June 17-18

"Women who seek equality with men lack ambition."

--Bumpter sticker, perhaps inspired by Timothy Leary; see below article by Alvin Snyder; image from

SITE OF INTEREST

Public Diplomacy Officers for Change's Notes

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama And The Iran Crisis: Why Washington Is Playing it Safe - Gregor Peter Schmitz, Spiegel: "In Washington the implications of the current escalation in Tehran for Obama and his closely watched Cairo speech to the Islamic world are now being discussed. Ahmadinejad's apparent triumph at first looked like a setback for the US president. Critics who regard Obama's outreach to Iran as politically naïve felt vindicated. Leverett [Flynt Leverett from the think tank New America Foundation] for one called such public diplomacy 'a waste of time.' 'What is going to matter is the substance of your policy,' he said. 'If you don't put substantial offers on the table, all the nice speeches of the president won't change anything.' But the images of demonstrations coming from Tehran could also provide support for the White House's approach, suggesting that the president, with his offer of a new dialogue, has directly reached ordinary people -- including Tehran's active bloggers, who are thought to number up to 100,000." Image from

How Long Can Israel Resist U.S. Pressure? – Free Internet Press: "One of the new things about the Obama administration is the unified approach it is taking with its current policies. In Washington, the approach is called 'public diplomacy,' a reference to the fact that the president publicly identifies the U.S.' national interests in the world's major conflicts and appeals to the participating countries to contribute to finding a solution. In addition to negotiating with his peers, Obama is talking to anyone willing to listen, just as he did during his campaign. Washington's diplomacy, in a new twist, involves including the public in its discussions about problems."

Obama changing Islam's opinion of U.S. - Ron Walters, Chicago Defender: "Barack Obama went to Cairo ... by saying in effect that the U.S. must hold out its hand in peace, and if the fist of Muslims is unclenched, there is a chance. But he also had to admit, like Bill Clinton did on his trip to Africa as President, that the U.S. had not always been on the right side of history. Then, as now, right wing radicals have called the President an apologist. In fact, here we have a president who has captured the attention of the entire Islamic world, whose speech has been translated into 12 languages and who is roundly accepted on the Muslim street as a positive force. But we find the reluctance to accept this triumph of public diplomacy in his own country." Image from

Obama's Middle East Expedition – Paul Rockower, Levantine: "For all my aggregation aggravation, the Media Monitor I prepared on global media coverage and public diplomacy assessment of Obama's Middle East Expedition is now up on the USC Center on Public Diplomacy website."

Netanyahu's Ideological Shift: Israelis and Palestinians are tied to President Obama's helm - Yehonathan Tommer, OhmyNews International: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a decisive ideological shift in his speech at Bar Ilan University on Sunday by accepting the principle of a two-state solution to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict. … President Obama

praised Netanyahu's Bar Ilan speech as 'a step forward in the right direction.' His unequivocal demand for cessation of all Israeli settlement activity remains a major bone of contention and may be resolved in less public diplomacy between Washington and Jerusalem." Image from

Strengthening the Transatlantic Alliance: The Obama Administration's Policies in Europe - Philip H. Gordon Assistant Secretary Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Statement before the Subcommittee on Europe of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Washington, DC June 16, 2009, Georgian Daily: Gordon: "One of the most important components of global cooperation in the 21st century is our Public Diplomacy strategy. That involves being able to effectively communicate with European governments and publics in a way that creates an understanding of our policy objectives, lays the groundwork for concerted action with European partners beyond Europe’s borders, and engages Europe’s young generation of 'first time voters' to create a sense of common values and purpose with the United States. To do this, the Department is engaged in rapid and targeted delivery of policy messages to meet ever-shorter news cycles; developing innovative uses of new media to engage youth audiences; expanding programs that invite dialogue – listening as well as talking; and creating new exchange programs that allow us to engage Europe’s future leaders, and in expanding our use of our soft power tools, like culture and sports, to open doors and begin dialogue." Image from; note: the author of this book is not the Gordon referred to in the above.

Public Diplomacy’s Glass Ceilings, Alvin Snyder, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "[W]ith one exception, all Under-Secretaries of State for Public Diplomacy have been women since the position was created in 1999. … Although a woman's diplomatic skills may not be required for the very top director's position at the VOA — located on the protected side of the public diplomacy firewall — their time to shatter the glass ceiling may yet come."

Report Cites Continued Weaknesses in US Broadcasting to Cuba - Dan Robinson, VOANews.com: "U.S. lawmakers have heard testimony about continuing weaknesses in U.S.-government funded television broadcasting to Cuba. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) updated members of Congress on steps taken by the Broadcasting Board of Governors and its Office of Cuba Broadcasting on recommendations to deal with management, morale and other problems." Image from

Five Ways Obama Could Promote Freedom in Iran: The 2004 Orange Revolution in Ukraine is a model - Dan Senor ad Christian Whiton, Wall Street Journal: "Fourth, additional funding should be provided immediately for Radio Farda, an effective Persian-language radio, Internet and satellite property of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Farda helps Iranians get the information and analytical context that is often denied to them by their own government. Fifth, the administration should take steps to give Iranian reformers and dissidents a level playing field with the regime in the battle of ideas. Just as providing photocopiers and fax machines helped Solidarity dissidents in communist Poland in the 1980s, today's reformers need access to the Web and other means of communication. Grants should be given to private groups to develop and field firewall-busting technology. Money should be appropriated for an NGO-run 'open window' platform that enables a wide variety of indigenous voices to be carried on radio, blogs, video clips and other media."

Video views of democracy lauded online Glenn Chapman, AFP: "Artistic visions of democracy have been lauded on the Internet by the US State Department and partners behind a first-ever Democracy Video Challenge. The aim of the contest was to have people from around the world create video clips expressing what they think democracy is, according to Jonathan Margolis, assistant secretary of the State Department's bureau of international information programs." See also; image from

Twitter as a Broadcast Medium – Broadnax, World-Wide-Matel: "So far Twitter's main success has been as a marketing tool for firms and celebrities. Ashton Kutcher is the record holder with more than two million followers on Twitter. You can see why this is so attractive to celebrities. Their goal is awareness. Broadcast is unsurpassed at creating massive awareness. This might make it a very useful tool for public affairs. We need some kind of inexpensive broadcast tool and perhaps the constrained nature of the messages (140 characters) is not a significant problem for some sorts of messages. It is a lot like a headline service. Public diplomacy, however, is not really in the headline business and our goal usually goes beyond awareness. I argued, way back in 2001, that we are not really even in the information business anymore. We are in the knowledge business (information is not knowledge) and we are in the relationship business (relationships are reciprocal). Twitter can help us take care of business as long as we recognize what we are getting when we tweet on Twitter and recognize the natural power and limitations of what is today and likely will remain a short message broadcasting service."

Just Jared - Spencer Ackerman, Attackerman: "The New York Times identifies the State Department official who urged Twitter to reschedule a site maintenance -- and risk disrupting the communications of thousands of Iranian dissidents using the #IranElection hashtag -- as a 27-year old guy in the Policy Planning shop named Jared Cohen.

Although he's in the planning shop, this isn't Cohen's first foray into social-network-enhanced public diplomacy. Late last year, the State Department teamed with Facebook and HowCast to sponsor a New York summit called the Alliance of Youth Movements, where young people from countries like Lebanon, Colombia, Mexico, Turkey and Saudi Arabia discussed how to use social media to enhance their organizing and activism. … According to Jim Glassman, the former undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, the summit and the hub were the result of a trip Cohen took to Colombia, where he encountered youth groups protesting the violence of the terrorist group known as the FARC." Cohen image from

Public Diplomacy and Maritime Strategy – Galrahn, Information Disssemination: "[T]he world isn't rapidly shifting from a vertical, linear network model into a flat, horizontal, linear network model of strategic communications and public diplomacy as described by the experts, rather a better way to describe the network is one of a three-dimensional spacial grid. The grid has many types of connections: some are unilateral connections, some are bi-directional connections, and some are multidirectional connections. … It turns out that in the State Departments digital world of strategic communications and public diplomacy outlined by the experts at the Current Strategy Forum, many people are not on the grid, and in the digital planet most of the people we want to communicate with live in an analog world."

51 Nigerians Get Fulbright Sponsorship - Funmi Ogundare, This Day: "No fewer than 51 Nigerians have been sponsored on a Fulbright academic programme to the Unites States of America (USA) by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State."

Kingdom confirms 7 new cases of H1N1 flu - The Jordan Times: "Seven more H1N1 (swine) flu cases were confirmed in Jordan Wednesday, raising the total number to nine, Ministry of Health officials said. According to the ministry’s Primary Healthcare Director Adel Bilbeisi, the seven new cases, four Jordanian boys and three Palestinian girls, are among youths who had participated in the Youth Exchange and Study Programme (YES) in the US, which gathered some 300 children from the Middle East, adding that their ages range between 16 and 17. … YES is an innovative high school exchange programme funded by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This public diplomacy initiative builds bridges of international understanding, especially between Americans and people in countries with significant Muslim populations."

The J Visa and Exchange Program Speakers: Lynn Shotwell, Scott Cooper, Margie Jones, Darra Klein, Michael McCarry, Helene Robertson and Sandra Sheridan - ILW.com: "THIRD Phone Session on September 9: Exchange Programs under the Obama Administration [includes] … Bi-national work-based public diplomacy programs … Michael McCarry joined the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange as its executive director in 1994. The Alliance, an association of 78 U.S.-based organizations that conduct exchange programs of all types, is the leading collective policy voice of the exchange community. As part of the Alliance's mission to promote policies that support exchange, McCarry has led delegations of Alliance members to over 40 U.S. embassies around the world to discuss the role of exchanges in public diplomacy and visa policy and practice." Image from

$450m for Peace Corps One Step Closer! Lowey Leads The Beginning Of The Bold New Peace Corps - Friends of Nepal: "SAMPLE LETTER [to seek Senate support for Peace Corps funding] Dear Senator XXXX, On June 17th, 2009 The House Subcommittee for State Foreign Operations and Related Programs, in its markup of the 2012 Appropriations Bill provided $450 million to the Peace Corps. I am writing to urge you in your roll as a member of the Senate subcommittee to stand up for this full funding. … I hope you share my view that the Peace Corps is a vital component of our public diplomacy toolbox. Since 1961, nearly 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have provided meaningful, small-scale development assistance, reversing stereotypes about Americans and returning stateside to enrich communities domestically with new language and other skills. Peace Corps continues to be one of America’s finest expressions of friendship and solidarity across the globe."

US-ASEAN Business Council names Mr Feldman as new President - Fibre2fashion.com: "The US-ASEAN Business Council named Alexander Feldman as President, replacing Matthew Daley, who held the position for more than four years. … From 2004-2008, Feldman served in the U.S. Departments of State and Commerce. Under the leadership of Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, he led the Bureau of International Information Programs, held the rank of Assistant Secretary of State with responsibility for global public diplomacy and introduced business metrics and interactive media strategies to improve the United State's image overseas."

Improving Canada/U.S. trade relations a two-pronged effort - Derrick Penner, Vancouver Sun:

"David Gergen [a senior analyst for the CNN television network who has advised U.S. presidents stretching back to Richard Nixon] said his immediate advice to Canada is to use the 2010 Olympics as an opportunity 'to reach out with … your cultural diplomacy and public diplomacy.'” Image from

Experts praise PM’s public diplomacy with Pakistan - Sindh Today: "Foreign policy and strategic experts have welcomed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s deft use of public diplomacy in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg to put Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari on the back foot over terror attacks from across the border."

How the Palestinians should respond to Netanyahu – Hussein Ibish, Foreign Policy: "Future public diplomacy efforts by the Palestinians and Arab States should … focus their attention on the mainstream American Jewish Community. A large number of American Jews support Obama's efforts to push Israel toward a settlement freeze, a fact Netanyahu is keenly aware of."

'Cute ambassadors' roam globe to promote Japan's pop culture - Jun Kaminishikawara, Kyodo News: "To help the world learn more about Japan, the Foreign Ministry is promoting exchange projects related to traditional culture and art, such as kabuki and noh. It has also been playing up the growing popularity of Japanese pop culture worldwide. To target young people, the ministry chose the three women as Japan's 'flag people' in February. When Prime Minister Taro Aso, an admitted comic book freak, was foreign minister, he promoted 'pop culture diplomacy' by establishing an international prize for 'manga.' But some people are raising eyebrows over the use of 'kawaii' as the culture campaign's latest buzzword. Kaori Maruya, a Diet member from New Komeito, is one of them. 'I'd like you to be careful about unwarranted criticism against overseas tours by 'pretty ambassadors' wearing very short skirts,' Maruya said at a session of the Lower House Foreign Affairs Committee on April 24. Kenjiro Monji, head of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Foreign Ministry, replied that it is important not to offend the host countries.'" Image from article, with the caption: Cutesypoo: Entertainer Shizuka Fujioka (standing), known for her high school uniform outfits, dispenses fashion advice at a Japan Festival in Bangkok in March.

RELATED ITEMS

Engage Iran, Not Ahmadinejad - Nader Mousavizadeh, Washington Post:

Whether an 'Obama effect' has been at work in the streets of Tehran the past few days is not important; what matters is that after 30 years, the tired chant of "Death to America" has been replaced by "Death to the dictator." A U.S. policy that deliberately discounts the importance of Ahmadinejad in favor of strong support for the country's democratic forces at the popular level, and direct bilateral negotiations with the supreme leader at the strategic level, has the best chance of creating a diplomatic space in which both countries' core national interests can be addressed peacefully. Image from

Stand for Iranian freedom – Editorial, Washington Times: The president should make a strong statement of support for the Iranian people to make clear that the world's greatest democracy approves of their actions. The United States must stand for the ideals that have been the hallmark of American idealism since the country's founding.

Iran media update for 17 June - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Tear Down This Cyberwall! - Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times:

If President Obama wants to support democratic movements on a shoestring, he should support an “Internet freedom initiative” pending in Congress. This would include $50 million in the appropriations bill for these censorship-evasion technologies. The 21st-century equivalent of the Berlin wall is a cyberbarrier, and we can help puncture it. Image from

State Dept.'s DipNote Blog AWOL on Iran - Taylor Marsh, Huffington Post: If you want information, the U.S. State Department's DipNote blog isn't the place to go, with its blackout on Iran revealing the editorial ineptitude pervading it.

US State Dept. Manipulates Twitter in Anti-Iran Propaganda War - euraktiva's news network

They might have to buy shortwave radios: Iran cyber update for 17 June - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Once a twit, now a major player: The crisis in Iran has pushed tweeting -- the newest, shortest and most abused social networking technology -- into the big leagues - Judith Lewis, Los Angeles Times

The Revolution Will Not Be Twitterized - Andy Ostroy, Huffington Post: What do the American Revolution, the French Resistance and the Civil Rights Movement have in common? They all somehow managed to change history without Facebook and Twitter. But if you listen to our technology-obsessed media this week as post-election unrest unfolds in Iran you'd get the distinct impression that the current opposition rebellion could not exist without these social-networking sites. Even the Obama administration is fueling the hype.

Iran Elections: A Twitter Revolution? – Washington Post

Winning the propaganda war, in 140 characters or less - E.B. Solomont, Jerusalem Post: Can a spokesman for the Israeli government defend Israel in 140 characters or fewer? That was the question David Saranga, consul for media and public affairs at the Israeli Consulate in New York, sought to answer this week at the most-buzzed about tech conference in recent memory, the 140 Character Conference,

which ended on Wednesday. Addressing hundreds of tech junkies, journalists and entrepreneurs who converged on New York for a conference about Twitter, Saranga said tweeting had become a new form of diplomacy. "It allows us to reach people and segments of society that usually we don't reach," said Saranga, speaking on Tuesday inside a darkened auditorium at the New World Stages theater. A sea of glowing laptops filled the audience, as many tweeted their way through the day, angling for seats - and electrical outlets. Image: Abigail Stern (aka Carrington) Opus Magnum 140, 2008: Rice paper collage on paper. (28 x 22 inches)

BBC Caught In Mass Public Deception With Iran Propaganda – PrisonPlanet: Whatever your views on the legitimacy of Ahmadinejad and the accuracy of the Iranian election results, the fact that the Anglo-American establishment and its media organs are exploiting and fanning the flames of chaos in Iran to provoke further instability is unquestionable.

Finding a home for Guantanamo detainees: If the U.S. expects European nations to resettle Guantanamo Bay detainees, it must practice what it preaches - Editorial, Los Angeles Times

The Yahoo News Photos Search Result I Never Thought I'd See - Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog I STILL keep track of Condoleezza's hairdo so you don't have to:

Wow, it finally happened. She said she'd stay out of the spotlight, and I'll be darned, she was right. Or maybe people just totally got sick of her. The Condibot's talking point gears have worn smooth. She's, like, totally MySpace. Image from article.

AMERICANA

Survey: Many teens use phones in class to text or cheat - Greg Toppo, USA TODAY: One-fourth of teens' cellphone text messages are sent during class, a new survey finds, despite widespread classroom bans on cellphones at school. The survey of 1,013 teens

— 84% of whom have cellphones — also shows that a significant number have stored information on a cellphone to look at during a test or have texted friends about answers. More than half of all students say people at their school have done the same. Image from