April 26

“Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read."

--Groucho Marx; image from

“I doubt Winston Churchill ever said, ‘Whatever.’”

--Christopher Buckley

VOA Jazz Promoter Honored by US Congress - VOA News: "The United States Congress has proclaimed April 25 Willis Conover Day to honor a Voice of America broadcaster who spread American jazz music around the world during the Cold War.

The congressional resolution recognizes Conover and Voice of America for their 'joint contribution toward spreading the language of Jazz and American cultural diplomacy.' Conover called jazz 'the music of freedom.' He began broadcasting in 1955, at a time when many Eastern European countries banned the musical style as dangerous and subversive. But his shows were extremely popular and an estimated 100 million people heard his broadcasts." Image from

Why promoting democracy via the internet is often not a good idea - Evgeny Morozov, Foreign Policy: “[U]nfettered access to information is not enough to make people want democratic change … [T]here are many cyber-campaigns that authoritarian governments would actually like to encourage, particularly those that deal with identifying and punishing corrupt low-level officials. … I simply refuse to believe in the universality of this new human type of Homo Blogicus – the cosmopolitan and forward-looking blogger that regularly looks at us from the cover pages of the New York Times or the Guardian." Morozov image from article.

US-Saudi Relations in a World Without Equilibrium – Steve Clemons, The Washington Note: “On Monday, 27 April, I will be co-chairing a major national policy forum on US-Saudi economic and strategic perspectives on the Middle East and global economic and security system. … [Comment by Posted by Dan Kervick:] My guess is that the reason that there are no big-time supporters of Israel speaking at Steve's event is that, whether by accident or back-stage coordination, that event has now become part of a high-profile Saudi public diplomacy effort coinciding with a DC-Riyadh re-rollout of the Saudi peace plan. Perhaps most of Israel's serious supporters are uncomfortable being part of that sort of effort."

Mullen Cautions Iraq on Arab-Kurd Confrontations - Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service posted at - The Threat Report: War And Terrorism: [State Department Economic Officer] Lucy Tamlyn, the chief of the Regional Reconstruction Team … is in charge of development for the three provinces that make up the Kurdistan Regional Government – Erbil, Dahuk and Sulamaniyah.

Unlike the more well-known provincial reconstruction teams in the rest of Iraq and in Afghanistan, there are no U.S. servicemembers on the team, although they work with American servicemembers based in the region. The civilian workforce manages a large portfolio of projects aimed at improving life in the three provinces.'The Kurds like us and they don't want us to leave,' Tamlyn said. 'We're working with the Kurds on goals they have set including essential services, rule of law issues and developing the private sector.' The group also has a strong public diplomacy outreach effort." Image from

Turning the Page for Children of Kirkuk: 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs - Justin Naylor, Systems: "[A] program between the Iraqi ministry of education and U.S. State Department … began delivering 250,000 books to Iraqi schools throughout the Kirkuk province, Iraq, which began, April 16. … Over 900 schools in the Kirkuk province will be receiving books, said Sri Kulkarni, the chief of public diplomacy for Forward Operating Base Warrior's Provincial Reconstruction Team." Image from

Please look after our Turners, Mr Wen: The Government has pledged millions to underwrite an exhibition of the artist's work in Beijing - Brian Brady, Independent:

"The decision to send more than a hundred paintings by the English Romantic artist J M W Turner to be exhibited in Beijing – after the successful visit of the Terracotta Army to London – was a hugely symbolic move, part of a 'wider approach to building understanding between the two countries'. … The Foreign Office had to make an emergency request to the Treasury for permission to underwrite the near-priceless collection against loss or damage – and save an exhibition seen as 'a critical part of [Britain's] public diplomacy efforts' – when the Chinese made it clear they would not accept any financial responsibility for the paintings." Turner image from

Germany expands cultural diplomacy with new showcases - Vasilije Gallak, eYugoslavia.com: "Germany is to expand its cultural diplomacy abroad, reaching out to academics by building a series of missions to highlight German scientific and engineering achievements, officials said Thursday in Berlin. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said the offices were part of a push to invest more in cultural diplomacy. The first such House of Science has been opened in Sao Paolo, Brazil, and more are planned in Moscow, New Delhi and New York." Steinmeier image from

Cultural ministry to hold fair to show rich tradition of culture - The Nation: "Thailand could counterbalance its unsettled image by showcasing its rich tradition of culture and arts, starting with a fair to impress the diplomatic corps here, the Culture Ministry said yesterday. … The Cabinet should form a panel using cultural diplomacy to restore the country's reputation and rebuild foreigners' confidence with the collaboration of the Foreign, Tourism and Commerce ministries."

Unesco Puts World's Major Works Online - Eric Pfanner, New York Times: "About 1,250 books, maps, artworks and other cultural items that went on display online Tuesday in an international library supported by Unesco and the U.S. Library of Congress. The project, called the World Digital Library, aims to 'promote international and intercultural understanding,' said James H. Billington, the U.S. librarian of Congress, speaking as the Web site (http://www.wdl.org/) was introduced at Unesco headquarters in Paris." Image from

The costly "game” with Ha Long Bay: UNESCO ’s recognition not enough? - Bich Hanh, VietNamNet Bridge: "Objectively, any positive selection related to Ha Long Bay is a chance for Vietnam to engage in cultural diplomacy. The selection is a way for Ha Long Bay in particular and Vietnam in general to capture the world’s notice even if it doesn’t end up as one of the top seven natural wonders of the world. However, there are concerns."

Nicolas Sarkozy's Big Mouth: Neither Asset Nor Liability, It Is a Way of Life - Harold Hyman, Culturekiosque: "Harold Hyman is a Franco-American journalist, based in Paris, specializing in foreign affairs and cultural diplomacy. He works for BFM TV."

Islamic State of Iraq Brings Internet Propaganda to the Streets - Abdul Hameed Bakier: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 7 Issue: 10, Jamestown Foundation: "The Jihadi Media Support Battalion (JMSB), an internet-based jihadi propaganda group, has announced the launch of a new propaganda campaign entitled 'ISI: The Gate to Liberate Extorted Palestine.' The goal is to acquaint as many Muslims as possible with the so-called Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) and the Salafi-Jihadi creed (al-mohagr.com, March 13). The campaign has attracted many positive responses from jihadi forum members."

Mongolian people's republic - Justin Petrone, Eesti elu: "My research into Estonia's June communists has yielded some interesting results. The June communists were the armchair social revolutionaries and left-wing MPs drawn up by the Soviet legation in Tallinn in June 1940. … Most had some connection with Moscow. They were brought into its web of deceit and blackmail via Soviet cultural diplomacy programs. They had been invited to present their poetry for example, by their Soviet 'counterparts' in the USSR." Image: Estonia's Sandra Oxenryg.

ENJOY YOUR CRUISE

Italian cruise ship fires on Somali pirates - AP, USA today:

An Italian cruise ship with 1,500 people on board fended off a pirate attack far off the coast of Somalia when its Israeli private security forces exchanged fire with the bandits. Six men in a small, white Zodiac-type boat approached the Msc Melody Saturday and opened fire with automatic weapons, Msc Cruises director Domenico Pellegrino said. They retreated after the security officers returned fire and sprayed them with water hoses. The ship continued its journey with its windows darkened. Image from