May 26

"We're going to be measuring from every perspective."

-- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, on the administration, under pressure from Congress, developing metrics for Afghanistan; but she wants to keep those metrics classified; image from

PDPBR COMPILER NOTE

Media coverage of Public Diplomacy continues to decline, as noted in previous postings.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

John Kerry and Foreign Aid – jflack4prez, Infinite Symposium: "Last Thursday I attended a very interesting event at the Brookings Institute, a left-leaning think tank. The event was titled 'Diplomacy and Development in the 21st Century: A conversation with Senator John Kerry.' …

My notes from the event follow. They are random, and sometimes unintelligible, but I hope you will gain more insight into what Kerry spoke about. … Afgh- Pak• Must win the information war• Public Diplomacy • Voice of America." Image from

Af-Pak and its discontents - Rising Kashmir: "From a macro perspective, the expectations of the Muslim world(s), of which Pakistan is an important (albeit weakened) component are once again belied and the concomitant anti Americanism is once again on the rise. (This is more important and salient in Pakistan). The major expectation was that a course correction by the US toward the Muslim world would be vigorous public diplomacy and an approach that has been termed as soft power. That is, the power to attract by explaining or highlighting those aspects of the United States that could be appealing. However what appears to be the dominant paradigm of US’ policy is the inverse: employment of hard power to, completely crush its alleged adversaries. Now this approach, history and the sordid saga of Sep 11 has demonstrated, is pregnant with danger and portentous of rather insalubrious relations between the west and the Islamic worlds." Image from

RFE/RL president on human rights and on RFE/RL's lifespan - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Random Thoughts on "Public Diplomacy" – John Brown, Notes and Essays: “I'm a great believer in educational/cultural exchanges and in what I call, for lack of a better term, 'arts diplomacy.' Bravo to all our fellow citizens that engage in people-to-people diplomacy. … But I'm also a realist, and what keeps US propaganda going -- sorry, I meant 'public diplomacy' -- is war (especially a global one). No big war, no or little USG-PD (or substantial funding for it). Such is the lesson, regrettably, of history, if it is any guide.” Image from

Bnei Anousim in Europe Join Efforts to Support Israel - Yosef Hartuv, Love of the Land: A Jewish state must be absolutely faithful to the Land of Israel -- the Land that was promised in its Biblical borders to the Fathers of the Nation by the Creator of the world -- and includes the understanding of the positive connection between the Land and the ability of the Nation of Israel to fulfill its earthly goals - Manhigut Yehudit: "For the first time, Bnei Anousim in Europe enlist to join Israel's Hasbara (Public Diplomacy) efforts [.] Dozens of participants, whose ancestors were forced to convert to Catholicism during the Inquisition over 500 years ago, gathered this past weekend in Barcelona for a special seminar run by Shavei Israel to train them in making Israel's case to the media."

Ethiopian ambassadors being summoned home - Rahel, Ethiopian Review: "[G]ossip foresees a potential need for a bit of movement within the ranks of the foreign office, after some of them have served as directors for sometime now; it may be time to step them up or aside. This may include directors, such as … Teferi Melese, for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

State Dept. has few who speak language of area where Taliban operates - Ken Dilanian, USA TODAY:

“Complicating the Obama administration's plan to ramp up civilian aid to Pakistan and Afghanistan, the State Department employs just 18 foreign service officers who can speak the language of the region where the Taliban insurgency rages, according to records and interviews.” Image from

Iran bans Facebook; various explanations - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Sri Lanka's war of propaganda - Paul Farrell, Eureka Street: "As the dust begins to clear from the scorched battlefields after the Sri Lankan Government's final push against the Tamil Tigers, accusations and counter accusations of human rights abuses remain as vociferous as ever. … [W]hile the fog of war may be dissipating, the fog of propaganda and distortion continues to wreak havoc. Independent journalists who attempt to balance contrasting claims are continually denied access to the conflict area by the Sri Lankan military. "

AMERICANA

"In the 1960s, when Betty Friedan diagnosed her fellow wives and daughters as the victims of 'the problem with no name,' American women reported themselves happier, on average, than did men. Today, that gender gap has reversed. Male happiness has inched up, and female happiness has dropped.

In postfeminist America, men are happier than women." Image from

--Ross Douthat, Liberated and Unhappy, New York Times

IMAGE

Coaxing bees into making honeycomb sculpture. Hilary Berseth, an artist/beekeeper, makes his sculptures by coaxing bees into making their comb in specific shapes. From Boing Boing