May 6

“[T]he transformation of ink into electrons has reached a critical mass.”

--Gloria Goodale, Christian Science Monitor; image from

"Your institutions will be irrelevant by 2020."

--Professor of psychology and instructional technology at Brigham Young University David Wiley, speaking in front of a room full of professors and university administrators

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Science Envoy, Public Diplomacy Bills Clear Committee – American Chronicle: "The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee today unanimously passed S.838, U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar´s bill establishing 'United States Science Envoys.' The bill would highlight our nation's commitment to scientific research and education, as well as our willingness to collaborate with other countries to promote advancements in these fields throughout the world. … Lugar's legislation establishes the Science Envoy program and directs that it be run by the Department of State through its Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Envoys will be selected by the Secretary of State. … Lugar's S. Res. 49, a resolution to express the sense of the Senate regarding the importance of public diplomacy, also passed the Committee. It calls for the Secretary of State to initiate a reexamination of the public diplomacy platform strategy of the United States with a goal of reestablishing publicly accessible American Centers, and consider placing United States public diplomacy facilities at locations conducive to maximizing their use, consistent with the authority given to the Secretary in the Secure Embassy Construction and Counterterrorism Act." Image from

The Science of Diplomacy - Vaughan Turekian, Kristin M. Lord, Foreign Policy: "Foreign publics admire American science and technology far more than they admire America. Indeed, an analysis of Pew polling data from 43 countries shows that favorable views of American science and technology exceed overall views of the United States by an average of 23 points. This presents the United States with a public diplomacy opportunity: to remind foreign people of what they like about the United States and to highlight constructive partnerships between Americans and foreign scientists, engineers, doctors, and technology business leaders. … [T]he Obama administration must change current approaches. Foreign-policy leaders -- especially Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- must recognize the power of this means of engagement. The United States has emphasized in past weeks its commitment to the globally shared goals of healthier populations, a cleaner environment, safer societies, and a better life for all. Recognizing the potential of science diplomacy will certainly help maximize the United States' realization of these goals."

Lugar To The Rescue: Senate Committee Backs ‘Science Envoy’ Plan - Nicholas J. Cull, Public Diplomacy Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "[T]he ranking minority member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Dick Lugar …[l]ong an enthusiast for public diplomacy, Lugar led off his campaign to save America’s public diplomacy on 13 February, 2009 with SR 49 which called for attention to public diplomacy and a revival of the old network of American cultural centers. … Then on April 21, 2009, Lugar introduced SR 838 'a bill to provide for the establishment of science envoys.' This bill seeks to make better use in public diplomacy of the undisputed leadership of the United States in the fields of science and technology; to expand the existing science component of State Department exchange activities, and specifically to add a new category of cultural ambassador called a 'Science Envoy'. … One of the limits on Science Diplomacy in the past has been the absence of a single institution to lay claim to the field. Initiatives were divided across half a dozen agencies and many more private organizations in civil society at large. Lugar’s bill should address this by firmly placing the ball in the court of the Secretary of State.” Image from

Recommended Reading: Cull on Lugar's leadership in America's leaderless Public Diplomacy - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "Senator Dick Lugar, Republican, is serious about moving America's public diplomacy forward. In fact, I would hazard to think the good Senator from Indiana would be happy to any movement, even sideways, at this point. I think it will be safe to say that the Senator's most critical comments at Judith McHale's confirmation will be 'why has it taken this long?!' followed by 'tell me how you will be hitting the ground with your wheels already spinning'. The bustling going on behind the curtain is not much and it will not make up for the last 100 days of opportunity lost. One of the initiatives I'm most interested to see followed up is how Jim Glassman's initiative to take the leadership reigns of the interagency process will be picked up. Also, with the abolishment of Defense Support for Public Diplomacy, how will the State Public Diplomacy plug-into Defense (and vic versa, which was helpful for funding projects State beyond State's meager budget)."

Analysis-Russia-U.S. ties have tentative start - Sue Pleming, Reuters:

"Russia expert Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said [:] … 'I think it is important for (President Barack) Obama to begin to be able to show the pay-offs of his public diplomacy and for reaching out to the Russians.'" Image from

Ethiopia: Are BBC, VOA and AP Being Used for Propaganda by Ethiopian Regime? -Gadaa.com Oduu: "AP, BBC and VOA should not be tricked into disseminating propaganda crafted and disguised as 'sensational news' by the Ethiopian brutal regime of Meles Zenawi and Bereket Simon."

An open court system? Tell it to the judges - Bill McClellan, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Ten judges from Kazakhstan are visiting St. Louis as part of a program developed by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program is designed 'to promote public diplomacy through exchanges of cultural ideas and values.'"

University of Hawai‘i and the East-West Center signal closer collaboration - UH Mānoa News:

"In an effort to strengthen their already-close collaboration and increase operational efficiencies, University of Hawai'i System President David McClain and East-West Center President Charles E. Morrison today announced the formation of a new joint committee for institutional collaboration. … Morrison [said] that although the East-West Center is an independent national institution, its very existence depends on its relationship with UH. 'Our partnership with the University of Hawai'i is a long and highly valued one,' he said. 'It helps set the East-West Center apart from other public diplomacy programs.' Established by the U.S. Congress, the East-West Center is charged with building trans-Pacific understanding and relations through cooperative research, study and exchange activities. It is headquartered in Honolulu, but also has a Washington office." University of Hawaii watch image from

Cal Ripken Documentary Premieres - Denise Koch, WJZ, Baltimore: "A documentary about former Oriole Cal Ripken premiered Tuesday night. You know him as the Iron Man, the career Oriole and Hall of Fame shortstop, but Cal Ripken Jr. is also a public diplomacy envoy for the State Department. For the past two years, he has been creating connections with young people around the world using the language he knows best--baseball. That journey has been made into a film, 'The Shortstop in China' and it had its premiere Tuesday night. Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made the appointment."

A U.S. Hog Giant Transforms Eastern Europe - Doreen Carvajal and Stephen Castle, New York Times: "Almost unnoticed by the rest of the Continent, the agribusiness giant [Smithfield Foods, based in Virginia] has moved into Eastern Europe with the force of a factory engine, assembling networks of farms, breeding pigs on the fast track, and slaughtering them for every bit of meat and muscle that can be squeezed into a sausage. … 'We understand public diplomacy and political lobbying,' noted Steen Steensen, an agriculture expert at the Danish Embassy, whose country has also expanded hog farms into Eastern Europe. 'But we trust that the business and commercial channels operate in a normal and fair way.' 'Smithfield’s dominance and manifest aggressive approach is worrying,' Mr. Steensen said in one agricultural report." Image from

UK minister meets Marshall Scholars in Washington DC (May 05, 2009) – Newsroom, UK in USA: "British Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Bill Rammell met local Washington DC Marshall Scholar alumni at a reception held in his honour at the British Ambassador's residence yesterday evening. … The Rt. Hon. Bill Rammell emphasised at the reception that 'the Marshall Scholarship Programme is the premier public diplomacy programme for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.'"

Top Article: New Rules Of Engagement - Ramesh Thakur, Times of India: "The example par excellence of a country using its overseas people as a valuable diplomatic tool to advance national interests is the Israeli lobby in the US. Indian ambassadors with an interest and the skills to exploit the vast Indian diaspora are as rare as those skilled in the arts of public diplomacy and modern communications. Most seem to expect the same level of deference from overseas Indians they are accustomed to at home."

Nigeria: Rebranding - Another Dimension Maiyanga Alfred, Vanguard: "We rebrand to get the things being asked or during the course of rebranding, some of the things being asked get done. … One of the editors of Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, Simon Anholt, who coined the 'national branding' phrase in 1996 says exactly what some Nigerians have been saying about the Rebranding Nigeria Project. Simon Anholt provided the following examples of national branding: 'South Africa rebranded when it ended apartheid; Ireland when it became a prosperous nation . . . Slovenia when it embraced democracy, joined the European Union and showed that a historically unstable part of Eastern European could be different'." Image from

Ha Noi to host Europe Days celebrations again - Viet Nam News: "Europe Day is … a celebration of the bonds that Europe has established with nations around the world, including Viet Nam. Europe Days in Viet Nam seeks to promote public exchange between the European Union and Viet Nam in the cultural arena."

Netanyahu: Arabs And Jews Unite…Against The Persians – Matt Duss, The Wonk Room: "Over the several years, Iranian President Ahmadinejad has had considerable success in positioning Iran as the standard bearer of Islamic 'resistance,' against the U.S., Israel, and authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. In a recent interview, University of Tehran professor Hossein Seifzadeh, who is now a fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said that Iran’s anti-Israel rhetoric has been 'a successful exercise in public diplomacy in the Arab world.'”

RELATED ITEMS

Guest Post: PSYOP for everyone - Christopher Paul, MountainRunner:

What if we change the way we think about PSYOP to be inclusive instead of exclusive, and make a corresponding change in how we employ PSYOP personnel? Image from

264, 263, 262 . . . Can Obama meet his self-imposed deadline for closing Guantanamo? - James Taranto, Wall Street Journal: On Jan. 22 President Obama issued an executive order pledging to close the detention facility at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base within a year. With 262 days to go, the effort is running into some serious complications.

Spain considers prosecuting U.S. officials for torture: How and why a Spanish judge might put Bush administration lawyers on trial for actions at Guantanamo Bay –

Opinion, Los Angeles Times

Obama's Prosecutions by Proxy - John R. Bolton, Washington Post: Spanish Magistrate Baltasar Garzón opened a formal investigation last week of six Bush administration lawyers for their roles in advising on interrogation techniques. If Obama is attempting to end the Garzón investigation, it is one of our best-kept secrets in decades.

Govt to counter West's negative propaganda - Zamir Sheikh, The Nation, Pakistan

IMAGE


--WWII propaganda poster from