February 3

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"I am so grateful to him for a lifetime of [pause] all kinds of experiences -- which have given me an extraordinary richness that I am absolutely beholden to and grateful for."

--Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, regarding her husband Bill

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Clinton Sworn in as Secretary of State – Glenn Kessler, Washington Post: “Clinton will begin her first day of public diplomacy Tuesday when she meets separately with the foreign ministers of Great Britain and Germany. … Clinton also must decide when and where she will make her first trip, a symbolically important mission.”

Hillary's public diplomacy - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: “Would Secretary Clinton want to cede reponsibility for public diplomacy by re-creating the 'independent' USIA, over which she would have limited (nominally, no) control?” PHOTO: Former USIA building in downtown Washington, D.C.

Mistakes Repeated - The Federalist, FreeMediaOnline.org & Free Media Online Blog: “Early indications are that Mrs. Clinton may be leaning toward Judith McHale, a longtime Clinton supporter, Democratic campaign contributor and senior executive with Discovery Communications. Regardless of who fills this post, it should be understood from the outset that public diplomacy should not be equated with a marketing or advertising campaign. … It seems that US government has an almost Pavlov-like reaction to public diplomacy that sees the task in a marketing or advertising environment. Taking is approach does not get to the substance of the core issue at hand and will leave us with less than sterling results. The best piece of advice for the Obama administration’s public diplomacy initiative is to see the world as it is, rather than as we wish it to be. Public diplomacy should be seen as a facilitator of positive outcomes rather than a shill in a marketing ploy. We must have a new vision that breaks our own cycle of mistakes repeated.”

Be Careful What You Ask For - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: “I was one of the people who attended the Smith-Mundt Symposium [on the Smith-Mundt Act, see] that Matt Armstrong ably organized in Washington, DC on January 13, 2009. ...

If … Smith-Mundt is abolished – and this would take Congressional action if I’ve got it right - it would likely produce any number of unintended and un-bargained for consequences that could further weaken the already anemic public diplomacy efforts of the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors. I, therefore, come down on the Smith-Mundt Act tweaking side – but I’m also persuaded that if this were to happen, it needs to be undertaken with fear, trepidation, sufficient trade-offs and lots of care so that the lid remains on the rest of this Pandora’s box.” SEE ALSO. PHOTO: Karl Mundt.

Understanding Islam, Digitally: Rita King And Josh Fouts's "Understanding Islam Through Virtual Worlds" - Paul D. Kretkowski, Beacon: "Comes word from Joshua Fouts at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs that he and fellow fellow Rita J. King have some long-awaited work products from their 'Understanding Islam Through Virtual Worlds' project. … On a global scale, almost no one is on the Internet--barely one person in six, if you believe Wikipedia. There are especially few online in the Muslim world, and those tend to be disproportionately wealthy and well-educated. … But then I remember that Cold War public diplomacy was not just focused on radio and other mass media as tools to reach foreign publics; there were also the U.S. cultural centers, touring jazz bands, speaking tours by prominent Americans and so on, all of which were almost unavoidably aimed at wealthy elites in other countries. Seen through that light, virtual projects like ‘Understanding Islam...’ should get serious examination by policy-makers as an additional arrow in the PD quiver.” Comment by a reader: “Ha[ve] Ms. Eureka Dejavu (& Mr. Schmillson Nillson) … created a saccharine doppleganger of Islam, cleansed of its crippling medievalisms and self indulgent tribal smallnesses?”

The “Saccharine Doppelganger” Critique - Joshua S. Fouts, DIP's Dispatches from the Imagination Age: “Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds took place in the virtual world of Second Life. Virtual Worlds are 3D, immersive spaces accessible via Internet-connected computers and are typically not games (that is, people who interact in them are not assigned tasks or roles). This is a medium in which absolutely no physical violence is possible. … The whole point of the Understanding Islam through Virtual Worlds project is to explore what is going on in virtual worlds. We had many tense discussions with Muslims and non-Muslims alike in virtual space around issues such as Islamic Law and Rape, perceptions about the evolution of the Muslim Brotherhood, free speech, women's issues, the conflict in Gaza and the war in Iraq. Many Muslims are fed up with violence and virtual worlds offer a new opportunity, especially for people who live within oppressive regimes, to reach out and discuss these issues and even begin to seek creative solutions.” SEE ALSO; IMAGE FROM

Arab Media on Arab Media – Kathy, Perspectives on Public Diplomacy - “Ideological propaganda may face greater challenges from Public Diplomacy initiatives supported by New Media, but the United States should not be considered the sole combatant of all things radical, nor the sole provider of all things objective.”

Douglas Feith: "One of big deficiencies in our strategy on our war on terrorism remains a serious effort to counter Islamist ideology" – Jihad Watch: Douglas Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from July 2001 until August 2005: “[E]very time anyone suggested creating an office to really deal with jihadist ideology in a systematic or strategic way at the Pentagon, people would say, oh, no, we are not going to have another Office of Strategic Influence problem.

And that meant the Pentagon couldn't do it, and the Pentagon was the place that kept recognizing the importance of the ideological struggle. The State Department, which was the logical place to do it, for its own institutional and cultural reasons wasn't inclined to fight the battle that way, and they tended to think that all we needed was a public diplomacy campaign. Uh, and that's why you got all these brochures that were famous about rebranding America and showing how America treats its Muslims very nicely and ...which is a fine thing to do but it is far short of an ideological campaign against jihadist extremism. And so anyway, I would say that one of big deficiencies in our strategy on our war on terrorism remains a serious effort to counter Islamist ideology. ...” PHOTO: Douglas Feith

“Media as Global Diplomat” Summit - Join a Webcast and Chat - Ivan Sigal, Global Voices:

“An event on Tuesday morning in Washington D.C. (Tuesday evening Asia time) called Media as Global Diplomat, organized by the U.S. Institute of Peace and ITVS, will explore ‘how the United States can best use media to reinvigorate its public diplomacy strategy and international influence in order to strengthen efforts to build a more peaceful world [‘].” SEE ALSO (1)(2)

Media as Global Diplomat: Join a live webcast & chat on Feb 3 - Georgia Popplewell, Caribbean Free Radio: “The year before I left Trinidad for university in the USA, I spent hours on end at the United States Information Service (now called the Public Affairs Section) library on Marli Street, boning up on Dreiser and Faulkner, Updike and Bellow, Welles and Cassavetes, filling in the gaps left by a British post-colonial education and attempting to add a veneer of sophistication to an experience of US popular culture cobbled together from a couple of local television channels and visits to the cinemas of Port of Spain, plus the odd visit to the country itself. In using the services of the USIS, I was engaging with one aspect of US public diplomacy, the means by which the US as a nation ‘seeks to promote [its] national interest. . . through understanding, informing and influencing foreign audiences.’”

Another public diplomacy discussion in Washington - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: “The event [Media as Global Diplomat], at the Newseum in Washington, is sold out, so the webcast will be the way to see it. I won't be there. It makes me too uncomfortable to hear people subsume the journalistic profession of international broadcasting under the persuasive profession of public diplomacy. Also, I didn't know anything about it until I stumbled on this item in Global Voices.”

New Rules - Iris And David, We’re Just Sayin: “Over the weekend I was at a Public Diplomacy retreat where the goal was to find a way to for the government to actually implement a public diplomacy operation. It was kind of a lions and tigers and bears event on two levels. First of all, it was at White Oaks, the Howard Gilman retreat where they actually have cheetahs and zebras and antelopes (and a few tigers).

… Public diplomacy is not public relations—although there is an element of the latter in the former. Long and complex definition short and for our purposes --It is people to people diplomacy with the goal being to meet American foreign policy goals or improve relations with the rest of the world. … It is unclear what will come of our efforts but something surely needs to be done to repair our relationships around the world both in and out of government. I think that part of the problem is that the diplomats who have the power in the State Department put a greater value on political diplomacy than on public diplomacy and that now they are having a crisis in judgment, capability and credibility because what they have learned over the last eight years is that public diplomacy is certainly of equal value if not even more valuable.”

good feelings and the Olympics - Angilee Shah, in need of a tagline: “At a University of Southern California conference on Friday, scholars gave more academic perspectives on China's Olympics. … Last week's conference, hosted by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, the Center for International Studies and the US-China Institute, was filled with interesting food for thought. …[I]t's still difficult to figure out if the Beijing Olympics gave China any significant leg up, if it was, as the conference asked, a ‘Public Diplomacy Triumph or Public Relations Spectacle?’"

Liberations: effective public diplomacy? - Felipe Estefan, Colombia Reports, Colombia: “The return to freedom of three policemen, one military official, and two political personalities, is a reason for celebration. Colombians must rejoice every time fellow citizens are granted back the basic right to freedom. … While FARC may consider that these unilateral liberations are effective public diplomacy strategies to change the perception in Colombia and around the world about them and their actions, the change in public opinion can only be inspired from a consistent and genuine commitment to peace, social justice, and the respect of human rights. Such a commitment is yet to be seen.”

Pakistan’s Swat Valley: Lest We Forget - Nissim Dahan, Mideast Youth: “I, for one, happen to believe that there is a great deal we could do, short of violence, to weaken the hold of extremist thinking. … I believe in sustaining the hope with public diplomacy.”

The Kremlin’s Channel – Ted Lipien, FreeMediaOnline.org:

“As the Kremlin’s channel, Russia Today has every right to practice its old-new style of public diplomacy as it pleases. But it will appear more like old-fashioned propaganda than new fashioned public diplomacy if it adopts a strident anti-U.S. tone.”

Global Perspective on Public Diplomacy – Nina Keim blog: "My 'Global Perspective on Public Diplomacy' course enters the Web 2.0 and discusses public diplomacy issues in the course blog. Every week I will post at least one article. My first blog contribution is 'A New Era of Transatlantic Relations' dealing with the potential Barack Obama has to improve the transatlantic cooperation."

Fraternity chapter honored at workshop – ASU [Angelo State University] briefs, San Angelo Standard Times, tx: “David J. Firestein, a senior diplomatic adviser with the U.S. Department of State, will be the featured speaker for the Foreign Affairs Speakers Program Feb. 9 and 10. Firestein is on leave from the State Department to work for the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a presidential panel charged with assessing the effectiveness of the U.S. government's public diplomacy programs and operations. … Firestein's presentation, 'Tough Questions About United States Public Diplomacy,' will be Monday, Feb. 9.” PHOTO: David Firestein

Policy adviser to discuss federal job opportunities - Pete Rosenbery, The Southern, IL: “A U.S. Department of Homeland Security policy adviser will visit Southern Illinois University Carbondale later this month to discuss career opportunities in the federal government. George Selim is a policy adviser in Homeland Security’s Office for Civil Rights & Civil Liberties. … In his current job, Selim … works with federal agencies to develop and strengthen the federal government’s civic engagement, public outreach and public diplomacy initiatives.”

RELATED ITEMS

Why China Fears Obama: The danger of an attractive America - John Lee, International Herald Tribune: But unlike Bush, Beijing believes that Obama better understands the facets of American power and influence - hard power versus soft and "smart" power, coercion versus legitimacy, inducements versus persuasion, and the power of example. Beijing is wary of attractive presidents who may replenish the reserves of U.S. leadership and influence in the world.

The Gaza war continues – on the Internet: The shooting has died down in Gaza but the war continues - this time on the worldwide web, as Israel mobilises a corps of volunteer bloggers to counter the flood of anti-Israel commentary touched off by the war - Abraham Rabinovich, Russia Today

Israeli propaganda -- caricature - realistic bird, Silver Lining

Will the US adjust life at Guantánamo for detainees? More access by Red Cross workers is likely, but legal analysts are split on whether the prison camp will be less punitive after an Obama-ordered review - Warren Richey, Christian Science Monitor

Congress's Phony War on Torture: Why not ban waterboarding once and for all? William McGurn, Wall Street Journal: In our day, senators and congressmen call for inquisitions of people who operate within a vague torture statute that Congress could easily clarify if it wanted.


Quiet Victory in Iraq – Editors, National Review: The United States must continue to provide the basis of security in Iraq, even if there has been extraordinary progress in the country.

Iraq Is Obama's Mideast Pillar: As an Arab democracy, it's a model for what we would like the rest of the Arab world to become – Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal

Iraq’s Victory, Iran’s Loss - John R. Bolton, New York Times: IRAQ’S peaceful elections and strong voter turnout last weekend were a major success for both that country and the United States -- not that there was much celebration in American news coverage.

Iraq Voted. Did Democracy Win? – New York Times: Iraqis went to the polls for the fourth time on Saturday, with elections in 14 of the country’s 18 provinces. The Op-Ed page asked three Iraqi bloggers for their impressions of the day.

Bush's War Totals - John Tirman, Nation: Looking at the empirical evidence of Bush's war legacy will put his claims of victory in perspective. Of course, even by his standards--"stability"--the jury is out. Most independent analysts would say it's too soon to judge the political outcome

Sunnis I-Rock the Vote: For the first time, all Iraq’s sects participated in a post-Saddam election - Pete Hegseth, National Review: This election is more than just the fourth election to occur in Iraq; it is the purest form of democracy Iraq, or the Arab Middle East, has ever seen.

George Mitchell's Pointless Trip - Leslie H. Gelb, Daily Beast:

America’s main diplomatic track must be to do in the Holy Land what the British and the Americans did in Northern Ireland—to strengthen the hand of peace groups such as women’s groups and businesses.

The Second Kosovo War: Ground zero in the fight against Wahhabism - Stephen Schwartz, Weekly Standard: While Britain is the frontline state against radical Islam in Western Europe, Kosovo is now the crucial battlefield in the Balkans. Both countries are friends of the United States, and our new administration should demonstrate the fresh approach to Islam announced by President Obama, by clearly siding with Muslim moderates under siege in Kosovo.

Iran's waiting game for Obama: First, the US must deal with Europe to begin talks. But how impatient is it for quick results? -Monitor's Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor: Speedy but effective diplomacy that doesn't let Iran buy time and lures it into being a responsible regional player must be Obama's strategy. Otherwise, the dominant US role in the Middle East will diminish and the region will face a nuclear arms race.

Prepare for North Korean instability: Kim Jong Il's uncertain health and longevity make it vital for the U.S. to plan ahead with its Asian allies and China - Paul B. Stares, Los Angeles Times

The Looming Crisis at the Pentagon: How Taxpayers Finance Fantasy Wars - Chalmers Johnson, TomDispatch: Until we decide (or are forced) to dismantle our empire, sell off most of our 761 military bases (according to official statistics for fiscal year 2008) in other people's countries, and bring our military expenditures into line with those of the rest of the world, we are destined to go bankrupt in the name of national defense.

Actress Pia Glenn's sultry lap dance - and red panties - steal Bush-spoof show - Joanna Molloy And Meredith Kolodner, Daily News:

Will Ferrell's spoof of former President George Bush may be the hottest ticket in town, but it's a lap-dancing Condoleezza Rice -- and her red panties -- that steal the show. The Broadway play features 90 minutes of hilarious presidential flubs and flashbacks -- and a five-minute skit that shows Bush fantasizing about an X-rated relationship with Rice, his secretary of state. PHOTO (top): Xanthos/News: Actress Pia Glenn, who plays Condoleezza Rice, leaving after the 3:00 showing of the Broadway show "You're Welcome America: A Final Night With George W. Bush." PHOTO (left) from

Behind every Nazi mass murderer was a woman: New book claims women under Hitler were just as ruthless as men - Alan Hall, Daily Mail, UK: In Nazi art, films and magazines, women were always portrayed as the fairer sex, fighting on the home-front as their menfolk fought on the battlefields. But the book, Female Perpetrators; Women Under National Socialism, which goes on sale in Germany this week, shows this was all propaganda and that women who worked under Hitler were just as brutal as men.

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"We will disseminate North Korean 5,000-won notes together with anti-Pyongyang leaflets around February 16, the birthday of (North Korean) Chairman Kim Jong Il."

--Choi Sung Yong, leader of a union of South Koreans who claim to be relatives of people kidnapped by Pyongyang; cited in "Propaganda leaflets to carry money," UPI


PHOTO: Kim Jong-Nam, North Korean strongman Kim Jong Il's 37-year-old son with his father's first mistress, Song Hye-rim, insisted that his father was healthy and able to rule North Korea Photo: AP

"I don't think there's anyone in Russia who doesn't know what a drunk person looks like."

-- Moscow-New York flight passenger Katya Kushner, regarding the in-plane behavior of Aeroflot pilot Alexander Cheplevsky, now currently being treated, according to his airline, for an unspecified medical condition