November 14

"'Brave New World' (1932) by Aldous Huxley. Read aloud to Bush in the Oval Office by an aide as he was thinking about stem cell research."

--Carolyn Kellogg, "What was George W. Bush reading?" Los Angeles Times; image from

CONFERENCE

Cultural Diplomacy, Scholarly Internationalism, and American Studies since World War II November 18-19, 2010 Amerika Haus, Friedrich Schmidt Platz 2, 1010 Vienna Conference participants are required to register free of charge in advance at staff@fulbright

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama leaves Asia reflecting on power shift - Hindustan Times: "Obama ... stressed shared values on democracy and tolerance with Indonesia and India -- implying Asia would do better to embrace this model than China's version of capitalism.


He welcomed China's rise but suspicions will linger that with its renewed regional engagement, Washington seeks a strategic bulwark against Beijing. Obama's aides also still argue that Obama's biography as a Hawaii-born 'first Pacific president' alone has reinvigorated US regional policy. 'He was speaking to over a billion people essentially in a few days. It was quite a remarkable piece of public diplomacy,' said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security advisor. But critics suggest too much emphasis is placed on 'biography as foreign policy' saying geopolitics is driven instead by hard calculations of national interest." Image from

Obama Clears 'Success Bar' During Visit to India‎ - Ernest Corea, InDepthNews: "[T]he careful consultations and negotiations between the two sides long before Air Force One took off for Mumbai suggested that Obama's visit to India was going to be more than an exercise in public relations -- oops, sorry, PR has morphed into PD, so make that 'public diplomacy'. Not that the Obamas shied away from public diplomacy.


From the powerful demonstration of empathy and support inherent in their stay at the hotel that was the scene of a bloody terrorist attack through their respectful visits to places that are of great symbolic significance to Indians to their public appearances before a range of audiences, they kept 'hitting the right notes,' as Indian commentators said. Obama even took to the floor during a traditional Deewali dance, although it is clear that it's the First Lady who is endowed with talent for rhythm. Both excelled in their interaction with young Indians eager to have their questions answered by the American First Couple." Image from article

Press Briefing by National Security Advisor Tom Donilon and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes, on the President's Trip to Asia - Business and Community Partners: "Birthday Boy Rhodes, on the First Lady's role: '[H]er ability on the world stage ... was an enormous takeaway for us. I think in India, the events that she did, in many instances, were among the most successful events of this trip. She clearly reached the Indian people through her direct interactions with young Indians. ... [J]ust from a public diplomacy standpoint, those events of her interacting with people from various backgrounds, and literally directly engaging young people, hearing from them about their concerns, it sends a very powerful message that we're not just speaking to the Indian elite; we're speaking to the broad Indian populace ... If you look at the comments that they made coming out of some of those interactions, they were taken aback by the opportunity they had to have that kind of face-to-face and very personal interaction with her. So I think her star power and her ability to send a positive message about America to the world was a real key takeaway of the Indian trip.'"

Everything that could have gone wrong in Seoul, didn't: Members manage to reach consensus after arguing over trade and currency policy - Keerthik Sasidharan, Gulf News: "The Seoul meeting began with a fair amount of public posturing. The Americans insisted that the Yuan's managed exchange rate were the root cause of the global capital imbalances.


In response, the Chinese and Germans responded that the American policy directives such as the Quantitative Easing programme poses great danger than understood. It is, naturally, difficult to ascertain how much of this is an instance of public diplomacy and what is for their own domestic consumption." Image from article: A screen tower displays the flags of the G20 countries at the G20 Summit.

POTUS Visits and Public Diplomacy: Doing Nothing While Waiting for Nothing to Do - John Brown, Huffington Post: "[A]t a time when the government is supposedly trying to save money, presidential overseas visits are definitely a place to start.


Do we really need so many Secret Service agents/White House operatives on per diem 'handling' a presidential visit in countries they generally know little/anything about?" Earlier version of article, cited in PDPBR November 11, at. Image from

Lanai student gets close study of Oman‎ - Susan Essoyan, Honolulu Star-Advertiser: "A Lanai student who spent a semester in Oman on a U.S. government scholarship is encouraging Hawaii high school students to apply for the second round of the YES Abroad program for study in countries with significant Muslim populations. ... The program is the newest component of a public diplomacy effort launched in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks to promote understanding with Muslim nations.


For the past eight years, Youth Exchange and Study scholars from Muslim countries have been coming to the United States to live with American families and attend a year of high school." Image from article: Lanai resident Richard Gima and fellow student Sara Al-Adawi pose for the photography club at the Sultan's School in Muscat, Oman, where Gima spent a semester last fall

Visit to Taraz - Becca's Blog - Peace Corps in Kazakhstan: "In mid-October, I finally paid a visit to the capital of neighboring Zhambyl Oblast, a pretty southern city that now goes by the name of Taraz.


Examinations for the prestigious FLEX Program were being held, and a few of us Americans were signed up to help proctor. FLEX stands for Future Leaders Exchange Program, and it sends a select group of Kazakhstanian high schoolers to the U.S. for one year of exchange study, all expenses paid. I personally think programs like these are the best public diplomacy tool we have in our box, and it is abundantly clear to me the benefits for both our countries to allow talented young people the opportunity to be cultural ambassadors for Kazakhstan in the U.S." Blogger's image from her blog.

Impact Abroad Selected as Top Program by U. S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy & U.S. Department of State - prweb.com: "Impact Abroad is pleased to announce its selection as a Top Program by the International Voluntary Service Task Force and the U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy (USCCD). The U.S. Summit for Global Citizen Diplomacy is a national meeting presented by the USCCD in partnership with the U.S. Department of State, Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. ...Impact Abroad places Americans, as well as individuals from other countries, who want to volunteer abroad in China and India into volunteer placements in nonprofit organizations. It is, in a sense, like a short-term peace corps."

Aid, Security, and Public Diplomacy - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "Providing development and humanitarian aid has become an integral part of the Western 'Counterinsurgency' as well as public diplomacy work in volatile areas and war zones, such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa.


There have been many questions about the viability of the approach - involving ethical as well as practical issues - especially when dealing with hostile populations. 'Winning over hearts and minds' certainly does not come with outright pouring of dollars, and very often externally designed programs have proven to be either ineffective, or - what is worse - counterproductive." Osipova image from her blog

Senior Coordinator for Security Infrastructure Don Reid Speaks on Diplomatic Security in a Cyber Age - tmcnet.com: "The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security issued the following text of the following remarks by Senior Coordinator for Security Infrastructure Don Reid . ... Our political and economic officers, our public diplomacy professionals, and others in the embassy whose core functions lie outside the hardened walls of the mission generally must travel to meet with their host country counterparts. In many areas of the world, that travel can encounter improvised explosive devices, roadside blockades, unofficial checkpoints, and more unknowns. In many of those non-permissive regions, diplomatic security has deployed life-safety technology generically referred to as 'Blue Force Tracker' (as in 'friendly' force). This is GPS-enabled emergency 9-1-1 alerting technology (I call it 'On-Star on steroids') that is installed in our vehicles and aircraft and is simultaneously monitored at the embassy, the military's tactical operations center, and our DS Command Center so all have a common situational awareness of all friendly forces. If someone comes under attack while traveling, gets involved in a threatening situation, or similarly becomes disabled, they can activate the beacon and if necessary an extraction team can be dispatched."

IDF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, to Depart for Work Visit in Canada and the U.S.: - IDF Website: "To conclude his visit, Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi will travel to New York, where he will meet with several public diplomacy organizations, leaders of major American Jewish organizations and other senior officials. ... Later on in the week,


Lt. Gen. Ashkenazi will visit Washington DC, where he will meet with his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen." Image from article

Announcement about sending Russian killers to the U.S. is a sign of the Kremlin’s contempt for Obama - tedlipien.com: "Bruce Chapman of the Discovery Institute in Seattle has asked all the right questions about a recent Russian media report suggesting that Russian killers have been dispatched to the United States to execute a former Russian spy. He had supposedly betrayed the ring of Russian 'illegals' recently caught and expelled in a Washington-Moscow spy swap and defected to the U.S. ... Mr. Obama has undermined U.S. security and the security of America’s allies, whose soldiers have fought and died alongside American soldiers in both Iraq and Afghanistan, only to be told that when the leaders in the Kremlin want to have someone killed in the U.S. they are not grateful enough to him to refrain from making an extraordinarily humiliating public announcement. They many have decided that the more arrogant they are, the extra pressure will result in even greater unilateral concessions from President Obama on the assumption that he will take their declared security concerns more seriously in response to loud shouts and insults. This had been a well-tested Soviet public diplomacy tactic, which is again being employed, albeit with much greater sophistication."

Russia's internet as opposition "pressure valve" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Hay Exclusive: 'The Most Obvious Is More Often The Most Illusive': Nik Gowing on the new nature of media that is shifting and redefining the nature of power systems across the globe - Shradha S, Yentha: "In the heart of journalism lies the containment of power, said Tarun Tejpal, journalist, author and publisher, while introducing the session ‘Skyful of Lies’ by the BBC anchor Nik Gowing. Nik Gowing


was here to speak on the immense power the changing face of media, in the form of smart-phones and broadband, has on the governing systems and corporate sectors around the world. ... He presented many examples like the BP oil spill incident, the Abu Ghraib expose, the Ghaza bombings and so on, whose extensive new media reporting fixed many systems into accountability, that was absent a few years ago. 'Handling new media is a challenge of the mindset; it’s not a case of career breaker but should be considered a career enhancer by the officials. I find the Chinese government especially smarter in this respect.' It’s a long way to go and get this system accepted among nations. Initiatives like having a department for Public Diplomacy, like in India, are taking things in the right direction. However one of the defects of new media is the need for the systems to authenticate this flow of information from the live media as it is easy to be mislead, by photoshopping and other techniques." Image from article

An Ocean at the Intersection of Two Emerging Narratives: China and India take to the Sea - India and the world: "China, like India, seeks to be viewed as a benevolent maritime power, and to use history as a tool to emit reassuring predictions of its future behavior. Unlike India, however, the process has not been incremental and organic but proactively pursued by the central government. Zheng He, the Ming Dynasty eunuch admiral who plied the waters of Asia and beyond with a gargantuan fleet composed of hundreds of ships with more than 28 000 crewmen, officials, marines and soldiers, has become a central figure in the regime’s public diplomacy.


Much attention is drawn by Chinese officials to the fact that this vast armada was never used as a tool of imperial conquest, and that it solely engaged in voyages of discovery and trade. It is therefore presented as not only a sign of Chinese technological superiority over the Europeans of the time in terms of shipbuilding etc, but also as a sign of moral superiority." Image from article

China's Rise into Trouble Multiple Times - exba.net: "Diplomacy is the art of compromise, diplomacy must not only adhere to the principles of logistics, but also flexible. In exchange for a larger strategic interests at the expense of the interests of certain tactics are necessary, worthwhile. Everything to the flow, leveraging force, not contrarian, the rampage. Should be adept at 'multi-polar balance' strategy, combined vertical and horizontal, to avoid alone. Good use of strategic adversary of the internal contradictions, and cultivate cooperation with China to send, send inhibition to contain China. Major expansion of public diplomacy, closer to the target country nationals feelings. Foreign media attention, do our best to let the world know the real China. Really understand China's national interests to encourage experts and scholars and more vocal in order to correctly guide public opinion. To education for all, to guard against the rise of extreme nationalism put an end to national opportunities."

“We call them submarines…” - Syed Hamad Ali, Exploring Life, The Universe and Everything: "For a man who is apparently Britain’s most influential Muslim, Shaikh Abdul Hakim Murad has rather unorthodox views on the way Islam is presented in the Western media. 'I don’t think Islam is ever covered,” he tells Weekend Review. ... [I]f Middle Easterners really wish to be better respected in the West, he believes they need to engage in deep and extensive cultural investment.


'The Arab League, or the OIC, should direct resources to creating something like the British Council,' he says, 'or the Goethe Institute, with landmark institutions in Western capitals which promote a correct understanding and a healthy dialogue. At the forefront should be teaching the Arabic language. Unless the Muslim world engages in better public diplomacy on behalf of its culture, it cannot expect to be better understood and respected.'” Shaikh Abdul Hakim Murad image from article

BBC World Service "trying to keep the global footprint while cutting resources" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Nation Branding and Nation Image‎ - Mathias Akotia, GhanaWeb: "In today’s world order advertising (and advertorial) may have its place in country product (tourism, investment, export etc) promotion. But when it comes to country brand communication to her population public relations solutions (such as public education, demonstrations, and exhibitions), role playing and role modelling, sporting and cultural events marketing, deliberate storytelling, legends and myths about key people and event marketing are more effective than advertising. The country activities, processes or outcomes that leaders pay attention to, even the design of physical space, and buildings,


status symbols all have positive socialisation effects on the population. For international audiences, public diplomacy, public relations and e-marketing are found more effective." Image from

Suffering from G20 Blues? Failed Trade Agreements Got You Down? Take a spoonful of Public Diplomacy and call us in the morning - k2globalcomm.blogspot.com: "Earlier this year Greg Kelly, Partner-K2 Global Communications LLC, announced the firms return to Public Diplomacy. Kelly highlighted K2 Global Communications LLC High Profile – High Impact (H2) Public Diplomacy and Marketing opening new markets for its clients creating and implementing creative, innovative models. 'Public opinion is the critical element to be mastered in any public diplomacy campaign. Our High Profile – High Impact (H2) public diplomacy and marketing model(s) harnesses the power of the atom (public opinion) establishing new markets and growing established ones,' said Greg Kelly , Partner-K2 Global Communications LLC. 'Unfortunately public diplomacy has become damaged by evolving into the ‘Petrie Dish’


for cults of personality and a taxpayer sponsored career enhancement tool for politically appointed officials.' Government-to-Government relations while still relevant today by its nature cannot fulfill its role as in the past. Due to globalization of publics and media, the internet, political and economic freedoms, it has become an imperative for entities whether corporations, governments or non-government organizations (NGO’s) to be able to influence public opinion (publics identified by campaign) to achieve the desired outcome(s). Micro-sphere public diplomacy is unique to each client/campaign and we develop those with the client destination, nation, and other entities." Image from

Ambassador Alihusain-Del Castilho recalled from Indonesia - .verkiezingensuriname.nl: [Google translation] "Suriname's ambassador Angelic Alihusain-Del Castilho must register by January 15, 2011 in Paramaribo. Zij behoort tot de tweede groep van ambassadeurs die wordt vervangen. It belongs to the second group of ambassadors being replaced. Zij werd in januari 2007 door president Ronald Venetiaan benoemd, op voordracht van DA'91.


It was founded in January 2007 by President Ronald Venetiaan appointed on the recommendation of DA'91. Zolang er geen nieuwe ambassadeur is benoemd, zal Toekiman Saibang (Pertjajah Luhur) fungeren als zaakgelastigde van Suriname in Indonesië. Until a new ambassador is appointed, will Toekiman Saibang (Pertjajah Luhur) act as agent of Suriname in Indonesia. Alihusain-Del Castilho has besides her work is a study done internationally relevant. Zij bestudeert mogelijkheden tot mondiale verbetering van het imago van de Islam. They study ways to improve the global image of Islam. Ze verkreeg (cum laude) de Master titel 'Contemporary Diplomacy' met de studie: “The Positive Branding of Islam: A Case Study of Islamic Countries their Public Diplomacy Efforts and Effectiveness”. She received (cum laude) Master title Contemporary Diplomacy in the study: "The Positive Branding of Islam: A Case Study of Islamic Countries Public Diplomacy Efforts and Their Effectiveness". In de studie wordt onderzocht of er vanuit de Moslim wereld pogingen worden ondernomen, gebruik makend van 'Public Diplomacy', om het negatieve imago van Islam aan te pakken en of deze pogingen effectief en succesvol zijn. The study investigated whether from the Muslim world attempts, using the 'Public Diplomacy', to the negative image of Islam to address and whether these efforts are effective and successful. Het doel van de studie is geweest om aan te tonen dat met een juist gebruik van 'Public Diplomacy' er een positieve verbetering kan plaatsvinden in het imago van de Islam. The aim of the study was to demonstrate that with proper use of 'Public Diplomacy'' there can be a positive improvement in the image of Islam." Image from

"Beyond the Horizon: Grand Strategy, Archives and International History" - Temple University - Event Details View: "Two speakers will deliver talks on Cold War grand strategy. ... Matt Shannon’s talk is titled 'Public Diplomacy and Grand Strategy.' He will demonstrate how public diplomacy—particularly student exchange—was an integral component of U.S.-Iran relations during the Cold War."

Nation Branding and Public Diplomacy in Sweden - Ren's Micro Diplomacy: "COMPETITIVE IDENTITY MANAGEMENT – SYMBOLIC CAPITAL PROMOTION AND ACCUMULATION BY PUBLIC-POLICY BASED MENTAL-MAPPING (CIM-S.C.P&A.):


NATION BRANDING AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN SWEDEN The lit review is intense, but one of the most thorough examinations on nation branding I’ve ever read." Image from

Writer’s Notebook 131245November2010 - Merle David Kellerhals, Jr., Hadley's Notebook: "Someone asked me why I can’t find satisfaction in writing through work – I’m in large part a political writer who writes about national security to advance foreign policy objectives. It is a component of public diplomacy. That’s writing and I love it, but you see, it’s not the writing I’m supposed to do. There’s something more. I have to say something; I won’t know peace until it’s said."

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

US to Send New Cultural Ambassadors‎ - Mai El-Sadany, Illume: "The Obama Administration has announced a new $1 million dollar program


which expands the existing State Department cultural diplomacy program to include visual artists like painters and sculptors. In the past, the Department has sent many performing artists to act as American cultural ambassadors. The new ambassadors will be asked to participate in different public art projects in 15 different countries. Overseeing the project is Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Maura M. Pally; she says, 'To me, visual artists are just as capable as other artists of capturing a dialogue with people.' smART, as the project is being called, promises to send artists to countries including Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela, China, Nigeria, Sri Lanka, Ghana, and Kenya, among other nations. The 15 participating artists will be chosen by a panel in the upcoming year and the project will be administered by the Bronx Museum of the Arts. Cultural diplomacy has a history in American diplomacy and has been in the upsurge since 2001. In 2001, the budget for such projects was about $1.6 million and in 2010, the budget is now $11.75 million." Image from

Dancers Leap Over US-Cuba Political Barriers‎ - Nick Miroff, NPR: "In Cuba, American artists and musicians are going where tourists and politicians cannot. In October, trumpet legend Wynton Marsalis came to Havana with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. And last week, the American Ballet Theater was in town for the first time in 50 years. It's the latest attempt at cultural diplomacy for two long-estranged neighbors with similar tastes in arts and entertainment. For two consecutive nights, Cubans packed Havana's Karl Marx


Theater to watch more than 50 American dancers leap, twirl and float across the stage." Image from article: Dancers of the American Ballet Theatre perform last week at the Karl Marx Theater in Havana. The first performance of the New York-based ABT in Cuba in 50 years is part of a gradual thawing of cultural ties between the United States and Cuba.

The 2010 Romanian Film Festival in NYC Announces Lineup‎ - Film Threat: "The Romanian Cultural Institute in New York (RCINY) aims to promote Romanian culture throughout the U.S. and internationally, and to build sustainable, creative partnerships among American and Romanian cultural organizations. The Institute acts as a catalyst and proponent of initiatives across artistic fields, striving to foster understanding, cultural diplomacy, and scholarly discourse by enriching public perspectives of contemporary Romanian culture. For the past five years, RCINY has been an active enabler and supporter of the presentation and promotion of Romanian cinema in the U.S."

Art on the high table: India's soft power has failed to use contemporary art or its living artists as a tool for cultural diplomacy - ‎Kishore Singh, Sify: "In all the euphoria of the Obama visit and the ramifications for everything from bilateral business deals, odes to Indian culinary excellence and Michelle's bazaar-style shopping, the one thing that was oddly missing was any reference to art. True, there was some artist from Kerala whose, er, 'portraits' of the US First Couple were part of President Pratibha Patil's hamper for them, but the Obamas, like all heads of state and their spouses before them, were not exposed to the dynamism of contemporary Indian art. ... Unfortunately, our babus


who put together programmes for visiting dignitaries, cannot seem to get over the looming shadow of our 5,000-year-old civilisation, as a result of which 'art' implies anything from Gandhara sculptures to Mughal monuments but never, ever the National Gallery of Modern Art, which, most likely, they would never have visited themselves." Image from

ICCR completes 60 years‎ - Hindustan Times: "In the fifties India could have well been called The Land of Snake Charmers. In 2010, its Incredible India all the way. In 1950 when Maulana Abul Kalam Azad founded the Indian Council for Cultural Relations to begin building Brand India, the general prevalent notion in the developed world was an India full of 'half-naked sadhus', 'snake charmers', and 'elephants and camels'. In 2008, when Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and ICCR president Karan Singh, were travelling in a car to Siri Fort, Indian culture was the two of them listening to Hard Rock on the radio at full blast. 'For me that is also an integral part of Indian culture and when we discovered we both love Rock music, we spent the time listening to music in a car,' Singh told Hindustan Times. ... The ICCR's cultural diplomacy includes setting up centres to promote Indian culture in different countries. 'We have about ahlf-a-dozen in the offing, Paris, Washington, Mexico, Toronto…says Singh.' It also funds about 6000 scholarships each year to bring in students from different nations to India, so that they can be trained in different aspects of Indian arts and culture and go back as ambassadors in their own nation for Brand ICCR." See also (1) (2) (3).

India a cultural superpower: Karan Singh - Sify: "India is 'certainly' a cultural superpower,


irrespective of whether or not it could transform into a global economic or political force, Karan Singh, a member of the Rajya Sabha and president of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), said Tuesday. ICCR, which is gearing up for its 60th anniversary celebrations Nov 11, envisages a more proactive role for itself by promoting Indian culture as a diplomatic tool for better ties with other nations, he said in a statement. 'Diplomacy is like the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the Saraswati. There is the traditional political diplomacy, the Ganga, as it were; there's economic diplomacy, the Yamuna; and there's the invisible Saraswati, which is cultural diplomacy,' he added." Image from

British arts fest prepares to land‎ - Christopher Gordon, St.Petersburg Times.ru:
"During the next several days, St. Petersburg may feel more like it lies along the banks of the River Thames than along those of the River Neva. With the arrival of British artists, filmmakers, designers, writers and dancers, a mini British Invasion is taking place that looks set to be as entertaining as it is fascinating. Uncannily reminiscent of a Best of the British Council cavalcade, the rather unfortunately named St. PetersBall will occupy spaces around town with a selection of lectures, film screenings, recitals and more for the entire weekend. The brainchild of cultural entrepreneur and impresario Pablo Ganguli, founder of Liberatum and the force behind 2007’s 'Jewel of Russia' festival, this year’s event is being hosted by the Corinthia St. Petersburg Hotel, which commissioned this latest incarnation of Ganguli’s successful cultural diplomacy franchise. Having mounted similar affairs around the world during the past nine years, the 27-year old Ganguli is a force to be reckoned with. For all his tender years, he has managed to attract some of British culture’s most august figures to his cause, championing human rights, freedom of speech and awareness of environmental issues while promoting the face of contemporary Britain globally."

Stuart McLean's kind-hearted universe‎ - Jeet Heer, Walrus Magazine: There’s a sushi place in Toronto’s Kensington Market


that Stuart McLean has been known to frequent, when he’s not on the road performing his popular Vinyl Cafe live show to sold-out crowds across Canada. ... McLean ... started to explicate, in a relaxed, non-technical way, the mysteries of maki and the subtleties of sushi. 'That’s soup,' he said. 'You dip the sushi in the soy sauce. And if you want it hot, mix in this green stuff' — 'green stuff' rather than 'wasabi,' just so the fellow wouldn’t be further intimidated. The Troublesome Customer attended to McLean’s advice and, after a bite, murmured, 'Hmm. Not bad.' But before McLean could bask too long in the success of his off-the-cuff cultural diplomacy, the Troublesome Customer added, 'You know Western civilization is in decline when the barbarians have better food than us.'” Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Obama back in White House after 10-day Asia trip - The Associated Press, Washington Post: Obama's stops in the booming democracies of India and Indonesia yielded dramatic diplomatic successes and memorable images.

Tomgram: Engelhardt, War to the Horizon - tomdispatch.com/post: While Americans fight bitterly over whether the stimulus package for the domestic economy was too large or too small, few in the U.S. even notice that the American stimulus package in Kabul, Islamabad, Baghdad, and elsewhere in our embattled Raj is going great guns. Embassies the size of pyramids are still being built; military bases to stagger the imagination continue to be constructed; and nowhere, not even in Iraq, is it clear that Washington is committed to packing up its tents, abandoning its billion-dollar monuments, and coming home.

From Field to Fork: Obama's Agri Recipe for India - Rahul Goswami, mrzine.monthlyreview.org: During Obama's visit, in both Mumbai and New Delhi, the business and financial media were being treated to 'awareness raising': "Monsanto's revolutionary cotton seeds have helped double India's cotton output in just six years", "PepsiCo has helped Punjab diversify its agriculture by introducing major citrus orchards",


"Cargill's Nourishing India program provides nutrient-fortified edible oils to 25 million Indians per month", "McDonalds and Heinz have developed new efficiencies, transforming the lettuce and tomato industries in India" and "Walmart's wholesale cash and carry stores connect farmers directly to small retailers, eliminating costly intermediaries". This barrage of propaganda has been carefully orchestrated on both sides, the Indian and the American. Image from

Book review: 'Cultures of War' by John W. Dower: The writer connects wars old and new in this study of the reasons countries go to war and how they make mistakes that can haunt them for years - Scott Martelle, latimes.com: It takes a nimble mind, and a nimble hand, to link America's regrettable atrocities in the Philippines (whole villages were burned to the ground and their occupants slaughtered) to the events in Iraq.


But Dower has the mind and the hand, making a compelling case that, regardless of self-perceptions of righteousness, nations with a culture of war will, indeed, wage war.This is a nation with unclean hands, from the Philippines campaigns to the decision to firebomb civilians in World War II to the rush to complete, and drop, the atomic bomb before Japan surrendered (the true message, Dower believes, was aimed at the Soviet Union). Post- 9/11 secret prisons and "special renditions" bring the cycle forward. Image from article

Italy's ancient ruins threatened by neglect - Frances D'Emilio, Associated Press, USA Today: Italy's Cultural Ministry, whose duties include caring for and repairing ancient monuments and artworks, gets a mere 0.18% of the national budget, compared to roughly 1% for France, according to ministry officials.


It's a startling contrast for a nation that boasts the world's highest number of ruins, churches, monasteries and other artistic and architectural treasures — helping to make tourism one of Italy's biggest industries. Image from

Georgi Arbatov: Georgi Arbatov, who has died aged 87, was for 30 years the Kremlin's chief "Amerikanist"; a man whose knowledge of the West convinced him that Soviet communism was doomed, he remained an enigmatic figure - telegraph.co.uk: As head of the Moscow US and Canada Institute from 1967 to 1995, Arbatov was, during the Cold War, one of the Soviet leadership's most trusted advisers and propagandists.


For more than two decades, under Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Konstantin Chernenko and Mikhail Gorbachev, he helped to shape Soviet foreign policy. He was instrumental in luring Brezhnev to the arms-control table and fought with military hawks on both sides to keep him there. Cyrus Vance credited Arbatov with being a key instigator of East-West détente. At the same time, Arbatov acted as the Kremlin's voice in the United States. Although Arbatov was one of the first Soviet officials to break through Cold War barriers, during the Reagan years he sometimes had difficulty obtaining visas to enter the United States, apparently because his criticisms of the President were so strident. Image from article

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

“I made my money the old-fashioned way — I inherited it.”

--John Raese, the West Virginia senatorial hopeful who told an interviewer without apparent irony

"They were white, but sounded black. They played American music, but came from England."



--Liz Phair, "Stray Cat Blues," New York Times, on the Rolling Stones; image from