July 11-12

“My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.”

--Michel de Montaigne; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

BBG [Broadcasting Board of Governors] publishes profiles of new members - Media Network

Introducing the new Broadcasting Board of Governors - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Survey says: Federal workers are glad to have their jobs - Ed O'Keefe and Joe Davidson, Washington Post: “[T]he largest-ever survey of the federal workforce, and the first to be conducted by the Obama administration ... asked workers to rate supervisors, their agency's overall improvement, job training opportunities and job satisfaction in order to measure progress government-wide and at 82 agencies. ... Like two years ago, the Broadcasting Board of Governors was last in all categories, but also was among the most improved in each category.” Via MC

NASA administrator's interview on Al Jazeera English ignites controversy – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

After the Honeymoon: The Life Cycle of New Media - Patricia Lee Sharpe, Whirled View:

"Some State Department techies sent on a mission to Damascus thought they could tweet their delight at finding a food shop selling smoothies in the Syrian capital. Pretty soon the whole world knew there was a State Department delegation in Damascus. The problem here? It was supposed to be an unpublicized visit. Oh-0h! ... Hopefully this incident will inspire the State Department to train all its employees (and its contract workers at all levels) in the proper use and non-abuse of the electronic media while they are representing the U.S. abroad. This has nothing to do with curtailing the freedom of truly private speech. Diplomats, like reporters—and generals, have their private opinions. But the price they pay for having such interesting jobs is keeping their opinions to themselves in many situations." Image from

New Media and Conflict Resolution: Cyber-Utopia? - Lena, Global Chaos: "[C]itizen and social media's potential for PD remains strong, as long as they are recognized and utilized as tools to facilitate dialogue among troubled societies. Besides providing a platform for 'popular' PD, the very promotion and facilitation of such dialogue among external 'troubled' parties can earn many brownie points for the facilitator (as, in fact, is already the case). Yet, such PD attempts should be carried out with great care and sensitivity so as not to compromise the integrity or the credibility of the initiative. In short, the belief in the potential of new media and technologies to enhance international relations and promote peaceful dialogue is certainly not cyber-utopianism. However, the development of such tools is and will remain merely as means to achieve much greater ends."

Indian Foreign Ministry Now Has an Official Twitter Account - Pallab De, Techie Buzz: "India’s foreign ministry is not keen to publicise the Twitter account yet and termed it as a 'work in progress'.

In spite of this, the official Twitter account has already amassed more than a thousand followers. Obviously the number will increase as the word gets around." Image from article

Foreign ministry gearing for social marketing - Jimmy Peterson, TopNews Singapore: "As per the officials from the foreign ministry very soon the foreign ministry shall be joining all through the social networking means. The public diplomacy division of the external affairs ministry shall shortly roll out a new portal that shall be the catalyst for the admission into social networking podium like Facebook and Twitter."

Romania - Activities organized by Romania's Embassy in Baku as NATO Contact Point Embassy in Azerbaijan, in the first half of 2010 - ISRIA: "Romania’s Embassy in Baku helped prepare and organize conferences, seminars and workshops on security issues, in cooperation with NATO and local partners, such as: ... Organization, by Romania’s Embassy in cooperation with the Azerbaijan-based Institute for Cooperation with NATO, of the conference: 'NATO on its 61st Anniversary: Present and Future', on 1 April 2010. The event opened the series of public diplomacy actions carried out in Azerbaijan on NATO's 61st anniversary."

South Africans want a crime-free World Cup to become everyday life - Independent: "Mark Gevisser, journalist and author: The tournament has given us a sense of what's possible … [T]he World Cup carries a lot of redemptive weight. When you are participating in the carnival you could think that this is the great new South Africa – mixed racially. You see South Africans reclaiming public space,

but going to games was out of the reach of the poor. … Dr Mzukisi Qobo, political analyst: We've shown a different face to the world - but we mustn't go back … The government has tried to use this as a public diplomacy tool to reassert South Africa as a global actor and showcase our infrastructure. The aim was to promote the country as an African hub while differentiating it from the rest of the continent. The World Cup provided a powerful foreign policy opportunity for public diplomacy, placing South Africa among the middle-income countries like Brazil, India and China. It has been successful, the infrastructure and transport system has worked. The question now is: can the government use this as leverage to enhance the country's reputation beyond the World Cup? It's one thing to stage a successful event, but it's another to use this to bolster the country's long term image." Image from

Saving Sovereignty Or Shaming Sri Lanka? - Dayan Jayatilleka, Sunday Leader: "There must be zero-tolerance by Sri Lanka of that which violates its sovereignty. There must be a total defence of sovereignty. That defence must not be stupid. ... While a state’s external relations must take public opinion into account, foreign policy cannot be made in the street. Diplomacy – including public diplomacy — cannot be conducted on the street or sidewalk, by mobs."

Australia - Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Indonesia - ISRIA: "[T]he Australian Government has nominated Mr Greg Moriarty as Australia's Ambassador to Indonesia. Mr Moriarty would replace Mr Bill Farmer AO who has been Ambassador since November 2005. ... Mr Moriarty is a senior officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and is currently First Assistant Secretary, Consular, Public Diplomacy and Parliamentary Affairs Division, a position he has held since April 2009."

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Our Summer Fellows - Michael Kaiser, Huffington Post: "Last week a new class of summer fellows arrived at the Kennedy Center for a four-week session. The summer fellows program brings arts managers from nations around the world to the Kennedy Center. The fellows come for three years in a row to study fundraising, marketing, financial management and planning. The program is a three-year program because we want our students to learn, to go home and experiment, to come back and learn some more and so forth.

Simply giving them some information and sending them on their way would not be sufficient. … [W]orking on an ongoing basis with these immensely talented individuals also confirms our belief that cultural diplomacy is about building long-term relationships. We build relationships with these amazing individuals who will truly lead their nations in the years to come. The art they produce will help shape the minds of the citizens of their countries. The relationships we form, that continue long after the fellowship is over, can only help America rebuild its image abroad." Kaiser image from

Bahamas Boys Choir comes To DC - Khyle Quincy Parker, Bahama Islands Info: "[T]he Boys Choir of The Bahamas will be in Washington, DC, next week seeking to deepen and broaden the perception of what is Bahamian. The boys – ranging in age from seven to 18 – will present a concert at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre Amphitheatre on Tuesday, July 13, 2010, at 6PM as part of the 37th Independence celebrations of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The programming arm of the International Trade Centre, the Office for Trade Promotion collaborates with an extended network of public and private sector organizations to convene a rich mix of signature events that foster international dialogue, cultural diplomacy, and educate the public, and are pleased to be a co-sponsor of this outstanding group."

How Would Some South Africans Respond to Holland Winning the World Cup? - Tal Pinchevsky, Big Think: "Considering the role of Dutch settlers in South Africa’s history, some people are contemplating how the success the Dutch team has enjoyed in South Africa might rub some South Africans the wrong way. ... Regardless of how pertinent this history is to the World Cup discussion, it’s actually encouraging to see how much good the success of the Dutch team has done. The spirited Dutch fans

have contributed greatly to the South African economy, so you could make the argument that Dutch success in the World Cup enhances the local economy. The incredible Dutch success in soccer has also contributed to a cultural diplomacy around the world." Image from

China: The Impact Of Cross-Strait Reconciliation On India - B.R.Deepak, Eurasia Review: "Dr. Ma Yingjiu at the helm of power in Taiwan since his election to the presidency in 2008, China has adopted a far reconciliatory approach towards Taiwan. Taiwan in turn has implemented a 'flexible foreign policy' and 'cultural diplomacy' aimed at stabilizing cross-strait relations; avoiding trade and economic marginalization; and boosting and consolidating Taiwan's identity abroad."

A Strait Deal: Taiwan, China And The PD Implications Of ECFA - Paul Rockower, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Cross-Strait relations between China and Taiwan took a dramatic and historic turn with the recent signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). ... [T]he increased people-to-people interactions through business, culture and closer societal contacts between China and Taiwan may prove to have a public diplomacy impact not yet understood or appreciated."

Soft power, hard battles - Chidanand Rajghatta, Times of India: ‎"Some even argue that Indian soft-power in the US - and across the world - is more potent than equivalent Chinese power, and cite the growing power of Bollywood as an example. This ignores the fact that Bollywood kitsch is primary aimed at Indian expat audiences. Indian film-makers are quite happy selling Bollywood dreams to the NRI-PIO market, whereas Chinese filmmakers such as Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers) mine their history and culture with an eye on western audiences. A more persuasive example would be literature and writing - there are more Indians writing in English and more writers and journalists of Indian-origin than of Chinese-origin. But in a recent commentary, John Lee, a visiting Fellow at Washington DC's Hudson Institute, actually cautions that India is being worsted even in the soft power battle with China.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is obsessed with building soft power he says and cites Beijing's cultural outreach as an example. China has funded more than 270 Confucius Institutes in 75 countries teaching Mandarin and the CCP's version of history to more than 100 million foreigners. Beijing aims to have 1,000 institutes up and running by 2020. In contrast, India, which Lee says has a poor appreciation for the value of cultural diplomacy, has only 24 cultural centres in 21 countries functioning under its missions abroad. Apparently, the fact that India's soft power drive is driven mostly by private enterprise and people rather than the government is not enough reason to be smug. More importantly, it appears China has a national will and purpose in these matters that India lacks." Image from

Vietnam-Russia ties further tightened - VOVNews.vn: ‎"The traditional ties of friendship, mutual understanding and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia have been improved and consolidated. The statement was made by Party leader Nong Duc Manh at a meeting with the Vietnamese Embassy and community in Russia on July 10. ... Vietnamese ambassador to Russia, Bui Dinh Dinh reported to Mr Manh on achievements in politics, economics, and cultural diplomacy made by Vietnam’s representative agencies and its community in Russia. He said that in 2009, more than 80 Vietnamese delegations visited the country. Despite the impact of the global economic crisis, trade value between the two countries in 2009 reached US$1.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11 percent. Vietnam successfully organized 'Vietnamese Cultural Days', 'Hanoi Days', and a Vietnamese export products exhibition in Russia, Mr Dinh said."

ADACH takes part in Assilah Art Festival Unique website dedicated to ADACH’s participation with wide progamme of arts at Assilah Festival - Middle East Online: "The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) showcases a spectrum of its wide programme of arts, culture, heritage and conservation initiatives and projects at the Assilah Art Festival, on the Atlantic coast of the North Eastern tip of Morocco, this July 10-27, 2010. A specific website dedicated to the Assilah Festival: http://www.adach.ae/assilah . ... There will also be an extensive programme of visual arts workshops, residences and exhibitions.

Conferences about earthen architecture, ethnomusicology and cultural diplomacy as well as concerts of classical music fusion of European classical master works fused with traditional classical Arabic music. There will be a full calendar of events, biographies and profiles of all the participants with a background about the city of Assilah and a city guide." See also. Image from

RELATED ITEMS

US should better define, counter Islamic extremism - Lolita C. Baldor, AP: The Obama administration's recent move to drop references to Islamic radicalism is drawing fire in a new report warning the decision ignores the role religion can play in motivating terrorists. Several prominent counterterror experts are challenging the administration's shift in its recently unveiled National Security Strategy, saying the terror threat should be defined in order to fight it. In the report, scheduled to be released this week, counterterrorism experts from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argue that the U.S. could clearly articulate the threat from radical Islamic extremists "without denigrating the Islamic religion in any way." Militant Islamic propaganda has reportedly been a factor in a spate of recent terror attacks and foiled attempts within the U.S.

Scholastic makes inroads into Arabic children's book market: Sensing a business and cultural opportunity, Scholastic carefully translates English-language books like "Heidi" and "The Magic School Bus" to be used at schools in several Arab-speaking countries - Geraldine Baum, Los Angeles Times: Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, first weeded its list of thousands of titles down to 200 and later 80.

They were translated into Arabic, and over the last three years, almost 17 million copies have been shipped from a plant in Missouri to elementary schools across the Middle East and North Africa. Scholastic scoured the books to eliminate anything that could be interpreted as American propaganda. In a book about shapes, a flag was removed from the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C. Image from article

Distrust Slows U.S. Training of Pakistanis - Eric Schmitt and Jane Perlez, New York Times: The deep suspicion that underlies every American move here is a fact of life that American officers say they must work through as they try to reverse the effects of the many years when the United States had cut Pakistan off from military aid because of its nuclear weapons program.

Progress, though not enough, in Cuba: As Guillermo Farinas' hunger strike ends with the release of 52 dissidents, questions remain on why President Raul Castro isn't doing more to advance human rights – Editorial, Los Angeles Times: We urge the U.S. Congress to pass a bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee last week to repeal a ban on American travel to Cuba and weaken other Cold War sanctions. It should do so not because Cuba deserves it, or has earned it by freeing 52 prisoners, but because the 50-year-old trade and travel prohibitions have failed to bring about democratic change in half a century.

US, S.Korea Weigh Options for Naval Drill - The Chosun Ilbo: The South Korean government and military are looking into various scenarios for resuming propaganda broadcasts against North Korea and sending anti-communist leaflets to the North.

Russia Today (RT) as an example of "weirdly constructed propaganda" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting:

RT is capable of very well produced reports and respectable journalism, in addition to its less salubrious material. If it could focus on the former, the channel would speak well for Russia. As it is now, RT gives the impression that Russia, as a nation, is not ready for prime time. Image from

Dracula was not bloodthirsty, just a victim of bad propaganda, new exhibition claims - Nick Squires, telegraph.co.uk: The show, which has just opened in Bucharest, attempts to rehabilitate Vlad Tepes,


also known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler, who ruled Wallachia in the 15th century. "Vlad Dracula was doubtlessly cruel, but not more so than other princes of his time," said Margot Rauch, the Austrian curator of the exhibition, entitled "Dracula - Voivode and Vampire". … She said historical studies presented in the exhibition show legends related to Vlad Dracula were "aimed at presenting eastern Europe as a primitive land and a source of evil". Dracula image from article

IMAGE (from Boing Boing)


Threadcakes -- a competition to re-create Threadless t-shirt designs as cakes -- reaches its apotheosis in this, Gonzuela Bastarache's recreation of the Zombie at Tiffany's tee.