May 30-May 31

“I believe in teaching, but I don’t believe in going to school.”

--Robert Frost; image, "Robert Frost in New Hampshire" by James Chapin

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama’s Speech to the Muslim World - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "[T]he civilian foreign affairs bureaucracy has been decimated – in particular in terms of public diplomacy and foreign aid. These will take considerable time, money and effort to rebuild. The administration and the Congress are taking the first baby steps to do so – especially in the development field - but will they be enough and in time? And what about public diplomacy and restoring this country's image abroad?"

Obama's new way - Paul Kelly, The Australian:


"The first test of Obama's new public diplomacy comes with his Cairo speech that will seek to break through the destructive mindset that formed after 9/11. 'The whole Muslim world will be watching,' Indyk [Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel] says." More on Obama's Cairo speech in below "related items." Image from

Job One – James K. Glassman -- Economics, Investing, Public Diplomacy, and More: "There’s a lot to like in the GAO’s May 27 report on public diplomacy, including a respectful and intelligent discussion of PD 2.0, highlighting both accomplishments and challenges. But the report, like nearly every study of this nature, gets off on the wrong foot. … In the first sentence, the Government Accountability Office says that the USG spends money on efforts to 'advance the strategic interests of the United States.' Yes! Exactly right. Then, in the next sentence, we are told that, despite these expenditures, polling data say that people don’t like us. … Can the GAO imagine circumstances where we can use PD to achieve the national interest without trying to make people like us better? I surely can. … 'America’s image abroad' is not Job One. It may help us marginally to get where we are going, but the real progress will be made through building networks that exploit interests we have in common with foreign publics."

Staffing Shortages/Lack of Mid-Level Officers Hinder U.S. Outreach Efforts - Diplopundit: "The GAO has just released its report on U.S. Public Diplomacy: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight on May 27 (GAO-09-679SP). It discusses the background, strategic and operational planning, performance measurement, and coordination of communication efforts on public diplomacy. It also talks about outreach efforts in high threat posts as well as the State Department’s Public Diplomacy workforce." Image: Water shortages in the long hot summer of '76

No Preconceptions - William Kiehl, My PD Blog: "The New Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale Comes On Board with No Preconceptions About PD's Structure. In a recent interview with VOA she had that to say about the future of PD's structure in the State Department. I welcome that willingness to look anew at the PD structure within State without any preconceptions. If Ms. McHale is as smart as her resume indicates then she will soon see how changes must be made to make PD and her role leading it more effective. Let's wait and see..."

Is Public Diplomacy Journalism Dead? - Alvin Snyder, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "[T]here must be a wake-up call at the source to regenerate interest in the dialogue on U.S. PD among writers and readers of the subject, and that wake-up call must come from the White House itself." Image from

The Pentagon’s Secret Stash: Why we’ll never see the second round of Abu Ghraib photos - Matt Welch, Reason Magazine: "Looking ahead to the next four years, there is little doubt that the administration, its supporters, and Congress will use whatever legal means are available to prevent Abu Ghraib—the public relations problem, not the prisoner abuse—from happening again. The Defense Department has commissioned numerous studies about America’s problem with 'public diplomacy' since the September 11 massacre; all those compiled since last May hold up the iconic torture images as the perfect example of what not to let happen again."

Alhurra Bleeding Viewers, Poll Finds, But Spending is Up - Dafna Linzer, ProPublica: "Results from the largest public opinion poll in the Arab world indicate that Alhurra, the U.S.-funded Arab satellite station that has cost U.S. taxpayers more than half a billion dollars, is the least-watched station in the region and is losing viewers. … Despite the low ratings and a series of managerial and content problems, Alhurra continues to expand and spend. Since it went on-air in February 2004, Alhurra has cost U.S. taxpayers more than half a billion dollars. Its budget in the last two years alone has grown 20 percent . … One official who is likely to have a significant impact on Alhurra is Judith McHale, the new undersecretary of state for public diplomacy. McHale's predecessors in the Bush administration struggled to defend or resolve systemic problems at Alhurra." Image: The Primetime Emmy Awards aired and suffered from low ratings despite Heidi Klum flashing her rear end to show a bruised booty shot.

The latest on Alhurra -- Email from Letitia King, BBG - John Brown, Notes and Essays

Must-Read About Alhurra TV – Nancy Snow, Huffington Post

VOA adds satellites for Iran, citing increased jamming - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

'Mutual Interest and Mutual Respect': Ideas for U.S. Public Diplomacy toward the 'Muslim World' Featuring James Glassman, Marc Lynch, and Robert Satloff 2009 Soref Symposium – Conference Keynotes - The Washington Institute for Near East Policy: "James Glassman, Marc Lynch, and Robert Satloff addressed The Washington Institute's 2009 Soref Symposium to discuss challenges for U.S. public diplomacy efforts, and offer suggestions for the Obama administration as it attempts to improve America's image in the Middle East and beyond."

OPEC is Criminal Cartel Run by Saudis and Linked to Terrorism - J. Michael Waller, Palluxo: "[T]his, American strategists say, is the time for the United States to finish off OPEC once and for all. … Options worth considering include … [p]romot [ing] freedom and justice in the rest of the Middle East. …

[T]he United States must start telling the truth about the other regimes in the region, beginning with diplomatic and public-diplomacy efforts to highlight the systematic human-rights violations, institutionalized corruption, support for terrorism and decades of economic warfare against the United States by regimes such as those of Saudi Arabia and Syria." Image from

A Department for Arts and Culture - Creon Critic: "Efforts to expand American soft power and improve public diplomacy might benefit from being routed through an arts & culture department as opposed to the National Security Council's new 'Global Engagement Directive' or the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs."

Indian Strategic Power: Soft - Shashi Tharoor, Huffington Post: "Indeed, from the export of Bollywood to bhangra dances, India has demonstrated that it is a player in globalization, not merely a subject of it. … Pavan Varma, the current head of the Indian Council on Cultural Relations, has argued that 'culturally, India is a superpower,' and that cultural diplomacy must be pursued for political ends. So India is highly visible at cultural shows around the world, and the ICCR is rather good at organizing Festivals of India in assorted foreign cities." Varma image from

Emerging trends in higher education - India Blogs NE: "Our higher education plans should strive for more emphasis on global competencies with a view to prepare our students better to make them important participants in global issues in the time to come. These issues may range from subjects of global warming to global peace endeavours to public diplomacy."

Report suggests wider cooperation in higher education between the GCC and EU - AME Info: "Among the key components put forward by the report are twinning programs between national universities in the Gulf and Europe, regular working groups of key stakeholders to create ownership as well as to initiate and implement concrete cooperation projects, joint applications for research funding, establishing a partnership for research exchange, and developing a network of cooperation that include establishing programs in the fields of quality assurance, teacher training and teacher mobility. The numerous ideas are contained in a policy paper entitled 'Promoting EU-GCC Cooperation in Higher Education' released within the framework of the Al-Jisr project for on EU-GCC Public Diplomacy and Outreach Activities." Image from

Hanoi hopes to spread 'Vietnamese wave' in S. Korea – The Korea Herald: "Vietnam is planning to open its first cultural center in South Korea to spread a 'Vietnamese wave' among the Koreans, amid the rising popularity of South Korean television shows and other cultural content in Vietnam, its prime minister said. 'As 2009 is Vietnam's year for cultural diplomacy, we are going to launch many cultural exchanges and promotion events in many countries, including the Republic of Korea,' Nguyen Tan Dung, the prime minister of Vietnam, said in an interview this week with Yonhap News Agency."

Ma Ying-jeou, first lady depart on Central America trip - Ko Shu-ling, Tapei Times: "President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) left on a 10-day state visit to Central America yesterday, along with first lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) and a 159-person delegation, including local government heads, student representatives, college principals and a performance group. …

The government has billed the trip as 'grassroots diplomacy' and 'cultural diplomacy.' Ma will attend the inauguration of El Salvadoran president-elect Mauricio Funes on Monday, and will also visit Belize and Guatemala." Ma Ying-jeou image from

Territorial Conflicts in the East China Sea – From Missed Opportunities to Negotiation Stalemate (1) - Reinhard Drifte, The Asia Pacific Journal -- Japan Focus: "This paper analyses the political, legal, military and economic issues involved in the territorial and maritime border issues in the East China Sea (ECS) between mainly Japan and China. … The issues revolve around the dispute over the sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands/Diaoyudao. … It is … important to highlight that both sides were initially willing as mentioned above to shelve the Senkaku dispute, which was convenient for both sides at the time in the 1970s. This did not mean, however, that China was prepared to renounce its claim to the islands. Instead it has continued since then to raise the issue in various ways, either through public diplomacy, diplomatic channels or encouraging or at least tolerating Chinese nationalists to try to enter the waters around the islands."

RELATED ITEMS

Obama Realism May Not Play Well in Cairo Streets - James Traub, New York Times:

Mr. Obama is seen throughout the world as the incarnation of American democracy, and who well understands America’s power to inspire both hope and resentment. Does he want to be seen as the architect of a policy that gives a dictator free rein in exchange for strategic cooperation? Would that even be a “realist” choice? Image from

The Egypt Speech: Obama's Watershed Moment - J. Scott Carpenter, PolicyWatch #1522, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy: By traveling to Cairo, Obama risks signaling a return to the era when the United States ignored human rights and democracy as an element of national security. Moreover, should Obama fail to deliver peace on their terms, the same undemocratic Arab regimes will blame him for the failure, providing Iran and others another stick with which to beat the United States for being on the wrong side of history. By seeking peace at the expense of democracy and long-term stability, the president risks achieving none of these regional objectives.

What Will Obama Say in Cairo? - William Pfaff, Truthdig: The possibility that scarcely seems worth mentioning is that Obama declares in Cairo that he wishes to withdraw all American forces from Muslim countries, and seeks the support of all Muslim governments to make this possible. Now that would make headlines, and history. Image from

Obama in the Muslim World – Washington Post: The Post asked activists, journalists and policy experts what the president should say in his address in Cairo. Below are contributions from Ayman Nour, David Makovsky, Danielle Pletka, Steven A. Cook, Daoud Kuttab, Tamara Cofman Wittes, Martin Indyk, David Pollock and Curtis Cannon, and Aaron David Miller. Pollock and Cannon: In spite of what the Arab polls say, the United States has not been nearly as negatively affected by its poor image as is commonly supposed. Since 2003, the number of protests with any reported anti-American slant has slowed to a trickle. The number of Arab citizens granted visas to visit the United States has been steadily increasing since 2003. U.S. exports to Arab countries have boomed, from $16.3 billion in 2000 to $51.8 billion in 2008. And Arab governments have been increasingly cooperative with the United States over the past five years.

Engaging American Muslims Will Give a Far Better Message to the Muslim World than Speeches - Abdul Malik Mujahid, Common Dreams: President Barack Obama is planning to address Muslims from Egypt. But we American Muslims believe he would have made a better choice by engaging Muslims at home first.

British press vs. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs - Justin Clarke, Examiner: "Robert Gibbs must be the most flexible man on earth. No, I’m not talking about his ability to contort truth and stretch credulity while somehow managing to avoid answering any question of substance. His nasty swipe at the British Press today showed that he is capable of inserting his foot into his mouth when the very head that houses said mouth is already jammed far up another bodily region." Gibbs image from

Robert Gibbs starts a war with British press – The Lonely Conservative: "Ok, call me stupid, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how President Obama is lifting our standing in the world. He disses our allies left and right while apologizing to our enemies. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out, maybe he’s trying some kind of reverse psychology or something. But really, there’s no explanation for Robert Gibbs starting a war with the British press."

A Quiet but Undeniable Cultural Legacy: U.S. Occupation of Iraq Will End, but a Host of American Influences May Linger - Anthony Shadid, Washington Post: From tattoos of Metallica to bellybutton piercings, from posters for a rap concert in Baghdad to stories parents tell their naughty children in Fallujah of the Americans coming to get them, the occupation has already left its mark.

The Trauma of 9/11 Is No Excuse - Richard A. Clarke, Washington Post:

On detention, the Bush team leaped to the assumption that U.S. courts and prisons would not work. Camps were established around the world, notably in Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners were held without being charged or tried. They became symbols of American overreach, held up as proof that al-Qaeda's anti-American propaganda was right. Image from

"New" Abu Ghraib photos aren't new: Salon published many of the shocking images now being discussed in news reports three years ago - Alex Koppelman, Salon