October 9

"Please provide a one or two paragraph summary, on the overarching communications strategy for your Department. This section should also list any broad, overarching products you plan to produce (e.g., a document listing your Department's major accomplishments over the past eight years, a video of Department successes, etc.).”

--an e-mail that went out last week to government agencies to get working on a project to lay out "THE BUSH RECORD."



"Q. What is the difference between a London banker and a pigeon? A. The pigeon can still put a deposit on a Ferrari.”



PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Remarks at the Meeting of the Advisory Committee on Democracy Promotion - Secretary Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Department of State: MR. WOLLACK: “I think all of us who are engaged ... in the trenches every day, the most valuable commodity are the relationships we have with people on the ground and the trust that we all seek to build with reformers and democratic activists…. So why I think this is very important, this relationship and enunciating this relationship in terms of implementing programs — I think we have to ensure that these are dotted lines and not straight lines; that we are doing this because we believe in these causes and there are byproducts to this effort. And this is particularly important in light of the Pentagon’s growing role in the area of nation building and in the area of public diplomacy. SECRETARY RICE: I agree completely.”

Saving Pakistan – Editorial Board, New York Times: “ [T]he report [on Pakistan, by a bipartisan working group of experts] … recommends that the United States consider … sensible steps [among them]: Implement a robust public diplomacy program that stresses mutual United States-Pakistani interests in combating extremism and creating prosperity.”

Democracy is ... voting often for your favorite video (updated) - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: The U.S. State Department's "The Democracy Video Challenge asks budding filmmakers, democracy advocates, and the general public to create video shorts that complete the phrase, 'Democracy is…' The winners will be selected by the online voting public." State Department, 10 September 2008. "Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James K. Glassman will travel to the United Nations to participate in the launch of the Democracy Video Challenge and to highlight the UN’s first International Day of Democracy on Monday, September 15." State Department, 10 September 2008. The State Department might want to read about the BBC World Service's attempt to determine the world's most popular song by way of e-mail voting. The winner was the Irish anthem 'A Nation Once Again' by the Wolfe Tones. See Sunday Mirror, 10 August 2003 and previous post.Update: 'Hosting a youth-targeted video contest on YouTube is certainly not the first thing one would expect from the US government, or any State government for that matter, so this contest could be the opening of a new and updated chapter in public diplomacy.' chiaramente, TakingITGlobal, 6 October 2008."

BBC Keeps Radio Broadcasts to Russia – Ted Lipien: Free Media Online Blog: Unlike the Voice of America (VOA), which had eliminated radio broadcasts to Russia shortly before the Russian invasion of Georgia, the BBC has decided to continue producing Russian-language radio programs while also expanding its Internet and video production.

The Worldnet brand lives on in outdated fact sheets - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "Apple River State Bank was featured on the PBS show 'Nightly Business Report' on Thursday, Oct. 2. ... NBR is seen on more than 250 PBS stations. The program also is seen abroad via the International Broadcasting Bureau's Worldnet Satellite Network and the Armed Forces Television and Satellite Network. Telegraph Herald (Dubuque), 8 October 2008. The reference to Worldnet came from this NBR fact sheet. It needs to be updated, because Worldnet, founded by USIA director Charles Z Wick in 1983, merged with VOA in May 2004. However, at voanews.com, click on the TV Schedule link and you are presented with a page from the Broadcasting Board of Governors website, with the heading IBB Satellite Coverage. No mention of VOA or VOA-TV anywhere. Ambiguity about the branding of VOA television is therefore not surprising."

Going to War with the Ideas We Have - Craig Hayden, Intermap - International Media Argument Project : Political Communication, Rhetoric and Public: “I think we’ll need a new administration to truly gauge the possibilities for transforming U.S. public diplomacy.”

Another Attempt to Change Brand Israel – Spin of the Day, Center for Media and Democracy: The British "country brand capital development" firm Acanchi is crafting a "new image" for Israel. "Our research shows that Israel's brand is essentially the [Israel-Palestine] conflict," explained Israeli Foreign Ministry official Ido Aharoni. "Even those who recognize that Israel is in the right are not attracted to it, because they see it as a supplier of bad news." Israel previously worked with the ad firm Saatchi & Saatchi and U.S. political consultants James Carville and Stanley Greenberg to address its image problem.

Divisions of Nationality and Ethnicity Complicate Russia's Recent Claim to a Sphere of Influence - Judith Latham, VOA: Paul Goble is director of research and publications at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy in Baku. He is an analyst and writer with expertise on Russia, Eurasia and public diplomacy. PHOTO: Paul Goble



RELATED ITEMS

New Army Doctrine Places Stability Operations Equal to Military Combat Power – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: Matt Armstrong: “While military operations may neutralize immediate 'kinetic' threats, enduring change comes from stabilizing the unstable and building capacity to self-govern where there is none. Security, humanitarian relief, governance, economic stabilization, and development are critical for ultimate democratization, but more importantly, for peace and security locally and globally. Without competent and comprehensive engagement in these areas of “soft power,” tactical “hard power” operations are simply a waste of time, money, and life. This week the U.S. Army released a new field manual, FM 3-07 Stability Operations, to adapt the military to these requirements of the modern age.”

Planet Obama: What would happen if the entire world could vote in our election? One guess - Mark Morford, San Francisco Chronicle, Common Dreams: Maybe Obama really does have something profoundly important, something rare and exceptional, to offer the world, and the world -- like the majority of us here at home -- recognizes a once-in-a-lifetime shot at enriching its destiny when it sees one.

McCain and Obama on Defense Issues: Butter Over Guns? - George C. Wilson, Counterpunch: America's financial peril has changed the political environment so much that either candidate should be able to kill, or at least stretch out, overcost super weapons that amount to the Pentagon's Bridge to Nowhere because they do not combat the here-and-now threats to America.

Can Korea Learn From Wall Street Folly? - Tom Coyner, Korea Times: "Recently over dinner, I was asked by a high profile foreign diplomat about what may be the next cause for anti-Americanism. After a moment's thought, I replied that we could see downtown Seoul streets again clogged with demonstrators, this time against America's financial recklessness that has led to the demise of the Korean economy. As an American and as member of the Korean marketplace, I really hope I'm wrong about that. But should I be so unfortunate as to be right, remember you read it here first."

17 Detainees: A federal judge overreached in an effort to free Chinese Uighurs from an unjustified legal limbo – Editorial, Washington Post: Everyone involved in the matter agrees that the United States has no rational justification for continuing to hold the Uighurs. Where there is stark disagreement is over whether a federal judge has the legal authority to order their release into the United States.

Uyghurs stuck in Guantanamo limbo - Ali Gharib, Asia Times

Suicide Bomber Kills 11 in Baquba - Juan Cole, Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion: The next National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq will likely say that the place is an ethnic and sectarian tinderbox that could explode at any moment.

U.S. tries tough love to reduce Iraq's dependence - Jim Michaels, USA TODAY: Anbar, a sprawling province the size of North Carolina, used to be one of Iraq's most deadly regions. Today, it is among the most peaceful. Markets are open and police are actively patrolling the streets in U.S.-issued Ford pickups.

U.S. report warns of crisis in Afghanistan – Mark Mazzetti and Eric Schmitt, International Herald Tribune: A draft report by American intelligence agencies concludes that Afghanistan is in a "downward spiral" and casts serious doubt on the ability of the Afghan government to stem the rise in the Taliban's influence there, according to American officials familiar with the document. The report, a nearly completed version of a National Intelligence Estimate, is set to be finished after the November elections and will be the most comprehensive American assessment in years on the situation in Afghanistan. Plastic-cans full of acid used for making explosive materials discovered by Afghan frontier police forces in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.

How to Win in Afghanistan: It's time to adjust the strategy - Christopher D. Kolenda, Weekly Standard: International security forces must concentrate on protecting the population. To that end, they must build allies among the people; reduce the friction associated with the presence of foreign forces; work with local leaders to promote security in villages and on roads; promote local solutions to local problems; crush the militants when they reveal themselves; and give people compelling reasons to support the government and the counterinsurgency.

US, Pakistan torn apart over terror - Tariq Mahmud Ashraf, Asia Times: Recent events in Pakistan have raised critical issues concerning the continuation of Pakistan's support for the United States-led "war on terror" in Afghanistan.

Russia At Home In U.S. 'Backyard' - Daisy Sindelar, RFE/RL: Moscow this week hosts officials from three Latin American countries, as part of its ongoing drive to improve ties with a geographic neighbor of the United States. One goal is profit. But another is provocation -- especially as Moscow's relations with Washington continue to sour.

Milk scandal sours China's 'soft power' - Willy Lam, Asia Times: China's formidable state machinery was able to stage the largest Olympics in history and to have a "Taikonaut" perform a 20-minute spacewalk last week. Yet the world-scale scandal emanating from contaminated milk products has exposed the worsening malaise in the country's political and administrative structure.

Condi Thrilled to Stand Behind Dick Cheney - Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog: I keep track of Condoleezza's hairdo so you don't have to: “And why does she [Rice] look kinda pissy? Don't forget, this is the treaty [with India] she was supposed to sign on Saturday but couldn't because George hadn't made it legal yet. So, basically, George stole her show and then made her stand by and watch. Klassy!” VIDEO: Condoleezza Rice tests drive a Tesla roadster.

End the US-Cuba embargo: It's a win-win: Normalizing ties would be smart policy and politics - Jennifer Gerz-Escandon, Christian Science Monitor: By ending the embargo, the US may learn that under the right circumstances, the soft power of diplomacy proves more effective in reshaping America's perception in Latin America than the hard power of economic isolation ever did.

Hasta la Vista, Baby - Roger Cohen, New York Times: The unhappy saga of U.S.-Spanish relations reflects bungled American foreign policy.

Profile: Jim Riswold: Ex-Wieden cd celebrates the absurd – Gregory Solman, Adweek: Having transformed himself from a notorious creative director to impious pop artist during a five-year battle with cancer, Riswold, 50, says he's gone from "a career of selling people things they don't need to making things that people don't want."

VIVA L’ITALIA

Italy’s plan - Financial Times: "Giulio Tremonti was almost gloating when he addressed the Italian Parliament on Thursday. He described the geography of the financial crisis with relish: the Northern earthquake, with its epicentre in Iceland, its problematic 'Continental dimension', the troubles in the UK, and the fear of a spill over into the Baltics and eastern Europe. As for Italy’s banks, the Treasury Minister said they were sheltered from the crisis because they were 'less advanced and sophisticated' than elsewhere. Back-handed praise, indeed. But Italy is a demonstration of the merits of doing nothing, a conservatism that has served its stay-at-home banks well. Although Italian bank stocks have collapsed, depositors have not rushed to withdraw their cash -- to the disappointment of the paparazzi waiting to photograph panic outside branches."

IMAGE



Pregnant Chinese women showed off colorful paintings on their bellies during a colored body drawing and beauty contest for pregnant women held in Haikou, south China's Hainan province. Fourteen pregnant women took part in the finals of the contest according to Xinhua. Peng Tong/Xinhua/AP

AMERICANA


“On last weekend’s rain-soaked Saturday, Groveland celebrated ... with a festival in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. President Lyndon Johnson signed the legislation on Oct. 2, 1968.”