June 2

"The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing. Great is truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about truth."

--Aldous Huxley; Huxley image from

FOUND ON THE WEB

Was Murrow Right About the Last Three Feet? - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence (September 3, 2010)

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Leaks and Live Diplomacy: Why WikiLeaks Contributes to both U.S. and Global Diplomacy? - Natalia Tsvetkova Blog: "According to the theory and practice of diplomacy, we live in the epoch of so-called open diplomacy. The system of open diplomacy began developing after the end of the First World War due to the well-known efforts of President Woodrow Wilson. The President called for the replacement of a secret European diplomacy by an open one. Despite their idealism, his points led a foundation for a structural reforming the diplomatic system after the end of both the First and after the Second World Wars. The traditional and secret diplomacy, existed in Europe since the Renaissance, was accompanied by such new diplomatic structures as the League of Nations and later the United Nations and by such new diplomatic notions as multilateral diplomacy, two-track diplomacy, public diplomacy, mediation diplomacy, and finally the diplomacy of non-state entities as well. ... Today, the spreading of the Internet has globally formed the segment of public which demands a new diplomacy in terms of its access to governmental diplomatic activities in real time. The phenomenon of WikiLeaks has demonstrated that public is put aside from those layers of diplomatic activities of governments which is running by means of cyberspace but without control and participation of public, who uses the Internet. Instead of the open diplomacy, which goes out of date due to the development of net technologies, a Live diplomacy will therefore take place.

Live diplomacy will connect, first, the governments of all the counties within the Internet through communications and, second, public and governmental diplomatic activities in real time. The diplomatic practice will finally use the Internet as global fora or a virtual, interactive, and global diplomatic gate which will link up states, problems, negotiators, and, moreover, will invite the public to make a contribution to the resolution of diplomatic problems in terms of real time. The [...] State Department moves in this direction. But the American digital diplomacy and its innovative projects as i-diplomacy, tech@state, Opinion Space 3.0. and etc. mostly connect the foreign public with the American government rather than foreign governments and American diplomats in real time. ... Summing up, the phenomenon of WikiLeaks does not undermine either global or American diplomacy. Quit[e] contrary, this phenomenon will establish the Live diplomacy, when the ninety percent of diplomatic communications will go through the Internet in real time and most of diplomatic correspondence will be an open data base, but only ten percent of all the diplomatic activities remain confidential. The only question is to find a politician similar to Woodrow Wilson whose political will would connect the new demands of the public with the statecraft."  Image from

Live Diplomacy - John Brown, Notes and Essays: "This [above] essay makes an important point, often overlooked in discussions on Public Diplomacy 2.0: that the new social media should not only be used as a tool for Washington to 'engage' with the world, but also as an instrument for diplomats in the field to interact and stay in touch with their local interlocutors ('live diplomacy') ... From a social media perpective, in my view, this 'live diplomacy' is indeed the most 'public' kind of public diplomacy -- except, of course, for 'the last three feet in face to face conversation' (to quote Edward R. Murrow), which far surpases facebook-to-facebook diplomacy as a means of significant human interaction."

Perpetual war on Islam - blog.khilafah.com: "[T]he US is now the antagonist in the Muslim world. Primarily, America's response to its fear on the war on Islam, in turn, made Americans less safe and has inspired more threats and attacks. Nevertheless the consequences will surely end up with what it fears most, a single Islamic entity.

'The Military is now Americas only tool and will remain so while current policies are in place. No public diplomacy, presidential praise for Islam, or politically correct debate masking the reality that many of the world's 1.3 billion Muslims hate us for actions not values, will get America out of this war.' Anonymous, Imperial Hubris." Image from

VOL. VII NO. 11, May 20-June 02, 2011 - Layalina Review on Public Diplomacy and Arab Media:

"Obama Receives Backlash for Latest Moves President Obama’s recent speech outlining his vision for Middle East policy has garnered criticism from both the Arab world and Israel, particularly concerning his remarks toward the disputed Palestinian-Israeli borders.

Netanyahu Balances Mixed International Responses Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently rejected US President Barack Obama’s call for Palestinian-Israeli negotiations based on the 1967 borders, the Prime Minister continues to enjoy the support of the US Congress. However, Netanyahu is receiving criticism from within Israel and throughout the Arab world.

Obama Renewing US Focus on Mid-East Peace President Barak Obama’s May 19th talk at the US State Department regarding the events of the Arab Spring and the future of the US stance on Middle East peace negotiations instills hope in some while others remain skeptical of his remarks.

Image from entry, with caption: Ambassador Marc Ginsberg, President of Layalina Productions, Inc.

Arab Uprisings Take the Lead at G-8 World leaders met in France on May 26th for the G-8 Summit and the Arab Spring was the hot topic. Reestablishing diplomatic ties and pledging financial support for the Arab region, among other topics, were discussed.

Egypt Faces Challenges During Democratic Transition In the wake of President Hosni Mubarak’s resignation, Egypt faces an opportunity to reform. Although recent democratic developments under the new rule are evident, the military must address escalating religious tensions as Muslims prepare to seize government control and Coptic Christians resist Islamic ascendancy.

Arab Cyber-Wars Take New Turn Authoritarian regimes turn to the Internet to quell uprisings in the Arab world, flooding Twitter and Facebook with messages to drown out the voices of dissidents. However, throughout the world, media figures and technological innovators are developing tools to circumvent government control while activists on the ground are finding new ways to spread news about the uprisings.

Is There a Future for Islam in Arab Politics? Following the Arab Spring events, some Islamic leaders have urged governments to cut off ties to the West and Israel and to return to governance according to sharia law. In response, at the Center for American Progress, a theology professor urges U.S. foreign policy to promote religious freedom and inclusion of religious political parties in the post-revolutionary Arab world.

Media Silenced in the Arab World While the governments of Libya, Syria, and Iraqi Kurdistan aim to silence their opposition’s voices, Egypt’s government faces a renewed pressure to ease censorship and meet the demands of the Arab street."

"America Calling China: A Strategy for International Broadcasting" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

In the news: people who were influenced by music from VOA and other US shortwave stations - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Ethiopia: Criticism of VOA Amharic. Nigeria: VOA reporter takes job with Imo State government - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting. Elliott image from

US cables discussed VOA dissemination in Pakistan - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Americans Are Joining Flotilla to Protest Israeli Blockade‎ - New York Times: "Noam Katz, minister for public diplomacy at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, said in an interview, 'We see this flotilla as a political statement in order to support Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas is a terror organization that took control of Gaza and its people and is committed to the destruction of the state of Israel. We have a blockade, and we are going to enforce this blockade.'” Katz image from

Swiss Diplomat Visits Vermont - Steve Zind, Vermont Public Radio: "Th[is] week, one of Switzerland's diplomatic representatives in the United States has been visiting Vermont. Francois Barras is the Swiss consul general in New York City, and his work involves public diplomacy in several northeastern states. But his visit to Vermont is also a diplomatic reunion of sorts, with former governor Madeleine Kunin, who served as U.S. ambassador to Switzerland in the 1990s. They worked together on policy issues."

"Foreign Office criticised for axing terror cartoon" - Public Diplomacy and International Communications: Thoughts and comments about public diplomacy, soft power and international communications by Gary Rawnsley: "This is an incre[...]dible story, and I can see my old friend Phil Taylor having a good old chuckle over this. An independent media company has developed, with funding from the Foreign Office, a six minute animated film called Wish You Waziristan. It is about two Muslim brothers who travel from London to the terrorist training camps in Pakistan.

The problem is that the launch of the film has been staggered by its creators uploading parts of the film on Youtube. Once a newspaper got hol of the story, the FCO pulled the plug. This means viewers did not get to see the payoff - that the principal character, attracted to the terrorist's life - becomes disillusioned. It is now possible to view the clips as terrorist propaganda, especially as each clip ends with the message 'Join us here'. And then they wonder why they are losing the information war ....http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/may/30/foreign-office-counter-terrorism-video A useful description of the film and Muslim reaction can be found here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391864/Bizarre-Foreign-Office-video-designed-stop-young-Muslims-extremists.html" Image from, with caption: Gun ordeal: The brothers are shocked by their reception in Wazirstan

Govt goes all out to woo Baba Ramdev - Times of India: "Pounded by corruption scandals, the Manmohan Singh government left no stone unturned in laying out a red carpet for Baba Ramdev, dispatching four ministers led by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to appease the yoga guru on the eve of his protest fast. There was nothing subtle about the government's appeasement of the guru who plans to begin a fast from Saturday demanding the return of wealth illegally stashed abroad. ... But while few would have expected the government to engage in such public diplomacy, the government is not standing on niceties. It is more bothered that the guru – with a massive public following – does not paint the government into a corner."  On Ramdev, see.

Cong bemused at royal treatment to Ramdev‎ - Subodh Ghildiyal,Times of India: "Congress disapproved the government's royal treatment to Baba Ramdev on Wednesday, with sources saying they did not agree with the way top ministers engaged in public diplomacy with him with a visit to the airport."  Ramdev image from

Chat, June 6: Careers in Indian Foreign Services - Rediff: "Lakhs of Indians each year appear for the UPSC examinations in the hope of getting into one of the civil services.

At the top of the pile of all the services is the Indian Foreign Service. A career in foreign services may be a dream come true but what is it that goes in the making of a diplomat? Join career diplomats Navdeep Suri, (R) Joint Secretary & Head of the Public Diplomacy Division and Abhay Kumar, Under Secretary on Monday, June 6, between 3 pm and 4 pm to find out more about careers in the Indian Foreign Services. ... [Kumar] handles new media and digital diplomacy at the Public Diplomacy Division of Ministry of External Affairs. You can visit the official Indian Public Diplomacy site at www.indiandiplomacy.in" Suri/Kumar image from article

MP questions 'ethical standards' of newspaper over Wikileaks reports‎ - Bahamas Tribune: "Putting the disclosures in perspective, Mr Mitchell said the country should understand the role of 'public diplomacy and private diplomacy' in international affairs, said Mr Mitchell.

'There are many private ruminations and events which we know about US diplomats and their private activities in this country. But how would that serve the Bahamian interests for me to expose that. And that is what I admire about American diplomacy and about that country as a nation, it always pursues its interests,' he said. Describing his interaction with embassy officials during his tenure in government, Mr Mitchel said of the Wikileaks disclosures, 'They are saying that I stood up for my country. I put Bahamians first.'" See also. Mitchell image from

BDP-led bloc's foreign policy refers to Atatürk's motto of peace - Emine Kart, ‎Today's Zaman: "A new de facto paradigm had already been in force in bilateral relations between Israel and Turkey since the winter of 2008-2009, when a three-week offensive by Tel Aviv in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip left about 1,400 Palestinians dead, most of them civilians. Yet, the May 31, 2010, Israeli attack on a humanitarian aid flotilla added insult to injury, with bilateral relations between the former allies being dragged into a deadlock. Turkey, once a regional ally of Israel, has scaled back its ties, demanding that Israel apologize and pay damages for the May 31, 2010, raid, which caused an international outcry. Eight Turkish nationals and one Turkish-American were shot dead in the May 31 raid when Israeli marines stormed the Mavi Marmara, part of an international aid flotilla trying to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. 'This inconsistency is for sure the result of 'public diplomacy,' which is assumed to raise the popularity of the prime minister in the Muslim world and get support from the Muslim world for the prime minister. I believe that relations between Turkey and Israel have been on course through very deep channels, although they seem to be having a crisis,'

Gür [Nazmi Gür, one of the independent candidates of the Labor, Democracy and Freedom Bloc'] suggested." Gür image from

Staff Officer, Russia and Ukraine Relations (RUUK) Section, Political Affairs and Security Policy Division - NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Brussels, Belgium, naombakazi.blogspot.com: "... Knowledge Management [:] Monitor developments in Russia and Ukraine, provide in-depth analysis geared towards development of recommendations and polices that contribute to reinforcing the NATO-Russia and NATO-Ukraine cooperation. Monitor and analyse domestic and foreign policy trends in Russia. Share knowledge within the Section, the Division, as well as relevant stakeholders within the Organization. Make presentations to visitors, contribute to briefings of the media in coordination with the Public Diplomacy division. Attend meetings of relevant Committees, as appropriate."

Senior Public Diplomacy Advisor Secret Clearance -- East Africa (AFRICOM) - K-Bar List: "21. Senior Public Diplomacy Advisor Secret Clearance --- East Africa (AFRICOM)"

Image from

Part Time Administrative Assistant (Boulder) - find-jobs-in-denver.info: "Progressive Non-profit in downtown Boulder is seeking a dedicated and highly motivated team member to support the growing needs of its community. Responsibilities include maintaining a calendar system, events, marketing its system to outside groups and used the support of other office tasks, such as. conditions have knowledge in MS Office Suite along with solid knowledge of database management (including the preparation of reports). Additional requirements include the ability to use of public diplomacy, grace and interacts. Must be detail-oriented, with a flexible, collaborative and a strong team player."

RELATED ITEMS

Al Jazeera English in Burlington, Vermont: "cultural jihad" or "cosmopolitanism"? - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Britain mounted secret 2010 cyberwarfare attack on al-Q: UK spooks struck as Yanks argued - John Leyden and Lewis Page, theregister.co.uk: British intelligence corrupted the debut issue of a glossy Jihadist magazine last year, creating confusion in the ranks of would-be mujahideen who tried to download a PDF copy of Inspire in the process, the Washington Post reports. Inspire, billing itself as the first al-Qaida literature in the English language, and offering tips on kitchen-sink bomb-making and anti-Western propaganda,

launched in June 2010. Copies of the debut issue soon appeared as PDF documents on Jihadist websites. But those that downloaded copies would have found all but the first few pages consisted of gibberish characters. Mujahideen panicked, fearing the PDF might be loaded with a computer virus, discouraging its spread. The Washington Post reports that British intelligence was responsible for corrupting the magazine. Image from

Beware the Hasbara (propaganda!) - Kris, Firedoglake: Israel actually has a budget for “internet warfare,” and has a huge team of people working around the clock to create the illusion of widespread support for Israel’s policies and to attack Israel’s critics. Ilan Shturman, the deputy director of the Israeli foreign ministry’s hasbara department, admitted his team would be working undercover. “Our people will not say: ‘Hello, I am from the hasbara department of the Israeli foreign ministry and I want to tell you the following.’ Nor will they necessarily identify themselves as Israelis,” he said. “They will speak as net-surfers and as citizens, and will write responses that will look personal but will be based on a prepared list of messages that the foreign ministry developed.” Did Israel’s hasbara department write most of the hateful comments that flooded the “Freedom for Palestine” youtube comments section.

Palestinians Must Accept Some Basic Truths - Uri Goldflam, Canada-Israel Committee: How often do we hear Palestinian/Arab speakers, leaders and demonstrators say, "Palestine is Arab land. It is occupied by the Jews. All we want is justice. Give it back." This simple narrative has been ingrained in the Arab psyche via decades of propaganda in which Jews are portrayed as apes, pigs, murderers and thieves. It has been taught in Western universities by generations of Middle East "experts" like Edward Said and others in his wake. It is a lie and a perversion of historical truth, but has been repeated so many times it has become accepted. We must speak basic

truths: •The conflict is not about territory, tt is about identity and acceptance. •The Jews are the indigenous people of the Land of Israel. •Israel is a tiny drop of freedom and liberty in a sea of hate and oppression. •Zionism is the Jewish people's right of self determination in their ancestral homeland. •Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: "what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism." Image from

June 2: Names are important: The fact that the media use Arabic names for Jewish and Israeli sites only gives the Arabs a boost of PR - Jerusalem Post Readers

The Mighty Wurlitzer - Anatomy of Modern Propaganda Tec[h]niques - Zahir Ebrahim, scoop.co.nz: The 'Mighty Wurlitzer'

used to be the honorific of Frank Wisner, the first chief of political warfare for the Central Intelligence Agency, used to describe the C.I.A.’s plethora of front organizations and newsmedia stooges that he was capable of playing (like a great organ with many keyboards) for synthesizing any propaganda tune that was needed for the day. The real import of the craftsmanship of the Mighty Wurlitzer is to engineer a fait accompli by manufacturing consent among the gullible masses and dissent among the rabble rousers, leaving future scholars, historians, and the odd malcontent to laudingly study the ashes left behind by “history's actors." Image from

North Korea Is the Second-Happiest Place on Earth, According to North Korean Survey - Dan Amira, msnbc.com: Fish-gazing is one of North Korea's many pleasurable pastimes. A North Korean propaganda outlet recently reported that

according to the results of a survey that they made up like all of their news, North Korea is the world's second-happiest country, while in dead last, at number 203, is the United States, where the appalling lack of forced-labor and reeducation camps has left the populace completely despondent. Image from article

North Korea again complains of "psychological warfare" from South, and again threatens "blah, blah, blah" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting