December 14

"Here Lies Eric Ambler"

--The autobiography (1985) of the British thriller writer; Ambler image from

“losing voice and extra sleepy - not the best of combinations for public diplomacy”

--Twitterer maddiejane

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Omnibus Bill FY2010: State Gets 745 new positions, USAID 300 - Domani Spero, diplopundit.blogspot.com: "The conference report on the Omnibus Appropriations bill was agreed to in the House on 12/10/2009: On agreeing to the conference report Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays: 221 - 202, 1 Present. ...

The bill, passed by the House 221-202, was not amended by the Senate which means it will now go to President Obama for his signature . ... The conference agreement includes $8,227,000,000 for Diplomatic and Consular Programs (D&CP), which is $2,300,000 below the House and the same as the Senate. Within the total, $6,640,786,000 is for ongoing operations, including public diplomacy activities, and $1,586,214,000 is for Worldwide Security Protection." Image from

"Cultural exchange mission" to Russia - Mark Overmann, Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange: "Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale was in Russia last week participating in a 'cultural exchange mission to advance the vision of U.S. and Russian Presidents Obama and Medvedev to create cultural exchange between the people of Russia and the United States,' writes Laurie Norton Moffatt, Director and CEO of the Norman Rockwell Museum.

Moffat served as a delegate on this Department of State and President's Committee for the Arts and Humanities mission, representing the American Association of Museums. Also on the trip were representatives from the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Smithsonian Museums, regional arts foundations, and the Iowa University International Writers program. An intended outcome of the trip, Moffat notes, is 'a bi-lateral agreement of principles of exchange' between the United States and Russia. McHale and Russian Minister of Culture Mikhail Shvydkoy were to issue a preliminary list of exchange ideas at a closing reception and press conference, and a follow-up meeting is scheduled to take place in the United States in March 2010, 'intended to firm up ideas and introduce potential U.S. partners to the Russian Ministry officials and institutions.'" Image from

How Public Diplomacy Worked in Practice - Hans N. Tuch, American Diplomacy: "In the course of thirty years working in the field and in these three tours in Germany, I learned four essentials: Public diplomacy is primarily a field enterprise where audiences are selected, programs are proposed and carried out by the public diplomacy post abroad, after approval and with the support of Washington headquarters.

The public diplomacy field post conducts an institutional analysis (to determine primary and secondary audiences), proposes a country plan in coordination with the embassy and submits it to Washington for approval and support. For public diplomacy to be effective, there must be synergy between long-range cultural and exchange activities and short-range information programs. While the public diplomacy section is fully integrated in the embassy country team under the American ambassador, there must be a close, direct and functioning relationship between the embassy's public diplomacy section and the Washington office that supervises and supports it with regard to programming, budget and personnel." Image from article

Georgian Journalists Meet Russian President - Pridon Dochia, Daily Georgian Times: "While political relations between Tbilisi and Moscow hit an all-time low 12 Georgian journalists participated in a high-profile European and Asia Media Forum in Moscow. Their visit provoked mixed reactions in Tbilisi. ... Vaso Kapanadze, Director of International Relations of the Rezonansi newspaper, said that the presence of Georgian journalists at the forum would be a demonstration of public diplomacy. 'You have to negotiate with such a big country like Russia –which has occupied one fifth of your territory - as you cannot defeat it and no one will go to war with Russia for your sake. But you pursue national interests during these talks. Certainly the view will be expressed that all kind of contact with Moscow should be severed but this position is wrong.'”

Nation branding: an overview - sladjinaction: "Nation branding: passing trend or a new force in public diplomacy?

Within my assessment of current public relations practices of nations falls the practice of nation branding. A relatively new phenomenon, I will outline below the main themes and issues associated with nation branding. In subsequent posts I will expand on these themes and fit nation branding into the scope of public relations tactics used in public diplomacy." Image from

Ensor to the embassy? – Al Kamen, In the Loop, Washington Post: "Word at the State Department is that David Ensor,

longtime national security correspondent for CNN and more recently executive vice president for communications at Mercuria Energy Group in London, is being talked about to run the public affairs office at the embassy in Kabul." Courtesy GL; Ensor image from

RELATED ITEMS

Guest Post: A Failure to Explain - Peggie Duggan, Mountainrunner.us: Why do they hate us? Because we have failed to explain who and what we are to ourselves and to the world.

Hardline Pakistani schools a draw for foreigners - Chris Brummitt and Ashraf Khan, Washington Post: Thousands of foreigners have flocked to conservative Islamic schools in Pakistan, despite a government ban, the Associated Press has found through interviews with officials, documents, visits to the schools and encounters with dozens of students. Pakistan and foreign governments consider the international students a potential security threat.

Let him take another bow - Mark Steyn, Washington Times:

When you consider all the White House eyeballs that approve a presidential speech, it's truly remarkable there's no one to scribble on the first draft: "Scrub this, Fred. It makes POTUS sound like a self-aggrandizing buffoon." It's not even merely the content, but the stylistic tics. Image from

Reality check from Oslo - E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post: Obama’s Nobel prize speech will not resolve Europe's minor bout of Obama malaise. A comedown was inevitable.

A policy bears fruit - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post:

The verdict on Obama's policy of multilateralism, engagement and circumscribed American ambitions is very much still out. Its proponents have said all along that it would take time to show results. And -- partly because of the administration's own missteps -- the critics have failed to notice that at least some of those results are starting to come in. A sign of progress followed Obama's announcement of the surge in Afghanistan. Earlier this year NATO governments largely rebuffed the administration when it asked for more European troops to accompany the U.S. reinforcements that were dispatched last summer. Now the same governments have pledged at least 5,000 additional troops, and more may come from Germany or France early next year. Image from

Europe and Afghanistan – Editorial, New York Times: Defeating Al Qaeda is a matter of common defense. President Obama is right to insist that the allies do more. Now Europe’s leaders need to demand more of themselves.

Obama Gives Britain the Cold Shoulder: Ideology and history explain the new U.S. disregard - Con Coughlin, Wall Street journal:

Key foreign-policy advisers to Mr. Obama are keen advocates of a federal Europe, one in which the European Commission based in Brussels is the main center of power and influence, rather than the individual capitals, such as London, Paris and Berlin. In this context, Britain's dogged attachment to a "special relationship" with America is regarded as an embarrassing relic of a previous era. Image from

Hit Iran where it hurts: The U.S. must be prepared to use every weapon in its political and economic arsenal. The Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act could provide such a tool - Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, latimes.com

Top Chinese editor demoted after Barack Obama interview: Industry sources say propaganda officials were angry at liberal publication despite approving the meeting – Tania Branigan, Guardian