May 14

"Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne'er succeed."

--Emily Dickinson; image from

"The moment calls for defining success down."

--Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations

SITES WITH ITEMS OF INTEREST

1. The Public Diplomacy Corps

2. Public Diplomacy film by Dennis Kinsey

Obama and the power of ideas: Part 2 - Iyad Dakka, Global Axioms: "Obama will be speaking next month in Egypt, a country that many Arabs still see as the heart of contemporary Arabic culture and identity. ... The Cairo speech will be a chance for Obama to build on the idea upon which he was elected: bringing about change by promoting liberty not at the barrel of a gun, but through intelligent and open dialogue. ... With regards to other regions of the world, Obama must continue to send the message that America is listening, not simply pretending too, but sincerely listening and contemplating ways to accomodate the multiplicity of voices and interests. This is not an 'apologetic and appeasement' strategy like Obama's critiques have claimed. It is the smart thing to do in order to tame the anti-Americanism that has envelloped the globe following Bush's disastrous eight years. Without softening the almost inherent resistance to American power and ideals that has spread around the world, Washington will have a much harder time pursuing its interests without relying on 'hard-power'. Public diplomacy will have to be a cornerstone of his foreign policy strategy, not simply an add-on." Image from

Hillary Clinton Launches "21st Century Statecraft" Initiative by State Department - Micah L. Sifry, Personal Democracy Forum: "When it comes to government agencies adapting to the Networked Age, the State Department is no slouch. It's had an Office of eDiplomacy since 2003; its staffers make heavy use of an internal unclassified online encyclopedia called Diplopedia; it's been blogging since September 2007 at Dipnote; and now State even has a Twitter feed. ExchangesConnect, a cultural exchange social networking site (built on Ning.com) that focuses on foreign exchange students, recently topped its 10,000th member. ... This morning at New York University's graduation ceremonies at Yankee Stadium, Secretary Clinton offered a glimpse of this new approach to '21st Century statecraft' in her commencement speech. Citing the broad array of problems facing America and the world, including the threat of pandemics, the financial crisis and global warming, Clinton said, 'We need to build new partnerships from the bottom up and use every tool at our disposal. That is the heart of smart power.' ... One bit of hard news Clinton did announce: Over the next year the State Department will be creating 'virtual student foreign service internships' where college students will be invited to participate in public diplomacy with US embassies abroad." Image from

Digital Diplomacy and the Future - DIP's Dispatches from the Imagination Age: "Joshua S. Fouts has been tirelessly appearing globally in recent years to promote 'digital diplomacy,' one of the core areas of focus at. We congratulate Secretary Clinton for supporting digital diplomacy."

Government 2.0: How Social Media Could Transform Gov PR - Mark Drapeau on May 14, 2009 - onlinemarketing:

"While governments certainly face challenges in using social tools, the pros of using these tools far outweigh the cons. Social technologies can make networking and engagement with the public simple and powerful, make research faster, identify influencers in useful micro-niches, provide mechanisms for combating negative publicity, and measure public sentiment to help inform public policy." Image from

Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase Call for Participation - Gov 2.0 Expo Showcase: "From humanitarian efforts overseas to responding to emergencies to influencing the world through public diplomacy, emerging communications tools have a role to play within this sphere of Government 2.0. Maybe you’ve promoted greater cultural understanding in a remote part of the world, or helped build an electronic library for people without access to books. Maybe you’ve been involved with stability and reconstruction operations in places like Afghanistan…or New Orleans. If you’re using emerging technology as a part of making the world a better place through government influence, let us know."

The international relations of Facebook - Daniel W. Drezner, Foreign Policy: "Earlier this week Facebook VP of Global Communications, Marketing, and Public Policy Elliott Schrage gave an interview to cfr.org that's worth reading. As you would expect, Schrage was pretty upbeat about the use of social networking technologies as a means for political action [stating] ... 'So, do I see Facebook as being an incredibly valuable tool for public diplomacy? Absolutely.' ... Question to readers: is the power of social networking real or exaggerated in 'countries where the means of distributing information have not been easy or without friction'"?

My First Day at the Podium - Ian Kelly, Newswire: "Today I stood at the podium of the State Department’s Carl T. Rowan Press Briefing Room for my first time as the Department Spokesman.

After 24 years as a public diplomacy professional, I find it most exciting to be in a position in which I can help shape the message and communicate what the United States is seeking to achieve through diplomacy." Kelly image from article.

The Party Goes On: Drunken Spending at State - Rep. Ed Royce, Red County: "The Obama Administration is quick to point out that we can not deal with challenges to our country 'by military means alone' to justify its spending increases. But who has ever really advocated that? It is a straw man. We have long had public diplomacy, development and cultural programs. Instead of a realistic appraisal of these programs, warts and all, the Obama Administration seems to just be spending more on old approaches and giving it a new label: smart power. New, bigger bottles -- but old wine."

Confronting global terrorism: recommendations for the US president - William P. Pope - Europe’s World: "Losing the 'War of Ideas:' The quick and decisive military victories in Afghanistan in 2001-02 and Iraq in 2003 were what the world expected from us. Therefore, people around the world have been amazed at how badly we have fared against Islamist media efforts, particularly against Zawahiri and al-Qaeda’s al-Sahab production unit. This is not primarily a matter of moving the public diplomacy boxes around or reconstituting the US Information Agency. We certainly can improve in that area, and your administration should take a close look at what is optimal. ... Repairing our image: Reversing the catastrophic decline in the US global image is a matter of national security. This is not just a question of needing to be liked or regaining the status of 'Shining City on the Hill.' ... This is more than just a matter of ineptitude in public diplomacy. This is primarily actions-based and is related to our policies. EU Policy: It is easy for an American to say, but Europe should significantly step up the fight against global terrorism across the board – troops in action in dangerous places; military training, development assistance, public diplomacy, etc." Image from

"Awakening" Beyond Iraq: Time to Engage Radical Islamists as Stakeholders - David W. Shin, Military Review // United States Army Combined Arms posted at Human Security Gateway: "Today, progress is being made in Iraq, in part because of an alternative strategy that was pioneered in June 2006 by the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. It became known as the 'Anbar Awakening,' and key elements of this strategy focused on conducting kinetic operations, providing civil security through forward presence, training host-nation security forces, developing human and physical infrastructure, engaging in public diplomacy, and most importantly, co-opting local leaders. In the early stages of the insurgency, many of these tribal sheiks 'directly and indirectly supported former-regime nationalists insurgents against U.S. forces,' and had even established an alliance of convenience with Al-Qaeda forces. The adoption of the Anbar strategy elsewhere in Iraq appears to have had a positive impact on the overall security situation in Iraq. This raises the question of whether the United States can replicate the success in Anbar by embracing a similar strategy in its global approach to radical Islamist groups, perhaps leading to a global awakening among these groups."

U.S. Department of State Becomes "Global Classroom" for Model UN Students - Mark Schlachter, Dipnote: "The State Department’s Dean Acheson auditorium rarely hosts a more excited and dynamic audience than assembled there on May 11 for the 2009 Global Classrooms Model United Nations conference. The 650 middle and high school students from around the DC area buzzed with interest and curiosity as they prepared for a day of debate, negotiation, and consensus-building. Before they began, however, they received a very personal endorsement from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton." Mark Schlachter serves as Public Diplomacy Chief for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs. Image from

Open Meeting on Public Diplomacy and Global Citizenship at Upcoming NAFSA Conference - David Comp, International Higher Education Consulting Blog™ : A Source for News on International Education and Public Diplomacy: "Wednesday, May 27 10:00 - 11:00 am TLS Lounge, LA Convention Center Concourse, 152/153 We're inviting you to attend an open meeting on public diplomacy and global citizenship at the upcoming NAFSA conference in Los Angeles. As international education becomes increasingly a national as well as institutional agenda, it's ever-important that international educators have a voice based in research as well as in practice."

Iranian Parliament study contrasts "subversion" of BBC and VOA - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broacasting and Public Diplomacy

Foreign Visitors Messengers of Korea's Image - Kang Hyun-kyung Korea Times: "'There is such a thing as a national brand effect.

It is real, not exaggerated as some critics argue,' said Professor Yoo Jae-woong of the public relations and design department of Eulji University in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, in an interview with The Korea Times last week. ... He began his bureaucratic career at the now-defunct Public Information Agency 28 years ago after passing the state public administration service exam. ... His works include 'National Image: Theoretical and Strategic Programs' and 'Public Diplomacy.'" Image from

Prime Minister to be Patron in Chief of Pakistan International Council - Associated Press of Pakistan: "Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani will be Patron in Chief of the newly established Pakistan International Council, which has been set up as a wide ranging public diplomacy initiative aimed at promoting friendship and goodwill about Pakistan through strong people to people contacts."

A defining interest in Middle Eastern policy - Broto Wardoyo , The Jakarta Post: "Indonesia has failed to build a solid and persistent Middle Eastern policy. ... Case studies ... demonstrate Middle Eastern issues are included in the country’s domestic politics. One clear example is the Iranian nuclear case. ... Indonesian elites were simply falling into the trap of Iranian public diplomacy that used religious ideas as its tools. "

Have Fun • Do Good - Interview with Zainab Salbi, Founder of Women for Women International - fun girls: "Zainab Salbi: Women for Women International aims at helping women move from victims, to survivors, to active participants. The way we do that is by asking every single woman around the world to sponsor one woman at a time by sending her $27 a month, along with a letter to start a communication link between the two women. You get her picture. You get her letters. You get to exchange as many letters as you want with her. It depends really on both of you, how much you want to do that. This is our own form of public diplomacy, where women are reaching out to each other despite all of their boundaries, or their differences, or whatever, and looking at their connections and similarities." Salbi mage from

Phoenicia, Phoenicians of the Present: Who is Phoenician and who is Arab today? - Salim George Khalaf, Encyclopedia Phoeniciana Virtual Center for Phoenician Studies, Social Sciences and Humanities: "On March 14, 2005, Mr. Zogby, [President of the Arab American Institute in Washington, DC] sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. In it, he complained about the Department of State recognizing the Middle Easter-American communities as such instead of Arabs, for there are some organizations which do not support his political and ideological views. He referred to these organizations as 'exiled groups.'.... Mr. Zogby went even further to complain about the Director of Public Diplomacy for Middle Eastern and MEPI Affairs at USAID the Honorable Walid Maalouf asking him 'not to label the Arab Community' each according to his/her ethnicity. What Mr. Zogby is seeking here is nothing but a continuation of the annihilation of these Middle Eastern minority groups who suffered death and destructions at the hand of the tyrant leaders of the Arab community which Mr. Zogby claims to represent. Mr. Zogby’s own poll contradicts his own allegations and proves that Mr. Maalouf’s conduct is proper and true."

Abuse Photos Leaked- President Addresses - jstoddard, Media International: A Freedom Culture Blog of Elon University Students: "Obviously we did not learn much from what happened in Guanatanamo Bay and since our global image is about to go down even more I think it might be wise for the President to consider making a senior public diplomacy position. The President has said that he does not tolerate this abuse at all and of course he is right. But until this abuse stops happening and evidence stops being leaked then a position in the public diplomacy department might be a smart idea."

PD-RELATED ITEMS

Release the torture photos:

The Obama administration is wrong in withholding pictures portraying detainee abuse - Editorial, Los Angeles Times

Obama's Photo Epiphany: Why make it harder for the U.S. to defend itself? Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal: President Obama yesterday put American soldiers and national security ahead of political braying from his campaign allies on the left. What a pleasant reversal. Image from

U.S. on Human Rights Council: Becoming part of the problem and not of the solution - Anne Bayefsky, Washington Times: Of a total of 47 seats, there will be one U.S. vote and 26 votes controlled by the Islamic group; there are just seven Western votes altogether. The United States is either going to lose big or it is going to join "consensus" on human rights abominations because news of losing too often might find its way back to American taxpayers - who foot 22 percent of the bill.

CBS Pro-Drone Propaganda - davidswanson, AfterDowningStreet.org: Tell 60 Minutes that its May 10 report about drone attacks in Afghanistan and Iraq should have included critics of these weapons.

Excluding such criticisms, while relying so heavily on military footage and sources, looks more like propaganda than journalism. Image from

Chinese propaganda: exercising the right to reply - Peter Foster, telegraph.co.uk - when the Communist Party of China issues a directive for the people of China to sing aloud the main melody that the "Communist Party is good, socialism is good, reform and open-up is good, the great motherland is good, all the ethnic groups are good" that is 'propaganda' in the correct sense of the word.

Can Israel's Peace Song Drown the Screams of Gaza's Children?- Amal Amireh, Arabisto.com: Israel is good at propaganda. Really good. They are the masters. I give them that. Their latest public relations stunt is their entry in the Eurovision for this year. The Israeli National Broadcasting Authority, a day before the Israeli army launched its devastating attack on Gaza, struck artistically by choosing Achinoam Nini and Mira Awad to represent the State. ... The genius of the choice is that now, in the aftermath of the Gaza attack, we have two women, one Jewish and one Palestinian, sing together about coexistence and peace and all those good things.

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Calendar laser-etched into thumbnails; from Boing Boing