July 23

"He can conceal or exaggerate, but only at the edges ... Basically you're a cosmetician."

-- IDF Spokesman Avi Benayahu, regarding the work of a consultant, in a Haaretz interview 10 years ago; image from

WILTON PARK REPORT

Public Diplomacy: Moving From Policy To Practice (WP1034)

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

Kaira terms meetings 'positive'‎ - The Express Tribune: "The Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamaruz Zaman Kaira on Thursday termed his meetings with various United Kingdom officials as 'positive and beneficial'. The federal minister also said that Pakistan stands to gain a lot from the British experience in media and public diplomacy in winning the global war against terrorism and militancy."

Pakistan’s Mesmerizing Response to Propaganda – "The New York Sufi Festival, sehartariq.wordpress.com: The Sufi Music Festival held in New York’s Union Square,

has probably done more diplomacy for Pakistan in the three hours that it lasted than all the work being put in by our missions in the US for the last ten years. ... This was aggressive and impressive public diplomacy at its best and this is what Pakistan and Pakistanis living in the United States need more off in order to drown out the cacophony of voices of hate mongers. I hope New York will continue to witness the brilliance, the richness and sheer genius of Pakistani culture with greater frequency, not just behind closed doors catering to the elite but reaching out to all of New York and all of the world." Image from article: Abida Parveen at Union Square Enthralling the Audience with her Vocal Vigor

Kenya: 'Techpreneurs' Find Niche in Development of Phone Software - Kui Kinyanjui, Business Daily, allafrica.com: "Kenya's innovative use of mobiles to transfer money through applications like M-Pesa or Zap and the rapidly rising number of people accessing the internet through their mobiles is attracting companies like Google, Facebook, Nokia and most recently, the US State Department to invest in identifying new applications that can be scaled globally. 'There is significant entrepreneurial, innovative and technical talent in East Africa that can be harnessed,' said Judith McHale, US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the US Department of State. Early this month, the State Department launched an initiative aimed at enticing local software creators to leverage mobile technology for global applications. Dubbed 'Apps 4 Africa', the initiative will take the form of a contest to build the best digital tool to address challenges in areas ranging from healthcare to education and government transparency to election monitoring.

The Microsoft-GE-Pepsi-Visa-USA Pavilion - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "[W]e made our way back across the river to visit the USA pavilion.


Oh, the much-maligned US pavilion. I was ready to hate the pavilion, but the Pepsi-Amway-Minute Maid glass was actually half full. Yes, it was a corporate punch in the face. It felt very much like the Corporate America Pavilion, complete with an uninspiring design that resembled a Dallas office building. The design really feels even more bland with all the other creative pavilions it is surrounded by. But the content was not as bad as I expected. ... My friend Kenya wrote of the exhibit being disappointing in its shallowness. And while it is somewhat shallow and could have been far more engaging, in the context of the audience and location, it wasn´t that bad. It was a pavilion at an Expo, nothing more. None of the pavilions are truly deep, and this was no exception. My final grade is a B-/B. The student ambassadors raise the grade, and it passes but could have indeed been more." Image from

Bellevue native brings hope, help on Mercy ship‎ - Bellevue Reporter: "Imagine the joy of helping someone attain perfect vision, or correcting a birth defect to give the gift of speech. Performing such acts was a part of nurse Kelli Arnesen’s daily tasks, as she assisted thousands of patients during her recent stay on the US Navy’s hospital ship, the Mercy. ... The overall goal of the ship is to establish public diplomacy and to 'prepare in calm to respond in crisis' through medical, veterinary and dental care, engineering projects such as building wells for clean water and rebuilding schools and clinics,

and community relations projects varying from football (soccer) and volleyball games to visiting children's shelters and elderly homes to painting buildings." Image from article

Radio Free Europe – Task for Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg - Leonid Panov, Lidove Noviny (in Czech). Courtesy LR.

Digital diplomacy: what is new? - jovank, Reflections on Diplomacy:

"There is a refreshing article on Digital Diplomacy that makes good reading on these hot summer days. The article centres on an attempt by two young officials, Jared Cohen and Alex Ross, to innovate traditional diplomacy. ... [T]hey offer some examples of the Internet as a TOOL for diplomatic activities. Most of their examples are related to public diplomacy; or, as some cynics argue, the rebranding of traditional propaganda. The use of e-tools for propaganda has been the main motivation behind ‘digital diplomacy’ for a long time. The main problem has been how to win the hearts and minds of people worldwide, especially those in difficult places, such as 'arab streets'. The article quotes the usual examples of Twitter revolutions in Moldova and Iran. There is very little reflection on the use of e-tools for core diplomatic activities, including negotiations and representation, which have been the core functions of diplomacy since its early days and will remain so in the Internet era. In this respect, the article is at its weakest. ... [T]he article fails to address some important questions such as: Should diplomats blog? Can they negotiate effectively online? The answers to these and other questions are not just related to professional conservatism or inertia or technical skills. In many cases, the limitations take the form of political interests that diplomats have to represent or objective limitations on how their work is done. While openness has to be supported, the reality shows that most of the successful diplomatic deals have been done discretely, far away from public." Image from

Internet diplomacy - The Economist: "The world just doesn’t seem to understand how great America is.

This is the central problem of public diplomacy, which is expected to fill in the gaps between America’s policies and its self-image. I’m not sure how Twitter is going to help." See also. Image from

When Arabs Tweet - Rami G. Khouri, International Herald Tribune: "We must face the fact that all the new media and hundreds of thousands of young bloggers from Morocco to Iran have not triggered a single significant or lasting change in Arab or Iranian political culture. Not a single one. Zero. ... One cannot take seriously the United States or any other Western government that funds political activism by young Arabs while it simultaneously provides funds and guns that help cement the power of the very same Arab governments the young social and political activists target for change. ... This is an awkward and untenable position for any foreign government that wants to promote political activism and pluralism in the Middle East. It damages Western government credibility, leads to no significant changes in our political cultures, and often discredits the local activists who become tarred with the charge of being Western lackeys. The antidote is simple, but humbling: lower the contradictions in Western policies towards Middle Eastern governments and activists, and grasp more accurately the fact that young people use the digital media mainly for entertainment and vicarious, escapist self-expression."

Twittering/Theorizing: Two Sides of the Same Public Diplomacy Counterfeit Coin – John Brown, Noted and Essays: "On the one side of the coin, you have what I'd call Twi'lek twitterers:

140 characters in cyberspace will solve American image/public diplomacy problems now! On the flip side you have academe's over-conceptualizers: what's needed are the latest social-science (often quantitative and survey-driven) studies of PD to make it effective and productive. But let's consider the golden middle: in-depth discussions, face-to-face, on US public diplomacy -- and efforts to improve it -- based on history and experience, including the current realities of practicing public diplomacy today by American diplomats overseas." Image from

New methodologies for measurement - Gero Grandisch, Place Branding & Public Diplomacy: "I am very interested to hear from others that are investigating the application of non-traditional methods for research and analysis of effects in PB & PD. What do I mean by 'non-traditional?' Well, from what I see, asking for points on a likert scale followed by counts and cross-tabs still are the norm. However, both on data collection as on data analysis side, there are many more tools available that would seem suited for complex issues such as opinion towards a nation, other citizens, etc. So what, if anything, is being used or investigated? Does anybody have experience with questioning based on category science, personal construct theory or the repertoire grid? Or data analysis using, for example, QCA, or other non-correlation based methods?"

Street Performances, Political Protest And Cultural Diplomacy - Naomi Leight, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "This past weekend, I had the privilege of attending a performance at the California International Theatre Festival in Calabasas.

The annual festival offers an array of presentations meant to broaden 'cultural understanding by means of community outreach, student training and cultural exchange through the performing arts'. As a whole, the festival is an excellent example of cultural diplomacy towards American audiences as presented by various countries such as China, Ireland, Canada and Mexico, among others." Image from

Russia launches new PR initiative aimed at attracting foreign ‎investment - Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy (blog) - "The Kremlin is getting more Internet-savvy every day. Not only has President Dmitry Medvedev joined Twitter, the Russia government now has an English language web portal to help funnel business and advertise their foray into the information age. Modern Russia, a website devoted to Russia's public diplomacy mission in the U.S., opened for business today. Funded by the Russian government, the site is managed by Ketchum, the public-relations firm that represents the Russian government and the Russian energy giant Gazprom."

No news is good news - Yossi Klein, Ha'aretz: "Even if he is a master manipulator of the press and champion promoter of connections, [Avi] Benayahu would not have attained his position of power if the relationship between the press and the army were not perfectly tailor-made for him. Ever since the concept of 'the battle for public consciousness' was added to the military lexicon, the status of the IDF Spokesman's Unit has grown - to the point where a public relations victory is nearly on a par with a military victory.

At the same time, an almost childish belief in hasbara (public diplomacy) has evolved. The faithful believe that proper hasbara can fix everything the politicians and military officers have screwed up. The officer commanding the hasbara formations is Brigadier General Benayahu, confidant of politicians and army officers and renowned expert on the local media. Without him, it would be impossible to even conceive of embarking on a media campaign." Benayahu image from

Japan Wants To Promote Cooperation With Mekong Sub-Region - Bernama: "Japan intends to promote cooperation with the Mekong sub-region, including Vietnam, and identifies environment as one of the most important fields for cooperation, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. Deputy Press Secretary and Deputy Director General of the Public Diplomacy Department under the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hidenobu Sobashima, said this to reporters on the sidelines of the 43rd Asean Ministerial Meeting and related meetings that took place here on Wednesday. 'We intend to continue the cooperation with the Mekong sub-region and implement new projects,' said Sobashima."

UI and IndonesiaMUN: Bringing Diplomacy Forward - Nadya Komanechi, Parole de mon monde: "If you have read about my future dreams to become an ambassador of my country, Indonesia, and you will understand that this workshop- which held by faculty of social and political science of UI- was my first step and my first knowing-things about 'what and how to become a great diplomacy'. ... The first speaker is Mr. Roy R. Soemirat, Head of WMD/Nuclear Weapon section of Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

titled 'Public Diplomacy', with details of discussion down to the rules of procedure in international conference or assembly. I thought that this titled is a trending issues who flame over around the world-- about the nuclear and the affect and impact to nature, social, economics, and human rights." Image from

Programme - IV Convention of Honorary Consuls of Lithuania - consuladodalituania.blogspot.com: "July 15, Thursday ... 15.30 – 17.30 Public Diplomacy Moderator: Mrs. Ina Marčiulionytė, Ambassador at Large, MFA"

Happiness Formulas: Overture to future releases – Frank, AmAre Way: happiness, living joyfully: "SWB has implications for international relations[:] Subjective well-being plays leading role in 21st century public diplomacy: would you be greateful to a foreign Country, whose traditions and current infrastructure allows you to improve your health? China and India, with their TCM and Ayurveda, are especially well placed to contribute to the SWB of people around the World, both in terms of incoming tourists who are visiting clinics etc. and foreign citizens who can benefit in their home Country from the expertise of Chinese and Indian expatriates, and their students."

RELATED ITEMS

U.S. money wasted on Afghanistan projects, auditor finds:


A federal auditor says the problems are indicative of a pattern of building facilities that are too costly and complex for the Afghan government to maintain - Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times; image from

Mental illness costing military soldiers - Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY: The number of soldiers forced to leave the Army solely because of a mental disorder has increased by 64% from 2005 to 2009 and accounts for one in nine medical discharges, according to Army statistics.

The U.N. Threat to Internet Freedom: The FCC's move to treat broadband providers like phone company monopolies could spur international efforts to regulate the Web - Robert M. McDowell, Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Why the Clash of Civilizations Won't Go Away - Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy:

It's sobering that years of efforts to promote better understanding of Islam and to build a stronger, healthier discourse around Islam have done so little to dull the blade of the "clash of civilizations" line. Image from

IRAN: Will mysterious scientist's movie be 'Mission Impossible' or 'The Talented Mr. Amiri'? - Meris Lutz, Los Angeles Times: In a counterstrike of psychological warfare, Iran will use the United States' own greatest propaganda weapon against it by shooting a Hollywood-style spy thriller based on the alleged kidnapping and return of Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri, said news reports this week. Amirhossein Ashtiyanipour, a director at an Iranian production company called Sima Film, told Agence-France Presse that a "young group of movie school graduates" had been hired to write the script. The project was confirmed by Fars news agency, which called the affair a "disgraceful defeat" for the American intelligence services.

CIA USA Network Propaganda - Steven G. Erickson, OpEd News: The CIA is not supposed to conduct operations within the borders of the United States of America. Is the USA Network television series, "Covert Affairs", a thinly veiled

propaganda tool of the CIA to justify, and put polish on, their illegal domestic spying, espionage, and black-ops going on within US borders? Image from

Student, Online Terrorist Flunkie Arrested in Virginia - Spencer Ackerman, Danger Room: Just last week, a Pennsylvania-based internet hosting service shut down its blogetery.com platform after federal law enforcement officials showed that more than 70,000 bloggers used it to push al-Qaeda propaganda into the cyber-ether.

As tensions rise, North Korea puts on propaganda spectacular – The Australian: Massed gymnasts will perform in a North Korea propaganda extravaganza next month, amid renewed tensions over the sinking of a South Korean warship. The spectacular show typically feature thousands of gymnasts in synchronised manoeuvres and giant mosaics formed by children turning pieces of coloured paper.

But it has been criticised as a propaganda tool achieved through the rigid and disciplined training of its young performers. The mass games will start in early August at Pyongyang's May Day Stadium, the North's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said, according to the country's Uriminzokkiri website. Image from article: Thousands of children performing with scarves, and holding up cards to show the colours of the North Korean flag, during a propaganda spectacle in 2005.

Satellite Saga - David J. Smith, Georgiandaily: The Paris Court of Commerce last week handed a victory to the Russian propaganda machine, allowing French satellite operator Eutelsat—one quarter French Government-owned—to bar Tbilisi-based First Caucasus Television from one of its broadcast satellites. For now, this prevents First Caucasus from reaching most of its intended Russian-speaking audience. Nonetheless, the station is determined to get back on the air, which will strike a blow for media freedom everywhere.