February 12/13

"In democratic terms, the actions and the views of diplomats are only tenuously connected to those people whom they allegedly represent."

--Carne Ross, founder and director of Independent Diplomat, a diplomatic advisory group

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

It's time to scrap ambassadors and their embassies - Carne Ross, Europe’s World: “So-called (and ill-named) ‘public diplomacy’ has always been the poorer cousin of the self-regarding hard-core ‘real’ diplomats who do the important stuff like negotiate treaties and start wars. For some reason, diplomats and governments have believed that somehow the message about the role of governments can be separated in the public’s mind from what they actually do. The Bush administration’s pathetic public diplomacy efforts during its global war on terror illustrates the dangers of believing that you can separate a country’s public messaging from perceptions of its actual behaviour. … The internet brings with it the likelihood of an immediate chorus of voices to disprove overly extravagant claims or political hypocrisies. This means that governments will increasingly be judged by their actions and not by how they themselves describe them.” PHOTO: Carne Ross

FS Interviews - Digger, The Hegemonist: “This is the second in this series, in which I'm asking FSOs [Foreign Service Officer] two questions. 1. Please share your best FS story or greatest FS achievement. 2. What is the biggest foreign policy challenge the U.S. faces? This week I've asked blogger Digger over at Life After Jerusalem. Here's what she had to say: … I think our greatest foreign policy challenge is restoring America's position in the world. We have come to be thought of as arrogant, as a bully and occupier. America of course has to be strong in the world. We can't back down from our challenges or our responsibilities, and we can't sacrifice our security. But we can resume working more closely with our allies on issues in the world. We can do a better job of explaining our positions than 'you're either with us or against us.' And we can start that by restoring the State Department's position in the foreign affairs arena. We need to fully fund the Department, particularly the Public Diplomacy aspects of the Department.”

Three Reasons We Can’t Go Slow on a Public Diplomacy Chief – Steven R. Corman, COMOPS Journal: “I believe the election of President Obama was [a] game-changer. … The question is whether the disruption will last long enough that we can afford the go-slow approach to new PD initiatives he advocates. … Second, there are reasons other than rushing into new message campaigns to have an Under Secretary in place. … [Third,] [w]e are all looking for signs that things are going to change and that PD is going to get the priority it deserves. Unfortunately, all the signs are pointing in the opposite direction. So even putting the programmatic and organizational matters aside, there is an important issue of symbolic leadership here.” PHOTO: Professor Steven R. Corman

Still Wanted (?): An Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: “It makes no sense to de-emphasize or dis-empower State's 'R' Bureau (Public Diplomacy) … . Everybody at State must be educated, encourage, empowered, and equipped to engage in the modern global ‘now media’ information environment. … [I]t is obsolete to bifurcate Public Diplomacy from Public Affairs, especially when the Public Affairs function within 'R' is operationally out of the Under Secretary's control.” PHOTO: Matt Armstrong

Encouraging conversation, or leading the conversation? - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: “To retain its credibility, international broadcasting would encourage conversation without leading it. Public diplomacy, on the other hand, would want to ‘lead the conversation,’ otherwise, it might as well be international broadcasting.” PHOTO: Kim Andrew Elliott

Commentary: Don't let White House shakeup hurt our security - Frances Fragos Townsend, CNN: “[T]here must be a single person both responsible and accountable to the president who monitors threat information and who has the authority to marshal all instruments of national power (military, intelligence, law enforcement, economic, diplomatic and public diplomacy) to defeat the threat.”

Hillary Clinton loves roaming around ‘Foggy Bottom’ headquarters – ANI, SkyBlue.in:

“Clinton has outlined her general views on moving the department ahead in tough budgetary times. And she got a big round of laughter and applause when answering one question about using science as a tool for public diplomacy by saying she had spoken about the subject as a senator and in her recent campaign.”

After The Stimulus: It's Time for a New Foundation - Derek Shearer, Huffington Post: “An international commission headed by Nobel economists Joe Stiglitz of Columbia and Amatya Sen of Harvard is reviewing alternative economic indicators, and looking at how to devise better ways to assess quality of life--new measures of economic, social and environmental status. The report is due this April. President Obama could embrace the report by inviting Stiglitz and Sen to the White House to discuss their findings, An added benefit is that the commission was championed by French President Nicholas Sarkozy, so the meeting could also make for good public diplomacy.”

Russian Media: President Obama decided to use a "weapon" of public diplomacy – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner

Now the Cuban dissidents like Radio/TV Martí - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Buy American! - Hoboken Group: “To me, ‘Buy American’ needs to be framed as a very specific issue rather than an argument about the broader merits of or problems with ‘free trade’ versus ‘protectionism.’ …

[T]he argument that … 'Buy American' … will encourage a spiral of trade wars will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Economists and politicians who frame the issue in terms of this deeper danger, perversely enough, contribute to the risk of that outcome. It will be crucial for the U.S. to engage in smart public relations and public diplomacy to prevent this prophecy from being fulfilled.”

Media as Global Diplomat - Justine Fleischner, PCR Project, CSIS: “On Feb 3, USIP & Independent Television Services (ITVS) convened a meeting with U.S. public diplomacy innovators, strategic communications experts, and media professionals, to discuss ways film and media can be used to improve understanding between the U.S. and other countries. Relevant to the CSIS Commission on Smart Power recommendation that the U.S. needs to inspire and persuade, the issues covered ranged from Public Diplomacy 2.0, to a screening and discussion of the highly acclaimed animated documentary Waltz with Bashir.”

State Dept. ready to expand use of biometrics - Jason Miller,
FederalNewsRadio: “The State Department in late January began testing the use of digital certificates on Microsoft Word and Excel documents. … The pilot is starting with the Information Resources Management office and then could expand to the public diplomacy and diplomatic security offices. State eventually would implement it agencywide.“

UW-Madison explores partnerships with Iraqi university - John Lucas, University of Wisconsin-Madison University: "Brett Bruen, a 2002 UW-Madison graduate in international relations and political science, who now serves as a public diplomacy officer with the U.S. State Department, called the external relations office in the Division of International Studies to discuss the potential of collaboration with UW-Madison. Bruen is attached to the Salah ad Din Provincial Reconstruction Team, which is responsible for the Tikrit area. He has been tasked by Ambassador Ryan Crocker to encourage university partnerships for educational exchange, particularly with Tikrit University.”

Diplomacy, Development, and Defense – Rebecca, Perspectives on Public Diplomacy: “I recently went to one of the IDPSA [International Development Program Student Association]'s Friday Forums, in which they were discussing the future of Development aid in the Obama administration. Although much of their focus was on development, I would say that development leading toward security controlled a large part of the discussion. Toward the end, however, a gentleman stood up and proclaimed that development should not only be done to promote US security, but that there also should be development done for development's sake. As with many forums, such as this one, diplomacy was not addressed except when defining what the three D's were. This got me to thinking, along with the topic of the public diplomacy offices being moved off of the State Department's campus- how many people think that diplomacy should be done for diplomacy's sake? Also, does this seem like a realistic idea?”

Can the US get real on Pakistan? - Mosharraf Zaidi, The News, Pakistan: “Yesterday, the Obama administration announced the establishment of an inter-agency policy review of Afghanistan and Pakistan that should scare the living daylights out of Pakistanis.

Forget the content of this new policy review, and forget that it is being headed by ex-CIA man Bruce Riedel ... . The mortal fear in Pakistan, Afghanistan and India should be this: Riedel’s new review panel is the third major body that will be reviewing the American engagement in Afghanistan and Pakistan. … Riedel has said some important things in recent months. In particular, he has called for unstinting support for Pakistan’s democratic forces and for renewed public diplomacy.” PHOTO: Bruce Riedel

Of President Bush, McCain, and their machoism – M.S. Kiran: “Bush administration staunchly 'believes that friends abroad are won by using the mailed fist and the mailed fist alone. Allies are gained by instilling fear, not respect.

The Caligula theory of statecraft – ‘let them hate us as long as they fear u’ – is believed and applied. Engaging with Iran and Syria is branded naive, and public diplomacy is considered an idea nourished by the sissies.”

RELATED ITEMS

Hillary Clinton's climate-saving voyage: To help Obama win a Senate vote on emission caps, she needs to have China take action on global warming, too - Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor: Hillary Clinton chose Asia, particularly China, for her maiden voyage next week as secretary of State. While the most urgent issue is Beijing's help to end a global recession, Mrs. Clinton's more planet-saving goal is to enlist China to set curbs on its carbon emissions. Without that, President Obama may not be able to win enough Senate votes for a cap on US greenhouse gases.

Obama's Antiterror Progress: He embraces Bush policies on secrecy, rendition – Review&Outlook, Wall Street Journal


First Signs of Dissent From Pentagon: Who's Running Guantánamo? - Andy Worthington, CounterPunch: The conditions in Guantánamo have been met with a resolute silence from the Pentagon and the White House.

Iraq: Good News Is No News - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post: Despite Obama's opposition, America went on to create a small miracle in the heart of the Arab Middle East. President Obama is now the custodian of that miracle.

Out of Iraq? - Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com: Don't hold your breath waiting for Obama to make good on his pledge to end the war.

Obama’s Afghan Trap - Amy Goodman, Truthdig:
When it comes to the war in Iraq, the time for promises and assurances, for waiting and patience is over. Too many lives have been lost and too many billions have been spent for us to trust the president on another tried-and-failed policy.” That was Sen. Barack Obama in January 2007. With his Joint Chiefs now apparently gunning for more fighting and less talk in Afghanistan, President Obama needs to be reminded of his own words.

Anyone But Karzai? The Push for New Afghan Leadership Misses the Big Picture - Max Boot, Washington Post: As in Iraq, the solution in Afghanistan should come from sending reinforcements to implement a classic counterinsurgency strategy that focuses on protecting the people. Only when the security situation improves will Afghanistan's president, whoever that person is, be able to function with any degree of effectiveness.

Huffington Post: Afghanistan: Afghan Views and the Race Against Time - Brandon Friedman, Most Afghans want to like us. They want us to succeed in helping to bring non-extremist stability to their country. But they're only a few air strikes away from saying "Fuck it, we'll take our chances with the fundies. Get out."

Israel's broken politics - Editorial, Boston Globe: President Obama can best meet the true needs of Israelis and Palestinians if he perseveres with the peacemaking diplomacy he has pledged to pursue

Israeli duel: Prospects for peace depend on who gets the nod to form new government – Our View, Baltimore Sun: Israelis’ embrace of the political right will complicate the United States' efforts to restart meaningful peace talks with the Palestinians. Israelis have demonstrated their desire for security first.

How Israel's Anger Issues Hurt Us All - Joe Klein, Time: It will be much harder now for the U.S. to continue its unambiguous support if Israel's government prominently features a blatantly anti-Arab party. The ripples of Israeli intolerance will reverberate through the Middle East. It will make cooperation with Israel more difficult for moderate neighbors like Egypt and Jordan; it would make reconciliation with Israel impossible for Syria and Saudi Arabia.

Why Nurture Russia's Illusions? Excessive deference only strengthens Putin's hand - Matthew Kaminski, Wall Street Journal:

Ultimately it's up to the Russians to decide to be friends. One day, someone in the Kremlin will have to confront a hard choice: Does an isolated and dysfunctional Russia want to modernize and join up with the West, look toward China, or continue its slow decline? Until then, Mr. Obama better stock up on aspirin and dampen his and our expectations about Russia.

The Method Behind Russia’s Cuba Madness - Julia Ioffe, New Republic: So why is Russia -- the emerging economy hardest hit by the economic crisis -- lending a few hundred million dollars it probably won't get back to a country that can barely pay for its goods and with which it no longer shares an ideology? The reason, like the tactics, is old: sticking it to Uncle Sam.

The New Ostpolitik: America's German problem - Melana K. Zyla, Weekly Standard: Berlin's interests now diverge from Washington's on several key issues. The new administration's best chance to lead on issues of concern to Europe will therefore be to play Europeans off each other the way Moscow does, says Joerg Himmelreich, transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States.