April 9

"Silence is the true friend that never betrays."

--Confucius; image from

A New Theorem For Afghanistan: Engaging More Allies - Sabahat Khan, Eurasia Review:

"Since the earliest stages of their deployment, foreign forces have suffered from issues of legitimacy and popular acceptance, particularly in the Pashtun ‘south’ – which has felt a deep sense of isolation with the new set-up in Afghanistan. The Pashtun heartland remains the main arena of the insurgency and the scene of most civilians killed by ISAF airstrikes and other campaigns. A clear split along ethnic lines has become evident in Afghanistan where the Pashtun community feel they have been passed on the costs of conflict almost completely without any signs of deliverance or compensation from the government. A UN mandate, Afghan government endorsement, public diplomacy campaigns and information operations have not won over the Pashtun south. It remains to be seen if General McCrystal’s efforts to significantly reduce civilian casualties and the long overdue convening of a loya jirga by President Karzai anticipated in April will reverse this major obstacle. ... Success in Afghanistan rests on the achievement of three core objectives: An end to the insurgency and political stabilization; socio-economic development and job creation, and; eliminating opium production. Securing these objectives is critical – if this means some sort of engagement with the Taliban, the cost is still much less than if they are not achieved at all." Image from

Another VOA editorial about the jamming of VOA Amharic - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

South Africa ANC leader berates BBC and VOA journalists - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

When Messerschmidts tried to shoot down RFE content - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting:

"'From August 1951 through November 1956, RFE launched millions of balloon carried leaflets into Communist Eastern Europe. They urged Czechs and Slovaks to boycott national elections, and told Poles about corruption scandals in their country. 'The balloons also provoked a degree of official Communist fury never elicited by RFE broadcasts,' writes Arch Puddington in his history of Radio Free Europe. ... 'MiG fighters were ordered to shoot down the balloons; when they proved too fast to get an accurate bead on the targets, slower, propeller-driven Messerschmidts were dispatched, and antiaircraft guns fired at the invaders as they crossed the border.' Matthew Lasar, Radio Survivor, 7 April 2010." Image from

U.S. Department of State and Meridian International Center Celebrate Dynamic Cultural Diplomacy Partnership, Honor Original Jazz Ambassadors - Office of the Spokesman, U.S. State Department: "The U.S. Department of State is proud to join Meridian International Center to highlight one of the most successful public diplomacy programs of our time, the Jazz Ambassadors. Fifty years of musical diplomacy will be celebrated with a reception at Meridian House (1630 Crescent Place NW, Washington, DC 20009) on Friday, April 9, from 7p.m. to 9 p.m. ... From the mid-1950s through the 1970s, Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman and other well-known American jazz musicians served as 'Jazz Ambassadors.' They toured through more than 35 countries in the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa, playing their world-famous music and promoting a positive view of the United States at a time when Cold War tensions were at their height."

VOL. VI NO. 7, March 26-April 8, 2010 - The Layalina Review on Public Diplomacy and Arab Media:

"The Talented Mr. Furlong Once again, the Pentagon’s efforts to influence foreign public opinion have come under close scrutiny aft er allegations that a civilian employee may have used DoD’s funds to hire private contractors.

The Rise of Cultural Diplomacy Cultural diplomacy is increasingly referred to as the tool to exchange and foster dialogue in today's vast networks of information and communication, playing a critical role in engaging with individuals.

Religiously Watched The rise of religious channels catering to all audiences across the Muslim world, from the conservatives to liberal segments of the population, indicates a high demand for the 'halal way of life,' in the Arab world and beyond.

The Glossy Taliban In the war of words, the Taliban upscaled its propaganda strategy to win the hearts and minds of the Afghans and Pakistanis by publishing a new magazine.

Losing Faith in IslamOnline Writers of the religious website IslamOnline, in the Cairo office, protest the management's decision to opt for a more conservative approach. The issue has generated a broader debate regarding the power of propaganda on the internet.

Domestic Distractions Detracting from Obama’s Foreign Policy? President Obama has spent much of his first year in office focusing on healthcare reforms, but some commentators say the domestic issues may have sidelines international outreach and a strong foreign policy front.


Advancing the Internet Industry in the MENA Region Hundreds gathered at the ArabNet 2010 Conference in Beirut to discuss the future of the internet in the Middle East and North Africa. Initiatives such as an Arabic language website for the NBA and Yahoo's acquisition of Maktoob mark the expansion of internet in the region, while more Arab countries receive approval for Arabic language domain names.

Israeli Settlements Raise Concern The Israeli government's announcement of building 1,600 new housing units in an existing East Jerusalem settlement caused the Obama administration to voice its concern as the settlements could further jeopardize the region's peace process.

Terrorists Without a Cause Recent terrorist attacks in Moscow have fueled strong reactions from the Arab press, denouncing the use of religion in the killing of innocents." Image from

Ambassador to Azerbaijan presents 'Romania's vision of NATO's new Strategic Concept’ - Financiarul: "Romania’s Ambassador in Baku on Friday delivers an address on Romania’s Vision on NATO’s New Strategic Concept, the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) informed on Thursday. The event is part of the series of public diplomacy actions undertaken this month by the Romanian Embassy in its capacity as NATO Contact Point in Azerbaijan, to mark the 61st anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance and 6 years since Romania’s joining this organization. The Center for Strategic Studies of Azerbaijan’s Presidential Administration is organizer of the event."

Safura won't even make it in top 20 - Today.Az: "NATO MPs will visit Gori and meet with refugees Apr.7. Meetings of Georgian Defense Minister Bacho Akhalaya, Deputy Foreign Minister Giga Bokeria, ambassadors of NATO member countries - accredited in Georgia, officer on public diplomacy, Christina Baleisite, representatives of civil society and NGOs, as well as opposition Apr. 8."

Ghana to be more competitive on global stage with a strong national identity - Accra Daily Mail: "Speaking on the occasion of the 31st Annual Management Day of the University of Ghana Business School at Legon yesterday, Mr. Mathias Akotia, of the Brand Ghana office, said his outfit was working at intensifying both an internal and international branding campaigns, in its quest to build a successful brand Ghana agenda. ...

[C]ountry branding harmonizes national policies, as varied as acts and policies of government, the values and behaviours of the citizenry, education, culture, sports, health, taxation, public diplomacy, look and feel of settlements, export and investment promotion, and infrastructure development." Image from

Change world perceptions? Israeli citizens face an uphill battle - Irwin J. (Yitzchak) Mansdorf, Jweekly.com: "A number of years ago, I joined a group of well-meaning, motivated and relatively intelligent Israeli 'Anglos' who had a brilliant idea. Since the Israeli government does such a poor job in hasbara (public diplomacy efforts), why don’t we take a jab at advocacy and become 'unofficial spokespersons' for Israel? We would write letters to the editor, get our op-eds published, and appear on TV and radio. We would even give talks outside of Israel to people who have been taken in by the evil and biased media. Despite our best intentions — and some success — we soon learned that not everyone is built for the job, something that the people running the Masbirim Web site will soon undoubtedly discover. (The Hebrew-only site, http://www.masbirim.gov.il, was launched by the Israeli government in February as a how-to guide for representing Israel abroad; an English version is supposed to be ready this month.) One of the ideas of our group was to promote 'speakers' from the ranks of 'ordinary Israelis' who, while on trips overseas, would address local communities. Some of these talks were arranged through friends, others through contacts with various Jewish organizations and yet others through informal contacts with like-minded people overseas. What we found was a cadre of Israelis who spoke English well, but unlike Arab spokespersons who know what they want and say it loud and clear, we still do not have a clear message. …. The issue is not settlements, not the Golan, not Gaza and not even Jerusalem. The real issue, and the only one that means anything, is Israel’s right to exist as an independent Jewish state, a nation state where its people, the Jewish people, exercise self-determination. That is the message, and that is what our citizens and the world need to understand."

Lessons from the Ends of the Earth – Daryl Copeland, Guerilla Diplomacy: "[T]he art of international political communication through dialogue, negotiation and compromise needs a new,‭ more ‬contemporary narrative which goes well beyond the current discourse on either traditional or public diplomacy."

Washington launch set for new institute - Paul Mayne, Western News: "What better place to unveil Western’s newly established Canada-U.S. Institute than in our neighbour’s capitol [sic] of Washington, D.C. The Canada-U.S. Institute, the first of its kind in Canada, is expected to become a focal point for exploring shared and conflicting values on issues such as health care, border security, domestic and foreign policy,

and how they affect the two countries. ... [S]peaking at the opening will be John Dickson, Director for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs of the U.S. Department of State [sic], and Roy Norton, Minister of Congressional/Public & Intergovernmental Relations at the Canadian Embassy." Image from

GOB Award -- Qatar: Laura McGinnis, ManIC: "Today's GOB Award (for the PD personality who's 'made a huge mistake') goes to Mohammed Al-Madadi for not only smoking on a U.S. flight, but attempting to extinguish the flame on his shoes. The Qatari embassy official's questionable judgment understandably set off a few red flags and resulted in massive delays for his fellow passengers, who had to submit to additional security screening at the far end of their flight."

Russian Envoy “Intervenes” aga[i]nst Conference on NATO - ictmag.info: "A word on Serbia’s expeditionary neutrality, that was to be held today, has been canceled. One of the organizers, which allow the International Institute for Security, NATO’s Public Diplomacy Department and the municipality of Varvarin, claims that the assembling was canceled because of an participation of Slavonic Ambassador Aleksandr Konuzin."

24 Hr. Bangkok Special - Interning While Doing Practicum Might Be a Little Backwards:

"The Department of State does three things, protect American security, increase American prosperity, and promote American values. They do this by overseeing and implementing the U.S.’s foreign policy in five different areas: Management Affairs, Consular Affairs, Political Affairs, Economic Affairs, and Public Diplomacy (or Public Affairs). During the hour-long session the current Diplomat in Residence, Paul Rowe, went over all of the many places he had served. While interesting it wasn’t what I had initially come for. I wanted to know more about public diplomacy, the ins and outs of the application process, and would he be there to guide us through the process like a career counselor?" Image from

The Latest from Iran: Dialogue or Conflict? (9 April)- Scott Lucas, Enduring America: 0445 GMT: "After an extended break — a Ph.D. student of mine went through his final examinations yesterday on his dissertation on Public Diplomacy and Interfaith Dialogue — let’s see if there is any dialogue in Iran this morning."

RELATED ITEMS

Active or Passive Strategic Communication: What's the Role of Government?- COL Jamie Gayton, MountainRunner.us: Influencing behavior to achieve U.S. national interests may be better achieved through market forces than U.S. Government strategic communication in achieving some specific U.S. national interests.

Connect the Dots on CAIR’s Foreign Funding and Lobbying at CAIRObservatory.org- Frank Gaffney, Big Government:

The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), enacted just before World War Two, still requires foreign agents spreading propaganda to register so Americans can know what they are up to. Back then the problem was foreign agents working for the Nazis. Today the problem is foreign agents like CAIR, defending Jihadists in the media and pushing Muslim Brotherhood values in America. Image from article

A Case Study in Propaganda: A day in the life of the BBC campaign against Israel - Robin Shepherd Online

When suicide bombing is simply strategic suicide: Suicide bombers are rarely effective in achieving larger goals. And once the initial shock wears off, the brutality of such attacks rallies public opinion against the perpetrators - Max Boot, latimes.com

Propaganda in arts! - jingchensun:

"I always deem propaganda as an intriguing thing, no matter from the Dark Age it was claimed as in the name of god, or in the modern time in the name of justice or some plausible slogans. Today I’ll talk about the art in the Chinese government’s propaganda, including some classical elements being repeated over again and again." Image from article