December 8

"I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.”

--Oscar Wilde; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Marketing the U.S. in Pakistan - Haider Mullick, Foreign Policy:


"The United States has signed billions of dollars in aid over to Pakistan but sitting in Islamabad two weeks ago I could hardly find a happy Pakistani. The overriding narrative usually goes as follows: the U.S. sporadically uses Pakistan's military, colludes with local leaders, and leaves millions of Pakistanis to clean up the mess. Failing to explain or market its soft power -- aid for schools and hospitals -- Washington relies on Islamabad to highlight its goodwill and mistakes. While this ostensibly strengthens local governance and protects foreign aid workers, it has placed Pakistanis in a state of combustible ignorance. After eight years today most Pakistanis are equally anti-Taliban and anti-U.S. That spells failure for U.S. public diplomacy. ... [T]he recent State Department $30 million public diplomacy campaign will fail if Islamabad does not end its pervasive doublespeak. Pakistani officials I talked to tell me that the mantra in Awan-e-Sadr (the Pakistani White House) is to take full credit for U.S. weapons, satellites, and dollars and still use the United States as a punching bag for drone attacks (even as they secretly tolerate them). This duplicity is must end with a reasonable ‘roadmap to transparency' that explains and sells the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. For example, United States should initiate public tours of its embassies and consulates. ... Washington and Islamabad should market U.S.-supported socio-economic and investment programs such as private electricity producers, Fulbright scholarships, and building roads for the tribal areas abutting Afghanistan." Image from

Best Performance in a Farce - Kelley B. Vlahos, Antiwar.com: "If there was any early competition for the direction of the Afghanistan war – diplomatic or military – that was over months ago. The COINdinistas like to patronizingly talk about the 'whole of government' approach when it’s politically expedient. But again, it’s not real. We all know where the bread is buttered these days: defense spending outpaced international affairs at the State Department 17 to 1 in 2009, according to Lawrence Korb at the Center for American Progress. Of course Obama & Co. blew in with high hopes, brandishing what they thought was a serious diplomatic arsenal, with Hillary Clinton, Dennis Ross, and especially Richard 'The Bulldozer' Holbrooke at the spear tip. They no doubt envisioned long tabletops and colorful shuras, hard-nosed and even feisty negotiations, which would all culminate in some photo-ready handshake and a Dayton-like accord. So far, crickets. And the 'civilian surge?' It has been plagued by low recruitment, lack of experience, and again, a shortfall in resources. So now the military says it is 'forced' to take over public diplomacy and to dominate the Provincial Reconstruction Teams. The burdens are enormous."

US signaling – Editorial, DAWN.com: ‎ "Mercifully, American public diplomacy can also get things right on occasion. On Sunday, US Secretary of Defence Robert Gates said:

‘Well, we don’t know for a fact where Osama bin Laden is. If we did, we’d go after him.’ More importantly, from a Pakistani perspective, Mr Gates also acknowledged that intelligence-sharing was not necessarily the problem between the US and Pakistan: ‘No. I think it’s because, if as we suspect, [Bin Laden] is in North Waziristan, it is an area that the Pakistani government has not had a presence in, in quite some time.’ Compare Mr Gates’s statements with what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on her trip to Pakistan in late October: ‘I find it hard to believe that nobody in your government knows where [Al Qaeda’s leaders] are and couldn’t get them if they really wanted to.’ Are the US secretaries of defence and state really operating with fundamentally different scripts for American policy towards Pakistan or is it part of a complex game of signalling, a good cop/bad cop routine, in which the US is trying to goad Pakistan into ‘doing more’?" Gates image from

Why No Change Ten Years On? - Mark Dillen, Public Diplomacy: The World Affairs Network: "It is ten years since the U.S. government reorganized its public diplomacy effort, but we have yet, it seems to me, to arrive at a version of U.S. public diplomacy that is truly effective in both long-term relationship building and rapid transmission of political ideas. Instead, our relationship-building effort relies heavily on academic exchanges while our most noteworthy efforts at getting political information out quickly are taken up by the Pentagon, rather than the State Department. ... The outlook is not entirely bleak. The Obama Administration has recently nominated a first-class public intellectual, Walter Isaacson, to run the BBG. President Obama himself has made an enormous difference in how the world perceives the United States. The U.S. military 'gets it' — but that’s not enough. America still lacks a non-military institution that articulates her ideas and ideals overseas and provides timely tactical advice to advance foreign policy goals. Ten years after the end of the U.S. Information Agency, it is fair to ask how so many people could have allowed this to happen."

A Center to Defend Our Climate Stance - Ben Jervey, Adopt a Negotiator: “'No matter how you feel about them,' a friend from the Global South told me today, 'the U.S. is really good at this.' She was referring to the U.S. Center here at COP15, a public diplomacy/PR/outreach venue set up by the State Department to, basically, try to show others countries that–in terms of climate change–we’re a whole new America. My Southern friend’s reaction would seem to indicate that they’re doing a good job. Inside the little pavilion space is a boatload of our nation’s finest climate science, including the attention-grabbing centerpiece:

Science On a Sphere® (SOS)." Image from article

Obama and the Islamic World: Co-sponsored by the Asia Program and the Middle East Program – Events at the center, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: "December 07 2009, 4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. Event Details Satoshi Ikeuchi, Japan Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center and Associate Professor, University of TokyoSatoshi Ikeuchi explores principles and philosophies in the Obama administration’s discourse on Islam and Muslim nations. He examines public speeches and remarks by Obama and officials in the administration to assess the administration’s deliberate efforts in engaging Muslim nations. He also locates this discourse within the context of the many contested views on Islam. His presentation is an effort to put Obama's discursive policy on the Muslim nations in the context of worldwide debate on 'Islam,' and examines to what extent Obama's public diplomacy is causing change within a discussion dominated by the dichotomy of 'Islam and the West.' It also suggests how Obama’s distinctive approach affects U.S. policy on human rights and the promotion of democracy abroad."

Chinese college students flocking to U.S. campuses - Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY: "President Obama announced plans last month to 'dramatically expand' to 100,000 the number of U.S. students who study in China over the next four years, calling such exchanges 'a clear commitment to build ties among our people in the steady pursuit of cooperation that will serve our nations, and the world.' But .. . [l]ast year alone, 98,510 Chinese graduate and undergraduate students poured into U.S. colleges and universities, lured by China's emphasis on academic achievement and the prestige of U.S. higher education. China is second only to India when graduate students and undergrads are counted. ... . Nationally, an 11% growth in undergrad enrollments last year was driven largely by a 60% increase from China, a report by the Institute of International Education says. Grad student enrollments were up 2%. ... The increase also reflects a 'strong dialogue' between the two countries, says U.S. State Department deputy assistant secretary Alina Romanowski.

She says the recent growth can't be pinned to specific changes in visa policy, but some U.S. college officials say they detect a friendlier attitude among U.S. embassies and consulates, which review visa applications. One key question for any country is whether visa-seeking students can prove they will return to their home country upon graduating from a U.S. college." Romanowski image from

A culture clash over Confucius Institutes - Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY: "Just as the philosopher Confucius sought in ancient times to promote mutual understanding between cultures, China is stepping up efforts to do the same today. Over the past five years, the Beijing-based non-profit Confucius Institute has established nearly 300 centers in 87 countries around the world. The goal: to offer local communities opportunities to learn Chinese language and culture. And, some observers say, to soften China's image as an aggressor as it grows stronger economically and politically. ... The website for the Beijing-based Confucius Institute, which was established by an arm of the Chinese Ministry of Education known as Hanban, says there were 80 U.S.-based Confucius Institutes as of October. Hanban provides start-up money – about $100,000 at Nebraska – plus instructors and the opportunity for host sites to apply for more money. ... Some critics view the institutes as mostly a vehicle for propaganda. An Indian online business magazine reported in October that India had rejected China's efforts to establish Confucius Institutes there. Others raising concerns about China's motives include members of the Swedish Riksdag and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service. y contrast, a recent Economist story on Confucius Institutes says the Pentagon helped finance some language courses at the institutes under an initiative launched in 2006 by then-president George Bush."

Publication – Journal Paper - Hak Yin Blog: “'China’s advancements in Central Asia: Limitations towards a regional power' (with Zhengxu Wang), East Asian Policy, vol.1, no. 4, 2009 Abstract:

As a main founder of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, China’s trading activities and energy investments in Central Asia have increased since the 1990s. Many analysts expect Chinese influences to increase in the region. This paper looks at the Chinese influence in trade, energy development, diplomacy and soft power, and finds that China can hardly be regarded as a dominant power in the region. China should further develop its public diplomacy in order to foster ties with Central Asian countries." Image from

Poland hosts NATO summit on WMD - UPI.com: "The North Atlantic Council, the highest governing body in the alliance, in September released its policy for preventing the proliferation of WMD and defending against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. Jacek Bylica, the top WMD official at NATO, said the directive 'provides high-level political guidance' for tackling a growing proliferation threat. The directive allows 'enablers' to work with partners to the NATO alliance to share intelligence and share efforts at public diplomacy and strategic communication."

NATO officials hail UAE's active role in Istanbul Cooperation Initiative - WAM, Emirates News Agency:

"An official at the media division of the public diplomacy directorate in NATO said that the UAE, a member of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, proved effective presence quickly among the member countries, strengthening cooperation with NATO in various fields to consolidate its regional and international presence." Image from

Middle East Gates Open to Turkey: Gul's Visit to Jordan - Sedat Laciner, Journal of Turkish Weekly: "Turkey cannot only trust the attempts of a handful of people in understanding the region, developing relations and maintaining them. Institutionalized assistance foundations should urgently emerge and the previous ones should work more actively and efficiently. Politics underpinned by trade should attach great importance to public diplomacy."

Death of James F. Brown, RFE/RL director 1978-1984 - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

On VOA, family appeals for information about American missing in Iran - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Salahadin left the keys in Damascus - i figure wherever i am, that's where the world is: "The road to lasting Middle Eastern peace, it seems, runs straight through Damascus. And that is why I am here, working in a small way on that effort.

The role of Public Diplomacy is to reach the Syrian public and to change their attitude towards the United States, a crucial first step into changing the political attitude between Syria and America. It is an incredible time and opportunity to be a part of this change, incorporating the ideals and initiatives in Obama’s Cairo Speech, and I cannot begin to explain how much I am learning here, and how excited I am to be a part of this new beginning." Madeline Stoddart is student at Georgia Institute of Technology studying International Affairs. Her professional focus is on international development, foreign policy, and the Middle East, while her amateur forays into photography, cooking, writing, traveling, and general pursuits of adventure will most probably be much more common on this site. Damascus image from

Essay 3 - ~*Life through Literature*~: Tiffany Young Instructor: "Patty Hanahoe -DoschEN 102 December 6, 2009 Essay 3 New Plan for Afghanistan After the invasion of the Taliban and other terrorist extremists, the citizens of Afghanistan were left with almost nothing. Most Afghans are uneducated and lack basic necessities, including proper nutrition and healthcare. This forced citizens to wear the same clothing for several days in a row and make a minimal income by selling goods on the black market. The poor state of these communities is clearly from a country that 'had been at war for twenty-five years; the new government had been in place for only two weeks; there was no electricity between Heart and Kabul, no television and no T-shirts. . .' (Stewart, How to Save Afghanistan). Many military strategists realize that public diplomacy and development is important to the Afghan citizens and community; sending the correct message 'across with cultural nuances' and establishing a link between the security of development within communities is very pertinent (Mills).

EE a type of PD? - Katie Schoenberger, SIS 640 Group 1: "It seems that the articles on Entertainment Education and Open Source Public Diplomacy had quite a bit in common. Both focused on the typical approach of the West to use these tactics (EE and traditional Public Diplomacy) to 'impose' its values or beliefs on another country or region."

The top 5 EU blogsites missing from your bookmarks list – The Conservative Blog: "3. Errant European Errant European is a blog written by Gerald Loftus who describes himself as an Irish, American and errant European. Loftus is certainly worthy of being in the top 5, he has written for the Foreign Service Journal, American Diplomacy, The Middle East Journal, and the USC Center for Public Diplomacy, publications based in the United States.

In Brussels he has written for New Europe, and as a spokesman for Democrats Abroad Belgium, appears regularly in the Brussels media circuit and if that wasn’t enough also assists the Brussels-based Institut Européen des Relations Internationales (IERI) in its relations with North American academic institutions and think tanks. What I particularly like about this blog is that it is written by someone who can be unashamedly non-partisan about the EU, something none of us Europeans can claim to be. It is interesting to see the views of somebody from America on the European Union, something we rarely hear about. Don’t let the fact that this blog is written by an American put you off (no, I don’t mean it in that way), he certainly knows his stuff, as his writing credentials above show." Loftus image from

First day of class - cheesetoasters under Iraq, Where the Wombats Are: "First day of class in FT 610 – Iraq Familiarisation. There are nine of us in the class. Three career US Govt guys (1 FBI and 2 State Dept security) and they are all the Uncle Grumbles type – no smiles. There’s a telecommunications guy who is going to put up satellites all over the country and he’s probably the liveliest of the bunch. Fun and friendly. There’s my buddy I did my HR intake stuff with and who’s been in Iraq since the invasion doing tactical ops (in charge of managing stuff if there is an attack on the embassy). Very nice guy though a bit quiet. There’s a guy I met last week from NEA/SCA PD (Near East Asia/South and Central Asia Public Diplomacy) who is going straight to the PRT (Provincial Reconstruction Team) in Irbil. And three FSNs (foreign service nationals) – non-Americans working at other embassies who’ve been given an opportunity to work for the US in Iraq."

A Job -- December 7, 2009 - Afflicted With Optimism - Stories From The Job Hunt: A Job Posting: "Another job at the Department of State... USA...Contractor Position: STATEMENT OF WORK U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Senior Program Officer (Materials Writer) Background The Materials Branch, Office of English Language Programs (ECA/A/L) produces books, videos, and other materials related to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) for use by teachers and educational institutions overseas.

These materials are specifically produced to be cost-effective resources provided to teachers and institutions through the public diplomacy efforts of U.S. embassies." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

The Next Surge: Counterbureaucracy - Jonathan J. Vaccaro, New York Times: The decision has been made to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, and Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top American commander there, is expected to speak to Congress this week about his strategy for the war. Our troops can win the war, but they will be more effective if the bureaucracy is thinned. When a suicide bomber detonates, the Afghan streets are abuzz with Taliban propaganda about the glories of the war against America. Meanwhile, our messages have to inch through a press release approval pipeline, emerging 24 to 48 hours after the event, like a debutante too late for the ball. Authority to release information could be delegated to units in contact with Afghans.

A price to pay, one name at a time - Richard Cohen, Washington Post: The question for Afghanistan is not whether it's worth a trillion dollars or several hundred additional American lives. It's whether it's worth a single additional life. Below image from



A Fearful Price - Bob Herbert, New York Times: The idea that fewer than 1 percent of Americans are being called on to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq and that we’re sending them into combat again and again and again — for three tours, four tours, five tours, six tours — is obscene.

Too few troops, too much spin - Tony Blankley, Washington Times: A sense of unreality overshadows our debate on Afghan war policy across the spectrum of opinions. The unreality derives from the simple fact that we do not have enough troops to rationally implement an adequate defense of our national interests. So every argument for Afghanistan policy tends to seem unserious, perhaps pointless. Neither former President George W. Bush, nor Mr. Obama (nor, I'm sure, the American public) would consider, for example a draft to increase our fighting capacity. That level of sacrifice necessary to gain safety from the still-gathering threat of radical Islam is beyond current American sensibilities.

A war tax doesn't make sense: Fiscal responsibility is good, but a tax hike to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is the wrong way to go – Editorial, latimes.com:

A better approach would be to pay the added costs of the war by redirecting some of the trillion $3.7 already being spent by the federal government. Image from

Afghanistan on Main Street - Roger Cohen, New York Times: America cannot forever languish in a la-la land where the great global security underwriter and the great global debtor never encounter each other, dishing out billions for far-flung fights with one hand and condemning the next generation of Americans with the other.

Pakistan and the War – Editorial, New York Times: President Obama has articulated a reasonably comprehensive strategy for Afghanistan, but there is no chance of defeating the Taliban and Al Qaeda unless Pakistan’s leaders stop temporizing (and in some cases collaborating) and get fully into the fight. Drones won’t be enough. Pakistan’s civilian and military leaders must finally be persuaded that this is not just America’s war, it is central to their survival.

Breakthrough in Iraq: A new accord gives democracy a chance to work -- and shows that high-level U.S. engagement is still needed - Editorial, Washington Post: President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan resembles in many respects the surge launched by the Bush administration in Iraq nearly three years ago -- though the president, who opposed the surge, hasn't advertised that fact. So the news that Iraq's legislators had finally agreed Sunday on a law permitting national elections to go forward early next year gave cause for optimism on more than one front.

Losing our heads in war - Frank J. Gaffney Jr., Washington Times: The time has come for the public and its elected representatives in Congress to recognize the peril associated with the Obama doctrine of diminishing our country, emboldening our enemies and undermining our friends.

Tora Bora: An opportunity missed: Analysts say it would've taken only 2,000 or so U.S. troops to get Osama bin Laden in 2001, but military leaders failed to use all the firepower available. Our troops have been paying the price since - John Kerry, latimes.com

Esprit décor: Magazine editors bedeck 17 envoy spaces for Mission 'Diplomacy at Home' - Jura Koncius, Washington Post: With just two weeks' notice, editors from a half-dozen lifestyle magazines, including Martha Stewart Living, This Old House and Traditional Home, at the State Department Diplomatic Reception Rooms, swagged greenery (very, very carefully) around $100 million worth of American antiques. Their deadline was a reception Monday night at the State Department to honor families of government employees currently serving unaccompanied tours overseas in places considered too dangerous to bring family along. Called "Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays," the event was reminiscent of the high-profile gigs that Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall

pulled off at the White House a decade ago, when one was first lady and the other social secretary. In the State Department's John Quincy Adams State Drawing Room, Mother Earth News placed a bowl of Thomas Jefferson's favorite heirloom apples under an 1816 portrait of the first secretary of state. The State Department hopes to make the decoration process an annual event. Marshall image from

SPACE TRAVEL

Exclusive SpaceShipTwo unveiling gallery (Updated!)


The craft will take six tourists at a time to the edge of space. Each seat is $200,000, requires the traveler to pass a strenuous physical, and offers just a few minutes of zero-G flight.