplomacy turning out to be a priority today, Kazakhstan in particular.”

New initiative to bring European and Gulf businesses closer together – Financial, Georgia: "On October 6, EUROCHAMBRES and the Federation of Gulf Co-operation Council Chambers (FGCCC) launched a joint project – the 'EU GCC Chamber Forum' – which should contribute to intensifying relations between the regions. … The 'EU GCC Chamber Forum' is co-financed by the European Commission through the first programme for EU-GCC Public Diplomacy and Diplomatic Outreach.”

Goodbye, Harry - Menachem Begin Heritage Center Bulletin 53, Vol. 4: “The funeral of the founder of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center and the President of the Menachem Begin Heritage Foundation, Harry Hurwitz, took place on Friday, Oct. 3. … Moshe Arens said that in his work with Harry at the Israel Embassy in Washington DC, Harry was a tremendous help in public diplomacy efforts because of his broad knowledge and excellent speaking skills.”

RELATED ITEMS

The facts of strife – Editorial, Boston Globe: The State Department has taken on the task of mobilizing a corps of civilians from inside and outside the federal government who can quickly assist in restoring order in crisis situations. This initiative deserves the support of the next president.

2008 Presidential Election and Citizen Diplomacy - US Center for Citizen Diplomacy: The U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy has examined the public remarks of Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin in addition toreviewing the party platforms set forth by the Democrats and Republicans. By reading the words of the candidates and their parties -- paying particular attention to the time they dedicate to foreign policy -- a better understanding can be pieced together as to how these individuals view the world and America’s role in it.

VIA

U.S. decadence challenged abroad - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times: Even America's closest allies were asking whether the financial crisis is the beginning of the end of U.S. supremacy. The crisis gave Sen. Barack Obama a widening lead at home -- and louder hosannas abroad. Most commentators abroad see Mr. Obama as a leader who would initiate "multipolar multilateralism" and "smart power," with more emphasis on soft power and less on hard -- military -- power.

Jerome Corsi, anti-Obama author, detained in Kenya - Rob Crilly, Times (London): A leading American neo-conservative author has been detained by immigration authorities in Kenya as he tried to launch a book smearing Barack Obama. Jerome Corsi, of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth fame, was this morning being held after failing to reckon with Obamamania. Dr. Corsi said he had a $1,000 cheque for George Obama, seen as part of a stunt to suggest that the senator was not taking care of his Kenyan-based relative. PHOTO: Jerome Corsi

Focus, People: A life-or-death election - Anne Bayefsky, National Review: So when you cast your ballot this election, make no mistake: you are voting for or against a nuclear holocaust. Not because Barack Obama wants such a horror, but because he will not prevent it. He will still be talking when the point of no return in Iran’s nuclear program is reached.

Obama and McCain's Goofy Afghan Bluster - Patrick Cockburn, Counterpunch: US policy in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein has been constantly denigrated as a recipe for self-inflicted disaster. But President Bush’s policy in Afghanistan on the wake of the fall of the Taliban was just as catastrophically misconceived. The best route for Britain and the US in Afghanistan is to have modest and attainable objectives combined with a recognition that in its struggle for survival the Afghan government must fight and win its own battles.

US, Saudi Arabia revive Taliban's comeback - M K Bhadrakumar, Rediff News: Saudi mediation in the intra-Afghan talks will prove controversial, which is why protagonists have difficulty even acknowledging it. The Saudi role would hopefully temper the stridency of "anti-Americanis" in Pakistan, given their influence on the Islamic parties in Pakistan.

Brits Say: We Can't Win in Afghan - Robert Dreyfuss, Nation: For all the talk about Afghanistan being the "right war," and with both Obama and McCain insisting that they want to send thousands of additional US forces there, our British allies have let the camel, so to speak, out of the bag. Meanwhile, more and more information is coming out to confirm that the government of Afghanistan is negotiating with (gasp!) the Taliban.

Seven Years in Afghanistan: From "War on Terror" to "War of Terror" - Gary Leupp, Counterpunch: What began as a “War on Terror” with waves of bombing attacks on Kandahar and Kabul October 7, 2001 has long since become a War of Terror, inflicted on the peoples of Southwest Asia, generating and strengthening resistance movements (“insurgencies”), enraging local allies and even alienating regimes of Washington’s own creation.

There's a Job to Finish in Baghdad: The question now is how good we want Iraq to be – Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal: Much of what American soldiers now do amounts to a peacekeeping effort, similar to the NATO mission in Bosnia. Can the U.S. safely relinquish the peacekeeping component to the Iraqis while successfully pursuing a much narrower counterterrorist and training mission, as Mr. Obama seems to have proposed? Or do effective counterterrorist and training operations depend on the presence of more sizeable forces to preserve overall stability?

Condi: Iraq is Hard - Juan Cole, Informed Comment Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion: “Secretary of State Condi Rice said Monday that the Iraq War has been ‘harder, longer, and more difficult than I personally imagined’ and she warned that victory is not assured. Condi waited until political and financial stories were sure to drawn out her comments, which stand as a stark indictment of her boss and his policies in Iraq. They also point to the dangers in having ignorant but cocky leaders like herself.” On Rice’s job qualifications see John Brown, "10 Percent Intellectual": The Mind of Condoleezza Rice,” PRWatch.Org, Center for Media and Democracy.

Bulgaria Celebrates Condi! - Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza's hairdo so you don't have to: “’Hello,’ the email begins innocently enough, 'this is maybe Condi on the harvest carnival in town Shumen/Shoumen in Bulgaria.' What I didn't expect was perhaps the most horrifying maybe Condi EVER, and I'm glad I didn't see it while eating or holding sharp instruments. Despite the blue eyes and the unlikely breadbasket imagery, it certainly appears to be Dr. Ferragamo, but why? I just can't interpret the metaphors! Oh, Bulgaria, please explain!”

Boiling point in Bolivia: Internal conflict could destabilize the region. Here's what Washington can do - Seth Kaplan, Christian Science Monitor: Bolivia is teetering on the brink of conflict, threatening to destabilize a region much closer to home and further damage our troubled economy. The crisis represents what the United States might increasingly face: waning power and rabid anti-Americanism, limiting Washington's options in trouble spots. In this case, the best the US can do is help support efforts led by Brazil and other South American states.

The Testing Time - David Brooks, New York Times: In his astonishingly prescient book, “The World Is Curved: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy,” David M. Smick argues that we have inherited an impressive global economic system. It, with the U.S. as the hub, has produced unprecedented levels of global prosperity. But it has now spun wildly out of control. It can’t be fixed with the shock and awe of a $700 billion rescue package, Smick says. The fundamental architecture needs to be reformed.

I can't see a future for these prophets of doom: It is hard to forecast anything confidently these days. Those predicting the death of capitalism need new crystal balls - David Aaronovitch, Times (London): Any halfway media-friendly academic is to be discovered ushering in, the “new world” of the chastened, weakened America and the ascendant (almost morally ascendant) China. And over in Guardianland there is some relish for the coming Götterdämmerung.

The destructive policies of President Bush - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe: The same ideologically driven, hopelessly incompetent administration that brought you Iraq and "mission accomplished" was responsible for the sweetheart deal that the Security and Exchange Commission allowed the investment brokers to increase their debt in proportion to their capital, and then failed to police them.

Hollywood Takes on the Left : David Zucker, the director who brought us 'Airplane!' and 'The Naked Gun,' turns his sights on anti-Americanism - Stephen F. Hayes, Weekly Standard: Zucker's latest movie, An American Carol, is unlike anything that has ever come out of Hollywood. It is a frontal attack on the excesses of the American left from several prominent members of a growing class of Hollywood conservatives. The film follows the exploits of a slovenly, anti-American filmmaker named Michael Malone, who has joined with a left-wing activist group (Moovealong.org) to ban the Fourth of July.

AMERICANA

The new face of giving – Andrea Stone, USA Today: The United States long has been a nation of givers, but a new generation is transforming the way we do good. Millennials and Generation Xers, especially those 20- and 30-somethings starting careers, may not have the bucks to be major donors, but they are finding ways to help others and prompting big changes in the way charities raise money.