December 4

"'It is said that in ancient Rome, when Cicero spoke to his audiences, people used to turn to each other and say about Cicero, 'Great speech'. But it is said that in ancient Greece when Demosthenes spoke to his audiences, people turned to each other and didn't say 'Great Speech.' They said 'Let's March.'

--From a speech by ex-British PM Gordon Brown which, according to Armand D'Angour, The Times Literary Supplement (November 26, 2020), p. 13, "does not, in fact, appear in a classical source"; Demosthenes image from

CONFERENCE

The Future of US Foreign Policy: "The Revival of Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy" (International Conference, January 4th-6th, 2011, Washington DC) Via NG

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

WikiLeaks and the sham of "public diplomacy": Our diplomats spout jingoistic nonsense about American supremacy -- instead of engaging with the rest of the world - Ben Barber, Salon: "As the latest WikiLeaks revelations have shown, when diplomatic cables are made public they are often far from diplomatic. In fact, they aren't even good journalism. It is shocking that in the hundreds of cables released in recent days, U.S. diplomats often repeat unverified rumors. If I tried to base a story on such information, my editors would routinely send it back to me with an admonition: ‘Get some better sources. Find someone to speak on the record.


Verify some of this stuff.’ So now the State Department is rushing to mollify foreign leaders in Italy, France, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. This idle and unsubstantiated rumor-mongering by U.S. diplomats has shattered the brittle façade of official smiles we have dubbed ‘Public Diplomacy’ -- a euphemism for public affairs that some also call ‘propaganda.’ Propaganda is meant to persuade the public that black is white. Public affairs tells the public about the good things our government does while simply ignoring the bad things we sometimes do. Public diplomacy is a hybrid of the two -- explaining policies to foreign audiences with the hope of changing minds. ... However, the field of international relations that is called 'public diplomacy' is a new breed of animal that emerged only in the past 15 years -- since Jesse Helms, installed as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after the 1994 elections, began pushing for the USIA to be absorbed by the State Department and shut down, something that officially happened in 1999. Before that, the USIA was an open and accessible source of information set up in every international capital. It gave out official U.S. policy statements as well as fairly straightforward reports on U.S. culture, economics and politics. Foreign students, journalists and researchers found it easy to visit the American libraries attached to the USIA buildings, which were deliberately separate from the intimidating American embassies." Image from article. For a different view on public diplomacy's history, see. On USIA, see.

Remarks at the Reception for the ... [A]merica Center - Judith A. McHale Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Jakarta, Indonesia, Ethiopian Review: "Good evening. Thank you for joining us to celebrate the opening tomorrow of @america, the world’s first American high-tech outreach center. From the earliest days of this Administration, President Obama and Secretary Clinton have sought to redefine America’s engagement with the world as one based on mutual respect, mutual interests and collective action. ... @america has been designed to engage young Indonesians and their families.

Although the United States and Indonesia are separated by the vast Pacific Ocean, @america will use modern technology to bring our young people together to learn and cooperate on issues of importance to our nations and the world. ... [W]e have put the center in a space where Indonesians already spend their free time – the shopping mall. By getting out from behind the Embassy walls, @america will be an open, inviting, and accessible place to explore and experience the best of America. ... [I]t is a center that embraces public-private partnerships. By partnering with American corporations, NGOs, universities, and museums, @america will showcase the best of the United States – our ideas, our creativity, our ideals, and our ingenuity. ... I would be remiss to not mention our most important long-term partner: Pacific Place Mall. ... The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department." Image from article

Wikileaks in Venezuela: Espionage, Propaganda, and Disinformation - Eva Golinger, Venezuelanalysis.com: "In 2008, the US Embassy in Caracas decided it was time to employ the heavy services of the Pentagon's psychological operations team to bombard Venezuelans with pro-US propaganda, to counter, what an Embassy cable claimed in March 2008, 'Chavez's anti-americanism'. ... Embassy Caracas requests DOD (Department of Defense) support in the execution of its strategic communications plan. The goal for this program is to influence the information environment within Venezuela...DOD support would greatly enhance existing Embassy Public Diplomacy and pro-democracy activities'."

US Embassy Diplomatic Notes to Washington forms basis of foreign policy toward Sri Lanka - Daya Gamage, Asian Tribune: "Speaking of the diplomatic community’s practice of cable writing PAO Glen Davis [Public Affairs Officer of the United States embassy in Colombo] presents the following distortion,


misinterpretation and utter falsehood in this manner: 'Cables reflect the internal day-to-day analysis and candid assessments that feed the government’s foreign relations deliberations. These cables are often preliminary and incomplete expressions of foreign policy, and they should not be seen as having standing on their own or as representing U.S. policy.' ... The U.S. State Department significantly lacks expertise, diplomatic and intelligence tools. Inadequate developed techniques to propel its overseas diplomatic missions for wider reach to engage with diverse community leaders and communities in the periphery. Insufficient language skills to make its Foreign Service Officers (FSO) to interact with host country indigenous population. The Department is filling inexperienced junior officers in senior public diplomacy positions who lack requisite experience and expertise to perform effectively. ... The seriousness of the inadequacy of reporting and the political reports based on conflicting information and assessments from U.S. overseas diplomatic missions was candidly summarized by Hillary Clinton’s deputy in the state department Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale in a keynote address inaugurating Harvard Public Diplomacy Collaborative in September 2009 in the following manner: 'We cannot sit behind embassy walls and speak only to the people who agree with us. We have to engage, even when we disagree with others. We have to communicate-two-way communication, not one-way messaging-through both government-to-people dialogue and people-to-people dialogue.'" Image from

Julian the almighty and WikiLeaks vs America - simplyjews.blogspot.com: "Yulia Latynina - a hard-hitting Russian journalist and a remarkable person published an article Julian the almighty on Julian Assange in the Russian Daily Journal.


While the article in general is dedicated to this conflicting (and quite pathetic, as it shows) character, there is a part that touches upon the effect of the latest batch of documents published by WikiLeaks. It is a remarkable analysis, hardly seen anywhere else, US media included. Since it's in Russian, a rather poor Google translation, clean up a bit by yours truly, is offered. In my humble opinion, it's a must. ['] And from the American diplomatic correspondence follows that American diplomacy does exactly what it says. Or don't you know that Qadaffi is mad tyrant who is afraid to fly and to live on the upper floors? Are you unaware that sex maniac Berlusconi is bought by Putin? Don't you believe that Putin is an Alpha Dog? So American public diplomacy doesn't use these monikers in public. So what? If someone records my phone conversations, they can hear what I'm saying on Ekho Moskvy. Only shorter and unprintable. This is not a scandal.[']" Latynina Image from article

VOA Persian's "Parazit": like the Daily Show, but the focus is Iran - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Why not include Sarah Palin, and her American opposition, in the satire? It would balance and thus bolster the credibility of the satire aimed at Iranian officials. And make a statement about America on what is supposed to be the Voice of America. See previous post, including discussion of the Radio Sweden Saturday Show."

BBG member Victor Ashe visits Middle East "to discuss the role of US international broadcasting in the region" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Deterrence Theory - Raymond Pritchett, informationdissemination.net: "This is how to prevent war when diplomacy fails, with the details provided from this AP article in my newspaper, the Albany Times Union: 'President Lee Myung-bak's government is suffering intense criticism that its response to North Korea's Nov. 23 barrage on a South Korean island was weak, and over the stunning revelation that the South's spy chief dismissed information in August indicating the North might attack the front-line island of Yeonpyeong. Lee's nominee,

Kim Kwan-jin, told a parliamentary confirmation hearing that further North Korean aggression will result in airstrikes. He said South Korea will use all its combat capabilities to retaliate. 'In case the enemy attacks our territory and people again, we will thoroughly retaliate to ensure that the enemy cannot provoke again,' Kim said. ... This public diplomacy approach by Kim Kwan-jin to prevent war will probably be more effective than China's private diplomacy 6-party talks approach given the politics on the Peninsula today." Via; image from

Are you Under 21? Do you Want to Appear Before the Security Council?‎ - Mark Leon Goldberg, UN Dispatch: "The United States is doing something out of the ordinary during its month long presidency of the Security Council. On December 21 Ambassador Rice will chair a special session dedicated to voicing the concerns of young people around the world. If you are between the ages of 13 and 21 and have an issue of concern that you would like to draw to the council’s attention, Ambassador Susan Rice is asking you to submit a minute long video or short written statement. Selected videos and statements will be put on the agenda of the December 21 Security Council session. ... This is a unique method of public diplomacy and engagement. I’m curious to see what kind of response they will get. (And if it works, maybe they will let us old timers participate next time?)"

E - The New Diplomacy: A reflective group blog by some of the students on The New Diplomacy module at London Metropolitan University

The Honor Role of Measurement Mavens - kdpaine.blogs.com: "To celebrate The Measurement Standard's 100th issue, we present here the Honor Role of all the recipients of our Measurement Maven of the Month Award. They are listed in chronological order, beginning in March, 2002. Congratulations to them all. ... [Among them] Cherreka Montgomery, Director of the Evaluation and Measurement Unit


of the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources at the U.S. Department of State." Image from; see also (via PR). Regarding "measuring" public/cultural diplomacy, see John Brown, "Changing Minds, Winning Peace: Reconsidering the Djerejian Report, American Diplomacy, section entitled “How many inches?”

U.S. Army War College seeks Visiting Professor of Strategic Communication - aejmc.com: "The U.S. Army War College (USAWC) seeks a Visiting Professor of Strategic Communication for the academic year 2011-2012. ... A PhD or terminal degree in a field of study reflecting expertise in strategic communication, public relations, public affairs, public diplomacy, journalism, communication, the information element of national power as it relates to national security, psychological operations, perception management, information operations and/or cultural anthropology is preferred."

RELATED ITEMS

WikiLeaks silver lining: Unanimity on Iran - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post: For all the diplomatic fallout from the WikiLeaks disclosure of State Department cables, there might be a silver lining for the United States. Arab angst about Iran's nuclear ambitions has been exposed, perhaps giving the United States greater leverage in international talks scheduled for next week.

Where's the American empire when we need it? - Robert D. Kaplan, Washington Post: Americans rightly lack an imperial mentality. But lessening our engagement with the world would have devastating consequences for humanity.


The disruptions we witness today are but a taste of what is to come should our country flinch from its international responsibilities. Image from

The Invisible Gulag - Jonathan Kay, National Post: The world remains pock-marked by countries that still insist on calling themselves "communist." But in reality, Joseph Stalin's totalitarian dream of exterminating the individual human spirit survives in only one tiny corner of the world: North Korea. This is a place where God himself has been outlawed. Instead, North Koreans are taught to (quite literally) worship the regime. According to state propaganda, the prescribed first words for a baby are not "mama" or "dada," but rather "Thank you, Father Kim Il-Sung." Norbert Vollertsen, a blond middle-aged German doctor, first travelled to North Korea in 1999, as part of his charity work with an international NGO. Vollertsen was asked to make a skin donation. When he showed up at the hospital, North Korean TV cameras filmed the whole thing. The event was broadcast on the country's (only) newscast, and Vollertsen was celebrated as a national hero -- the German who loved North Korea so much he was willing to give his very flesh. Even in South Koreait is hard to arouse interest in the horrors unfolding just across the border -- especially in the case of young adults, who have no memory of the Korean War.

Infoganda: Washington Post website and print include paid supplements from China and Russia - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Unseen Photographs by Russian Artist Alexander Rodchenko to be Unveiled at Art Sensus - Previously unseen photographs by Russian artist Alexander Rodchenko, held in private hands until now, will be unveiled at newly branded Art Sensus on 21 January, as part of the first comprehensive gallery exhibition devoted to the artist’s photographic work and that of his contemporaries.


Curated by John Milner, Rodchenko and his Circle will feature three hundred powerful photographs revealing the artist’s response to Communism in relation to the professional photographers he worked with. Starting off with the group’s diverse propaganda work produced under Lenin and Stalin, the exhibition explores the industrialization of Soviet Russia and the emergence of collective thought – labour workers expanding communications and electricity, factories, crowds and parades – comrades working together towards the communal vision implemented under Stalin’s reign. Image from article

ONLY IN ACADEME?

"While teaching an undergraduate course on pets in literature, Laura Brown noticed the 'power and effect of purely imaginary animals', particularly in eighteenth- and early nineteeenth-century texts, where brightly realized dogs and monkeys and well-dressed orang-utans offered explorations of the animal mind guided by delight and fascination rather than any fixed perspective."

--Jennie Erin Smith, reviewing the book, "Homeless Dogs and Melancholy Apes" by Laura Brown; Times Literary Supplement (November 26, 2010), p. 26

"New grads have degrees but no jobs"

--Headline at newsobserver.com; image from

INTERVIEW

Interview With The Cable's Josh Rogin - Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of State National Museum Manama, Bahrain December 3, 2010, U.S. Department of State:
SECRETARY CLINTON: How are you doing?
QUESTION: Excellent, excellent. I was in Doha yesterday and there was a big celebration there, unfortunately at our expense, but -- ...
QUESTION: Right.
QUESTION: Excellent, excellent. Well, I know your time is short, so let me -- ...
QUESTION: -- start right in. As you can see, I’m wearing my U.S.-Iran flag pin today, which I -- ...
QUESTION: I purchased this at the State Department gift shop. It’s made in China. It’s okay. ...
SECRETARY CLINTON: (Laughter.) Love that, Josh.
QUESTION: So we’re here and all of the Arab leaders are here and we’re two days before the first big engagement with Iran in a long time. So first of all, I’d like to ask you, what is your message at Manama to all of these leaders about Iran? What do you want to say to them about what’s about to happen?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, I’ll be speaking there. Are you coming tonight?
QUESTION: Yes. ...
QUESTION: Sure. ...
QUESTION: Sure. ...
SECRETARY CLINTON: -- also is in Iran, in our opinion. So let’s see where it goes.
QUESTION: Okay. So how do we know if it’s progressing or not? What is the metric? What – how do -- ...
QUESTION: I see. ...
SECRETARY CLINTON: I mean -- ...
QUESTION: Okay. Look for --
SECRETARY CLINTON: I can talk with you, Josh.
QUESTION: Sure, sure.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Sorry.
QUESTION: No problem.
SECRETARY CLINTON: We have to see what attitude they bring. I mean, part of the problem was that they had their own internal debate --
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY CLINTON: -- how to handle all of this.
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY CLINTON: And it wasn’t until recently that they were willing to come back and talk. So you’re dealing with a regime that has been badly shaken by the events of June ’09, the election, and the decision-making apparatus was kind of knocked off kilter, which meant that trying to get any action step out of them was more difficult than it would have been prior to ’09.
QUESTION: That’s right, true.
SECRETARY CLINTON: So it’s not that – nothing – none of this is a static situation. There are so many moving parts. And we have to watch it all, and we do, trying to evaluate what they’re doing, what their decision making is, what the economic pressures are --
QUESTION: Sure.
SECRETARY CLINTON: -- what the international community’s opinions are. So all of that moves kind of in a bunch.
QUESTION: I understand. That’s so interesting. I’m going to lose you right now, so let me ask you one final question.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Mm-hmm. ...
QUESTION: Okay. ...
QUESTION: I understand. Thank you so much.