February 3

"I don't think art is propaganda; it should be something that liberates the soul, provokes the imagination and encourages people to go further. It celebrates humanity instead of manipulating it."

--Keith Haring; on Haring, see; Haring image from

SITE OF INTEREST

Cultures in Harmony

REPORT

U.S. International Broadcasting: An Untapped Resource for Ethnic And Domestic News Organizations – Shawn Powers

VIDEO

Amb. Daniel Kurtzer Interviewed by David Saranga - YouTube: David Saranga from the Asper Institute interviews Prof. Amb. Daniel C. Kurtzer, Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University on: US-Israel relationship, Public Diplomacy and new media

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

FY 2011 exchanges budget request in detail - Mark Overmann, Alliance for International Cultural and Educational Exchange: "Department of State educational and cultural exchange programs received no increase in the FY 2011 request. The Congressional Budget Justification for the Department (exchanges-specific section available here; full document here) notes that the requested FY 2011 exchanges funding level of $633.2 million would support 'ongoing initiatives and strengthen America’s global engagement through programs of proven value and create new opportunities to engage, educate, and empower foreign and American participants.'”

India to open doors with Foreign Education Providers Bill: Krishna - Oneindia: "External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Tuesday said iNDIA is all set to open up its doors to foreign educational institutions through the enactment of a Foreign Education Providers Bill. Speaking on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Fulbright programme in India, Krishna said: 'Nearly a hundred thousand Indian students enroll in the USA annually. India is poised to open up her doors to foreign educational institutions through the enactment of a Foreign Education Providers Bill. We are keen to establish partnerships with premier universities in USA to address challenges such as water, energy, healthcare, urban infrastructure, and environment.' Krishna also apprised the audience that last year Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal led a delegation to USA to discuss some of these initiatives. With India becoming a full partner in the selection and award of scholarships, the scholarships are now called the 'Fulbright - Jawaharlal Nehru Scholarships and Grants,' he said. ... 'I am confident that the Fulbright-Nehru Program will be instrumental in augmenting people-to-people linkages between two great democracies, India and USA,' the Union Minister added. Also present on this occasion were U.S. Ambassador to India Timothy Roemer, Judith McHale, Under Secretary for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy, Adam Grotsky, Members of the US-India Education Foundation, Alumni and awardees of Fulbright-Nehru fellowships and grants and others."

Krishna: door not closed for talks with Pakistan - The Hindu: "India has never ruled out prospects of dialogue with Pakistan, and Islamabad must demonstrate its resoluteness to combat terror by continuing to act against the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks that led to suspension of the dialogue. External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said this while talking to journalists on the sidelines of a function to celebrate 60 years of cultural ties between India and the U.S. by the Fulbright Commission in India, here on Tuesday. ... Mr. Krishna said India was 'poised' to open her doors to foreign educational institutions through the enactment of a Foreign Education Providers Bill. 'We are keen to establish partnerships with premier universities in the USA to address challenges such as water, energy, healthcare, urban infrastructure, and environment. My colleague Kapil Sibal, Minister for Human Resource Development, led a delegation to the U.S. last year to discuss some of these initiatives,' he said. The modalities of the Singh-Obama Knowledge Initiative were being worked out by both governments. Under the initiative, both leaders had announced that the governments would contribute $5 million each to launch an initiative on formation of higher education partnerships between institutions in both countries, to strengthen junior faculty in India and build linkages between the junior faculty of institutions of higher education. 'Our commitment in education in India-U.S. relations goes further back,' said Mr. Krishna. In December 2008, India endowed the Harvard University with a $4.5-million grant to enable the university to establish a fund in honour of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen to provide fellowships to deserving Indian students at the university’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In early 2009, India endowed the Columbia University with a grant of $3.5 million for creating a fund named after Dr. B.R. Ambedkar that would provide fellowships in Indian constitutional studies in the Columbia University. It may be recalled that Dr. Ambedkar had studied in Columbia University and was awarded a Ph.D. by the university way back in 1927, Mr. Krishna said. U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale and U.S. Ambassador Timothy Roemer were present." Above Krishna image from article

US Embassy's Minister to deliver lecture for Info officers - Associated Press of Pakistan:

"Minister-Counsellor for Public Affairs, Embassy of the United States, Larry Schwartz would deliver a lecture for officers of Information Group Wednesday (February 3). Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will organize the lecture which would be attended by all officers who have been selected for posting abroad, probationers under training, officers of External Publicity Wing, officers of Information Service Academy (ISA) and officers nominated by PIO, PID including Director General, DFP, Director General, Cyber Wing and Director General (IP). ... Mr. Schwartz is Chairman of the U.S. Educational Foundation in Pakistan which manages educational and professional exchange programmes with the United States. The Fulbright programme, as it is known, sends 100 MA candidates and 50 PhD candidates to the United States each year to obtain advanced degrees and return to teach in Pakistani universities. The Embassy also sends many high school and undergraduate students to the United States for short term studies and supports English-language training in Pakistan." Image from

US nominee wants greater openness in Singapore - AFP: "The nominee to be the US ambassador to Singapore said Tuesday he would encourage the government to allow greater openness, including more space for opposition parties. David Adelman, a state senator in Georgia and fund-raiser for President Barack Obama, praised Singapore as a 'constructive force in the world' and pointed to its efforts in Haiti and Afghanistan. ... 'I intend, if confirmed, to use public diplomacy to work towards greater press freedoms, greater freedom of assembly and ultimately more political space for opposition parties in Singapore,' he said."

Senator Feingold calls Radio/TV Martí -- to borrow a phrase -- "relic of the Cold War" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Alhurra and (some of) the People - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Alhurra and Al Jazeera had camera positions for the State of the Union - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

RSF: Alhurra offices damaged in 25 January Baghdad hotel bombings - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Kwan puts skating career on ice - John Powers, Boston Globe: "Kwan’s skating got her invited to the White House for a 2006 state luncheon, where she sat at the head table next to President George W. Bush and chatted in Mandarin with Chinese president Hu Jintao. 'It was the most interesting few hours of my life,’' she says.

That autumn, Condoleezza Rice named Kwan as the State Department’s first public diplomacy envoy. Since then she has traveled to Argentina, Ukraine, Russia, China, and, most recently, South Korea chatting with people her age and younger about whatever interests them about her and her country." Image from

NATO - Turkish students to debate NATO's future role - ISRIA: "When Allied Defence Ministers meet in Istanbul on 4 and 5 February 2010, NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division will host the 'Istanbul Youth Forum: Bridge for Peace' with the Turkish Euro Atlantic Youth Committee (YATA-TURK), an NGO created in 2005 to engage young Turks in international security issues."

After Goldstone, Israel seeks to sharpen PR weapon – Alastair Macdonald, Reuters:

"[T]here was a consensus in the Herzliya seminars, a highpoint of the Israeli political and diplomatic calendar, that better explanation of existing policies and of the threatsIsrael faces could ease diplomatic pressure coming from abroad. ... Proposals aired at Herzliya for improving Israel’s image abroad ranged from increasing spending sharply on its embassiesthrough grass-roots diplomacy in the form of citizens engaged inInternet social networking to full-scale 'rebranding'. Former diplomat and advertising man David Admon, writing inthe leftish Haaretz newspaper, demanded a 'Ministry of Hasbara' to coordinate Israel’s message — hasbara, Hebrew for explaining– has long been a common term for Israeli public diplomacy." Image from

The important aspects of Public Diplomacy: the Kosovo case, por por André Aprígio - Mundorama: "[T]here are very few diplomatic missions in Kosovo and abroad, for this reason, efforts in improving its reputation, if made (only and/or solely) based on traditional methods would be more difficult (and/or slowly) achieved. The Public Diplomacy (PD) seems, in this scenario, therefore, an instrument for facilitating and supporting the process of image reconstruction. ... PD 'traditionally means government communication focused on foreign audiences to achieve changes in ‘hearts and minds’ of people'. Indeed, we can think of PD as a trinomial: (i) Identity, (ii) Image and (iii) Communication, where Identity means how the country really is; Image relating to the perception that others (people, countries, non-state actors) have from one State, and Communication, on the means by which identity is transformed into Image. ... We should not forget, however, that PD should help shape the policies that really consider the ideas and common interests, as explained in the trinomial of PD. Communication, itself, is just not enough. The external message should be consistent with the internal actions of the State."

State Department Iraq Transition Assistance Office - Craig Roberts Jobs Distribution List: "We are pleased to inform you that we are still accepting applications for the following positions with the Iraq Transition Assistance Office (ITAO). PRT Public Diplomacy Coordinator (deadline: 2/5/2010) (http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?JobID=85822518)"


PA/Ambassador/Deputy Head of Mission, British Embassy to Belguim - naombakazi.com: "STAFF VACANCY PA management work: arranging appointments and official travel, diary and programme management, administrative and secretarial support for the Ambassador and the Deputy Head of Mission, and coordination work for the wider political and public diplomacy section and the wider Embassy. 75%." Above image from

The geniuses that came up - hangzhoumassagecente: "Obama Democrats can try to flame President Reagan all they please, but the Great Communicator knew public diplomacy."

RELATED ITEMS

The simple facts: Dershowitz’s film reminds Yair Lapid that case for Israel based on basic facts - Ynetnews: After much postponement, I recently watched Alan Dershowitz’s film "The Case for Israel". The renowned US attorney opens the film by declaring that he is both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian, and that he supports the two-state solution, but… Dershowitz is neither a philosopher nor a filmmaker. He is not even a rightist. We have become accustomed to the case for Israel being only made by members of the rightist camp, yet Dershowitz supports us precisely because he is a leftist law professor at Harvard University who deals with human rights. ... Dershowitz’s film, yet instead of feeling happy I felt a little dumb. After all, I was familiar with these facts before, just like any other Israeli is familiar with them, so how come we are always on the defensive, always apologizing, and always losing the battle for global public opinion? It is true, of course, that millions of petro-dollars are being used for anti-Israel propaganda (whoops! I’m again buying into their story- this is not anti-Israel propaganda but rather, pure and simple anti-Semitism.) But how the hell did we manage to get to a situation where the truth – the basic, simple, fact-based truth – has gone out of fashion?


New Israel Fund supports anti-Zionist propaganda - Israel News. Above image from Israeli Army Girls