June 8

"You must stop that maddening habit of offering us you as a model."

--The French heroine in L'Oncle Sam, instructing Americans in the play, written by Victorien Sardou, an 1870's dramatist; cited in Thomas Albert Howard, God and the Atlantic: America, Europe, and the Religious Divide (2011), p. 126; Sardou image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama's less personal touch on diplomacy‎ - Carrie Budoff Brown, Politico: "More than two years into his term, Obama cuts the image of an all-business envoy, seldom going outside normal business hours to turn on the charm with other heads of state.

He appears to have built few deep personal bonds with foreign leaders, and his forays into public diplomacy — a burger run last year with Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev and a game of Ping-Pong last month with Britain’s David Cameron — are notable for their rarity. ... Obama’s cool pose on the world stage mirrors his arms-length approach toward leaders at home. He’s just not that into hanging out with Congress, business executives or anybody else in Washington who isn’t part of his family or close-knit circle of friends. And he’s always had little patience for the demands on American politicians to play to the cameras. But the White House disputes suggestions that Obama lacks close relationships abroad. Although he may not be as overtly schmoozy as Bill Clinton or George W. Bush, Obama still puts in an effort, aides said." Image from

Hillary's New Arsenal of Immigration Drones - Angelo Paparelli on Dysfunctional Government: "[The] State [Department] (with signoff by Janice Jacobs, Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs) proclaimed by ipse dixit a regulation expanding the authority of American consular officers to revoke U.S. visas previously issued to foreign citizens. ... [T]he DOS recognized and forewarned consular officers to 'be alert to the political [and] public relations . . . consequences that can follow a visa revocation,' noting in the FAM that the 'revocation of the visa of a public official or prominent local or international person can have immediate and long-term repercussions on our political relationships with foreign powers and on our public diplomacy goals in a foreign state.' Apparently, visa revocations involving lesser known foreign figures are of inconsequential concern to the Department."

A New Voice of America for the Age of Twitter - Mark Landler, New York Times: "When Walter Isaacson championed Voice of America’s decision to shut down its shortwave radio broadcasts to China — and shift those funds to the Internet, cellphones and other forms of digital media — he viewed it as the sensible updating of a propaganda playbook dating from the cold war. But nothing is simple in the world of government broadcasting. Representative Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican and staunch critic of China, condemned the move, saying it would deprive Chinese listeners of unfiltered news. It amounted, he said, to an American retreat in the face of Beijing’s growing global influence. 'Who knew shortwave in China was a land mine?' said Mr. Isaacson, a onetime head of CNN who is chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees Voice of America and its four sister networks. ... As part of its yearlong review, Mr. Isaacson’s board is seeking ways to streamline and modernize Voice of America and its sister networks:

Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, Alhurra, and Radio and TV Martí. Each service has its protectors in Congress — Cuban-American lawmakers fiercely defend Radio Martí, for example — and they are likely to view any change as a threat. 'It’s going to take some tilling of the ground,' acknowledged Mr. Isaacson, who brings the perspective of both a media executive and an aspiring diplomat (he has been in line for senior jobs at the State Department). While the need for the United States to get its message across to an often hostile world is greater than ever, Mr. Isaacson said, digital technology risks turning these services into relics of a bygone era, when dissidents in closed societies huddled over their transistor radios for scraps of information from the West. ... To run Voice of America, Mr. Isaacson has recruited David Ensor, a former CNN and ABC News correspondent who is finishing a stint as director of communications and public diplomacy at the American Embassy in Kabul. During his two years in Afghanistan, Mr. Ensor said, one of his biggest achievements was helping set up an Afghan company that offers SMS text messaging services. 'Whether it’s Voice of America or my previous employers, CNN or ABC, they need to be on the Internet, on Flickr and on Twitter,' Mr. Ensor said by phone from Kabul, where he was packing to leave. ... Alhurra, an Arabic-language satellite television service started by the Bush administration in 2004 to counter the influence of Al Jazeera, has struggled to build an audience in the Middle East. It has also weathered criticism on Capitol Hill for airing the views of militant leaders from Hamas and Hezbollah. Still, officials said Alhurra had attracted record viewers and hits on its Web site during the protests in Egypt, where it was the last network to carry a live feed from Tahrir Square. ... The broadcasting board is also trying to reallocate money to take account of shifting geopolitical realities. Radio and TV Martí, for example, currently soak up the lion’s share of the total Latin American broadcasting budget. Looking beyond Fidel Castro, the board wants to use Radio Martí’s studios in Miami to broadcast all over the region, said Michael Meehan, a board member. The overall budget for government broadcasting in the 2011 fiscal year is $748 million, down from $759 million last year. China is emblematic of the difficult choices. The Mandarin- and Cantonese-language

shortwave broadcasts are closely identified with Voice of America; shutting them down will mean letting go up to 45 longtime employees. But officials said they reach only one-tenth of 1 percent of China’s population. Radio Free Asia — a so-called surrogate service that focuses on delivering news about China rather than the United States — will take over some of Voice of America’s better shortwave frequencies. That is important, officials said, because some jailed political dissidents do get news from the service on transistor radios." Twitter image from; shortwave image from

The Propaganda of VOA - Scout Finch, bahrainindependent.com: "VOA – catchy initials that have the ring of importance to them. But did you know that Voice of America is one of the oldest American propaganda tools in their Foreign Policy toolkit? In fact, VOA was born during World War II as an arm of the Office of War Information. By the end of the war, it was rightfully placed in the State Department where it remained until 1953 with the creation of the US Information Agency (USIA)? Information Agency, you say? That sounds a lot like the Ministries of Information in the Arab world that the West is so critical of, doesn’t it? Clearly some in the US thought it did because in 1999 the USIA

was abolished and VOA was placed under the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) with the Secretary of State maintaining a seat on its board. All of this is to say that the VOA is a tax-payer funded American propaganda instrument that has a history of supporting – and even meddling in – other countries that are of interest to the United States. For example, its most notorious activities were in the former Soviet Union during the Cold War and post-revolutionary Cuba, broadcasting in native languages while attempting to catalyze political uprisings. In fact, the VOA has had a presence in the Arab world since 1950. ... Recently I had a twitter exchange with someone from the VOA after I referred to them as a notorious American propaganda tool. I was informed that this is not the 'old VOA', but rather a 'new VOA' where censorship hardly ever happens. It’s not really censorship that worries me though; it is blatant propaganda and a meddling foreign policy aimed at shaping other countries to the benefit of the USA." Image from

Fact Sheet: US-Germany Cultural Relations‎ - press release, Whitehouse.gov: "Cultural connections between the United States and the Federal Republic are dynamic. The immensely popular Amerika Haus public diplomacy program brought America to Germany with speakers, exhibits and concerts. Many Amerika Haus centers are now German-American Institutes, supported by German local, state and federal governments, as well as by the U.S. Embassy and corporate sponsors. The Berlinale Film Festival, established in 1950 with Marshall Plan funding, helped revive the German film industry. Today, the Berlinale is a major event on Germany’s cultural calendar and a prominent part of the international film circuit. For its part, Germany has seven Goethe Institutes across the U.S., augmenting the cultural diplomacy work of its Embassy and eight consulates. ... The United States is the top-ranked destination for German high school students studying abroad with a 47% share;

and Germany is the top-ranked host country for American high school students studying abroad with a 19% share. Germany is the second-ranked European country of origin of all international college-level students in the United States. The U.S. and German governments support many bilateral exchange programs. The German-American Fulbright Program is one of the largest bi-national educational exchange programs in the world. Over 40,000 Americans and Germans – students, teachers, researchers and professors – have been awarded Fulbright grants, supplemented by a new short-term Fulbright program that highlights cultural diversity. The German American Partnership Program, an exchange of high school students, is the largest government-supported program of its kind. The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program annually selects 700 German and American young people to represent their nation in reciprocal visits. Private programs through institutions and sister cities, German-American clubs, sports and cultural groups far exceed government-sponsored exchanges. Over 1300 American and German institutions of higher education have partnerships; 170 German and American cities have partnerships, with 31 in eastern German states since unification. Cultural and educational institutions regularly produce cooperative exhibits, performance series, research projects, sport events and other initiatives. German and American institutions that are focused on music and dance, art, sports and environmental issues connect young audiences, especially through YouTube, Facebook and other social media portals. The U.S. and German private sectors also are significant promoters of educational and cultural exchange. A survey by the American Chamber of Commerce in Germany shows that over 40% of U.S businesses in Germany support educational, environmental and other community-based activities. The U.S. Embassy and the private sector have together extended exchange opportunities for students from diverse audiences. The private sector contributes to short-term U.S.-based training programs for teachers from the former East Germany. A new pilot project that focuses on volunteerism and community service has just been initiated. In the United States, German businesses regularly sponsor the public diplomacy efforts of the Embassy, the Consulates, and the Goethe Institutes."  Image from

President Obama Names Los Angeles Businessman Sim Farar as a a Commissioner to the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy - press release, PR Newswire: "The United States Senate confirmed Sim Farar as a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. Mr. Farar was Nominated by President Obama in February and confirmed by the United States Senate by a voice vote on May 26th. Mr. Farar was sworn in on June 3rd by Under Secretary of State Pat Kennedy at the U.S. Department of State in Washington DC. The U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy for the United States is charged with appraising U.S. Government activities intended to understand, inform and influence foreign publics and to make recommendations on the same to the President, the Secretary of State, the Congress, and the public. From 1999 – 2000, Mr. Farar served President Clinton

as the United States Representative to the 54th General Assembly at the United Nations. Mr. Farar was also nominated by President Clinton and served on the Advisory Committee on the Arts to the John F. Kennedy Center from 1994 -1996. In the private sector, Mr. Farar has served as Managing Member of JDF Investment Co. LLC, specializing in restructuring and development of corporations and served on the board of directors of IFC Financial Services Corp, a financial services consulting firm." Image from, with caption: Sim Farar, former Clinton Administration, Democratic National Committee superdelegate and Director of Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign Finance Committee with Bill Cinton in Oval Office.

WikiCable: Obama crew seeks closer Syrian ties - "Today, a SECRET/NOFORN 9 October 2009 dispatch from Chargé d’affaires Chuck Hunter setting out the Obama administration’s six-month strategy for 're-engaging Syria.' ... – Urban planning exchanges: Our contacts in the President´s urban planning have responded enthusiastically to PD [public diplomacy] efforts to organize a special International Visitor trip. They have not only used their access to help obtain the necessary government approvals, but have also established a precedent for other government advisors to participate. They express a deep desire for access to their American counterparts. Building upon this desire and their upcoming trip, we could organize a visit by a U.S. team of experts for consultations on water and waste management, public transportation, and urban development planning."

Update for UK Prevention of Terrorism Strategy - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "The UK’s counter terrorism strategy CONTEST has four components Pursue, Prevent, Protect, Prepare. The government has just published an update of Prevent, this is the component that deal with counter-radicalization."

The Hon Mr Dick Sawle's Motion for Adjournment Speech‎ - Dick Sawle, Falkland Islands News Network: "The Hon Mr Dick Sawle's Motion for Adjournment Speech  Mr Speaker, Honourable Members, I would like to make comment on a couple of items that were in this year s budget. In general

I think it contains no great surprises but I have had a few comments made to me though, which I feel are appropriate to pass on as they are of value. ... I am also pleased that we are investing greater public diplomacy. This is a key issue and I believe that we need to get our message out there as much as we possibly can and carefully select our targets so that we do not waste effort but getting maximum value. I see all of these objectives as part of our expression of our right to self-determination, which is not just a couple of words but carries with it the need to carry the principle forwards in a planned and sensible way so that political maturity is reached." Image from

Samantha Smith, Yuri Andropov and star wars - Igor Bukker, Pravda: "The Cold War between the two superpowers has created heroes on both sides of the Iron Curtain. ... Only Samantha Smith, an American teenager, has proven popular on both sides of the Atlantic. In Russia she is known even more than at home. ... Samantha, an inquisitive girl from a small town in Maine, loved to read adult magazines. ... When she opened a new issue one day she saw an article talking about new Soviet leader, Andropov. ... 'If everyone is so scared of Andropov, why don't we write him a letter and ask if he is going to start a war?' Samantha asked her mother, and the mother jokingly suggested: 'Write him yourself.' In her childish handwriting the girl wrote: 'Of course you do not have to answer this question, but I would like to know why you want to conquer the world, or at least our country.' ... General Secretary of the CPSU Yuri Andropov wrote in response on April 19, 1983. The head of the Soviet Communists invited the American

schoolgirl to come to the USSR in the summer and visit the international kids camp 'Artek '. The theory of the joint project of the KGB and CIA called 'Samantha' will remain in the conscience of those who believe in the force of some secret springs, the invisible activities of secret societies and organizations. It is not ruled out that the idea of ​​using certain methods of 'public diplomacy' came to the smart heads on Lubyanka and Langley, and they could take advantage of a sincere impulse of the child. ... The girl who gave rise to the movement of 'children's diplomacy' and was called the first 'ambassador of peace' left this world when she was only 13 years old."  Image from

Strategic Communication: What it really means! - Glen Bvuma, cerebra.co.za: "After attending the Strategic Communication workshop at the University of Johannesburg last month, it got me thinking as to what strategic communications really means. ... Karen Hughes, former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs shared her five C’s for best practices in strategic communications: 1. Clarity – Say what you mean. To be effective, your message must be clear. Make sure you have the sound bite that is tomorrow’s headline. 2. Conviction: Mean what you say. There is a fine line between being emphatic and being overstated. Learn the difference. 3. Compassion: Make your message relevant to people’s lives. Tell the story in the context of the audience you are communicating to. Focus on kitchen table issues. 4. Credibility: People have to believe you/trust you. If they don’t, it doesn’t matter what you say or do. 5. Consistency: Say it over and over again. About the time you are sick of saying something is about the time it begins to sink in. You have to find new and interesting ways to say the same thing.

Messages based on core values are good because you speak about what you believe in. Speak with one voice throughout the organisation. You also have to DO what you SAY for consistency. This ability to think strategically is crucial to remaining competitive in an increasingly turbulent and global environment. In the nutshell, strategic communications means infusing communications efforts with an agenda and a master plan. Typically, that master plan involves promoting the brand of an organisation, urging people to do specific actions, or advocating particular legislation." Hughes image from

The Power of Effective Portfolio Management - offpeaktraining.com: "Nicholas DeBenedetto ...

is a partner for LeapPoint, LLC, which is a small, woman and minority owned business that provides innovative technology solutions and management consulting services to federal and private sector clients. ... He has managed numerous international software applications and designed and deployed a web based program performance and evaluation application to 250 worldwide embassies and consulates for the Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy, Karen Hughes. ... Cherreka Montgomery is a partner for Creative Metrics, Inc., which is a small, woman and minority owned business that provides strategic advising on communications, message development and testing, M&E, program evaluation and performance measurement solutions. Creative Metrics, Inc. works with a range of clients with portfolios that cover international programs, development assistance, business intelligence and public diplomacy program efforts globally. She served as the Director of the Evaluation and Measurement Unit in the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Office of Policy, Planning and Resources (R/PPR) at the U.S. Department of State. In this capacity, she directed a newly established unit that was responsible for developing performance measurement instruments and executing formal independent evaluations of the State Department’s Public Diplomacy activities primarily carried out by the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) and U.S. overseas missions. ...

Ms. Montgomery was nominated for the Franklin Award for her leadership in spearheading a groundbreaking pilot study to assess the impact of the U.S. government’s public diplomacy activities and programs on foreign audiences. The study findings demonstrated that public diplomacy programs are making an impact in deepening understanding and increasing favorable opinions towards U.S society, culture and values. The study also strengthens the case for Congress and OMB to bolster funding for public diplomacy."

When our Freedom is Threatened - Essays for Student: Free essays, term papers, and reports for high school and college students. Homework assignments finished and for free: "From public diplomacy to a prepared military, national security is the result of a strong foreign policy. It depends on success in the war against terrorism."

RELATED ITEMS

Afghan nation-building programs not sustainable, report says - Karen DeYoung, Washington Post: The hugely expensive U.S. attempt at nation-building in Afghanistan has had only limited success and may not survive an American withdrawal, according to the findings of a two-year congressional investigation to be released Wednesday.

How to exit Afghanistan without creating wider conflict - Henry A. Kissinger, Washington Post: After America’s withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan and the constraint to our strategic reach produced by the revolution in Egypt, a new definition of American leadership and America’s national interest is inescapable. A sustainable regional settlement in Afghanistan would be a worthy start.

An increasing number of lawmakers on both sides have called for a more wholesale reconsideration of Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan, saying that the war’s cost cannot be sustained at a time of domestic economic hardship. Image from article, with caption: Small parachutes bearing food supplies for U.S. Marines are dropped from a plane outside Forward Operating Base Edi in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province.

A Desperate Qaddafi Regime's Unconvincing Propaganda - Uri Friedman, The Atlantic Wire: Ever since foreign journalists arrived in Tripoli at Muammar Qaddafi's invitation, they've complained about the Libyan regime fabricating evidence of civilian casualties from NATO airstrikes--planting fake bloodstains on hospital sheets, say, or placing bodies from the morgue at a bombing site. But in The New York Times today, John F. Burns says an increasingly desperate and disorganized government is employing its "propaganda machine" more than ever before, especially now that its leader is on the run and the rebels are advancing in the western mountains.

The BBC swallows Assad-controlled Syria media rubbish whole. Then reports it as news - Michael Weiss, telegraph.co.uk: Let’s say it’s an especially dark year of the Brezhnev era and you come across this headline in Pravda: “Kolyma labour battalion completes people’s railroad 2 years ahead of schedule.” Or perhaps: “CIA-Trotskyite agitator shoots self in head multiple times.”

Would you report this as news or as state propaganda? Perhaps Bashar al-Assad has not yet murdered and maimed enough Syrians for Western media outlets to question the authenticity of various “reports” coming out of his state-controlled Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). Image from article, with caption: Pro-Assad propaganda in Damascus

Syrian Ambassador to France Denies Resigning, Considers False News As Part of the Propaganda against Syria - sana.sy: Syria's Ambassador to France Lamia Shakkour

dismissed what was reported by some Arab and foreign satellite channels about her quitting her post as completely false and untrue, saying this news comes within the framework of the misleading media propaganda against Syria. Shakkour image from article

MP Downplays Israeli War Rhetoric against Iran - Fars News Agency: A member of the Iranian parliament on Tuesday dismissed the aggressive remarks uttered by the Israeli officials against Tehran, and underlined that the Zionist regime does not dare to attack Iran as it lacks the needed power and military capability to wage a war on Tehran. "Everybody, specially the Zionists themselves,

know well that Israel is too weak to wage an attack even on a small part of the Iranian soil," member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Ali Aqazadeh told FNA on Tuesday. Imposing threat to Iran's nuclear facilities is nothing new, he said, and added that such threats are just "media propaganda." Aqazadeh image from article

The Future of Power - Joseph S. Nye Jr, Chronicle of Higher Education: In the 21st century, a smart foreign policy will combine the hard power of coercion and payment with the soft power of attraction and persuasion.

It's no longer adequate to define a "great power" as a country able to prevail in war (in the words of the historian A.J.P. Taylor). Success depends not only on whose army wins but also on whose story wins. American political leaders and many scholars have not yet adjusted to this new reality. It is time that they do. Via PK on facebook. Image from article

Classic WWII Propaganda Films DVD: US Army Military Propaganda Movies (from the World War WW2 Collection) - dhistudios.com: ■It Can’t Last (1944) – 19 minutes running time ■Safeguarding Military Information (1941) – 11 minutes running time ■Ring of Steel (1941) – 9 minutes running time ■Our Enemy: the Japanese (1943) – 20 minutes running time This film collection shows American government propaganda at its finest! All four films show just

how powerful film can be in persuading the masses, especially during this era, when there were very few media outlets to choose from. Running time 59 minutes. TABLE OF CONTENTS: It Can’t Last (1944) – 19 minutes running time – This film, aimed at mobilizing the home front during the latter stages of the war, shows that the war isn’t yet over, and that more lives must be lost. Safeguarding Military Information (1941) – 11 minutes running time – “Loose lips sink ships.” This film shows just how paranoid war can make you feel. All about keeping your plans at work and home secret when you’re in the military.
Ring of Steel (1941) – 9 minutes. Image from article