December 2

"We will have to take away the tools of mass destruction."

--President Barack Obama, in his address at West Point regarding Afghanistan; image from

"We found the weapons of mass destruction."

--George W. Bush, May 29, 2003

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama’s Afghan Hedge Undercuts Clinton’s NATO Ask [sic] - Sally McNamara, The Heritage Foundation: "President Obama made it clear in his [Afghanistan] speech that NATO’s credibility is at stake.

He has invested much of his young presidency courting the leaders of Europe, visiting the Continent multiple times since his election, as has his Vice President, Secretary of State and other senior officials. Now is the time for Hillary Clinton to leverage this Administration’s strong public diplomacy investment, and realize tangible gains from Europe in the form of troops, equipment, money and political support." Image from

Obama on Afghanistan: Great Speech, Smart Policies, Near-Impossible Charlie Brown, community.livejournal.com: "No matter how much the Obama Administration wants to pretend otherwise, their only realy [sic] option is to replicate the same strategy and tactics used by the Bush Administration during the so-called surge in Iraq. Counterinsurgency (or COIN as it's known inside the Beltway) -- meaning a combination of targeted attacks on the Taliban, public diplomacy, and massive development assistance -- is the only viable option at this point. The other major option -- counter-terrorism -- would have alienated the Afghanis and done little to actually stem the growth of the Taliban." Charles J. Brown is Senior Fellow and Washington Director at the Institute for International Law and Human Rights and the host of Undiplomatic, a blog on the intersection of foreign policy, politics, and pop culture.

US troops surge in Afghanistan only one component of strategy - Xiong Tong, Xinhua:‎

"Military force is only one component of the counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan, while other tools are also crucial, a Brookings expert on Afghanistan said on Tuesday. 'Other tools of statecraft, such as economic development, public diplomacy, strategic communications, and crucially the delivery of the necessary public goods -- public safety, rule of law, and economic conditions enabling job-generating development -- are critical,' Vanda Felbab-Brown told Xinhua." Image from

Unknown unknowns, Afghanistan - creoncritic, "Re-entering Afghanistan following some new terrorist atrocity would be more costly than sustaining a mission there, continuing a steady tempo of pressure against al-Qaeda. The reason I disagree with the Biden plan, drones and a lighter footprint in Afghanistan, is that this military intervention would not come with the civilian-side support needed to press Afghanistan towards durable stability. In addition, the Biden plan has humanitarian and public diplomacy drawbacks."

Cricket Diplomacy And Pakistan - Paul Rockower, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll:

"Amid the debates about American aid to Pakistan, and all the ongoing public diplomacy attempts to gain Pakistani 'hearts and minds,' there is one simple measure which would really gain Pakistani support: Cricket Diplomacy. ... Simply put, America can win Pakistani 'hearts and minds' through wickets and stumps." Image from

Public Diplomacy Alumni Association Announces Top Achievers – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "Public Diplomacy is too often misunderstood and more frequently ill-supported. Even within the State Department, stories abound of poor perceptions of the public diplomacy career track from other career tracks (unfortunately named 'cones' in State). I particularly liked a recent anecdote where an Econ officer who took a public diplomacy job was disappointed to he[a]r he would have to actually work in his new assignment. His expectation of a free ride was the reason he chose a tour in the PD cone. Stories like that make the recognition from the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association all the more important. Too often successful despite lack of resources and support, State Department public diplomacy officers do excel."

Poor People Will Soon Be Homeless — Thanks to ACORN - David Horowitz's NewsReal Blog (blog): "The despot [Hugo Chavez]

sends the equivalent of millions of dollars to the US every year as part of his public diplomacy campaign aimed at getting the American public to warm up to his government." Image from

Libya, the next Dubai? - LIMED – World News, Video, Blog: "During a conference at the Maxwell School of Public Diplomacy, Richard Griffiths spoke of his programs in Colombia and the re-branding projects he initiated in Colombia to bring a stronger country image to the South American Nation. Currently in projects in Colombia, Richard Griffiths explained the importance of social programs to a countries image and urged the list of Government officials to continue with social marketing a way to change a country image."

Reruns in Provence: a TV PD quandary - Nick Lombardo, Fused Frame: "While French cinema has been cultivated with all the attention of a signature wine, French television has been left to rot on the vine of cultural diplomacy. ... In part, this unfortunate conundrum is a result of the French government’s own public diplomacy priorities.

As it turns out, 'most of the tax revenue from cultural activities in France comes from television, but is then used to promote French cinema,' according to a new Ernst & Young consultancy study on the nation’s fiscal cultural strategies. ... France would certainly have much to gain in terms of regional cultural communication if it beefed up its TV programming. ... Such programming could serve as an instrument of cultural diplomacy, especially in North African countries from where thousands of migrants to France originate each year." Image from article

IDF Raises Internet Defence Unit - Thoughts: A Buck Each: "Ha'aretz [reports] that the IDF will be recruiting soldiers to fight against misinformation and hatred on websites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. This would be another plank in the Israeli platform of public diplomacy, or, as it is called in Israel 'Hasbara' (explanation.)"

Grapevine: Civilized discourse - Greer Fay Cashman, Jerusalem Post: ‎ "Hadar ... [is] a new Anglo pro-action group which believes that Anglos have a lot to contribute to Israel's development and public diplomacy."

Radio Australia celebrates 70th year as "truly independent public broadcaster"

- Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy. Image from

The capacity to engage – Pragati: The Indian National Interest Review: "In the first of a two-part interview, Shashi Tharoor and Nitin Pai discuss Africa, strengthening the foreign service and changing foreign policy planning." Interview makes brief mention of public diplomacy.

News aggregators for Public Diplomacy / Strategic Communication - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.u.s.: "Several resources that comb news sites and blogs for what they believe is relevant information for those in public diplomacy, strategic communication, or related issues. With one exception, I did not include aggregators that broadcast individual articles via Twitter or blog posts.
· RFE/RL’s The Rundown – An essential read broadly on communication and today and tomorrow’s hotspots. I get it emailed but I didn’t see a way to subscribe through email.
· NightWatch – is an “executive intelligence recap” edited and annotated by John McCreary.
· John Brown’s Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review – a broad (sometimes too broad) coverage of media, academic, and 'plain' blog posts on public diplomacy and related matters. Too often the cited headline is the only part of an article that refers to public diplomacy. John is, however, the major aggregator of public diplomacy-related content.
· Public Diplomacy in the News – developed as an alternative to John Brown’s, the result set is more focused but, in my opinion, frequently incomplete.
· Kim Andrew Elliott – required if you’re monitoring global communication.
· COMOPS Monitor – is an automated aggregator for the 'latest links from the blogosphere on Strategic Communication, Terrorism, & Public Diplomacy.'”

Paper - the CIA's (non)Observance of Plausible Deniability in Indonesia - Posted by Cugel, dpescatore.blogspot.com: "The case of the United States’ covert involvement in revolutionary actions in Indonesia

in the 1950s provides an example of an action in which the premise of plausible deniability was ostensibly maintained; however, several key details of the operation show that although the United States’ involvement never became brazenly apparent, the operation could be said to have a veneer of secrecy at best. The United States, as detailed in ‘Feet to the Fire’ by Kenneth Conboy and James Morrison, provided several types of covert support to guerrilla and revolutionary troops rebelling against the regime of President Sukarno of Indonesia. Although the United States eventually lost its cover of secrecy, the fact that Indonesia did not have exceedingly close ties to the Soviet Union led to limited short-term adverse consequences for the USA. Additionally, swift remedial action through public diplomacy actually led to an improvement of relations between the United States and Suharto." Image from

The Curious Case of Paul Rockower - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I returned to Lala land, and had a presentation for my PubD Lat Am class. We were presenting our policy memos. The jet lag had finally passed on my last day and I acclimated just in time to go back west. Ironically, I ended the Pub D Lat Am class the same way it began, jetlagged, exhausted and impressed. I boffed my presentation, as I was on empty. Too much info, and I got lost amid the details of my research. Thankfully I made up for it with a kickass paper. I got an 'A' on the paper, on Brazil's public diplomacy efforts via discrete diplomacy, soft power through Gramscian hegemony and socialization of a distinct South America as disconnected from Latin America- with Brazil as its centrifugal force. I got a 'gentleman's A minus' for the presentation, which I don't think I deserved but will take."

Public Diplomacy and the Two Step Flow Theory - ♥I Am Chelsea Bailey...and this is my blog ♥ -

"The theories for my cultural component are Public Diplomacy and the Two Step Flow Theory. ... The example of public diplomacy in the media I’ve identified is in regards to the american involvement in the Afghan election." Image from

Contents - American Behavorial Scientist, December 2009, Volume 53, No. 4
J. Gregory Payne Trends in Global Public Relations and Grassroots Diplomacy American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 487-492. [PDF] [Request Permission]

Seong-Hun Yun and Elizabeth L. Toth Future Sociological Public Diplomacy and the Role of Public Relations: Evolution of Public Diplomacy American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 493-503. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

Jordi Xifra Building Sport Countries’ Overseas Identity and Reputation: A Case Study of Public Paradiplomacy American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 504-515. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

Benita Steyn The Strategic Role of Public Relations Is Strategic Reflection: A South African Research Stream American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 516-532. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

Craig Hayden Applied Public Diplomacy: A Marketing Communications Exchange Program in Saudi Arabia American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 533-548. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

Enric Ordeix-Rigo and João Duarte From Public Diplomacy to Corporate Diplomacy: Increasing Corporation’s Legitimacy and Influence American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 549-564. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

Yi-Hui Huang and Olwen Bedford The Role of Cross-Cultural Factors in Integrative Conflict Resolution and Crisis Communication: The Hainan Incident American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 565-578. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

J. Gregory Payne Reflections on Public Diplomacy: People-to-People Communication American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 579-606. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

Jacquie L'Etang Public Relations and Diplomacy in a Globalized World: An Issue of Public Communication American Behavioral Scientist 2009 53: 607-626. [Abstract] [PDF] [References] [Request Permission]

RELATED ITEMS

With Troop Pledge, New Demands on Afghans - Dexter Filkins, New York Times:

President Obama’s commitment Tuesday night to redouble America’s campaign in Afghanistan left unanswered what is perhaps the most decisive question of all: will the Afghans step up too? In the end, training Afghan soldiers and pressuring Afghan officials will succeed only if the American-led war has the support of ordinary Afghans themselves. And it’s among them — in the streets — that the war will ultimately be lost or won. Image from

This I Believe - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: To now make Afghanistan part of the “war on terrorism” — i.e., another nation-building project — is not crazy. It is just too expensive, when balanced against our needs for nation-building in America, so that we will have the strength to play our broader global role. Image from

The Afghanistan Speech – Editorial, New York Times: For far too long — mostly, but not only, under President George W. Bush — Afghanistan policy has had little direction and no accountability.

Mr. Obama started to address those problems at West Point, although the country needs to hear more about how he intends to pay for the war and how he will decide when Afghanistan will be able to stand on its own. The president’s prolonged and leak-ridden policy review had fanned doubts here and abroad about Mr. Obama’s commitment. He showed no reluctance on Tuesday night. Over all, we found the president’s military arguments persuasive. Image from

The 9/11 of 1859- Tony Horwitz, New York Times: Last night President Obama vowed to increase our efforts in Afghanistan — one of two wars that, eight years on, have killed nearly twice as many Americans as the hijacked planes. The nation, beset by the wars’ burden, will continue to find its domestic and foreign policy options hobbled.

Obama puts his popularity on the (battle) line- Tom Shales, Washington Post: If the speech had a familiar ring -- an eerily familiar ring -- perhaps Obama thought that with his superior powers as a speechmaker and television presence, he could sway American hearts and minds more effectively than did his predecessor -- even if Obama's message on Afghanistan might have sounded awfully similar to President George W. Bush's on Iraq.

Two Messages for Two Sides - Peter Baker and Adam Nagourney, New York Times:

President Obama went before the nation on Tuesday night to announce that he would escalate the war in Afghanistan. And Mr. Obama went before the nation to announce that he had a plan to end the war in Afghanistan. Image from

At West Point, Obama likes Ike - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post: Obama’s choice came not from his gut, but from a cerebral analysis of the costs and benefits of various alternatives -- an Ike-like balancing test.

An Afghan strategy: President Obama balances more troops with a limited mission – Editorial, Washington Post: Obama described powerfully the threat posed by "violent extremism," and said, "it will be an enduring test of our free society and our leadership in the world." With obvious reluctance but with clear-headedness, Mr. Obama has taken a major step toward meeting that test.

With speech, president makes the conflict truly his own - Dan Balz, Washington Post: President Obama assumed full ownership of the war in Afghanistan on Tuesday night with a speech arguing that the fastest way out of the conflict is a rapid and significant escalation of it.

But the muted response from key Democratic congressional leaders and the skepticism from Republicans about an exit strategy signaled that the president faces a stiff fight to sell the policy. Elsewhere in the world, Obama must convince adversaries that he will not waver in this fight while continuing to woo NATO allies to supply more troops of their own. Image from

Surge, then leave - David Ignatius, Washington Post: Obama is telling his adversary that he will start leaving on a certain date, and telling his ally to be ready to take over then, or else. That's the weak link in an otherwise admirable decision -- the idea that we strengthen our hand by announcing in advance that we plan to fold it.

Counterinsurgency incoherence - Steve Schippert, Washington Times: Sending additional troops, whether decided upon from intellectual deliberation or from political calculation, is the right call. The details of their usage, the never-ending questions of "exit strategy" and the general unwillingness to commit to victory is wholly unacceptable.

A war president – Bill Kristol, Washington Post: President Obama went to West Point, said it was an honor to be with young soldiers who embody what’s finest about our country, described approvingly and patriotically America’s historic achievements in the “noble struggle for freedom,” and spoke as a war president. A good thing, too. Because when you’re at war, you need a war president.

The Afghan Escalation: Now the President needs a political surge to rally public support – Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal: President Obama's commitment of 30,000 more troops to that Southwest Asian theater is a national investment in blood and treasure on behalf of vital U.S. security interests. Above all, as a war President, Mr. Obama will have to spend more of his own political capital persuading the American public that the Afghan campaign is worth the price. One speech at storied West Point isn't enough. The President needs his own political surge.

A novel way to argue for war – Richard Cohen, Washington Post: “I hope Obama succeeds. But if he does nothing else, he showed that it is possible to urge a nation to war by using reason and logic, facts and figures -- and not by waving the bloody shirt of patriotic fibs.”

In and out with Groucho - Harold Meyerson, Washington Post:

Like imperial Rome and Churchillian Britain, the United States can no longer afford to fight the wars it once took on with reckless abandon, even when it concludes it can’t quite abandon the battlefield, either. Image from

The Afghan-Pakistan Solution: An exit strategy must be predicated on achieving military and political goals, not dictated by time limits - Pervez Musharraf, Wall Street Journal: On the political front, we need an invigorated dialogue with all groups in Afghanistan, including the Taliban. Afghanistan for centuries has been governed loosely through a social covenant between all the ethnic groups, under a sovereign king. This structure is needed again to bring peace and harmony.

Obama's Afghan Strategy Speech Draws Some Media Skepticism [no link]- Political Bulletin, Bulletin News, LLC: As President Obama announced at the US Military Academy at West Point, NY, his plan to send 30,000 additional soldiers to Afghanistan, much of the media attention focused on his assertion that US forces would begin leaving that country in 2011. Some commentators suggested that Obama's schedule represented a political calculation, intended to reassure anti-war Democrats. Other analysts argued that it contradicted the President's overall message last night. Immediately after the speech, for example, CBS' Bob Schieffer asked, "How do you on the one hand say we need to send these troops over there -- it's critical, this is in our national security interest to do this -- but then say...we're only going to keep them there for 18 months?" NBC's David Gregory similarly commented that Obama "is saying 'this is vital, but we're not going to fight this to the bitter end.'" ABC's Martha Raddatz said that if the new troops "are not in until the end of next summer, and he wants them to start leaving by July, that doesn't leave an awful lot of time to get this done." However, McClatchy reports, "While Obama stressed the timetable to start withdrawing troops -- the message he wanted to send to Afghanistan and anti-war Americans -- administration officials stressed that the schedule only sets the start of the withdrawal of US forces and leaves it open for Obama to determine later whether and how quickly to keep withdrawing those troops and how long to take." CNN's Wolf Blitzer, immediately after the speech, said the President had outlined "a temporary surge." CNN's Campbell Brown added, "At the end of 18 months there will be a tangible reality that we are all going to be dealing with about whether or not this worked or not." McClatchy reports that at "the Pentagon...some officials already fretted that the strategy is rooted in the political realities in Washington, not in the burgeoning security problems in Afghanistan and Pakistan." The Washington Post says that "the muted response from key Democratic congressional leaders and the skepticism about an exit strategy from Republicans signaled that the president faces a stiff fight to sell the policy."

The New York Times reports that "for those who still support the war," Obama "is sending more troops. For those against it, he is offering the assurance of the exit ramp." Underscoring the President's political difficulties on the issue, the AP notes that "new survey by the Gallup organization, released Tuesday, showed only 35 percent of Americans now approve of Obama's handling of the war; 55 percent disapprove." The withdrawal date issue was the brunt of most conservative criticism last night. On CBS, Sen. John McCain praised the President, who, McCain said, "made the right decision to have a properly resourced counterinsurgency strategy." But McCain added, "I don't agree with an arbitrary date for withdrawal." Charles Krauthammer said on Fox News that in President's Bush's speech on the Iraq surge "there was no talk of a timeline. There was no talk of withdrawal. There was only talk about success." Image from

Imperial Inertia- Jim Miles, ZNet: The U.S. denigrates propaganda in all its forms within other countries, yet cleverly incorporates its propaganda into the daily life and routines of its citizens from the moment they can watch television and activate a computer. It is called advertising, consumption, saving while buying (an obvious contradiction in terms that everyone seems to accept), everything that is required to keep the populace happy, placated, and docile while the elite rampage through the world harnessing as much of its wealth as possible.

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