Monday, January 2, 2012

January 2


"[T]he many Hollywood generated films ... that have a storyline depicting Los Angeles as a dystopia of evil, hatred, corruption and intrigue leave the foreign viewer with alluring impressions of sunshine, wealth, sex, and glamour. ... This is a lesson for any budding propagandist: do not worry about the script -- emphasize the background."

--Barry A. Sanders, American Avatar: The United States in the Global Imagination (Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 2011), pp. 63-64; image from

VIDEOS

a) AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange Documentary Series

Image from annnouncement; via CD on Twitter

b) Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton Dancing Cartoon in Russian New [Year]. Via Global Chaos

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Books for Afghanistan keeps culture an open book‎ - San Francisco Chronicle: "The Books for Afghanistan program recently received a Public Diplomacy Grant award of $4.5 million from the U.S. State Department, which will allow it to print and distribute nearly 2.6 million books by September, including 1.7 million copies in Dari and Pashto, the major languages of Afghanistan. That's a huge boost from its paltry 2011 budget of $67,000 from private donors.

The books are printed in Afghanistan and delivered in cooperation with such Afghan nongovernmental organizations as the Kabul-based Khatiz Organization for Rehabilitation."  Image from

US Public Diplomacy Advisory Commission Crashed: Another Nail in America’s Public Diplomacy Coffin
 - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "On December 16 – with barely a whimper – the US Public Diplomacy Advisory Commission disappeared with the flick of the wrist of a single Republican Senator as its funds and staff suddenly evaporated overnight. The Commission closed its doors and shuttered its windows because this legislator, or perhaps two, thought that it, like America’s Tea Tasting Board which had lived on well past its due date served no worthwhile purpose. ... Here’s how the Advisory Commission’s Charter describes its purpose: The Public Diplomacy Advisory Commission is to appraise US Government activities that intend to understand, inform, and influence foreign publics, and to advocate for those same activities. ... Now whether the Advisory Commission has lived up to its charter in the post-Cold War era is, from my perspective, debatable. To do so, however, it has recently expanded its investigative reach well beyond the State Department. Whether the Commission’s

advice has been accepted and implemented by the bureaucracy –in particular at State now supposedly first among equals in promulgating America’s image abroad – is also questionable. The Commission can recommend, cajole and shed light on both the effective and the ineffective but the Commission cannot ensure that those recommendations are implemented. Nevertheless throwing the baby out with the bathwater in these turbulent times seems as ill-advised to me as was the demise of USIA [United States Information Agency] in 1999." Kushlis image (left) from

The "Tandem" Disappointment - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos [includes videos]: "It had become a great tradition started by one of the shows on the state-run ORT channel in Russia - 'Olivie Show' - to feature the ruling duo of the country in a cartoon during their special New Year's programming. ... Given their immense popularity at home and abroad, I was very much looking forward to the 2012 edition . ... But, as I sadly found out, the dancing tandem was no more. ... Olivie Show did put on a good performance by Obama and Clinton. ... It is critical - but of course - of the US policies around the world, essentially placing the blame directly on Obama and Clinton. ... Anti-public diplomacy? Seems like the US still has a lot of work to do - especially in Russia...!"

Lessons Kenya can learn from US in Iraq - ‎Suleiman Otien, Daily Nation: "In October last year, Kenya launched an offensive against the dreaded Al-Shabaab which controls much of Somalia, justifying the war on the basis of protecting Kenyan interests threatened by increased attacks and kidnappings of foreign tourists. ... The unconventionality of the war against terrorism offers challenges that are

different from those posed by conventional war. Though the Kenyan Defence Forces could take over towns in Somalia, the true measure of victory must include winning the trust of Somalis. If this does not happen, Kenya risks engaging in a war it cannot win. Consequently, the government must be wary of the erosion of public diplomacy gains if Kenyan soldiers are perceived negatively." Image from article

Sweden's citizen-run Twitter account - aljazeera.com: "If you could tweet on behalf of your country -- what would you say? In Sweden, one citizen per week is getting the chance to tweet from the nation's official @Sweden Twitter account. The goal of the campaign initiated by Curators of Sweden is to promote the 'democratisation of the country's brand'."

Cognitive war by Palestinians and international media is Israel's real problem - docstalk.blogspot.com: "In a recent op-ed for The Jerusalem Post, James Adler wrote that Israel’s real problem isn’t the New York Times reporting or Thomas Friedman. Adler claimed that the real problem are the transparent fallacies put forth by current Israeli hasbara (public diplomacy). Adler’s article was an example of the pot calling the kettle black, as he committed one big fallacy in his description of the Arab Israeli conflict. He also didn’t mention the endless stream of distortions and blatant lies about the conflict issued by Palestinian leaders on an almost daily basis. This propaganda is part of a cognitive war against Israel and the participation of international media like the New York Times and foreign commentators in that war, is Israel's real problem. ... It is the Arab propaganda and not Israel's public diplomacy that is based on transparent fallacies. This, together with the undeniable fact that a significant part of the international media and community is buying this propaganda without any fact checking, is one of the main reasons why the Arab Israeli conflict lingers on."

Video: Schiff Family Terrace Dedication - agudasachim-va.org: "[Included in the entry] is video of the dedication of the Schiff Family Terrace at Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Virginia on December 11, 2011. The Terrace includes a meditation wall, which was built by Ben Richer as part of his Eagle Scout project. The base of the wall incorporates cobblestones

from the Warsaw Ghetto. ... Witold Dzielski, first secretary, Political Section, Embassy of Poland, as well as Noam Katz, minister of public diplomacy, Embassy of Israel, also attended the ceremony and spoke about the importance of the terrace as a way to remember the tragedies of the Holocaust and celebrate the triumphs of the creation of Israel." The Schiff Family Terrace image from

RELATED ITEMS

Happy New Year in Iraq! - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: December 31 was “Iraq Day” in Iraq, a national holiday marking the full withdrawal of American liberators from that country. TV stations aligned with Sunni and Shiite extremist groups dubbed it the “Day of Defeating the Occupier,” while others have called it the “Day of Fullfillment” or “Day of Evacuation.” Outside a Sunni mosque in northern Baghdad’s Adhamiya district, hundreds of men and boys gathered to listen to religious leaders who asked them to vow to preserve Iraq’s independence. One banner read: “This is the start of our spring.”

The crowd outside the mosque chanted “American cowards.” No doubt the Iraqis who are grateful for their freedom and who greeted us as liberators stayed home, or were celebrating somewhere else (like refugee status in Jordan). Departure of US troops Image from

Can foreign tourists help the U.S. economy? - Cristina Silva, Associated Press, USA Today: More than a decade after the federal government strengthened travel requirements after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, foreign visitors say getting a temporary visa remains a daunting and sometimes insurmountable hurdle. The tourism industry hopes to change that with a campaign to persuade Congress to overhaul the State Department's tourist visa application process. Tourism leaders said the decline in foreign visitors over the past decade is costing American businesses and workers $859 billion in untapped revenue and at least half a million potential jobs at a time when the slowly recovering economy needs both.

Nearly 7.6 million nonimmigrant visas were issued in 2001, compared with fewer than 6.5 million in 2010. The number of visa applicants also dropped sharply after 2001. Those combined forces pushed the U.S. share of global travelers down to 12 percent last year, from 17% before 2001. For most foreigners, taking a last-minute business or leisure trip to New York, Los Angeles, Miami or other U.S. travel hubs would be nearly impossible. The average wait time for a visa interview in Rio de Janeiro, for example, was 87 days, according to the State Department. Image from

Bibi and Barack: The Israeli prime minister and the U.S. president neither like nor trust each other - Aaron David Miller, latimes.com: Unless Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu find a way to cooperate on a big venture that makes both of them look good, and in a way that allows each to invest in the other, the U.S.-Israel relationship may be in for a bumpy ride.

Not Yet Newt - Dan Whitman, punditwire.com: The same candidate (Newt Gingrich) today who would seek to make court decisions subordinate to the Executive (Hugo Chavez would love this) would have a State Department under orders to bolster a White House’s whims, regardless of whether the latter

are precision instruments or noodle soup. Image from, with caption: Republican presidential candidate, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, left, and wife, Callista, right, move through a crowded pub during a campaign stop, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2012, in Ames, Iowa.

Supreme Leader Dismisses Western Sanctions as Fruitless‎ - Fars News Agency: Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei dismissed effectiveness of the western sanctions against Iran, underlining that the country has proved to be successful despite all pressures.

The leader said the Islamic republic has achieved "eye-catching successes" in its confrontation with western powers and their economic and propaganda campaigns. Uncaptioned image from article

Child soldiers called up for Taliban propaganda - observers.france24.com: A video showing young Afghan children bearing firearms was published on YouTube in late December.

Our Observer in Kabul says this is a perfect example of Taliban propaganda. According to the US nonprofit organisation SITE, which tracks terrorist activity on the Internet, the video was posted online by the pro-Jihad channel Katawaz Studio. SITE says the footage was shot in the border province of Paktika, in eastern Afghanistan. This region, at the Pakistani border, is home to the Haqqani network, one of the Taliban’s most active armed branches. Image from article

Who is the real Kim Jong-un? - Malcolm Moore, Ottawa Citizen: Inside North Korea, the country’s secretive regime has begun honing propaganda messages about the new leader. These include the claim that he has promised to bring prosperity back to half-starved North Korea so that in three years time, “everyone can eat rice with meat soup” — an old slogan of his grandfather’s that had been abandoned during the famine that the country has suffered since the 1990s. His official biography, like those of his father and grandfather before him, is a work of propaganda that reveals almost nothing about him. A more realistic picture of the young Kim is painted by his old school friends

from Switzerland, his fellow pupils at the German-speaking Liebefeld-Steinhoelzi school in Berne. Talking in the wake of his elevation to North Korea’s leadership, they said he was “always good for a laugh,” but frankly, a bit “dim.” “He was a big fan of the Chicago Bulls (basketball team). His life was basketball at this time,” said Joao Micaelo, the son of a Portuguese diplomat who sat next to the young Kim as they both struggled through their German classes. “I think 80 per cent of our time we were playing basketball.” It remains unclear whether, in the long term, Kim Jong-un has the gravitas and authority to hold the country together. In order to boost his support, North Korean newspapers have been filled with propaganda about how the new leader has cracked down on corruption, purging more than 150,000 Workers’ Party cadres for various crimes and then magnanimously forgiving them and offering them a second chance — as well as promulgating his “rice with meat soup” pledge. Uncaptioned image from article

Taiwanese gastrodiplomacy cont - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I think it is fair to say I had a bit of an influence on Taiwan's continued gastrodiplomacy push. The Government Information Office even has a new website to promote Taiwan's cuisine as culinary diplomacy."

China's Online Propagandists Revealed - thegaijinpost.com: A pair of leaked receipts from a university in northwestern China that apparently shows the pay given to government-backed Internet commentators, known as the "50 cent army," has been circulating among netizens this week. Sealed with the official stamp of "The Party Committee Propaganda Department of the Northwestern Polytechnic University of the Chinese Communist Party," the receipts confirm that money was paid to "Internet commentators." An employee who answered the phone at the Xian-based university confirmed that such a job exists on campus. "You mean a propaganda specialist," he said, when asked if there was such a job as "Internet commentator" at the college. A pair of leaked receipts from a university in northwestern China that apparently shows the pay given to government-backed Internet commentators, known as the

"50 cent army," has been circulating among netizens this week. Sealed with the official stamp of "The Party Committee Propaganda Department of the Northwestern Polytechnic University of the Chinese Communist Party," the receipts confirm that money was paid to "Internet commentators." An employee who answered the phone at the Xian-based university confirmed that such a job exists on campus. 50cent image from

Propaganda, Terror, and Mass Communication Part 1 - Ray Peach, rightsidenews.com: For socialism to succeed, all effective means of mass communication such as press, radio, movies, and television must be maintained as a monopoly of the state. A socialist dictatorship depends on the continuous repetition of official party propaganda as well as its relationship with terrorism to promote the dismissal of personal liberty. It is a common misconception that the purpose of propaganda is to make people “think” what the state wants them to by lying to them. The real purpose of propaganda is to change people’s worldview, so as to embrace a new ideology and willingly do what the state wants at a psychological level. This doesn’t mean that politicians and bureaucrats don’t lie to us; just that lying alone does not constitute propaganda. To understand how mass media and propaganda works, we need to go back about a hundred years.

Gustave Le Bon (1841 – 1931) was a French social psychologist who published, The Crowd: a study of the popular mind (1903). Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) extended Le Bon’s work, concluding that people are governed by emotion much more than logic, describing these beliefs in several books. Freud’s nephew was the Vienna born journalist Edward Bernays (1891 – 1995), whose family immigrated to New York in 1892. Building on the work of Gustave Le Bon and his uncle, Bernays began his career by working in Woodrow Wilson's propaganda machine called the Committee on Public Information (CPI). His job was to convince millions of recalcitrant Americans into fighting WWI to “make the world safe for democracy,” a slogan that came from Bernays. Due to the public revulsion to the word propaganda, Bernays would invent the terms public relations, and “spin” which are still in use today.

In his seminal work Propaganda Bernays says, “Ours must be a leadership democracy administered by an intelligent minority who know how to regiment and guide the masses,” a concept he called “enlightened despotism.” George Gall[u]p (1901 – 1984) would build on Le Bon’s theory of Crowd Psychology so as to persuade people that the masses supported whatever issue or candidate the elite wanted them to – thus fabricating public opinion. Above Le Bon image from; below image from article

No comments: