November 2

“Propaganda is explosive as a grenade.”

--Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Clinton Makes Bid to Improve Ties with Muslim-Majority Malaysia - Voice of America: "U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Malaysia for talks on improving relations with that Muslim-majority nation as she continues a tour of Asia. Clinton arrived in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, late Monday, from Cambodia. On Tuesday, she is expected to hold meetings with her Malaysian counterpart, Anifah Aman, and with Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin in place of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is ill. ... Secretary Clinton also is scheduled to engage in public diplomacy with Malaysians by speaking at the International Institute for Islamic Thought and Civilization in the capital. She is the first U.S. secretary of state to make a bilateral visit to Malaysia since Warren Christopher in 1995." Image from



Clinton talks see Malaysia pledge fair trial for Anwar - Agence France-Presse: "As part of the Obama administration's bid to reach out to Muslims, Clinton also addressed an Islamic university forum, fielding questions about US foreign policy in a programme broadcast on Malaysian television. She defended the US role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in a dialogue that is part of so-called public diplomacy where she strives to make America's case before a larger audience than the usual leaders and diplomats."

State Department's Program Welcomes Foreign Journalists - Media-Newswire.com: "The State Department welcomed


more than 150 young international media professionals representing 125 countries to the nation’s capital as part of the fifth annual Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists that lasts from October 25 to November 12. The program, named for one of American journalism’s greatest figures, provides foreign journalists the opportunity to experience the United States firsthand while exchanging ideas with their American colleagues. The journalists participate in nine separate projects during the three-week program. They explore the role of a free press in a democracy, learn about the media and the social, economic and political structures of the United States and engage in professional development seminars and an international symposium with their peers. 'We believe that a free press and the practice of journalism are critical elements for any successful society,' Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale told the group. 'These elements cannot exist without you, the individual journalists who have the skills, resources and most of all the commitment to provide your audience with the news they deserve and require.' ... For more information visit the State Department’s Edward R. Murrow Program website. (This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov)" Image from

Cultural Diplomacy as a Listening Project - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "One week left before the cultural diplomacy conference at American University's School of International Service."

The Challenges to US International Broadcasting in the 21st Century [first excerpt]- Alex Belida, VOA Media Watch: "[T]he biggest challenge


is one we've faced since we started broadcasting in 1942: maintaining credibility and trust with our audiences." Image from

Zimbabwe police on shortwave radio sets raid spree - southgatearc.org: "Zimbabwe police in Mashonaland East have launched a blitz confiscating shortwave radio sets parcelled out to villagers by non-governmental organisations campaigning for the freeing of the airwaves. Information obtained by Radio VOP on Thursday indicated that the police had been raiding homesteads starting with Murehwa centre in search of the 'offending' SW radio sets, in what civil society organisations view as part of a Zanu (PF) strategy to stop rural folk from accessing alternative media sources other than the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC). Due to ZBC’s partisan reporting in favour of President Robert Mugabe and Zanu (PF), Non-governmental organisations have been doling out free SW radios to enable villagers to tune into foreign-based radio stations which beam into the country such as Radio VOP, SW Radio Africa and and the Washington-based Studio Seven run by the Voice of America."

Radio Liberty Azerbaijani service accused of political propaganda - Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am: Azerbaijani radio Azadlig and (RFE/RL)


and Yeni Musavat newspaper are accused of propaganda for Azerbaijani Popular Front Party and Musavat Party. Mazahir Panahov, Chairman of Azerbaijan’s Election Commission, said that Azadlig and Yeni Musavat are engaged in propaganda not being parties’ newspapers, Azerbaijani press reported. Panahov stated that the newspapers should be warned. 'They can be punished by law. Unfortunately, they publish illegal articles,' he noted. Azerbaijani parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 7." Image from article

Voice of Russia at 81, must "boggle the audience’s mind," "wracking their brains" over media choice - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Democracy events - demdigest.net: "Tuesday, November 2, 2010- 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. Winds from the East: the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Influence the Media in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. As Western news outlets have cut their overseas staffs and U.S. and European governments have allocated fewer resources for international training and support, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has made media aid a high priority in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. By using various components of public diplomacy to influence the media sector in these areas, the PRC is attempting to present China as a reliable friend and partner and to create a positive image for itself. A new report from the Center for International Media Assistance,


Winds From the East: How the People’s Republic of China Seeks to Influence the Media in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, examines the Chinese government’s efforts to reshape much of the world’s media in its own image. The authors argue that such activities shift the media’s role away from a watchdog stance toward the government to one where the government’s interests are the paramount concern in deciding what to disseminate."

Scott needs to take control to ensure ABC represents diverse views‎ - Gerard Henderson, Sydney Morning Herald: "Whether you agree with his policies or not, Mark Scott deserves the extension to his contract as the ABC managing director, which was announced last week. This is the case in spite of the fact that Scott's decision to use taxpayers' funds to move into areas typically the domain of the commercial media has not been a success. ABC News24 is a disappointment and the online opinion site The Drum has contained material that even ABC management concedes should not have been published. Then there is Scott's view, expressed in his 2009 Bruce Allen Memorial Lecture, that the ABC should project Australian soft diplomacy to the world. At the time, Scott maintained that 'the values of a nation, as expressed through its journalism, is an important facet of public diplomacy'. The concern here is that Scott has not been able to deliver the diversity on the public broadcaster that he promised in 2006. Consequently, the ABC is unlikely to project the values of Australia any time soon."

Lithuania celebrates five years of NATO membership - nato.int: "On 29 March 2004 Lithuania joined the Alliance together with Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.


To celebrate the country’s five years of NATO membership, along with the Alliance’s 60th Anniversary, NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division organized a two-days speaking tour with the Permanent Representative of Lithuania, Ambassador Linas Linkevicius." Image from

Snap analysis: Russia scolds Japan with disputed island visit‎ - Guy Faulconbridge, Reuters: The first visit by a Russian leader to a desolate chain of disputed islands in the Pacific is a clear signal to Japan: follow China's example if you want to do business with the Kremlin. President Dmitry Medvedev's visit to Kunashir, one of four disputed islands known as the Southern Kuriles in Russia and the Northern Territories in Japan, sparked one of the worst diplomatic rows with Japan in decades. But behind the rhetoric, Russia is signaling to Tokyo that if it wants to get any compromise, Japan's rulers must sit down and do business with the Kremlin as China's leaders have so successfully done over the past decade. ... Soviet troops occupied the islands in 1945 after Kremlin leader Josef Stalin felt he had gained approval at the Yalta Conference from U.S. and British leaders to take them in return for entering the war against Japan. Japan has tried ever since to push Soviet and then Russian leaders to return the islands, though Moscow has repeatedly taken offence at Japan's public diplomacy and what it sees as a failure to develop the wider trade relationship."

Deputy FM Ayalon discusses Israel's diplomatic challenges - www.mfa.gov.il: "Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon today opened the conference entitled 'Israel's Upcoming Public Diplomacy Challenges' being held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem.


Attending the conference are senior public diplomacy figures, and representatives of organizations and activists interested in contributing to Israeli public diplomacy. Deputy FM Ayalon noted that Israel is on the frontline, facing enemies who are attempting to defeat it diplomatically. 'We are confronting sophisticated enemies who are working in various ways to besmirch Israel's name using the Internet, NGOs, varied technologies and other means. Once we identify them, we have the ability to combat them. Therefore we must set up an opposing network of government ministries, NGOs, economic organizations, public diplomacy activists, etc., who will work together in the media, the networks and academia in order to tell the truth about Israel. Often when Israel is attacked, action by NGOs is much more effective than governmental efforts. When a non-Jew or non-Israeli speaks up on behalf of Israel as the target of attack, his words are often better received in the world.' Ayalon addressed the participants and said, 'You are the elite of Israeli public diplomacy and its driving force. Our job is to prepare and provide you with all the information so that you can act on behalf of Israel worldwide.'' Image from article

Armenian foreign office not tearoom for Turkish politicians - Information-Analytic Agency NEWS.am: "The Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process reached a stalemate because of the Turkish authorities. The Turkish authorities’ present steps are aimed at showing the international community that the Armenian-Turkish relations are allegedly progressing, the expert in Turkic studies Ruben Melkonyan told journalists on November 1. The Turkish President and Premier make regular statements on alleged secret, public, diplomatic activities, with a Zurich-2 draft on the agenda. However, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly refuted the 'rumors spread' by top-ranking Turkish officials. 'It is in this context that we should view the Strong Party’s initiative they are presenting as public diplomacy.


The party has no political or public rating in Turkey. In the 2006 parliamentary elections the Strong Turkey Party received only 506 votes, with Turkey’s population being 72 million,' Melkonyan said. It was on the Turkish authorities’ initiative that the Strong Turkey Party made such primitive steps, which was, in fact, one more manifestation of Turkish propaganda." Image from

Syracuse University scholars launch Journal of Public Diplomacy - SU News Services: "Syracuse University’s Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars (APDS), based in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the S.I Newhouse School of Public Communications, launched the first issue of Exchange: The Journal of Public Diplomacy earlier this month."

Hudson Institute - Fed up USA: "S. Enders Wimbush - Senior Vice President ... From 1987 to 1993, Wimbush served on the frontlines of America’s strategic communications efforts as director of Radio Liberty in Munich, Germany.


During his tenure, the Berlin Wall came down, the Soviet Union collapsed, and Wimbush had the honor of opening Radio Liberty’s offices in Moscow, Kiev, and elsewhere in the former USSR. He remains deeply involved in the strategy and policy of America’s strategic communications, most recently, as of 2007, as Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the presidential campaign of Rudy Giuliani with responsibility for Public Diplomacy." Wimbush image from

National Hispana Leadership Institute's Co-founder and Three-Time Presidential Appointee To Be Honored in Miami Leadership Conference - "Maria Elena Torano has also founded numerous organizations and companies that have benefited the Hispanic community and advanced democracy and the free market system. ... In 1993 she was appointed by President Clinton to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy where she served for ten years, promoting a better understanding of U.S. policy and the need for a new diplomacy based on the information age and the growing power of foreign publics."

Our area needs Edwards’ strong leadership in future - Lyndon Olson, Waco Tribune-Herald: "Waco native Lyndon Olson


is a former state legislator who served as ambassador to Sweden from 1997 to 2001. President George W. Bush appointed him to the Commission on Public Diplomacy. He serves until 2012." Olson image from

celebretards - porkquoi: "Saturday Mike and I volunteered at the international book fair that is being held over the next week. It was a huge event and set up in the parking lot of the soccer stadium. The American Embassy’s booth was organized by our Public Diplomacy office but there were probably 75 booths there from all over and not just embassies but various cultural organizations. Our booth was very popular, the idea was to have American books that were translated into English so that people who may not have a great reading ability in English can still be exposed to the culture. Dumb idea if you ask me and most of the people who came to our booth. If people are at an “international” book fair they probably can already read in a few languages or at least want to improve their ability."

is obama a bonus - politricky.wordpress.com: "Obama is now become main source for US public diplomacy.


just see how US Dept of State manipulate his positive image for such a particular issues." Image from

NYT and the Iranian Capture Story - emptywheel: [Comment by] MadDog November 1st, 2010 at 4:27 pm I wonder if this latest NYT article in conjunction with this Bloomberg article via the San Francisco Chronicle today: Iran Delays Trial of Three Americans Accused of Spying Is all of a piece of State Department 'behind the scenes' public diplomacy to get the release of the remaining 2 hikers. Something like the State Department 'admits' the hikers were actually in Iran, without permission the Iranians will dutifully insist, and then with appropriate diplomatic hemming and hawing (groveling to us laypersons), the final 2 hikers get 'expelled' from Iran. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see."

ZH - anizsliget.blogspot.com: "[Google translation from the Hungarian:] Nevertheless, I hope the previous two days will take effect tomorrow tanuláshullám zh-n. :) Felsőbb évesek azt mondták Rogernél jó pont, ha teletűzdeljük a mondanivalónkat idegen szavakkal, mint például a szupranacionális, meg antagonisztikus. :) Higher-year-olds said they Rogernél good point, if you tell your story-lined for foreign words, such as the supra, it is antagonistic. Illetve az angol kifejezések is nyerőnek számítanak, mint a 'public diplomacy' vagy az 'intergovernmental'. And the English expressions nyerőnek also count as a 'Public Diplomacy' or 'Intergovernmental'. Nem is rossz kezdet, ha már ilyenek megragadtak. Not a bad start, if any, have already seized.


Jut eszembe, jó lenne tudni az előző két zh eredményét, amit két héttel ez előttre ígért. By the way, it would be nice to know the results of two previous zh, which two weeks before it had promised. :D Biztos megint belealudt az irományaiba és kitörölte a méljeit stb...Nála minden előfordulhat. : D Are the irományaiba belealudt again and erased the méljeit etc ... He's all possible. Még az is, hogy holnap csodálkozó arckifejezéssel megkérdezi, hogy: 'dehát nem küldtem el?'. Even the ones that surprised look on her face tomorrow will ask you: 'But not him leave? '. Nem my dearest Roger, you didn't. Not my Dearest Roger, Did not you." Hungarian flag image from

Beyond The Cubicle Panel - daily.swarthmore.edu: "Sponsor: Career Services ... Join us to learn about Public Service opportunities and fellowships. ... Learn about opportunities with ... The U.S. Department of State ... The U.S. Department of State’s mission is to administer U.S. foreign policy and maintain diplomatic relations throughout the world. The Department is responsible for formulating, implementing and supporting U.S. foreign policy, assisting U.S. citizens abroad and managing the human and material resources that provide the platform for U.S. foreign policy. Members of the Department’s Foreign Service are engaged in issues such as conflict resolution, nuclear non-proliferation, human rights and democracy, environmental issues, world trade, public diplomacy, and the promotion of the interests of Americans and their businesses abroad."

RELATED ITEMS

Wikileaks as an exemplar of Now Media, Part 1 - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us

Shanghai's World Expo: The Curtain Falls - Tom Doctoroff, Huffington Post: Despite the official tally of 73 million visitors, the vast majority of them mainland Chinese, the world's response to Shanghai's self-proclaimed moment in the sun has been been a gigantic, collective yawn. And no wonder. Anyone who visited the fairgrounds themselves has been, yes, impressed by the architectural marvels of the 250 or so corporate and country pavillions.


(China, Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, Italy, among others, hit the mark. The United States' effort was compared to a suburban office complex.) But the combination of interminably long lines, few sparkles of on-the-ground humanity, robotically-chirpy volunteers and limited green space left many visitors, local and foreign alike, underwhelmed. Furthermore, the Shanghai government did precious little to entice foreign travelers. Its public relations efforts -- a bizarre fusion of propagandist "bureaucrat-ese" and brain-dead imagery dominated by an omnipresent, neotonized, pale-blue creature named "Hai Bao" -- ensured overseas figures remained below projections of (only) 5 million people. Image from

The Looming Crisis for Public Relations in China - siliconhutong.com: There are a wide range of activities in the public relations industry in China that, while they would be considered unethical or illegal elsewhere, are accepted practices here. While the practices in isolation may not seem egregious, they create an atmosphere of permissiveness that undermines the effort by many public relations people, both Chinese and foreign, to move public relations out of the sewer and into the boardroom.

Internet helped Muslim convert from Northern Virginia embrace extremism at warp speed - Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post: A growing phenomenon in the United States: young converts who embrace the most extreme interpretation of Islam. Of the nearly 200 U.S. citizens arrested in the past nine years for terrorism-related activity, 20 to 25 percent have been converts, said Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism. More than a quarter have been arrested in the past 20 months. Growing up, they were not the target of anti-Muslim slurs or discrimination. Instead, extremist converts often cultivate their sense of outrage online, where they have access to radical English-language Web sites, videos and forums that didn't exist 10 years ago.

UK journalist: Western propaganda should be countered by Muslim media, dialogue - abna.ir: Talking to Iran News Agency on the sidelines of the 17th International Festival and Fair of the Press and News Agencies, Editor-in-Chief of the UK-based weekly, `The Muslim Weekly’, Ahmed A Malik, said western media are controlled by the Jewish people and their news are biased targeting Muslims. “…They attack Muslims; they label us terrorists and they harass us in many ways,” said the journalist. He hailed the idea of holding such an exhibition and said the event will help Iran introduce its true image as westerners have tried to tarnish it. He said Iran has been capable of bringing the world together and discuss issues relating to Muslim world.

Khamenei's visit to Qom shows the power of propaganda: Fervor about Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's visit to Qom shows that in Iran, propaganda meant to inspire religious devotion has worked - Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei made his first official visit in a decade to Qom, the religious heart of Iran.


Behind the scenes, Mr. Khamenei’s top priority has been to demonstrate that he controls Iran’s religious establishment, which has been deeply divided since June 2009, when controversial elections were followed by protests, violence, and anger among some clerics. But broadcasts about the 10-day visit that began Oct. 19 aimed to illustrate the perfect union between the ruler and the ruled. Image: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (l.) meets with top Iranian clerics in the holy Shi'ite city of Qom, 75 miles south of Tehran, Oct. 20.

President: Iran crushed evil dominance - presstv.ir: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the will of the Iranian nation has crushed the "evil dominance" of arrogant powers. Speaking at a ceremony in southwestern province of Lorestan on Tuesday, the Iranian chief executive said in the past, “arrogant powers” would psychologically coerce their colonies into submission.


"Using the most complicated propaganda for more than 100 years, the dominant powers made many nations believe that their progress, welfare and dignity depended on their obedience of arrogant powers," he added. President Ahmadinejad pointed out that the Islamic Republic has crushed this “evil dominance and belief,” IRNA reported. Image from article: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivering a speech at the inauguration ceremony of Khorramabad-Zal Bridge Highway in southwestern province of Lorestan on Tuesday November 2, 2010.

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--From Boing Boing