June 12

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love.
It's the only thing that there's just too little of"

--Burt Bacharach and the Posies; song also sung by the Supremes (above image)

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Judith McHale on Public Diplomacy’s Role in National Security - Spencer Ackerman, Washington Independent: "What does [Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs] McHale believe? Her first speech in office is delivered to CNAS’ [Center for a New American Security] conference, and it’s about public diplomacy’s place within the national security pantheon. (CNAS’s Kristin Lord notes that no undersecretary for public diplomacy has ever delivered an inaugural speech to a national-security audience.) …


McHale calls 'innovative' public diplomacy 'part of smart power' — as makes sense for one of Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton’s deputies — and gives the standard line about technology enabling more thorough opportunities for distributing American messages. … [A] bunch of Tweetpeople note across my feed that this is a speech full of jargon and little substance. Instant 'relationship building,' as McHale says. Those relationships will 'counter extremists,' she says. Not the extremists who dislike the speech …" Image from

Odd Definitions and Promising Themes in McHale’s Speech - Steven R. Corman, COMOPS Journal: "The missing element in the speech was the emphasis that McHale’s predecessor Jim Glassman placed on communicating about the Bad Guys. Glassman declared that–in contrast to previous Under Secretaries–he was going to make public diplomacy less about selling brand America and more about de-branding our extremist opponents. If anything McHale’s speech moves back in the other direction, placing emphasis on winning friends and influencing people. This is undoubtedly important, but so is capitalizing on the growing ill sentiment toward extremists in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. It would have been nice to have this affirmed."

Enter McHale – John Brown, Notes and Essays: "On June 11, Ms. McHale gave her first major address as Under Secretary of State, at the Center for a New American Security. Early on in her remarks, she sought to demonstrate that PD is an integral part of two concepts highly favored by the new administration -- engagement and smart power."

U.S. Trying To Buy Good Will With Jihadists - Laer, Cheat-Seeking Missiles: "As I understand it, here’s the Obama/Clinton State Dept’s take on how they will win what we used to call the war on terror: The problem between the U.S. and the jihadists is that we just haven’t been likable enough. We will win over Islam if we spend less on the military and more on fish sticks for orphans. That was the gist of Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale’s talk to the Center for a New American Security today." Image from

Just Words? - William Kiehl, My PD Blog: "It has become fashionable to say 'global engagement' when one means 'public diplomacy' or 'strategic communications' or perhaps half a dozen other buzz words. But saying global engagement doesn't mean doing global engagement any more than saying public diplomacy means doing public diplomacy. The time for words joined with action is upon us. And, so far at least, it is the Congress and not the Administration that is putting action behind words."

Thoughts on Lebanon, Iran - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "These last few days have been a doozy for democracy in the region. Lebanon's vote and Iran's upcoming have been fodder for thought and inspiration. I still believe Obama helped tip the Lebanese elections, away from Hizbullah and Michel Aoun's pandering. … Engagement is in, the GWOT is out. Chalk one point up to public diplomacy, and another up to soft power." Image from

Updates on the Presidential Election in Iran - Robert Mackey, The Lede, New York Times: “In an e-mail message today Ari Fleischer, a former spokesman for President George W. Bush, writes that … [at] the State Department under Bush, we did direct outreach to the people of Iran – we restarted people-to-people exchange programs for the first time since 1979 (under public diplomacy’s international visitor program – we brought groups of Iranian artists, medical professionals, film producers etc) and did extensive broadcasting to Iran through Radio and TV Farda as part of our USG int’l broadcasting – so I think you can accurately say we made the most extensive efforts since the 1979 revolution to speak directly to the PEOPLE of Iran."

“Democracy is like a box of chocolates, which is inside another box made of rabid hamsters, inside a room made of lava and expired cottage cheese” - Citizen Espo:

"One of three things will probably happen after the election: 1) Ahmadinejad will win. He will see his victory as either a vindication of his policies and rhetoric and ratchet them up. … Given Iranian domestic politics, it might also be the case that the election was allowed by the Guardian Council to proceed as (relatively) freely and fairly as it has as a means to rebuke Ahmadinejad for his… lack of restraint in terms of public diplomacy with the rest of the world. If that’s the case, then his policies and rhetoric will ratchet down, like Bill Clinton’s second term – the one with welfare reform and a balanced budget and blowjobs." Image from

Birds of a Feather - Jennifer Rubin, Contentions, Commentary: [Reader] Dickens Says: June 12th, 2009 at 9:43 AM #4 It must have been Bush’s public diplomacy that “convinced” Qaddafi to give up his nukes, right?"

Officially In: Richard J. Schmierer to Muscat – Diplopundit: "On June 11, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Richard J. Schmierer to be Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman. Official bio released by the WH below: ... His first Foreign Service tour was in Germany from 1980 through 1984. Mr. Schmierer then served a three-year assignment as the Public Affairs Officer at the American Consulate General in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia (1985-88). From 1988-1992, Mr. Schmierer served at the headquarters of the U.S. Information Agency, first as the head of the Middle East office of the International Visitor Program, and later in the Agency’s Office of European Affairs. From 1992-1996, Mr. Schmierer served as the Press Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Bonn, Germany. Mr. Schmierer returned to Saudi Arabia in August 1997, where he served as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, until June 2000. From June 2000 through June 2004 he served as Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs at the American Embassy in Berlin, Germany. In June 2004-June 2005, Mr. Schmierer served as Embassy Counselor for Public Affairs in Baghdad. In July 2005 he joined the staff of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC." Schmierer image from

London Day 2 - Katie Muenks, When in Europe...Summer 2009: “Most other Embassy's [sic] in London were your average buildings. The US Embassy was completely fenced in and we had to go through a security screening just like [sic] you would at the airport. Very cool. Once inside we were taken to a meeting room where we met with Ms. Anjana J. Modi, economic officer and Mr. John Coronado, Commercial Attache. Here we discussed how the Embassy is run and what their individual role is for the Embassy. … Ms. Modi belongs to the department of state which is broken down into five areas: economics, political relations, public diplomacy, management, and consulant [sic] services."

Bolton: Attack Now, Negotiate Later - Charles Lemos, MyDD: "Ambassador Bolton

seems to believe that Israel should attack Iran and the sooner the better. Most incredibly and despite the bitter experience of Iraq, Bolton trots out the greeted as liberators argument." See also. Image from