September 16

“We allow no geniuses around our Studio.”

--Walt Disney

SITE OF INTEREST

Walt & El Grupo; above image from site

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Detentions come back to bite - Leah Farrall, The Australian: "The detention policies of the Bush administration and its sanctioning of detainee torture destroyed America's international image and much of its soft power influence. Apologists for these policies say they kept the country safe and so the ends justify the means. But an al-Qa'ida article … [by] Abu Walid al-Masri,

one of Taliban leader Mullah Omar's most trusted advisers [centers] on a sustained kidnapping campaign targeting foreign civilian and military personnel in the country. Its purpose: to take hostages and hold them to secure the release of all Muslims taken prisoner in the war on terror. … The emergence of a systematic kidnapping campaign in Afghanistan would be a public diplomacy nightmare for Barack Obama, who is already struggling to contain detainee issues fallout. Many people remain angry at America's treatment of detainees. Some would celebrate an evening of the score and perhaps even sanction it. The ends justifies the means is about to blowback on to the Afghan conflict. This may be the real legacy of Guantanamo." Image from

Multilateralising the effort: Obama, Iran and the IAEA – posted by scott, Politics: Policy debate with a difference: "[P]olicy should first acknowledge Iran’s rights under the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT), but couple this with an insistence that these rights carry with them responsibilities - foremost among them the obligation to cooperate with the IAEA. This really should be the focus of the diplomatic effort - a push for full compliance, but done in a way that is much more visible, and public. Despite all Obama’s talk of multilateralising the effort, there is still appears to be very little room in America’s public diplomacy or her national conversation for developments at the IAEA. The lead UN agency on counter-proliferation is barely reported by the mainstream press and we are no closer to resolving America’s ambivalent relationship with the UN and its agencies. This has to change. The alternative is to let the increasingly hysterical Israeli Right shape perceptions on the issue with all that implies for America's international position."

Remarks at the German Marshall Fund - James B. Steinberg, posted at press release, US State Department, posted at Scoop.co.nz: Deputy Secretary of State Steinberg:

“I think we have a predicate for – that both sides of the Atlantic work – to work together as we move forward with the review of our military posture and our civilian strategy. I think it is going to be challenging, and it’s going to require quite a significant investment of energy and public diplomacy by leaders on both sides of the Atlantic.” Steinberg image from

A Journalist in Limbo: U.S. Allies Deserve Better Government Cooperation - D. Jeffrey Hirschberg, Washington Post: "Rahman Bunairee, a 33-year-old reporter for the U.S.-government-funded Voice of America (VOA) … [r]ather than being welcomed to our country, Bunairee was interrogated at length by Customs and Border Protection officials, who ultimately rejected his visa, deemed him an 'intending immigrant' and threatened to deport him. This courageous journalist wound up in jail in Hampton Roads, Va. … Bunairee's suffering has lasted too long. He should be granted immediate authorization to work. … Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, federal agencies have greatly increased cooperation and coordination to confront extremist and terrorist threats and to keep our country safe. But the legal limbo in which Bunairee remains ensnared shows that the system needs to work better. The VOA and other news outlets must be able to recruit the talented and courageous journalists to report about Pakistan and other global hot spots." D. Jeffrey Hirschberg is a member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the independent federal agency that supervises all U.S. government-supported, non-military international broadcasting. Via.

First Round of Democracy Definers Find Fame - Will You? – Broadcasting Ourselves, The YouTube Blog: "Today is the International Day of Democracy and what better way to celebrate than to announce the second round of the Democracy Video Challenge, a partnership between YouTube, the State Department, and several public and private partners who want you to fill in the blank in this sentence: 'Democracy is...' Last year, over 900 videos were submitted from over 95 countries and the six winners are currently in the United States, touring film studios, the United Nations, and the State Department as part of their two-week, all-expenses-paid trip to the U.S. This morning, they appeared on the Today Show with Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, Judith McHale.

The second Democracy Video Challenge starts today, and you can learn more about it on the State Department's YouTube channel. If you're a filmmaker, a democracy advocate, or just someone who has an idea about what democracy means, head over to the State Department's channel and get to work completing the phrase 'Democracy is…'” McHale image from

Get Smart: Combining Hard and Soft Power - Joseph S. Nye Jr., Foreign policy, July/August 2009: "'Smart power' is a term I developed in 2003 to counter the misperception that soft power alone can produce effective foreign policy. Power is one's ability to affect the behavior of others to get what one wants. There are three basic ways to do this: coercion, payment, and attraction. Hard power is the use of coercion and payment. Soft power is the ability to obtain preferred outcomes through attraction. If a state can set the agenda for others or shape their preferences, it can save a lot on carrots and sticks. But rarely can it totally replace either. Thus the need for smart strategies that combine the tools of both hard and soft power. … Contextual intelligence is needed to produce an integrated strategy that combines hard and soft power. Many official instruments of soft power -- public diplomacy, broadcasting, exchange programs, development assistance, disaster relief, military-to-military contacts -- are scattered across the U.S. government. There is no overarching policy that even tries to integrate them with hard power into a comprehensive national security strategy. The United States spends about 500 times as much on the military as it does on broadcasting and exchange programs. Is this the right proportion? And how should the U.S. government relate to the generators of soft power in civil society -- including everything from Hollywood to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation?" Below Nye image from

US international broadcasting would be part of an "overarching strategy." Too bad about the audience - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "It's nice that Professor Nye wants to give international broadcasting more of the military budget. But his essay reminds us of the perilous state of US international broadcasting. USIB must be independent to achieve the credibility necessary to attract an audience. If USIB is subject to an 'overarching strategy' to 'integrate them with [shudder] hard power,' the result may be an organizational structure that America's distinguished experts can comprehend. The audience, however, knows that 'integrated' news is not really news. They will tune to BBC or Al Jazeera for something closer to what they are looking for. (Professor Nye is associated with Harvard's new Public Diplomacy Collaborative.)"

Deconstructing the Interactive Shibboleth Public Diplomacy Today Part 3 - Patricia H. Kushis and Patricia Lee Sharpe, Whirled View: "[P]ublic diplomacy today is fortunate to have this vast array of communications media at its disposal, some one-way, some interactive, each ready to serve a specific communications need, each demanding verve, intelligence, field knowledge and general good sense in its application. Meanwhile, plain old person-to-person interaction is still the gold standard for sharing sensitive information, for explaining complicated issues to key players and for hammering out agreement." Image from

A Point of Clarification on Public Diplomacy Talk at IHEC Blog – David Comp, International Higher Education Consulting Blog™: "A colleague recently (and thankfully) commented on a previous IHEC Blog post where I was writing about public diplomacy. I realized from the comments that I should be more clear when I’m writing about public diplomacy. When I’m writing about public diplomacy on IHEC Blog I’m almost always focusing on the sliver of public diplomacy that involves international educational exchange programs. To be sure, public diplomacy involves much more than international exchange programs and I will work to be more clear in future posts to indicate/remind that my focus is on international exchange programs."

Bin Laden's book club - Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy: "The 9/11 Commission reported 'it is simply a fact that American policy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ... is [a] dominant staple of popular commentary across the Arab and Muslim world.' Similarly, the State Department's Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy for the Arab and Muslim World found that 'citizens in these countries are genuinely distressed at the plight of the Palestinians and at the role they perceive the United States to be playing.' Not only is Bin Laden personally motivated by this issue -- as his own family and prior statements attest -- he knows it is a good way to attract support."

How Not to Increase U.S. Tourism - Helle C. Dale, WebMemo #2612,Heritage Foundation: "Last week, the U.S. Senate's passed S. 1023, the 'Travel Promotion Act of 2009' (TPA). This legislation, if it passes the House, could, ironically, make foreigners less inclined to visit the United States. By imposing fees on travelers applying for travel to the U.S. through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), the TPA will increase the cost of visiting America--hardly a sensible way to entice tourists, particularly in the current global economic downturn. … For example, in addition to fingerprinting and pre-registration, travelers from VWP countries will now be asked to fund American travel promotion. These new restrictions would have a major detrimental impact on U.S. public diplomacy: Does anyone really imagine this will make visiting the U.S. more attractive? Rather than passing legislation increasing the cost of visiting the U.S., Congress should [inter alia]: … Establish a government-wide strategy for public diplomacy and strategic communication to guide legislative and executive branch efforts on outreach to foreign publics."

Outgoing Commander Bolsters Korea-US Alliance - Jung Sung-ki – Korea Times: "[Outgoing deputy commander of the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC Gen. Lee Sung-chool] Lee has been recognized for spearheading a public diplomacy effort to secure extended public and parliamentary support for the alliance.

He actively supported the Good Neighbor community outreach program organized by the U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) and often hosted roundtable meetings between USFK officials and South Korean lawmakers or policymakers." Image from

Environment pollution and quality of water to be debated in Baku - Financiarul: "Romania’s Embassy in Baku, a NATO contact point embassy to Azerbaijan, over September 14-15, 2009 attends the workshop on water management, which is organized in Baku as part of the NATO programme on Science for Peace, carried out by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan."

Every Nation Is Free To Determine Its Policies To The Benefit Of Its Citizens: Russian Politics, Policy-Making And American Missile Defence - Mikhail Tsypkin, International Affairs 85: 4 (2009) 781–799 posted by Alex Romaniuk, aromaniuk.livejournal.com: "[T]he main countermeasure to missile defence threatened by the Kremlin—to deploy Iskander operational tactical missiles in the Kaliningrad province in order to target the proposed interceptor site in Poland—makes no military sense. According to the former director of the main think-tank of Russian strategic nuclear forces, General Vladimir Dvorkin (ret.), there are no realistic scenarios for the use of these missiles. …

Iskander missiles seem to have become simply the magic bullet of public diplomacy for the Kremlin, which recently threatened again to deploy them in Kaliningrad, this time in the event of American surface-to-air Patriot missiles being deployed in Poland." Image from

Goldstone's daughter: My father is a Zionist and loves Israel - Jerusalem Post: "Nicole Goldstone, the daughter of [UN investigator] Richard Goldstone, whose report on Operation Cast Lead alleged that Israel committed war crimes in Gaza, maintained on Wednesday that her father 'is a Zionist and loves Israel.' … Meanwhile, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev said that the UN report would hamper Middle East peace efforts. Speaking to Army Radio, Shalev added that 'the international atmosphere is very influential. We have already begun a public diplomacy campaign in world capitals in order to explain the extent to which the report is biased, one-sided and political.'" See also.

Your Alma mater is YOUR brand - Olga Slavkina, Schmoozy Fox: "So, choose your college or university smartly. Its brand will end up being part of your personal brand, and you can take advantages (in case you make smart decisions) from that throughout your life. It also means that colleges, universities and other educational establishments have to devote a significant amount of time to positioning themselves. They have to take a long-term view on their brands in order to attract the kind of students who would fit their culture and style most.

Some MBA programs are excellent examples of how to do it smartly. Also, the Fulbright program, a US public diplomacy initiative that goes back to 1946, is a great example of consistent educational branding, based on consistent values. Your Alma Mater is YOUR brand!" Image from

Questions & Answers - Scholarships for SC/ST Students in India – Govt of India Scholarship: "NDAYISHIMIYE on September 12th, 2009 11:52 am I am Ndayishimiye jean paul from Rwanda, I have born in DR/CONGO i am living in rwanda since 2000 yerars i have achieved first degree in law faculty so please i want to benefit that scholarship that you offering but is it posible to gime it in law faculty? or in public diplomacy?or internatiponal Relation? thank you."

Thorp Reed & Armstrong Brings the Expertise and Insight of the G-20 Summit Directly to Pittsburgh`s Business Leaders and Community – Reuters: "European Union Minister Counselor Anthony Smallwood: Mr. Smallwood is the Head of Press and Public Diplomacy for the European Commission Delegation to the United States."

RELATED ITEMS

Afghanistan’s Other Front - Joseph Kearns Goodwin, New York Times: Afghans’ lack of faith in their government is as damaging as the armed insurgency. Indeed, our failure to combat corruption not only undermines our efforts to build governmental institutions deserving of the confidence and support of the Afghan people, but also threatens all our labors in their country.

Afghanistan: Should we stay or should we go? - Dick Polman, Post-Bulletin:

By what measure can we guarantee that the country will be permanently inhospitable to al-Qaeda? Image from

Who's Afraid of A Terrorist Haven? - Paul R. Pillar, Washington Post: The Obama administration and other participants in the debate about expanding the counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan should present a convincing case about how a terrorits haven would significantly increase the terrorist danger to the United States. That case has not yet been made.

A Test for Iran: Tehran's treatment of Western nationals it has accused of fomenting unrest will show its seriousness about talks – Editorial, Washington Post

Venezuela drapes peace base in anti-American propaganda
- Neda Vanovac, Colombia Reports: Venezuela constructed a fence across the 'peace base' near the Colombian border and swathed it in an aggressive anti-American banner, in protest of the U.S. military bases pact.

"We swear there will be a war to the death if the Yankee empire desecrates the sacred soil of the land of Bolivar. Gringos: We're waiting for you here," is written in large black and red letters on the fence installed by Venezuela on the Base of Peace, just one kilometer from the Colombian border at Arauca.

The Israel lobby’s global propaganda manual - Paul J. Balles, Redress Information & Analysis

Propaganda Art From Mao to Now - Ray Ally, X-RAY China: art, branding, communication, design, experience: “Last weekend I visited a new exhibition celebrating 60 years of Chinese art from the period 1949-2009. It had opened at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing as part of the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the foundation of the People’s Republic of China. Now 60 years might not seem a long time given China’s 5,000 year history. However the last six decades has seen a revolution in China’s social economic and political situation. The exhibition features over 700 works from a wide range of artists, which charts China’s rapid development over this time.

I was especially interested in viewing the art of the 1950s, which was one of the heydays of poster propaganda art. … The exhibition is impressive in size and scale but is it real art, or is it just political propaganda? Art and politics might seem like polar opposite subjects and in some ways they are. However many artists and critics argue alike that all art is political. Well I agree, as all artists are making a statement with their work, so they all become propaganda artists of their time."