April 7

"Believing in motion pictures as an international force, I really wanted to see our work become a respected calling. I thought it was almost as important as the State Department."

--Walter Wanger, the independent producer behind the film Foreign Correspondent (1940), who got his first taste of the power of film during World War I when he handled publicity for the American embassy in Rome; image from

CONFERENCE

Iran's Blogosphere and Grassroots Voices: Risks and Rewards of Engagement (April 12): Presented by Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication and the Broadcasting Board of Governors

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama's 'Intelligence Czar' Plugs a New Counterterrorism Catchphrase - Mark Hosenball, Newsweek: "In a speech today before a conference on post-9/11 intelligence-reform efforts, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair

didn't once utter the words 'global war on terror.' But at least twice he talked about the administration's efforts at 'countering violent extremism.' … [I]nsiders have already granted the phrase its own acronym: CVE. … Two U.S. intelligence officials, who … asked for anonymity, said that in practice, 'countering violent extremism' refers to a desire by the Obama administration to use 'public diplomacy' and 'strategic communications' as one part of its effort to thwart emerging threats. CVE is a 'soft power' approach intended to win the support of moderate Muslims at home and abroad. This involves efforts by police and other government representatives to develop closer relations with local Muslim communities and to support anti-extremist elements in Muslim communities overseas. However, the officials noted, 'strategic communications' can also include clandestine 'information operations' intended to disrupt terror groups. And the Obama administration has not shied away from using 'hard power' where soft power fails." Blair image from

"Collateral Murder" – Lena, Global Chaos: "The Wikileaks video, showing Iraqi civilians and reporters (Reuters reporters!) being shot at from a U.S. Army Apache helicopter in Baghdad in July 2007, was released yesterday, and later, was confirmed by a senior U.S. military official to be authentic. ... What happened to the need to 'capture the hearts and minds' of the Iraqi people? It's so sad to be hearing about all those casualty figures among the Coalition forces, and yet, it is even sadder to see the lives of Iraqi civilians being neglected in such a way. Can the U.S. public diplomacy or the voice of an American-backed Iraqi government be expected to have improving credibility given this context?" See also.

A “U.S. base” in Rio? - Adam Isacson, Plan Colombia and Beyond - "During his stop in Quito yesterday, the assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Arturo Valenzuela, was asked about reports that the United States and Brazil are talking about creating a joint anti-narcotics facility in Rio de Janeiro. Valenzuela responded that the United States and Brazil are discussing a bilateral security agreement. He insisted that this will not resemble the Defense Cooperation Agreement signed by the United States and Colombia last October, which granted U.S. personnel access to seven Colombian military bases.

But he didn’t explain much more. ... [T]he new facility sounds rather uncontroversial. But as media outlets all over the region start reporting about a 'new U.S. base in Brazil,' the U.S. government’s public diplomacy apparatus has responded with … silence. ... Rather than let others define an agreement that may in fact be quite benign, the Obama administration must show us that it has learned the importance of a more agile public diplomacy effort in the Western Hemisphere. Explain this, please." Image from

Afghan Girls Bring Drinking Water to Their School - Anna P. Mussman, DipNote: "Students in Jalalabad involved with the Department of State's Global Connections and Exchange (GCE) program were recently offered $150 to create and implement a small project to benefit their communities. This small grant project was facilitated by the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club Foundation, a Department of State grantee organization which implements GCE in Jalalabad. Nagina Shafiqi and her team at the Bi Bi Aisha Girls High School were the first to complete their project. … Read more about the GCE program in Afghanistan here."

State Department Provides Short Notice to Public for Comments on Renewal of Italian MOU - Cultural Property Observer -- A Web Log Championing the Longstanding Interests of Collectors In the Preservation, Study, Display and Enjoyment of Cultural Artifacts against an "Archaeology Over All" Perspective:

"Tomorrow's Federal Register will carry this notice from the State Department Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs about a May 6th public hearing on the renewal of the Italian MOU [on Cultural Property]. Public comments are now due a mere two weeks from now, on April 22, 2010. Why the rush? The current MOU with Italy does not expire until January 19, 2011. And why only two weeks for public comment? Certainly, the Italian MOU potentially impacts more American collectors, museums and antiquities dealers than any other, except perhaps the China MOU. Is this a thinly disguised effort by the State Department bureaucracy to limit public comment despite President Obama's promises of open government?" Image from

An Overview of Turkish-Syrian Relations by Using SWOT Analysis – Yasin Atlioğlu blog: "Even though Turkey and Syria have historical, cultural and geographical proximities, psychological prejudices and security concerns have kept them apart from each other as political and economic in post-Ottoman era. ... [A]cademic activities defining negative Turkish and Arab images in both sides’ textbooks ought to be encouraged and the media ought to be used as a tool of public diplomacy by both countries’s government."

Donner Prize shortlist: Finalists for best Canadian public policy book announced - Vit Wagner. Toronto Star: "Foreign policy-themed books hold three of the four spots on the shortlist for this year’s Donner Prize, which awards $35,000 to the best volume on Canadian public policy. The finalists include ... Evan H. Potter’s

Branding Canada: Projecting Canada’s Soft Power through Public Diplomacy." Potter image from

Yale Richmond on the Cold War - John Brown, Notes and Essays: "Patricia Kushlis of Whirled View says she has not seen any evidence that foreign radios caused the downfall of the Soviet Union. She will also not see any evidence that the Soviet downfall was caused by U.S.-Soviet scholarly and scientific exchanges, U.S exhibitions, American jazz bands, Hollywood movies, the Amerika magazines read by Gorbachev and other Soviet leaders, or even rock’n roll. Yet, when you add up all those exchanges with the Soviet Union over the years following the death of Stalin, plus similar exchanges conducted by the West Europeans, it can be argued that cultural exchanges were one of several factors that, taken all together, led to Soviet reforms that eventually brought about the downfall of the entire communist system. For more on this read my keynote address, 'Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: How the West Won,' delivered October 30 at a conference in Helsinki held by the Aleksanteri Institute, University of Helsinki."

Bibliography Public Diplomacy, Cultural/Educational Exchanges, International Broadcasting - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "The below bibliography is of the works of Hans 'Tom' Tuch. Tom is a retired Career Minister in the U.S. Foreign Service, served in public diplomacy positions in Germany, the Soviet Union, and Brazil. He was Deputy Chief of Mission and charge in Bulgaria and Brazil. In Washington, he served as Deputy and Area Director for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in USIA, and as Deputy and Acting Director of the Voice of America."

And the second prize is.... – Nukes & Spooks: "Last time we checked in on our friend Alberto Fernandez, the State Department official and career Foreign Service Officer was the charge d'affairs [sic] in Khartoum, Sudan. Fernandez, one of the department's better Arabic speakers, will forever have a place in our hearts for his unusual truth-telling back in 2006, during the height of Iraq's sectarian violence, when he acknowledged that the United States had shown 'arrogance' and 'stupidity' in Iraq. This did not win him many friends in the Bush administration, which frequently had an interesting relationship with reality.

(To her credit, close Bush confidante and then Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes defended Fernandez at the time). Imagine our surprise, then, to pick up the March issue of State magazine, the State Department's in-house periodical, and finding out that Fernandez has been picked as U.S. ambassador to Equatorial Guinea. Sure enough, he's been in sunny Malabo since February. Fernandez is undoubtedly destined for bigger things. He's received numerous plaudits in his career, including the 2007 Presidential Meritorious Service Award; the 2006 Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Public Diplomacy; and a 2003 Superior Honor Award for his service in Afghanistan, according to his official bio." Fernandez image from

Just A Little Busy Today - Ren's Micro Diplomacy: My to-do list 8:15-10 research hours at the Center on Public Diplomacy 10-11:45 sit in class discussion with exchange students from American University of Dubai on how Americans view the Palestine/Israel conflict 11:45-12: present paper to a room full of prospective MPD student – think they liked it, but couldn’t really tell. 12-1:15: attend Fulbright Canada presentation on exchange diplomacy 1:15-5: grab lunch and run to work at the Office of International Services 5-7: dinner with prospective MPD students (miss class to attend) 7P-?: go home and do homework for tomorrow’s PD Evaluation class."

Climate Change, Press and Communication Intern - Rede RP - Relações Públicas:

Brasilia/DF "The British Embassy invites applications for the above part time position. ... Main Purpose of Job: To work in the Climate Change team as a Press and Communication intern, with responsibility for supporting the delivery of press and public diplomacy work." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

"Taliban hate ... The Offspring, Metallica and Thin Lizzy," and so they are played very loudly - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "'US special forces have a novel weapon in the fight to expel Taliban from a desolate and war-weary farming community in southern Afghanistan -- heavy metal music. When insurgents open fire in Marjah, an armoured vehicle wired up to powerful speakers blasts out country, heavy metal and rock music so loudly it can be heard up to two kilometres (one mile) away. The playlist has been hand-selected to annoy the Taliban, according to one US special forces officer.

'Taliban hate that music,' said the sergeant involved in covert psychological operations, or 'psy ops', in the area in Helmand province. 'Some locals complain but it's a way to push them to choose. It's motivating Marines as well,' he added after one deafening round of several hours including tracks from The Offspring, Metallica and Thin Lizzy. The officer said they also broadcast messages from the Afghan government, as well as threats to the Taliban -- there are no obscenities, 'but we tell them they're gonna die', he smiled. How effective the method is in sending the Taliban running for cover is difficult to tell, but local children certainly don't like it -- many of them cover their ears from the onslaught of loud bass guitars and drums. Lieutenant Colonel Brian Christmas -- the commander of US Marines in northern Marjah -- said he was unaware of the musical psy ops. 'It's inappropriate," he told AFP, mindful that a major part of the counter-insurgency plan is focused on winning over Afghans from the insurgents. 'I'm going to ask this to stop right now.' Karim Talbi, AFP, 6 April 2010. [Elliott comment]: A lieutenant colonel in the US Marines will ask this to stop?" Image from

Karzai called Erratic, even Druggie; In fact, he is posing as liberator in shadow of Empire – Juan Cole, Informed Comment: Here is the reason it is so important that President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan has begun behaving so erratically. It is because the path President Obama chose in Afghanistan requires a strong, upright, and relatively efficient local partner. Moreover, the US needs to gain hearts and minds, but a series of costly errors of judgment have scandalized the Afghan public. Put the two developments together, and you get a 'surge' that so far is not going well and in which the loyalty of America's partners cannot be taken for granted.

Al Jazeera English increases its US penetration one half hour on one community TV station at a time - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "'The Al Jazeera English News Bulletin will be available on WilliNet, the [Williamsburg, Massachusetts] community access station. ... The half-hour global news report begins its weekday, 9 p.m. regular schedule on Channel 17 on Monday, April 5. The bulletin's broadcast is being sponsored by Williamstown resident Scott Walker. 'I am pleased to sponsor Al Jazeera,' he said. 'We're a connected world and desperately in need of mutual understanding, and Al Jazeera's reasoned, objective, and from-another-place perspective is vitally important to every citizen.' iBerkshires.com, 5 April 2010."

Iran: Obama's new nuke policy 'propaganda' - Ynetnews: Iran on Wednesday dismissed US President Barack Obama's new nuclear policy as 'propaganda' and called on Washington to make good its promises to rid the world of atomic weapons.

"We regard the recent position and comments of the United States as propaganda," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said at a press conference when asked to react to Mr Obama's new nuclear policy unveiled on Tuesday. "We urge the US to make good on nuclear disarmament in the entire world and we denounce the US for being the first user of nuclear weapons in Hiroshima." Image from

The e-book revolution hits North Korea: Perhaps it's still too soon to see iPads in Pyongyang, but North Koreans are reported to be enjoying "a wealth" of e-books - Marjorie Kehe, Christian Science Monitor: According to the Korea Times, South Korean activist Kim Seong-min has reported that Electronic Library Mirae (Future) 2.0, a North Korean e-book computer program, is allowing readers in North Korea to choose among a "wealth" of e-book titles. Kim, a North Korean defector and founder of Free North Korea Radio, says that North Koreans are digging into e-books that range well beyond government propaganda.

Will internet popularity in Russia lead to internet restrictions in Russia? - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "'Nearly one Russian in four now goes online on a daily basis, and almost half of those who do use the Internet to get their news, a challenge to the Kremlin’s control of much of the electronic media and a development that is prompting some of the powers that be to look at the way in which Belarus and Turkmenistan are trying to control the web.'

Paul Goble, Window on Eurasia, 6 April 2010. Elliott comment: So, despite using their Homeplug network adapters (see preceding post), Russians may find that the news they are getting from the internet is censored. So they bring out their old shortwave radios to hear uncensored news, but can't hear it because of interference from the Homeplug adapters." Image from

Cannon slams Russian plan to drop paratroopers in Arctic – CTV News: Canada's foreign minister blasted a Russian plan to drop paratroopers on the North Pole later this week, calling it a propaganda stunt. "It's another stunt like the flag planting some years ago. It doesn't affect Canada's sovereignty," Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Tuesday, referring to the planting of a flag on the North Pole seabed by a Russian submarine in 2007.

Azerbaijani propaganda clear violation of OSCE norms: Nalbandian - news.am: RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Janez Lenarcic, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) discussed the course of democratic reforms during their April 6 meeting. The sides also touched upon the issues on Armenia — OSCE/ODIHR cooperation, RA foreign ministry press service informed NEWS.am. Nalbandian noted that Yerevan is ready to continue close cooperation with ODIHR office. RA Foreign Minister drew OSCE official’s attention to Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian propaganda that sows national enmity, emphasizing that it is clear violation of OSCE norms.

Why do we need oil painters in a war zone? – Finlo Rohrer, BBC News:

It might seem strange that the government would fly a group of artists out to a war zone, but paintings from Afghanistan are the latest in a long line of war art that apparently serves a purpose. There would be some who might accuse these artists of being part of an effort to produce propaganda. The issue of propaganda was also wrestled with during the world wars - both of which saw the deployment of artists picked by the British military. But look at paintings from World War I and it's hard to see the "propaganda" value. Image from article: CRW Nevinson's The Harvest of Battle is at the Imperial War Museum.

American Made Anti Communist Propaganda Cartoon from 1948 - "Our Weapon Is The Truth": An animated anti-communist film produced by the US in 1948, this video is funny stuff and the quality of the animation considering it was produced by a college is absolutely awesome.

"Foreign Correspondent" — A "Masterpiece of Propaganda" - Alfred Hitchcock Geek: The film (1940) by Alfred Hitchcock was successful both commercially and as a propaganda piece, and that is powerful combination — after all how effective would propaganda be, without an audience to receive it? Furthermore, audiences got the coded message. The connection was so obvious that they were unaware that the film was not about the Germans. None other than Nazi Germany's minister of propaganda Joseph Goebbels declared it "a masterpiece of propaganda."

Image from article: Johnny Jones (Joel McCrea) evades the Germans, er, the Borovians, by escaping through a window in the windmill where he's trapped.