January 22

"English’s emergence as the global language, along with the rapid progress in machine translation and the fragmentation of languages spoken around the world, make it less clear that the substantial investment necessary to speak a foreign tongue is universally worthwhile."

--Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers; image from;  see also John Brown, "Is the U.S. High Noon Over?: Reflections on the Declining Global Influence of American Popular Culture" (2004), section on English

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Should Embassy Damascus be closed? - Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy: "There are three arguments to withdraw him and close the Embassy, beyond the security concerns. First, the Asad regime is too far gone at this point for diplomacy, listens to nobody, and this leaves little room for traditional diplomacy. Second, the rapid and frightening militarization of the conflict has seriously reduced the space for public diplomacy, as Embassy personnel (and Ford himself) have few opportunities to get out to engage.

Finally, withdrawing him would send a strong message to Asad and to the world that the window has closed on a transition which includes him. These arguments all have merit, and the point may soon come where withdrawing Ford and closing the Embassy would be appropriate. But we have not yet reached that point. ... The core question, then, is whether a U.S. diplomatic presence helps create the conditions for a 'soft landing' post-Asad. At this point, I believe that it does. ... For now, then, Ford and the Embassy should stay in Damascus unless the security situation is genuinely too dangerous." Image from

Catalog of international broadcasters to Belarus includes a criticism of RFE/RL - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

USAID supports community radio stations in South Sudan - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

VOA tour includes "something about goats frolicking to be beamed to Iran" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Watch the wonders of Incredible India on Youtube - Neyaz Farooquee, Hindustan Times: "You don't have to empty your pockets to take a trip around the country anymore. The wonders of Incredible India

are now available on the popular video sharing website Youtube. The public diplomacy division of the external affairs ministry's Youtube channel called 'Indiandiplomacy', will now feature films from the ministry's archives to showcase India's cultural diversity." Image from

Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi Talks about the Outcome of Premier Wen Jiabao's Visit to Nepal, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar and Attendance at the Fifth World Future Energy Summit - press release, MFA China: "[Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's] activities have demonstrated China's sincere wish and firm resolve to enhance political trust and strategic cooperation with Arab nations and relevant international and regional organizations and highlighted China's notion and policy measures to follow a path of green and sustainable development, he said. And the Chinese premier's active engagement in public diplomacy and with people from various circles of the countries that he has visited has been warmly welcomed and greatly appreciated, Yang] Foreign Minister Yang Jiech] said."

Arab Spring sees rise in anti-Semitism: Ministry study finds that "anti-Semitic discourse and incitement have become more extreme and violent" since Arab Spring - Gil Shefler, Jerusalem Post: "That is the finding of the study Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein is to submit to the government. '[While] the popular uprisings in the Arab world do not represent a general change in attitude towards Israel, Zionism and the Jews it seems the anti-Semitic discourse and incitement have become more extreme and violent,' the report, which was written by scholars at the Kantor Center

for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry at Tel Aviv University, says. 'Charges of an international Jewish conspiracy have been a central motif in the anti-Semitic propaganda that has accompanied the Arab Spring uprisings. This motif has been emphasized in each of the countries especially by way of pointing a blaming finger towards Israel, Zionism and Jews conspiring against Arabs and Muslims.'” Image from article

New Executive Certificate - Advocacy in International Affairs Kicked Off by the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and LEIDAR in Geneva - Press Release, pr.com: "The four modules of the Executive Certificate – Advocacy in International Affairs cover advocacy concepts and practice; public diplomacy and campaigning; governmental affairs and lobbying; and communications programmes. The programme is held in Geneva, Switzerland and benefits from the proximity to a large number of international and non-governmental organizations and multinational companies."

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY
(other cultural-diplomacy related items have appeared in PDPBR January 16-21)

Of times when things were better - thenews.com.pk: "Karachi[:] A photo exhibition chronicling the trail of American Jazz musicians, who trotted the globe under the auspices of the State Department’s cultural diplomacy programme from the 50s to the 70s as cultural envoys of the US, opened at IVS Gallery here on Saturday. Inaugurating the event, Kevin Murakami, public affairs officer of the US consulate, said that at the peak of Cold War tensions in the 50s, the Russians were winning on the cultural front around the world with their ballet dances and centuries-old folk songs. Then in 50s, the US State Department initiated a cultural diplomacy programme through which the US began sending its Jazz musicians across the globe.

The initiative proved to be such a success that one commentator from behind the iron-curtain remarked, ‘don’t send us ambassadors, send Jazz musicians’, added Kevin. The exhibition included photographs of jazz stalwarts like Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington in various parts of the world. The musicians had toured the Middle East, Europe and Asia, including Pakistan. Two of the pictures showed the music envoys touring Karachi. In one of them, Dizzy Gillespie is seen playing saxophone to a snake by the sea in 1956, with the trumpet player being surrounded by onlookers and a snake charmer. In another snap, taken in 1978, Clark Terry, the pioneer of flugelhorn, is seen performing with his band in what looked like a typical Pakistani ‘tambu’ at a local hotel. Jazz music is quintessentially American — a genre of music which stemmed out of the African American neighbourhoods in the early 19th century and came to the main stage in the 1940s. The recognition of jazz has interestingly been aligned to the emancipation of the African-American people in the mainstream American society. The exhibit contained more than 100 images capturing memorable moments of jazz tours in 35 countries and four continents, and would be on display till January 28." Uncaptioned mage from article; see also.

Fund and Games - Artforum: "With four keynote lectures, six panel discussions, and a grand total of forty-two speakers divvied up over two full days of heavy-duty talk, the so-called summit meeting titled 'Art & Patronage: The Middle East' trundled into London last week with no heads of state in sight but so many elephants in the room that the hosting venues—the British Museum on Thursday, the Royal College of Art on Friday—felt squeezed and suffocated by their collective heft. ... What was the point of this mingling of minds and money?

After so many hours of confabulation—Hans Ulrich Obrist on Édouard Glissant’s creolization and archipelic thought, Chris Dercon on soft power and cultural diplomacy—I’m none the wiser and I’m not alone. A video letter that beamed in the artist Shirin Neshat for a pubic [sic] service announcement, like Alanis Morissette playing God in Kevin Smith’s Dogma, did not so much clarify as confound." Image from article, with caption: Left: Curator Reem Fadda and Ashkal Alwan director Christine Tohme. Right: Art and Patronage Summit Director Hossein Amirsadeghi

Abu Dhabi Festival Announces Stellar Line-Up Of International Talent For 2012 - abudhabicityguide.com: "Celebrating its ninth edition in 2012, the Abu Dhabi Festival has confirmed its place amongst the UAE’s cultural calendar highlights by announcing a stellar programme of world-leading artistic talent. The Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, continues its commitment to showcasing the very best of the arts, with a schedule combining classical music, theatre and performing arts, jazz, ballet and fine arts. ... Topical issues in culture and the arts will be discussed through ‘Riwaq Al Fikr/The Festival Debates’. A total of five panel discussions will bring together a series of leading experts to explore diverse subjects including cultural diplomacy, arts education and the legacy of Arab heritage."

David Arkhangelski: "Azerbaijan is a potential market for armament and military technology": "Exclusive interview with Mr. David Arkhangelski, Secretary General of Youth Atlantic Treaty Association (YATA), Georgia - milaz.info: ... What do you think about frozen conflicts in South Caucasus? Specially Nagorniy Karabakh conflict. How these conflicts can be solved? - Every frozen conflict possesses threat for the regional stability. Probably the worst is their impact on relations between the states in the region.

The solution of these conflicts is the toughest task of our countries foreign policy. From my point of view solution would be unachievable without greater regional cooperation between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia. Regional integration based on the European model, meaning greater economic interdependence and cultural diplomacy, might create the necessary base for avoiding and solving the conflict. It must be understood that it is a long term goal and there is no quick fix to the problem." Arkhangelski image from article

RELATED ITEMS

Leave Iraq to the Iraqis: The nation’s political problems can’t be fixed by the presence of U.S. troops - Christopher Hill, Slate: The notion that Iraq’s ongoing political problems were caused by America’s departure, or that they could be improved by its return, is something that only a solipsistic American could believe. In fact, not everything that happens in Iraq reflects the presence—or absence—of U.S. troops. Iraq’s political problems are of Iraq’s making, and they need to be resolved by Iraqis. Outside mediation can help. But no one should be under the illusion that foreign troops, engaged for eight years as a post-invasion occupying force, are ideal for this task. See also.

Zbig: Israelis “bought influence” and outmaneuvered Obama -- The president "should have stuck to his guns" on Mideast peace, says Zbigniew Brzezinski, former NSC advisor - Jordan Michael Smith, Salon: Brzezinski thinks the Obama administration “should have stuck to its guns in promoting a fair settlement” in the Middle East.

A longtime foe of Israel’s partisans in the United States, he says the Obama team “fumbled by getting outmaneuvered by the Israelis.” Then he gets blunter: “Domestic politics interceded: The Israelis have a lot of influence with Congress, and in some cases they are able to buy influence.” Unlike other adherents to the foreign-policy school known as realism, Brzezinski does not see war between China and the United States as inevitable. Conflict, yes, but war, no. “You can have conflicts but avoid a real collision,” he says, arguing there is only a “remote possibility” of war between China and the U.S. over the next 10 to 15 years. Via LJB. Brzezinski image from article

After America: How does the world look in an age of U.S. decline? Dangerously unstable - Zbigniew Brzezinski, Foreign Policy: Those dreaming today of America's collapse would probably come to regret it. And as the world after America would be increasingly complicated and chaotic, it is imperative that the United States pursue a new, timely strategic vision for its foreign policy -- or start bracing itself for a dangerous slide into global turmoil. Below image from article

Not Fade Away: The myth of American decline - Robert Kagan, New Republic: Americans may convince themselves that decline is indeed inevitable, or that the United States can take a time-out from its global responsibilities while it gets its own house in order. To many Americans, accepting decline may provide a welcome escape from the moral and material burdens that have weighed on them since World War II. Many may unconsciously yearn to return to the way things were in 1900, when the United States was rich, powerful, and not responsible for world order. The underlying assumption of such a course is that the present world order will more or less persist without American power, or at least with much less of it; or that others can pick up the slack; or simply that the benefits of the world order are permanent and require no special exertion by anyone. Unfortunately, the present world order—with its widespread freedoms, its general prosperity, and its absence of great power conflict—is as fragile as it is unique. Preserving it has been a struggle in every decade, and will remain a struggle in the decades to come. Preserving the present world order requires constant American leadership and constant American commitment.

Obama chooses American decline - Gale Norton, The Washington Times: "Which nation will be the world's leading superpower a few decades from now? I fervently hope it is the United States, and I have great faith in American ingenuity. But the Obama administration's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline is a reminder of why our No. 1 position is in jeopardy. ... Contrast our approach with China's. China astutely has assured its future supply of oil and other energy resources. Over the past decade, the Chinese have gone around the world negotiating long-term supply deals. The U.S., instead, has rejected an oil supply laid at our doorstep. Which nation is making better preparations to be the superpower of the future?

Iran gets the message from Washington - David Ignatius, Washington Post: The Iran nuclear crisis is far from over, but Tehran appears to have made a subtle blink — backing away from its threat a few weeks ago to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to escalating U.S. sanctions. The softening of Iran’s position followed a warning by a U.S. emissary this month that any effort to close the strait would trigger a potentially devastating U.S. response. Clearly, Tehran got the message — with a top Iranian official publicly disavowing on Thursday the earlier saber-rattling.

Germany has the economic strengths America once boasted: Germany with its manufacturing base and export prowess is the U.S. of yesteryear, an economic power unlike any of its European neighbors. It has thrived on principles America seems to have lost - Don Lee, Los Angeles Times: Germany, with its manufacturing base and export prowess, is the America of yesteryear, an economic power unlike any of its European neighbors. As the world's fourth-largest economy, it has thrived on principles that the United States seems to have gradually lost. It has tightly managed its budget and adopted reforms — such as raising the retirement age — that some other Eurozone nations are just now being forced to undertake. And few countries can match Germany's capabilities for producing and exporting machinery and other equipment, or its infrastructure for research, apprenticeships and financing that support manufacturing. Germany, with its manufacturing base and export prowess, is the America of yesteryear, an economic power unlike any of its European neighbors.

As the world's fourth-largest economy, it has thrived on principles that the United States seems to have gradually lost. It has tightly managed its budget and adopted reforms — such as raising the retirement age — that some other Eurozone nations are just now being forced to undertake. And few countries can match Germany's capabilities for producing and exporting machinery and other equipment, or its infrastructure for research, apprenticeships and financing that support manufacturing. Image from article, with caption: Vera and Volkmar Kruger, seen here in the town of Limburg, Germany, not far from their home in Elz, earn about $40,000 a year but live as well as an American couple making twice as much.

Why China Could Steal the Magic of Disney - Tamara Rutter, fool.com: At least for Disney, most people in China understand the brand and the merchandise behind it. Chinese demand is so strong, in fact, that a fake Magic Kingdom was created. Known as the Beijing Shijingshan Amusement Park, the illegitimate theme park even featured Disney's familiar characters. To counter, Disney's planning to open its famous Disneyland theme park in Shanghai -- bringing the authentic magic of Disney to the heart of China. There's no doubt that China's a critical market for Disney to be in. However, the company's profits could be hurt if it's unable to stay a beat ahead of imitation retailers in the region.

A Grim Aspect of Modernity (and a Breezy Tour) [Review of GOD’S JURY: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World By Cullen Murphy] - Patricia Cohen, New York Times: Mr. Murphy wants to demonstrate how the mind-set and machinery of the Inquisition are inescapable products of the modern world that later surfaced in Stalin’s Russia, Argentina’s military junta and 21st-century America, where harsh interrogation tactics and unlimited detention were used at Guantánamo Bay. The similarities between the medieval prosecutorial strategies — play good cop, bad cop; instill a sense of futility; use rapid-fire questioning — and the United States Army interrogation manual that are chilling.

The Inquisition did not officially expire until 1870, when soldiers defied the pope, entered Rome and unified Italy. Mr. Murphy is at his best when he demonstrates the eerie resonance of the Inquisition today. More than cruelty and lust for power, the plodding tedium of bureaucracies, which take on a life of their own, are the engines of inquisitions. With their “myopic imperatives and petty ambitions and animosities,” he notes, they can deliver the wonders of the modern world as well as its horrors. Image from

AMERICANA

Horrific murder no surprise in U.S. meth capital - AP, USA Today: Fresno, California: When a 23-year-old Fresno woman fatally shot her two toddlers and a cousin, critically wounded her husband then turned the gun on herself last Sunday, investigators immediately suspected methamphetamine abuse in what otherwise was inexplicable carnage.

It turned out the mother had videotaped herself smoking meth hours before the shooting. A mother in Bakersfield, California, was sentenced Tuesday for stabbing her newborn while in a meth rage. An Oklahoma woman drowned her baby in a washing machine in November. A New Mexico woman claiming to be God stabbed her son with a screwdriver last month, saying, "God wants him dead." Image from

Ohio dad charged with putting daughter in dog cage - AP, USA Today: A man charged with punishing his 12-year-old daughter by binding her hands and feet with duct tape and sticking her in a dog cage, then threatening to electrify the crate, was being held Friday on a $50,000 bond. Police said that Tapke and the girl's brother took pictures of her while she was in the cage and that the boy posted them to Facebook. Police said the pictures were later deleted.

Guidebooks to Babylon - Tonyt Perrottet, New York Times: The truth is, for any writer who is researching a “golden age” of vice — whether it be Renaissance Venice, Georgian London, belle époque Paris or fin de siècle New Orleans — there is nothing quite so satisfying as a guide to local harlots. When it comes to American guides, the available examples are far less colorful [than European ones].

The directories of old New York are “priggishly American,” Timothy J. Gilfoyle complains in “City of Eros: New York City, Prostitution, and the Commercialization of Sex, 1790-1920,” “pragmatic, straightforward, empirical and objective.” Even the notorious “Blue Book,” published from around 1900 to 1915 as the guide to the legalized red-light district of Storyville in New Orleans, makes for relatively dull reading. An exception to the rule is “The Little Black Book,” produced in the 1890s in the “Paris of the Plains” — Kansas City, Mo. In between generic ads (Emma Williams, “Abundance of Beauty,” and Julia Lewis, “Fit for the Gods”) are pages of rhyming verse, poems that spell out naughty words and tales of lusty nuns. Image from article, with caption: Love for sale: A Viennese prostitute, circa 1865.

THE NEW AMERICAN VACATIONLAND

Former State Department social media guru Jared Cohen on one of his facebook entries, with caption: Standing on top of Muammar Gadaffi's former house in Libya:

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"I guess I can count my lucky stars that there were no Saturday morning cartoons when I was kid."

--New York Mayor Bloomberg

"Did you hear the one about the Texan at his first Passover Seder? He was mightily impressed with the soup. 'These matzo balls sure are delicious, ma’am,' he told his hostess. 'What other parts of the matzo do y’all cook with?'

--Robin Marantz Henig, "What We Find Gross, and Why," New York Times

"We who curate our Twitter feeds and Facebook walls understand that at least part of what we’re doing publicly, 'like'-ing what we like, is trying to separate ourselves from the herd."

--New York Times Book Reviewer Gaarth Rish Hallberg

IMAGE

--Image from Ahmed Karim Soliman on Facebook, under the title "Egypt in the future lol"