February 10

"Did he say 'whom'?" he is asked.

"Don't hit him, replies Marlowe, there is such a word."

--Times Literary Supplement reader Nicholas Lezard, citing a passage from one of Raymond Chandler's novels; TLS, January 30, 2009, p. 6

Hillary Clinton’s Peace Corps Bid - Julia Ross, World Hum: “Hillary Clinton embarks on her first foreign trip as Secretary of State next Sunday, breaking with tradition by visiting Asia rather than Europe or the Middle East.

The Japanese are thrilled that they’re first on the itinerary, and the Chinese are eager to talk climate change, but it’s her stop in Jakarta that’s got me interested. The State Department confirms Clinton wants to discuss reestablishing the Peace Corps program in Indonesia, which shut down in the 1960s after only two years in operation. If Indonesia supports the idea, the move would certainly bolster President Obama’s strategy to improve U.S. relations with the Muslim world and would open another valuable avenue for person-to-person exchange. Clinton’s stop in Beijing will likely get the lion’s share of media attention next week, but I’ll be watching the Jakarta coverage to see if she scores a small victory for public diplomacy. “

Will Globalization End Traditional Diplomacy? - Joel Hainsfurther, Diplomatic Courier: “The problem with many public diplomacy initiatives is that they seek exclusively to eliminate anti-Americanism. They should also aim to make people around the world differentiate between the United States government’s policies and the American people. Foreign policy decisions made by a president will always anger somebody around the world. Public Diplomacy efforts should educate people around the world and teach them to differentiate between the United States and the American people; foreign policy decisions usually divide the American people, obviously they will continue to be perceived differently in different parts of the world.”

Repairing American Public Diplomacy in the Middle East - Cecile, The POMED Wire, Project on Middle East Democracy: “William A. Rugh has a good article at Arab Media and Society about improving America’s image in the Middle East. While the last few years have seen improvements, overall American public diplomacy is not being utilized to its full potential. Rugh advises a continuation of engagement with Arab media - President Obama’s interview on Al Arabiya is a step in the right direction. He also suggests reforming the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which is responsible for all U.S. government international broadcasting, arguing that it ‘has been an irresponsible steward of America’s broadcasting assets.’” SEE ALSO

Public diplomacy and "the policy, stupid” - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: “Public diplomacy may have an advisory function, but it will never have veto power over policy. There will be times when the United States must carry out actions that will be unpopular abroad. Public diplomacy is public relations. As such, public diplomacy must explain these policies and actions as best as it can, not expecting any miraculous recovery of America's popularity as a result, but at least ensuring that disinformation from other sources does not make the situation worse.”

On Deck - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: “On the sheer numbers, only 27,000 public communicators within the military? Check again, there are more like 3 million public communicators within the military. American public diplomacy does wear combat boots and the previous Administrators purposefully put the Pentagon, from Rumsfeld to uniformed officers, front and center in communicating to Americans. … re letting the Under Secretary position go empty. This is not the right time to let global engagement linger nor it is the right time to think a new entity will be authorized by Congress without a proven track record. Some seem to want the public diplomacy house to burn down, linger for a while, in the hopes something better will rise from the ashes. This 'Public Diplomacy as a Phoenix' approach doesn’t sit well with me.”

Why the NSC Structure Matters - and When it Does Not – zenpundit:

“Unless a president supports his NSC adviser down the line, the bureaucracies will do as they please to the point of making his administration’s top officials into laughingstocks. While you might not know it from the State Department’s current broken down condition, it was historically amongst the very worst offenders in this regard (though both the Pentagon and Langely [sic] could rise to the occasion), regularly abusing the interagency process and blatantly defying presidential instructions. Give Foggy Bottom strategic planning, USAID or Public Diplomacy and they will let these nascent ‘competitors’ wither on the vine.”

VOA as described by the president of RFE/RL - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: “US international broadcasting is, unfortunately, still dysfunctional. Its entities have overlapping content, and they compete among themselves for budget, frequencies, transmitters, talent, scoops, and audience.”

Social Media’s impact on Public Diplomacy - Jordan Wait, NAFSA Blog:

“In an interesting article written by the Politico’s Victoria Esser on the use of social media in advancing U.S. public diplomacy, Esser explores the question of whether or not President Obama should use the same 'technologies that helped him generate huge grass-roots support in his presidential campaign to build support for America on the world stage.' Although not mentioned in her article, the State Department has already made its own foray into 'public diplomacy 2.0' with the launch of its own social networking site, ExchangesConnect, and its blog, Dipnote.”

Call for greater online cultural dialogue - Roland Hughes, The National: “Governments should support online networking websites to encourage greater communication between the West and the Islamic world, a report says. The document, Digital Diplomacy: Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds, was produced by the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, a New York-based think-tank. … It concludes: ‘The internet and virtual worlds can and should be used for outreach efforts to the Middle East and beyond. A global village requires digital diplomacy.’ … The co-author of the report, Rita King [writes that] … ‘[j]ust as the Obama campaign engaged community movements, government must understand that foreign policy, public diplomacy and strategic communication are no longer determined solely by engagement with traditional elites in the ‘physical’ world.’”

Once Upon a Time in North Ossetia - Joshua S. Fouts, DIP's Dispatches from the Imagination Age: “Almost a year ago, at the launch of our Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project, we encountered two avatars while checking out the virtual hajj in the virtual world of Second Life. One avatar, whose name was ‘Ingush’ identified himself as a person living in North Ossetia. … I have never been to the North Ossetia region and I will likely never know what it means to live in an area so rife with conflict and ethnic tensions. Second Life is but a mask against such realities. So it came as some surprise … to receive the following headline from the ubiquitous Len Baldyga, purveyor of fine emails about public diplomacy from the Window on Eurasia blog: ‘Bush Administration Sought to Destabilize North Caucasus in Revenge for Georgia, Ingush Leader Says.’ Suddenly, ‘Ingush’ meant something more to me. Something personal.”

American University and People Diplomacy - Diana, Perspectives on Public Diplomacy: “I was browsing CNN, and recently came across an article that featured an American University Professor who has taken a year of sabbatical to explore Muslim identity in the US. … I was pleasantly surprised to read that she was surprised by the treatment (or lack of) in small town Arab, Alabama. Our class has been talking a lot about public diplomacy lately, and I think that maybe discussions such as this might be helpful. I think that what this professor is doing is good work, and maybe should be shown to other countries outside the US.”

Arts Funding Hangs By a Thread in Stimulus Package
- Johanna Neuman, Hollywood on the Potomac: “Former NEA Chairman Bill Ivey, who headed Obama’s transition team on arts spending, is doing some public diplomacy – reminding lawmakers that funding the arts is not pork but will actually stimulate the economy. He told The Boston Globe he was troubled by comments suggesting ‘that an arts worker is not a real worker, and that a carpenter who pounds nails framing a set for an opera company is a less real carpenter than one who pounds nails framing a house.’ The biggest hope for arts funding in fact may lie in the White House, where Obama, an author and fan of poetry and music, has talked about naming a special assistant for the arts. Maybe that’s why at the Kennedy Center Friday night, one photographer compared the Obamas’ reception to the kind of ecstatic welcome once reserved for the Beatles.”

Strategic Communication Laboratories – posted by joe, 911Blogger.com: “In a world where the perception is the reality, all countries need to have the capability to manage their own perceptual alignment – otherwise someone else will. … An Opcentre is a command facility for strategic communications. In this always-ready environment researchers can identify target audiences using highly advanced statistical models, strategists can orchestrate campaigns using the most effective scientific methods and media producers have access to innovative production techniques. … The Opcentre is a formidable tool for Homeland Security, Conflict Reduction, International Public Diplomacy and un-mediated Government communications. What can the OpCentre do? … * Produce powerful public diplomacy campaigns for political, economic, military issues. … Strategic Communication Laboratories (SCL) is the world’s first provider of strategic communication solutions that can change minds, reduce casualties and manage major incidents.”

Greek Foreign Minister on Images of Nations - Greek News Agenda: “Foreign Μinister Dora Bakoyannis outlined the factors that impact a country's international image, in an opening address to a two-day 'Greek Politics Specialist Group' (GPSG) international conference in Athens on the theme 'Images of Nations: Strategic Communication, Soft Power and the Media' . …

The issues under examination at the conference, which is under the aegis of the foreign ministry, include: Internet as a tool of public diplomacy and foreign policy; soft power as a part of the high-level strategy of states, and the institutional dimensions of shaping policies regarding a state’s image.” PHOTO: Foreign Μinister Dora Bakoyannis

Turning victory in Arab streets into victory in diplomacy - Emre Uslu & Önder Aytaç, Today’s Zaman: “To restore its relations with Israel, Turkey merely needs some time and public diplomacy to convince Israelis that Turkey is their only friend in the region.”

Embassy holds `New Zealand Week' - David Stone-Resneck, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta:

“New Zealand Week, a series of festivities aimed at increasing Indonesian public awareness about New Zealand, began Monday with a range of events to continue through Wednesday. … New Zealand Embassy second secretary for political affairs, James Waite, said the purpose of the event was to raise the county's profile among Indonesian students. "It's a good public diplomacy opportunity for us to raise New Zealand's profile on the PUI [Pacivis University of Indonesia] campus," Waite said.

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