November 19

“she’s unsure.”

--An adviser to Hillary Clinton

IMAGES BELOW FROM: Soviet Propaganda Posters – Andri Kyrychok, Looking Through The Lens: “In my college years in Quinsigamond College in Worcester, I studied and did a project on Soviet Cubism and the design elements of Soviet-era art/propaganda. I was always intrigued by the power of the block elements incorporated within the art. Here are some good examples I’ve come across over my time collecting them via the web.”

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Public diplomacy expectations: Complex across-the-board reform - Helle Dale – Washington Times: “The presidential election has done wonders for the U.S. image abroad. There is a danger here that public diplomacy becomes a kind of popularity contest, and that systematic efforts to reach out to foreign publics through the manifold channels of the U.S. government will not receive the sufficient attention under the new administration. Now, the fact that public diplomacy outreach to foreign audiences under the Bush administration was inadequate is a matter of consensus throughout the Washington foreign policy establishment. … What is specifically needed is a new U.S. Agency for Strategic Communication under the guidance of a director of strategic communications. Its director should have the confidence and trust of the president, though maybe not necessarily at cabinet level, and his responsibility would be to coordinate the informational activities of the entire U.S. government, including the vast resources currently commanded by the Pentagon. He would also be responsible for formulating a much-needed comprehensive new communications strategy that would address the activities of U.S. public affairs, public diplomacy, international broadcasting and military information operations.“

Restore the Voice - Murray Fromson, Huffington Post: “Barack Obama has the capacity to overcome the recent image of a global bully by restoring America's reputation as a peace-loving, progressive nation. But he faces far greater priorities during his first weeks and months in office as president than say the future of the Voice of America. An entire generation may well be perplexed by just what the VOA means. But the international buzz caused by President-elect Obama earlier in the month offers him an opportunity to revive what had been a valuable American resource for so many years. In short, the reputation of the Voice needs to be revived and treasured -- not squandered as it has been by the Bush Administration the past eight years.”

A look at State Department's FY09 budget - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: “Patrick F. Kennedy, Under Secretary for Management, discussed the State Department's FY09 budget request today. The budget request includes 450 new positions for training. … And there's public diplomacy. [Kennedy] ‘There's also been discussion about what is our outreach: are we doing enough in the public affairs and public diplomacy world. There are 39 positions in the budget to expand public diplomacy and educational and cultural exchanges, again, focusing on what the Secretary sees is major needs in the time ahead.’”

Can Facebook defeat terrorism? - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: “’The State Department is proud to play a role in highlighting the new wave of civil-society empowerment that is happening online,’” said James K. Glassman, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. 'What is so encouraging is that this effort is being led by public-spirited technology firms like Howcast and innovative educators like those at Columbia University.’”

Communicating with the public - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: “Sometimes understanding the difference between public diplomacy, public affairs and strategic communication can be challenging. This is especially true in the absence of accepted principles and practices. The result is confusion on the roles and responsibilities and misaligned titles.”

Perceptionmanagers.Org - "’Perception management’ - also known as ‘public diplomacy’ or ‘military support to public diplomacy’ - is a propaganda strategy for controlling how a target population views political events. Refined by intelligence services as they tried to manipulate foreign populations, the practice eventually seeped into domestic U.S. politics as a way to manipulate post Vietnam War era public opinion.”

Ripken Leaves Nicaragua after Travel Warning - Meg Jollett, ABC2 News, MD: “Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. had to make a change to his plans yesterday in Nicaragua. Ripken was scheduled to hold a baseball clinic for Nicaraguan youth in Leon, but had to cancel it because of violence in the area. … The State Department issued a travel warning for the country after the leftist Sandinista party supporters clashed on Sunday with opposition supporters over the November 9 elections. Two people were shot in the incident. Cal Ripken, Jr. is an American Public Diplomacy Envoy for the State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.”

lLinks: Cubs Sign Ryan Dempster - Charlie, Bucs Dugout: “Finally, in a story that my brother Sam found weird and emailed to me, Ken Griffey Jr. has been named an American Public Diplomacy Envoy. My initial response was, 'Envoy to what? The 1990s?' Apparently, though, it's fairly common for athletes to take this position. Other envoys include Michelle Kwan and Cal Ripken. Also Fran Drescher, who I can't imagine in a diplomatic role, but that's just me.”

"Lookit!" Says Condi, "We've Got a Charismatic Black Man, Too!" - Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog I keep track of Condoleezza's hairdo so you don't have to: PHOTO: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, right, introduces baseball star Ken Griffey Jr who has been named as America's newest public diplomacy envoy, Tuesday, Nov. 18,2008, at the State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Mobile Opportunities - Aaron Mannes, Theterrorwonk: “Mobile banking could ease the delivery of aid in disaster situations and be a boon to development programs in general. This is not to spark the debate over whether poverty causes terrorism, that link is tenuous. But poverty does contribute to instability that can create safe havens for terrorists and criminal cartels. Besides which, effective development and disaster relief policies are good public diplomacy as well as being morally just.”

Once again: if the BBC, why not the British Council? – The Language Business: “The contrast between the grilling of the BBC by the Culture, Media and Sport committee is in marked contrast to the simpering more tea, vicar treatment of the British Council by the Foreign Affairs Committee. While the former is concerned with investigating the BBC’s “range of commercial activities in the UK and abroad”, the latter, more airily concerned with public diplomacy, mainly skirts round the subject of commerce and the obvious dangers of a publicly funded organisation competing with genuine enterprise.”

Qureshi foresees a stable, prosperous Pakistan – Associated Press of Pakistan: “Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi … said that Monday’s session of Friends of Pakistan was a success because the participants were in realization of the significant role that the country was playing in the region. …The Foreign Minister said that the element of public diplomacy has also been included in the concept of PoF.”

Miss Colombia or Misunderstood - Felipe Estefan, Colombia Reports, Colombia: “Long live the Queen! Michelle Rouillard Estrada, Miss Cauca, has become the new Miss Colombia. … Granted, the pageant of the Universe, provides an interesting public diplomacy opportunity to promote the country in a positive light. But in Colombia, there is little concern for that.”

RELATED ITEMS

The Arab World Looks to a New America - Gerhard Spörl and Bernhard Zand, Spiegel International: The US has long been a model for many parts of the Arab world, but the Bush administration's foreign policy led to rifts. Now, the region has high hopes from America, but they aren't sure what to expect from President-elect Barack Obama.

Letter From America: Detainees' case a moral failure for U.S. -Richard Bernstein, International Herald Tribune: The 17 Uighurs in Guantánamo are human beings who even the government admits meant no harm to the United States and yet have been involuntarily "housed" for seven years at a place set up for dangerous terrorists.

End in sight: U.S.-Iraq agreement should be approved and withdrawal timetable followed – Editorial, Baltimore Sun

Clinton Said to Be Unsure About Cabinet Job - Raymond Hernandez and Michael Luo, New York Times

Two for the Price of Two - Maureen Dowd, New York Times: If Hillary gets to be the Mistress of Foggy Bottom, Bill’s guilt over his primary tirades, which hindered her chances of becoming president, would be alleviated.

A Force for Good -- but Not at State - David S. Broder, Washington Post: It may be moot and it certainly is presumptuous, but I would be less than honest with readers if I did not say what I believe: Making Hillary Rodham Clinton the secretary of state in Barack Obama's administration would be a mistake.

Secretary Clinton? Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton should get fair consideration, but Bill Clinton's role would have to change - Editorial, Washington Post

Will Secretary of State Be Enough for Hillary’s Army? - Tina Brown, Daily Beast: Secretary of State is a job that could offer Hillary a platform to complete the work she has always cared about most both before and during her time in the White House. She spent the two years of her presidential campaign proving she was an Iron Lady ready to be commander in chief at 3 a.m. But as Mark Penn has said, the 3 a.m. call turned out not to be national security after all, it was the economy. This augurs well for a soft power emphasis in the job of secretary of state.

Propaganda Puppet Mickey Mouse Turns 80 And He's Still the Political Nazi Figure - Michelle Duffy, DigitalJournal.com, Canada: Mickey Mouse is 80 this week -- there are very few entertainment figures in front of him -- Fats Domino springs to mind, yet those early days of Mr Mouse where dark. He was banned from Germany in WW2 and the Italians didn't think he was fascist enough.