June 10

"They love change, but they dread revolutions."

--Tocqueville, on the Americans; Tocqueville image from

REPORT

U.S. International Broadcasting: —Is Anybody Listening? — Keeping The U.S. Connected: Committee On Foreign Relations United States Senate One Hundred Eleventh Congress Second Session June 9, 2010

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Shanghai’d, Or The USA Pavilion As a Corporate Theme Park - Cynthia Schneider and Hailey Woldt, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The Pavilion in Shanghai is just the most visible example of the outsourcing of America’s outreach to the world. Northrop Grumman and Boeing no longer vie only for aerospace contracts; they also compete for 'smart power' projects in areas from aid to 'strategic communication.' To some degree this acknowledges budget realities. But it also reflects the continuing diminution of cultural outreach or 'soft power' approaches within the State Department.

Whether it was cynicism, other priorities, or an active dismissal of the importance of crafting a message for the Pavilion (beyond its mere existence) does not really matter. The result is $61 million dollars spent, and an opportunity lost. If the U.S. does not take the power of cultural diplomacy and 'soft power' seriously enough to invest time and money, there is one superpower that does: China." Image from

America as a Shopping Mall? U.S. Cultural Diplomacy in the Age of Obama - John Brown, Huffington Post [original version appeared at Layalina Productions]: "[L] et's not live under the illusion that the private sector holds the magic wand to revitalize America's cultural engagement with the world, as the Shanghai U.S. pavilion fiasco sorrowfully reminds us. ... We are not just people in a shopping mall, but citizens of a nation with an elected government and a vibrant culture(s). True, 'The concept of an 'official culture' is alien to us,' remarked Sumner Welles, Under Secretary of State during the Franklin D. Roosevelt Administration, who sought to get the U.S. government involved in cultural exchanges with Latin America as an antidote to Nazi propaganda in that part of the Western hemisphere. But our understandable suspicion of 'official culture' -- given how it has been a weapon of totalitarian regimes -- doesn't mean that USG cultural diplomacy shouldn't try to present America, in all the complex ways only culture can do, to the world -- if only to show that, through well planned government cultural programs overseas, we Americans, too, are human beings trying to live our lives as best we can."

How the US Tax Code Hobbles Public Diplomacy in Asia - Heritage.org: "American companies are among the best instruments of American public diplomacy. They are proud of their records for hiring, training and promoting locals for corporate jobs. That is America at its best. But these same companies should not be discouraged from hiring Americans to represent them abroad. Unfortunately, that is exactly what the tax code does."

USA Pavilion President/CEO Nick Winslow Resigns – Adam, Shanghai Scrap: "Late Tuesday afternoon the USA Pavilion at Expo 2010 (World’s Fair) announced that Nick Winslow, one of two founding partners of the non-profit that manages the pavilion, and its CEO and President, has resigned. He will maintain a seat on the pavilion’s board. ... To note: [a] press release gives no reason for Winslow’s resignation. However, regular readers of this blog are aware that serious allegations have been raised about potential conflicts of interest between Winslow and the USA pavilion’s chief contractor, BRC Imagination Arts of Burbank, California; that such conflicts may, in fact, place

the USA pavilion’s tax-deductible non-profit 501(c)(3) status at risk; that – on this basis and several others – at least one complaint against the USA pavilion has been filed with the Internal Revenue Service; and that, when questioned about these issues, Winslow provided me with a bizarre set of contradictory and highly legalistic answers. Are these issues the reason for Winslow’s resignation?" Via MC. Image from

CPD Research Team at Expo 2010 Shanghai Launches Video Blog – Announcements, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The USC Center on Public Diplomacy’s research team in Shanghai launched CPD Video Conversations: Nation Branding at Expo 2010 Shanghai, a video blog which will feature select countries’ nation branding efforts at the World Expo."

Diplomacy through Architecture - Sustainable Cities Collective: "Jane Loeffler, author of 'The Architecture of Diplomacy: Building America’s Embassies,' gave an overview of the design philosophy behind U.S. embassies. Prior to the 1950′s, U.S. embassies were built in grand old mansions, as the Danish Crown Prince explained. Then, starting in the 1950′s, the State department’s foreign building office, which was led by a 'committed modernist,' began building open, approachable sites. Eero Saarinen’s embassy in London is a key example of this era of U.S. embassies. With increased concerns about security beginning in the late 1970′s, embassies had to follow new rules. 'Planters were added, and side doors had to be locked.' This also meant that 'no more glass boxes or architecture as art.' Then, in the mid-1980′s, the Inman report called for buildings to be set back 100 feet from the street, and a 7-foot high perimeter wall to surround all compounds. 'This increased the difficulty in finding suitable sites.' Escalating attacks on embassies during 1994 and 1995 led to the development of the Standard Embassy Design (SED) model. From 2001 to 2010, 52 new embassies were created using the SED model, with 34 more in the works. The assumption now is that 'every embassy is a terrorist target.' In effect, this means embassies are no longer 'representational buildings;' they now actually 'impede public diplomacy.' Still, there are some exceptions."

Obama's White House Festivities: Good, Bad, or Obvious? - William Bradley, Huffington Post: "Should events like this [state dinners at the white House; event honoring Paul Mccartney] be done away with, even in tough times? Of course not. They serve a variety of obvious purposes, from carrying on the traditions of the presidency to conducting statecraft to rewarding supporters to celebrating aspects of the culture.

Should they somehow be opened up more to the general public? Perhaps, though when the scale expands the experience changes. ... [Comment by] EducatedObserver [:] As you have chosen to focus primarily on Messers McCartney and Calderon, I would like to make an observation on the comportment of each during their recent stays in Washington as guests of the White House and American people. It is not insignificant that Mr Calderon chose an address to Congress to berate his host nation (Arizona comments) or that Mr McCartney felt comfortable enough to demean a former president (Bush/ books comment), both whilst basking under the approving gaze of Mr Obama. The current president could do well with a lesson or two in public diplomacy; otherwise his friends such as these two would not feel disposed to behave in such an undiplomatic manner." Image from

America's pitiful public diplomacy: Government-led global outreach programmes have long been viewed with suspicion in the United States. Europeans can help to change that, argues Oliver Horn [link no longer active] - E!Sharp magazine: "[A]lthough funding for public diplomacy has increased in recent years, its growth has paled in comparison to the expansion of the budgets for the Department of Defense and the diplomatic components of the State Department. Unless a new and innovative measurement emerges that can convince the general public and members of Congress of the significance of these programmes and persuade them to take a long-term view of their value, public diplomacy will remain the black sheep of US foreign policy. ... Europeans have much greater faith and experience in public diplomacy than most Americans, in large part due to the fact that the EU is in many ways its ultimate product. With this in mind, Europe could have a greater impact by appealing directly to the American public rather than the US government on the importance of public diplomacy. Expanding and establishing more transatlantic cultural communities could spark a reappraisal of public diplomacy in American society – and in turn engender substantial changes in the conduct, and perhaps nature, of its role within US foreign policy. .... Oliver Horn is a member of the British Council’s Transatlantic Network 2020 - a network for action which brings together young influencers from business, civil society, the arts, science and media to revitalise transatlantic and global links for the future."

The US State Department Wants to Hear from You – Helle Dale, Heritage.org: "In its ongoing search for solutions to U.S. public diplomacy challenges – some might call it a deficit – the State Department has launched yet another new Internet venture, a social website called Opinion Space. At a time when Internet censorship in countries like Iran, Cuba and China present a profound challenge to freedom of expression, the State Department is focusing its resources in the wrong direction. The Internet is a great public diplomacy tool, but only when used as part of a strategy support U.S. policy goals such as democracy, freedom and human rights. Doing so could actually have a huge impact on the international political landscape. While the State Department is launching new social websites, Internet games and video contests, funding appropriated by Congress for cyber technology that can break down authoritarian firewalls has been trickling out of the State Department at snail’s pace. This is putting an exciting new public diplomacy tool to the wrong uses. ... One question that might be asked is whether the information gathered on Opinion Space will used in the formation of public diplomacy techniques and strategy, another whether this will in any way further the comprehension abroad of the policies and priorities of the U.S. government or the understanding of the United States as a country. It is not clear that if the website will do any of this. ... As Iran is becoming a target for growing international criticism, including at the U.N. Human Rights Council, devoting U.S. resources and ingenuity to helping its citizens should be the focus of our public diplomacy, not gimmicky new State Department websites."

Afghan Kids report on Child Labor - Mahtab Farid, Public Diplomacy in Afghanistan: "I had an opportunity to teach a media workshop to a large group of kids at 'Samar Orphanage' in province of Bamiyan so they can report on child labor.

The kids learned about producing radio segments so they can have programming on the local Bamiyan radio about child labor in Afghanistan and talk about how most kids work instead of going to school." Image from

February 11, 2008: US, Allies Engaged in Massive Propaganda Campaign about Iraq, Terrorists, Says Author - History Commons: "Nick Davies, author of a new book, Flat Earth News, claims that since the 9/11 attacks, the US has engaged in a systematic attempt to manipulate world opinion on Iraq and Islamist terrorism by creating fake letters and other documents, and then releasing them with great fanfare to a credulous and complicit media. ... Much of the Pentagon’s 'information operations,' Davies says, is a 'psyops' (psychological operations) campaign generating propaganda: it has officials in 'brigade, division and corps in the US military… producing output for local media.' The psyops campaign is linked to the State Department’s campaign of 'public diplomacy,' which Davies says includes funding radio stations and news Web sites."

Adding Discredit To The Anti-al-Qaeda 'Disrupt, Dismantle, Defeat' Mantra - Spencer Ackerman, Firedoglake: "My pal Malcolm Nance goes on Rachel Maddow’s show to push forward his idea that ending the threat from al-Qaeda requires a push by the U.S. and affiliates to rebrand al-Qaeda as a 'cult.' That is, a marginal entity that perverts Islam like David Koresh did Christianity and Baruch Goldstein did Judaism. Since I’ve been writing for months that the proper way to understand al-Qaeda is through the lens of conspiracy theorists — Jews n’ Americans stand in the way of a grand restoration of the Caliphate! — I think it’s right on. Naturally, it’s hardly a sufficient condition, as we have to recognize that the demand for al-Qaedism or toleration of the demand for al-Qaedism is impacted by U.S. strategy. Public diplomacy is not a substitute for policy. But it ought to be a component of national strategy, and Malcolm has some worthwhile ideas in this regard. I can’t wait to read his book."

The administration wants private folk involved in foreign policy. But how? - Thomas E. Ricks, Foreign Policy: "[M]y CNAS colleague Kristin Lord, who knows more about public diplomacy than I ever will, points out something that hasn't been noticed about the Obama administration's new National Security Strategy document. ... [Kristin Lord]: [I]f the administration wants to develop a true strategy to implement its ambitious national security agenda, it must first figure out how -- in practical terms -- to mobilize private companies, universities, nonprofit organizations, professional societies, philanthropic organizations, medical institutions, and individuals in pursuit of the national interest.

And if America wants a government that works, it should be ready to answer that call." Image from

FM Liberman at end of US visit - press release, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman finished his New York visit Wednesday evening (9 June). He held a comprehensive meeting with Israel’s ambassadors to the US, the UN and Canada, together with all of the North American heads of missions, at which a deep discussion was held on all the issues that relate to Israeli-US relations. FM Liberman said at the meeting that the connection with Jewish communities around the world is an existential-strategic interest for the State of Israel, and not a matter of public diplomacy. He said that Israel today is an economic and technological power, and that Israel should rebuild and strengthen its ties with the Jewish communities because they are an integral part of the State of Israel."

Meet the Foreign Press Head - Yochanan Visser, Arutz Sheva: "Conny Mus the Dutch chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Israel is one of the main forces behind the foreign media campaign against Israel. ... In a recent blog Conny Mus stated that 'foreign journalists are responsible for reporting the facts about Israel'. He was ridiculing the recent campaign by the Israeli government to improve the public diplomacy. He also explained that his viewers are wise enough to look through the Israeli propaganda. Mus has no shortage of chutzpah, he knows very well that most of his viewers are buying his propaganda because they have no means to control his reports."

The best hasbara Israeli government to step up front groups in social media sites – Pulse: Yesterday, Israel’s ‘Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister’ Yuli Edelstein spoke at some length about his country’s ‘PR problem’, including possible plans to create a 24-hr news channel. But further down the article, Edelstein talked about the ways in which Israel’s propaganda effort is being increasingly delegated to volunteers . ... Edelstein makes it clear that key elements of the state’s hasbara drive are being carried out by ‘volunteers and professionals’, particularly through media like Facebook and Twitter.

Crucially, this ‘infrastructure’ should not be seen as coming from the government – which gives the game away. This reminded me of another article from just over a week ago, this time in Ha’aretz. Here the intention of disseminating propaganda through ‘front groups’ is made explicit." Image from

The Source of Failure: Israel's Public Diplomacy and the Intelligence Community - Hirsh Goodman, Right Side News: "At the heart of ... the downfall of Israeli public diplomacy in the aftermath of Operation Cast Lead in Gaza (December 2008-January 2009), is the gap between the people who have the materials to make Israel's case, the intelligence community, and those who have to make it, the public diplomacy community. ... The core and source of the problem is to be found, not unexpectedly, in the intelligence community, not through any ill-will but by virtue of the nature of that community: secrecy, discretion and the single-minded purpose of helping the armed forces achieve their mission. It is not that the intelligence services are blind to Israel's public diplomacy needs; it is simply not on high enough on their agenda. ... It is time for those in the intelligence and security communities to switch gear when it comes to information sharing. There is a growing awareness that this is needed, but concrete action in this regard still needs to be taken. Israel has in place the necessary public diplomacy structures to make Israel's case effectively. But without ammunition they are powerless."

Steinitz unveils broad plan to help Israeli high-tech - Ora Coren, Guy Grimland, Ha'aretz: "It seems that Israel's high-tech industry could teach the government a thing or two when it comes to public diplomacy, hasbara in Hebrew. At the annual convention of the High-Tech Industry Association held yesterday at the Jerusalem International Convention Center, there was a massive presence of representatives of foreign high-tech companies. The overseas visitors paid special attention to a plan devised by Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz and his ministry's director general, Haim Shani, to support Israel's high-tech sector and deal with the decrease in financing from venture capital funds in 2009."

Israel in a post-flotilla world - GlobalComment.com: "Three weeks ago, a guest speaker lectured to our Public Diplomacy class on diplomacy and Web 2.0. A leader of her own diplomatic marketing company focused on web networking, she led us through a vigorous and maybe more argumentative than she expected discussion on the import and impact of Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and so on in major international events such as Iran’s election, the Haiti earthquake, and the U.S. presidential election of 2008, and then posed us a final puzzle, which went as follows: In a couple of weeks, a group of six boats would be coming to Israel with about 300 tons of humanitarian aid intended for the residents of the Gaza Strip.

They would have journalists on board with them and were already creating huge amounts of publicity. Israel, meanwhile, has been letting in tens to hundreds of tons of humanitarian aid to Gaza daily, and no one hears about it. What should Israel do to get the message out? 'Let the boats in?' a classmate said. 'Meet the boats and negotiate on the delivery?' another added. We can’t change policy, she stressed, just presentation. 'Oh, put a bunch of YouTube videos of the trucks delivering aid, then. And tweet the links,' we guessed as class ended. Seemed obvious enough. Clearly though, whatever plans the government had for the flotilla were not so well thought out. Starting with the policy." Image from

A Hope-filled Look at Poland's Jewish Renaissance - Jonah Lowenfeld, The Jewish Journal of Greater L.A.: "An annual Jewish film festival; a week of performances by world-class klezmer acts; the construction of a $26 million Jewish museum in the country’s capital; 'Tot Shabbat': This is the stuff of Jewish communal life in many American cities. But when all this is happening in contemporary Poland, it is cause for ... what exactly? 'An Evening of Hope: Jewish Revival in Poland' was the cautiously optimistic event that attempted to answer this difficult question. An audience of 500 packed the sanctuary at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino on May 26 to hear from rabbis, cantors, high-profile Polish officials and others about Jewish life in present-day Poland. Part public diplomacy effort, part travelogue, part sermon and part commemoration, the evening was more complicated than most Jewish events."

Collaborate to advance diplomacy: report - Sydney Morning Herald: "The federal government and resources industry are barely on speaking terms over the super-profits tax row so it's hard to see them cosying up to advance Australian diplomacy. But that's the thrust of a new report, which says collaboration between the government and international resources companies could provide significant benefits to both sides. ... The report recommends the government should leverage the activities of Australian resource companies which already engage with local community organisations, business groups and non-government organisations (NGOs) to complement its public diplomacy efforts."

Message control ensures diplomats speak Harper's language around globe - Globe and Mail: "The long arm of Tory message control has reached around the world in an attempt to orchestrate virtually every public utterance by seasoned diplomats from Britain to Bangladesh, a Canadian Press investigation concludes.

The secret to this unprecedented attempt to stage-manage Canada's most experienced high commissioners, ambassadors and diplomats is the Message Event Proposal – a finely developed information tool aimed at giving the Prime Minister's Office total control over communication. ... A senior government official who toiled in the Privy Council Office after the Conservatives introduced MEPs said the template has stymied public diplomacy and severely damaged morale in the foreign service." Image from

India needs a new Afghan policy: report - Daily Pioneer: "'Public diplomacy initiatives need to be stepped up. These include training for Afghan sportsmen including cricketers in India, a sustained medical diplomacy initiative involving Afghan-run clinics with medical personnel trained in India and quotas in Indian engineering colleges for Afghan,' the report said."

June 9th Press Review - Turkish Press: ‎"Marking BYEGM's 90th Anniversary, Arinc Stresses the Importance of Public Diplomacy: As part of celebrations marking the 90th anniversary of the Prime Ministry Directorate General of Press and Information (BYEGM), a photo exhibit covering BYEGM's history from the 1920s onwards opened at Parliament yesterday with a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc, BYEGM head Murat Karakaya, Turkish Association of Journalists (TGC) head Orhan Erinç, and Anatolia News Agency head Hilmi Bengi, as well as journalists who placed in a BYEGM contest to encourage local media and the directorate staff. Speaking at the ceremony, Arinc praised BYEGM's efforts to promote Turkey around the world and to counter negative propaganda against the country. Stressing the importance of public diplomacy in the modern world as a tool to sway international opinion in line with a country's foreign policy goals, as well as to improve dialogue and understanding between nations, Arinc said Ataturk and his colleagues had foreseen this in establishing BYEGM back in the 1920s."

Despite Iran and Moves by China, Brazil and the US Remain Best Friends for Ever - Stephanie Lloyd, Brazzil.com: ”[T]rade ministers from around the world believe that serious negotiations 'away from the glare of media and public diplomacy' are necessary to reach a breakthrough in the WTO negotiations'."

Persuasion, Rhetoric, Ethics - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "Conceptualizations of soft power seem to be getting progressively softer to the extent that I’ve heard it being argued that persuasion is too hard to qualify as soft power. Part of the issue here is what we understand by persuasion. This leads to the broader issue of the normative bases of public diplomacy. This questioning of persuasion seems to come out of communications theories of ethics for instance the work of Jurgen Habermas. I’ve got some doubts about the extent to which this type of work is really useful in the PD context. Conceptualizations of soft power seem to be getting progressively softer to the extent that I’ve heard it being argued that persuasion is too hard to qualify as soft power. Part of the issue here is what we understand by persuasion. This leads to the broader issue of the normative bases of public diplomacy. This questioning of persuasion seems to come out of communications theories of ethics for instance the work of Jurgen Habermas. I’ve got some doubts about the extent to which this type of work is really useful in the PD context."

Atlantic Community: Open Think Tank Article " Advocacy and Advocacy and Transparency as Levers for Aid Effectiveness - Claudia Schwegmann: ransparent information can be THE most important lever for aid effectiveness. But transparency by itself does not automatically lead to more bargeaining power of citizens. ... The use of even the most transparent information is not self-evident. Citizens will only use relevant information. For people to benefit from information, it is necessary that this information in some form affects their lives (such as the local provision of health care services). In general, for citizens to make the most of the information provided, they need to be educated about why aid information is relevant, e.g. how the environmental degradation in far away places affects them. Therefore current public diplomacy efforts in the realm of development politics should be strengthened."

2010 LGBT Pride Month: J. Michelle Schohn and Mary E. Glantz - Life After Jerusalem: The Musings Of A Two-Spirit American Indian, Public Diplomacy-Coned Foreign Service Officer: "J. Michelle Schohn and Mary E. Glantz are a tandem couple serving in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Glantz entered the Foreign Service in 2002 as a political-coned Foreign Service Officer and served her first tour in Baku as a political officer. Ms. Schohn was Dr. Glantz’s member of household until 2004, when she joined the Foreign Service as a public diplomacy-coned Foreign Service Officer. ... Ms. Schohn and Dr. Glantz have been together since 1999 and were married in the United Church of Christ in Chapel Hill, N.C. in 2002." Image from

"Iran: A Threat to World Stability – Joshua Felice, USA Confidential: "Joshua Felice is a Summer Fellow for the Department of Public Diplomacy at the Embassy of Israel."

RELATED ITEMS

How the military improved its language education – Boing Boing: "We may ask why the US sends troops abroad, but the fact is that we do send large numbers into a region about which they have little knowledge and almost no cultural connection. We then ask them to interact safely and efficiently with military and civilian natives. These interactions require varying levels of linguistic, cultural, and interpersonal background. As a foreign language educator, I am fascinated by the evolution of the training materials given to US soldiers and how cultural visual knowledge plays and increasingly important role. Over the past seven years, the military has noticeably changed how it trains soldiers for these vital kinds of cross-cultural interactions."

Turkey calls charges turning from West 'dirty propaganda' - AFP: Charges that Turkey is turning away from the West are "dirty propaganda," Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday. Speaking at a Turkish-Arab forum, Erdogan pointed to Fench investments in Syria and Arab other nations, adding: "But when it comes to Turkey investing in Arab countries or vice versa, a dirty propaganda is trying to impede this process." "Those who say that Turkey has broken away from the West are the intermediaries of an ill-intentioned propaganda," he said.



South Korean loudspeakers in place, but will they speak to North Korea? - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting. Image from