July 26

"Let’s turn now to overseas news.”

--An ABC anchor on the 6:00 pm evening news (July 25), after a report on Afghanistan (as heard by your PDPBR compiler, assuming his hearing is in order); image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

India has limited Afghan options - M K Bhadrakumar, posted at GeoPlotilicalNWO: "A dark horizon is enveloping India-Pakistan relations. Against this backdrop, two senior US officials - special representative for AfPak Richard Holbrooke and Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff - descended on Delhi last week . ... For the Americans, the apple cart is delicately poised. The urgency of an AfPak exit policy subsumes all other thoughts, and in that regard [Gen Ashfaq Pervez] Kiani can help a lot. In Holbrooke's estimation, ... Taliban reconciliation still remains a distant prospect . ... Mullen drew attention away from the badlands of Southwest Asia and harped on the strategic challenge posed by an increasingly 'active' and 'assertive' China. ... Mullen went public with an extraordinary statement

during a TV interview that in the event of any 'crisis' in Sino-Indian relations (meaning an outbreak of hostilities on the disputed border), Washington will always be supportive of Delhi. He claimed that Indian officials shared the US's concern regarding an 'assertive' China. Mullen's public diplomacy was brilliantly executed. On the one hand, he tried to rev up latent unease in Indian opinion regarding China's long-term intentions and the future trajectory of Sino-Indian relations pending their unresolved border dispute. ... On the other hand, Mullen pitched hard to create misgivings in the Chinese mind regarding the recent Indian diplomatic and political overtures to Beijing for chartering a 'new stage' in the bilateral relationship." Image from; unreadable line at bottom of image says, 'Sometimes we have limited options."

Public Diplomacy 2.0: The debate continues - Madhurjya Kotoky, The Public Diplomacy Blog:

"There are two distinct schools of thought on Public Diplomacy 2.0. Personality types actually - 'Enthusiasts' and 'Skeptics'. This debate is shaping up well and is going to rage for some time. ... I tend to agree with Jared Cohen’s view in the NYT that critics should accept the inevitability of the medium. The internet is here to stay, so what do we do about that? ... Web 2.0 can serve as a great listening tool, amplifying tool for current communication efforts and an engagement tool that leads to 'last three feet interactions.' ... Public diplomacy 2.0, despite its primary objective to interact, is still very much in the 'monologue' mode. Most PD 2.0 even by the US involves making documents and press statements available online. Engagement is really not happening. Let’s not sweep Web 2.0 under the rug. Let’s get creative with it. Let’s INTEGRATE it." Kotoky image from entry

SALT and "the story" behind it – Lena, Global Chaos: "So, I saw the 'much-hyped' SALT movie on Friday. Thought I should share some thoughts and impressions. ... [F]ormer CIA and Homeland Security chiefs were both recruited to market the movie. ... As for images and stereotypes... I have touched upon it on numerous occasions before: it is funny to see so much excitement about an outdated story that's some 25 years late.

And yet, this piece of 'popular culture' (because that's what it is, essentially) is still a good illustration of just how easy it can be to stir the well-ingrained stereotypes and attitudes for marketing purposes (or, alternatively, how difficult it can be to let go off them), especially when it comes to Russia. Nonetheless, Voice of America (Russian), too, caught the right moment and hosted a discussion on the movie with the participation of some of the aforementioned former officials. Kudos to SALT-ian public diplomacy!" Image from article.

Released Cuban dissidents had reported for Radio Martí and VOA – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broacasting

FSO Karen Walker on the Smith-Mundt Act (Public Diplomacy) – John Brown, Notes and Essays: Ms. Karen Walker, a Foreign Service Officer,

on the Smith-Mundt Act: “Smith-Mundt became the operating legislation for the USIA at its founding in 1953. The Act made clear that the programs it authorized, including ... the Voice of America (VOA), were to operate overseas. ... [A] CRS report cautions that repealing the Smith-Mundt provisions could result in US public diplomacy efforts becoming preoccupied with 'communicating to the American public for political effect, to the detriment of creating effect[t]ive, targeted communications to specific foreign populations' (p. 56). With this background now in place, what do I think? If public diplomacy programs continue to be Embassy and Mission-directed, with overseas public diplomacy specialists setting priorities, feeding requests to Washington-based program managers, and taking point in managing the programs' implementation, then public diplomacy will continue to support country-level and regional strategies based on a deep cultural understanding and approaches effective in local contexts. If the repeal [of the Smith-Mundt Act] makes clear that programs can be implemented even if the diffusion effects expose Americans to the programming, it would remove constraints on public diplomacy officers in employing web based tools and social media, and could lead to more effective engagement of U.S.-based Diaspora communities in American diplomacy.” Image from Facebook

Public Diplomacy ’65 - Robin Brown, Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence:

"I’ve been reading W. Phillips Davison’s 1965 Council on Foreign Relations volume International Political Communication (New York: Praeger) – the dust jacket is here img007 and the contents pages are here. A few quick thoughts 1. The emphasis on the limits of communication – Davison was part of a generation of scholars who were both familiar with the realities of psychological warfare and had were involved in the development of academic studies of communications. 2. The link between communication and organization. Davison is sceptical of the capacity of communication to persuade the opposed but argues that it plays useful role in organizing friends. 3. Duplication, lack of focus, limited resources, failure to integrate policy and communication in US public diplomacy. It’s all here." Image from

NATO promotes counter-terrorism training - ISRIA: "With the support of NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division (Science for Peace and Security Programme), the NATO Centre of Excellence on Defence against Terrorism assigned a Mobile Education Team to conduct the Advanced Training Course 'Defence Against Terrorism: Different Dimensions and Trends of Emerging Threat; Terrorism' in Kabul, Afghanistan, from 23 to 27 May 2010."

Article by Bernard Kouchner published in the "Le Figaro" newspaper (July 22, 2010) - France Diplomatie (press release): "The battle of cultural content and ideas is intensifying. No position is ever achieved for good. The big countries understand this. In London, Berlin and Washington, public diplomacy is on the up. Above all, new powers are emerging which, from China to the Gulf countries, are making their voices heard, which is normal. France must not be outdone. This is why, with Frédéric Mitterrand’s help, I am establishing the Institut français.


It is not just our interests and influence which are at stake. Our values are too. People talk about the threat hanging over cultural diversity. They are right. We must defend this pluralism, on which our freedom depends. But there is another threat: the temptation to pit civilizations against each other, to imprison individuals within a culture supposedly purer than the others. Against this background, the Institut français will also have to reaffirm the obstinate idea that there is a universal culture, formed of works to admire, knowledge to share and principles to respect. The obstinate idea that all men, all nations, define themselves by their contribution to this constantly evolving body of work. The Institut français - and I am happy that Xavier Darcos will be taking on its chairmanship when the time comes - is the most visible part of a vast reform, the most ambitious for a long time, of our diplomacy of influence. With Valérie Pécresse, we are also creating an agency, CampusFrance, to encourage student mobility and enhance the attractiveness of our universities. With France expertise international we are increasing our ability to address the strong demand for expertise from the developing and emerging countries. This circulation of grey matter is of primordial importance for our economy, our influence and the development of the other countries. By equipping our public diplomacy with modern and effective operators, I firmly believe I am preparing the future." Image: Violating peace deal: French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, pictured with Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili on Friday, said Russia had only partially met its obligations under the deal.

The Absurdity of Existence - Ari Bussel, NewsBlaze: "[T]here may be problems in public diplomacy, a Goldstone Report, a Turkish Terrorist Flotilla of Lies, a UN resolution condemning Israel for one thing on Monday and another on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday ... [but] [a]ll in all, life is very good in Israel.

There are those with extraordinary amounts of money. New high rises in Tel Aviv, potentially imitating the skyline of Manhattan, beautiful beaches and even more beautiful people, tourists in ever increasing numbers and businesses even the most advanced industrialized countries in the world would be proud to entertain.” Image from

The Rise of Global Civil Society: Building Communities and Nations from the Bottom Up Description - Sherlyns Blog: Just another Xpressoutloud.com Blogs weblog: "Customer Reviews: Superb Overview, A Bright Light Into the Future. ... Highlights for me: ... + Propaganda (public diplomacy or strategic communication or covert action media placements and influence operations) DOES NOT WORK. What works is good works for the right reasons."

RELATED ITEMS

Pakistan Aids Insurgency in Afghanistan, Reports Assert- Mark Mazzetti, Jane Perlez, Eric Schmitt and Andrew W. Lehren, New York Times: "Americans fighting the war in Afghanistan have long harbored strong suspicions that Pakistan’s military spy service has guided the Afghan insurgency with a hidden hand, even as Pakistan receives more than $1 billion a year from Washington for its help combating the militants, according to a trove of secret military field reports made public Sunday."

The WikiLeaks Afghanistan leak – Glen Greenwald, Salon

Afghanistan war logs: Al-Qaida propaganda - guardian.co.uk

Stalled help for Pakistan – Editorial, Washington Post: Many U.S. officials have advocated reducing the U.S. tariff on textile exports from Afghanistan and the most destitute tribal areas of Pakistan through Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZs).

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a strong supporter of ROZs, has steered a bill to create them through the House. If Afghanistan and Pakistan are vital to national security -- and they are -- there is no excuse for the continued wrangling. The fact is that both sides have a point. We don't want to set up American-sponsored sweatshops where we are trying to win hearts and minds, and flexible standards could help prevent that. But it seems a bit surreal to be planning against exploitation on an impoverished frontier where any job is better than none at all. Image from

France 'to punish' al-Qaeda killers - aljazeera.net: The French president has confirmed the death of a hostage held by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM) and vowed that the killers will be punished. Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday that the group, which has claimed responsibility for the death of Michel Germaneau, a French engineer, has "no respect for human life". French special forces and Mauritian troops launched the cross-border raid against an AQIM base in Mali on Thursday and continued the assault for several days. One Algerian security official said the operation would help the fighters recruit more followers by allowing them to cast their campaign as a battle against Western "infidels" and not just fellow Muslims. "The failure will be used by the extremists to spread their anti-Western propaganda," the security official, who did not want to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media, told the Reuters news agency. Image from article1en

Truth or Propaganda? “North Korea Threatens ‘Nuclear War’ Over Troop Exercises” - alexanderhiggins.com: If you have been reading the headlines lately you may be been led to believe that North Korea has threatened an all out nuclear war in response to joint US and South Korea military exercises being ran in South Korea this weekend.

Those headlines are absolutely frightening and there are literally thousands of similar articles in the news. But are the headlines true or are they simply propaganda for the US Government hat for some reason seems hellbent on waging war against North Korea? The actual press release from North Korea does not state that North Korea will respond with ‘Nuclear War’ if the military drills which is what the media is leading reader to believe. Image from

Desperate Zionist propaganda - The Angry Arab News Service: “I mean, I dont remember that Zionist propaganda was that dumb. I mean, it has always been dumb but this dumb? They now remind me of Ba`thist propaganda of the 1960s: "A car bomb that exploded July 15 in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, may indicate that Mexican drug cartels are being assisted by Hizbullah terrorists." To get American public sympathy, I expect Zionist propagandists to soon find links between JFK's assassin and Hizbullah.”

How The Concept Of Propaganda Has Evolved Over Time - scci-iraq.com: propaganda has been used a powerful tool for manipulating members of society psychologically. However, the methods used differ with time. Propaganda in Nazi Germany was done openly and without fear; this could clearly be seen through appointment of a minister for propaganda. On the other hand, modern day propaganda is done secretly partly because people are more informed and they have the ability to sieve independent or non –independent news reports. The war in Iraq is one of the most outstanding examples of modern day propaganda. The Nazi Germans used propaganda to justify their invasion of Poland, their failure to boost the economy and their failure in the war. The US government used authoritative figures to give information about the invasion of Iraq. The propaganda tools used were distinctly different because the Germans were not well informed. Most of them lacked the ability to question their authority and media censorship was used. However, in modern times, people are more informed and governments cannot censor information directly, propaganda is disseminated through manipulation of media outlets.

Propaganda Films – Edward, collectanæ alistarien: No, propaganda films are not gone, nor will they be in the future. The good news is that they are still fascinating studies. The other – let's not quite call it bad – news is that they still shape how the public thinks.



In some ways, this is good: because Hollywood must create films to appeal to a wide audience, it helps unify the American people in the center; their more critical peers help people think critically about their own beliefs; and they can be a force for the justice of the moment, moving the world forward. Image from

6 Acts of Propaganda That Backfired Hilariously - Claire G., cracked.com

IMAGE: Green Giant ad, 1947 (from Boing Boing)



From the most excellent Vintage Ads LiveJournal group, this smashing look at the alternate Green Giant universe of 1947, in which the GG looks decidedly satanic, and enjoys a cannibalistic corn-cob pipe.

FAITS DIVERS: FROM A CYBERSPACE LISTSERV E-MAIL

Dear John,

Today we await the expected announcement that BP is finally taken action to stem the flow of gaffes from its Chief Executive Tony Hayward by replacing him with the company's first-ever American CEO Bob Dudley.

As you and your PDPR Public Diplomacy Press Review colleagues continue to cover this ongoing story, consider how this change will impact BP and how it interacts with stakeholders around the world as it goes about:

• demonstrating commitment to complete the Gulf Coast clean-up as promised in the company's US TV and print ads
• investing in clean energy technologies will no doubt move up its agenda
• positioning its clean-up efforts beyond just US stakeholders, recognising the need to communicate and engage its publics around the world
• rebuilding its brand under a new leader who brings an American approach and bias
• engaging the rest of the oil and related energy industries to demonstrate to consumers, lawmakers and business that current offshore drilling risks have been reassessed and are actively being managed

About Allyson Stewart-Allen
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