April 4

“The first thing to say is that we're really sorry.”

--BBC, regarding “teething problems” with its new website; image from

“This up-front approach to the problem is good customer service.”

Kim Andrew Elliott, international broadcasting expert, regarding the above BBC apology

“If You Blog, Is It Better to Be Blonde?"

--Headline in a Huffington Post article by Michael Wolff

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Turkish Hopes High for Obama's Visit - Utku Cakirozer, Washington Post: "Obama's presidency has put many Turks on edge,


especially those in government; there's a general sense in Ankara that the more security-oriented U.S. Republican party appreciates Turkey's importance more than the Democrats do. But Obama's visit seems poised to dismiss that cliché; his pragmatism in international diplomacy, including public diplomacy, will put an early mark on his presidency as well as his administration's foreign policy." Image from

Obama well placed to win hearts in Turkey - AFP: "US President Barack Obama, due in Turkey next week, is poised not only to boost bilateral ties but also make gains on the front of public diplomacy in this mainly Muslim country, where his predecessor left the US image in tatters. Obama, who will be visiting Turkey on Monday and Tuesday, has already made headway in winning over Turkish hearts since his election in January." Image from

Talking to Turkey, but Islam is listening: When President Obama speaks in Ankara, he can send a crucial message to Muslims - Jack Miles, Los Angeles Times: "When President Obama addresses the Turkish parliament on Monday, he will have the chance to fulfill a campaign promise. Before the secular legislature of a Muslim-majority country -- and with the entire Muslim ummahummah listening -- he can state plainly that the United States is not at war with Islam."

Turkish Americans Await President Obama's Turkey Visit with Anticipation and Hope - PRNewswire-USNewswire, posted at American Times on Line:

"President Barack Obama's visit to Turkey at the end of this week has been hailed 'historic' by many observers of US-Turkish relations. The Turkish Coalition of America has expressed its strong support for the visit and optimism for the future of US-Turkish relations. 'Turkish Americans and friends of Turkey are very excited about the President's visit to Turkey and hope that it will be the beginning of a new era,' said Lincoln McCurdy, President of the Turkish Coalition of America. 'We are particularly happy to see emphasis on public diplomacy and expanding civic contributions to this relationship. The Turkish American community is already making significant contributions to US-Turkish relations by strengthening educational, cultural, civic, philanthropic, business and scientific exchanges between the United States and Turkey. The President's visit will certainly re-energize these efforts.'" Image from

Mr. Obama and Turkey - Editorial, New York Times: "The Bush administration’s disastrous war in Iraq fanned a destructive anti-Americanism in Turkey. Mr. Obama’s visit is likely to soothe hostile feelings. But he must go beyond that to secure a relationship with an important ally and an important democracy in danger of backsliding."

Obama In Europe--Substance Or Show? – History Geek, Get a Grip!: “President Obama's public diplomacy … is what he is best at as last year's campaign demonstrated. He can work a crowd rhetorically with an uncanny skill. The halo effect may extend past the moment and the personality to include new American foreign policy initiatives. … American observers may … applaud Obama for his having delivered a message of 'tough love' at the Strasbourg 'Town Meeting.' … These remarks were public diplomacy at its best. Not simply mouthing an apology for past 'bad' American behavior. … If a year or so down the line, Medvedev and Obama meet, greet and sign a treaty reducing nuclear charges on each side to a number approaching that of a finite deterrent, there will be ample time and reason to applaud. To cheer. For, when--and if--that were to occur, there will have been at least one genuine, positive outcome from the Big Traveling Show in Europe.”

Fail: Mexico. Really though? – Rebecca, Perspectives on Public Diplomacy: “It seems as though it's not only Europe that's getting a different tone from the new administration! Some of you may have paid a bit of attention to Secretary Clinton's recent visit to Mexico. She first appealed to Mexican viewers by stating that the Obama administration had never referred to Mexico as a failed state. As we all know, this has been a big public diplomacy nightmare for the Mexican government (which really only ranks 105 out of 177 on the failed state index). Additionally, Secretary Clinton then went on to surprise us all by admitting that the US may play a role in the current situation Mexico is facing.”

Reassessing Foreign Assistance to Pakistan - Lawrence J. Korb, Real Clear World: "Specifically, the United States should [inter alia]: … [f]ully fund the personnel shortfalls in the State Department and USAID. As of 2008, the State Department had a personnel shortfall of about 2,400 relating to enduring core diplomatic work, emerging policy challenges, public diplomacy, and critical training needs." Image from

Naharnet interviews US Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Sison – posted by al, Ex Oriente Lux?: "Naharnet posted an interview conducted recently with US Ambassador to Lebanon Michelle Sison. During the course of the interview Sison said that she will be giving more interviews than in the past, perhaps this reflects a broader shift in US policy towards a larger emphasis on public diplomacy." Image from

US Senator Bond: Need more than "Lip-Service" from NATO, Allies in Afghanistan - ISRIA: "U.S. Senator Kit Bond, Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today kicked-off the Congressional Newsmaker Series at the U.S. Institute of Peace with a discussion on the way forward in Afghanistan and Pakistan. … [From] Senator Bond's Speech Before the United States Institute of Peace … : ‘During my December trip to Afghanistan I learned that 95 percent of the Public Diplomacy efforts the US Embassy is executing there are funded privately! This is ridiculous!’”

NATO Secretary General outlines future NATO at Youth Summit - NATO Latest News - "NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer engaged today in an open debate with young people from almost 60 nations about 'NATO in 2020: What Lies Ahead.' This fourth Youth Summit is held on the occasion of the NATO Summit meeting in Strasbourg/Kehl from 2-3 April and is organised by NATO's Public Diplomacy Division, the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA), the Office Franco-Allemand Pour La Jeunesse, France3 Alsace, and the Ecole National d'Administration (ENA)." See also. See also

An up-close-and-personal account of the war - Ian Elliot, The Kingston Whig-Standard: "A Kingston native has a front-row seat to the reconstruction of Afghanistan, from its schools and roads to the national government itself. Megan Minnion, who grew up in Kingston… was a member of the electronic warfare reserve squadron … is now a political adviser to NATO's senior civilian representative in Kabul. … Minnion has been with NATO since 2002, working as a public diplomacy specialist then later as an information officer for Canada."

Greek Secretary of state on Images of Lands - wallacestoneca: "Secretary of state Dora Bakoyannis sketched the factors that impact a commonwealth's international image, addressing a two-day Greek Politics Specialiser Grouping (GPSG) international conference in Athinai on the topic 'Images of Nations: Strategic Communication, Soft Power and the Media,' which analyzes images of lands in an internationalised environment with the revolve around possibilities and prospects for Greece. … The issues under scrutiny at the conference, which is under the protection of the foreign ministry, include: Cyberspace as a tool of public diplomacy and foreign policy; soft powerfulness as a portion of the high-ranking scheme of provinces, and the institutional dimensions of determining policies considering a province 's image.”

David Miliband on the success of the London Summit – and the challenges ahead (03/04/2009) – The London Summit Latest News: "The Foreign Secretary said the G20 had breathed new life into multilateralism at a time when the G8 had not been sufficiently representative or powerful. 'It will prove its worth through events such as the London Summit – and the follow-through.'


Mr Miliband was asked about the campaign of public diplomacy led by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office ahead of the London Summit. The Foreign Secretary said the fact that more than 400,000 people had looked at this website for information and debate was very exciting. 'You can’t solve global problems by government alone – you need to engage citizens and businesses… There is now a global conversation.'" Image from

One on One: A penny for his thoughts - Ruthie Blum Leibowitz, Jerusalem Post:

“[T]he Israel Project [is] a nonprofit public-diplomacy outfit that explains Israel's case to the international media.” Image from

Kyrgyz exhibition links tourists, artists to Great Silk Road - Times of Central Asia – (per Google re the by-subscription-only article): “The exhibition was not held at the expense of the state, but was held thanks to ‘public diplomacy’; that is, due to the voluntary desire of creative people ... “

The Kennedy Serve America Act: A New Boost for Service - David L. Caprara, Brookings: Congress recently passed the 'Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act,' which will expand the number of AmeriCorps slots from 75,000 to 250,000 by 2017, and increase volunteer opportunities at home and abroad…. [I]nternational service opportunities can broaden America’s public diplomacy efforts." Image from

Armed Conflict, Public Health, & Twitter - Christopher Albon, War and Health: “If blogs post are the ‘conference papers’ of the internet, then Twitter is the small-talk between sessions. Currently, a growing community of security, international relations, and global health scholars and researchers use Twitter to share and debate ideas. … [among twitters is] Matt Armstrong - A leading expert on public diplomacy, Matt writes at MountainRunner."

Essays for exam #2 - Greg Downey, J20: Introduction to mass communication: "Two of these four essays will appear on the exam. You will need to choose one of those two to answer in an 8-page blue book as before. … [One essay question:] You’ve finally graduated from UW-Madison with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. Now you work for the government, and your first assignment is to design a public diplomacy strategy for continuing the Bush administration 'War on Terror' with a new name under the Obama administration. Using specific concepts and examples from lectures, films, and readings, explain the difficulties your client might encounter, and the strategies that you might use to deal with these."

Recent Lessons Learned – Paul Rockower, Levantine: “I just received some wonderful news. I am fully funded to go to Japan this summer for my conference. … Skip being a public diplomacy samurai, I am going to be a public diplomacy sumo!”

Inside Alaska business: Publicist buys Bernholz & Graham agency - Anchorage Daily News: “Anchorage publicist

Jennifer Thompson has completed an agreement to buy the public-relations agency Bernholz & Graham Inc. from Porcaro Communications, effective Wednesday. … Co-founder Robbie Graham will remain with the agency as strategic counsel to help with the transition but plans to work in public diplomacy and academics, Thompson said. She is an adviser to The Public Diplomacy Collaborative board at Harvard University and is a trustee to Alaska Pacific University.” Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Judging the war on terror:

The U.S., and now other countries, are conducting legal inquiries into Bush-era policies – Editorial, Los Angeles Times. Image from

New Words for War: President Obama tries out his own description of the 'global war on terrorism’ – Editorial, Washington Post: It seems the "global war on terrorism" will continue -- only without the name.

Dear President Obama: Get Us out of Afghanistan - Rita Lasar, Common Dreams: Rita Lasar is a member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

Afghanistan's U-turn on women's rights:A new law severely restricts the rights of Shiite women - Editorial, Los Angeles Times: After an international conference on Afghanistan in The Hague this week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton explained clearly why the country's progress cannot be separated from that of its women.

Brace Yourselves: The Iran/US Rapproachment Dance - Reza Fiyouzat, CounterPunch: So, all in all, this Iran-U.S. rapprochement dance will make for a very entertaining but overall abusive relationship to be worked out, as well as observed and chronicled.

US may cede to Iran’s nuclear ambition - Daniel Dombey, Financial Times: US officials are considering whether to accept Iran’s pursuit of uranium enrichment, which has been outlawed by the United Nations and remains at the heart of fears that Iran is seeking nuclear weapons capability.

Nationalism in Pak media can help counter foreign propaganda - Associated Press of Pakistan: Nationalism must be reflected in media in Pakistan to counter the foreign propaganda effectively which is also a strong tool for prosperity in every sphere of life. It was stated by Dean faculty of Behavioral and Social Sciences, Punjab University, Prof Dr.Mughees Uddin Sheikh in a panel interview conducted by the students of the Institute of Communication Studies here Friday.

Taking The Fight to The Cartels - Josh Kussman and Brian C. Goebel, Washington Post:

Helping Mexico defeat the cartels is as important as success in Iraq or Afghanistan. Image from

Prague '09: Swan Song for Star Wars - Lorelei Kelly, Huffington Post: Our nation needs a twelve-step program to recover from a Cold War addiction. Cutting European Missile Defense and helping the communities impacted convert to other security priorities is step one.

How America Was Sold on World War: Remembering George Creel, the founder of modern war propaganda - Brian Doherty, Reason: Creel's story is told for the first time in over 60 years in the new book Selling the Great War: The Making of American Propaganda by Alan Axelrod, a prolific author of popular histories from Patton on Leadership to The Real History of World War II. Image from

A Journey into Stalinist Moscow of the 1930s – 1950s - Olga Zinovieva - City Beat, Passport :

The role that monumental propaganda in different cultures had played in fostering sacrifice is well known; whether it was a temple in Ancient Egypt or a Jesuit monastery. Being very controversial, Stalinist architecture is not easy to understand: some people consider it very heavy and imposing, others could see the work of very talented architects. Best to view it in full light as it was created for a dream. Image: Fairytale view of the All-Union Exhibition of Agriculture (now All-Russian Exhibition Center) in Prospect Mira. Ceremonial Square of Collective Farms and the “Stone Flower” Founrtain (architect Konstantin Topuridze, sculptor Prokopiy Dobrinin, 1954) and Pavilion of the Ukrainian SSR (architects Alexei Tatsii, 1939)

Soviet propaganda fueled campaign against Pius XII: Jesuit journal - Catholic Culture: The persistent complaint that Pope Pius XII was sympathetic toward Hitler's Nazi regime has been thoroughly undermined by historians, but the "black legend" persists. Writing in the Jesuit journal Civilta Cattolica, Father Giovanni Sale traces that legend back to Soviet publicists, who were eager to undermine papal authority and to distract attention from the Kremlin's own earlier alliance with Hitler. Articles published in Civilta Cattolica are regarded as especially significant because they are approved in advance by the Vatican Secretariat of State.

Jews Angry After Second Bishop Slams Holocaust Propaganda' - Beliefnet.com: Jewish groups are outraged again after a Catholic archbishop in Brazil downplayed Jewish suffering in the Holocaust, which he said had been exaggerated by Jewish "propaganda."

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"They say we are at war with Islam. This is the whispered line of the extremist who has nothing to offer in this battle of ideas but blame. ... We are not at war with Islam. But too often since 9/11, the extremists have defined us. ... When I am president, that will change."

--Barack Obama, August 2007

IMAGE

from Pantless Protesters During Obama's NATO Meeting (SLIDESHOW, NSFW)