Monday, January 23, 2012

January 23



"Warhol turned out to have been a devout Christian who had an audience with the Pope and received a Catholic burial at St Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on April Fool's Day, 1987, attended by 2,000 people. Who could be more Pop than that?"


--Adam Bresnick, Times Literary Supplement, reviewing "The Pop Revolution" by Alice Goldfarb Marquis (January 12, 2012, p. 18); above image from; below from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Ambassador Effect - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "What sort of influence can an Ambassador have on another country’s internal affairs – if at all? This is what the tough and broader question boils down to. Or should a US Ambassador in a country like Russia, China or even Syria confine his or her activities to dealing with the government in power as the best way to represent this country’s interests.

There’s been a fair amount of play in the US news media and American academia about soft power and the importance of an Ambassador’s role as the country’s chief public face or public diplomacy representative and what sort of message that individual sends or should send to the people and the government of the country to which he or she is accredited. ... Effective use of soft power ... is ... not always in-your-face flag waving. This form of high level gamesmanship should be used judiciously and appropriately depending upon the circumstance." Image from

Egypt's Parliament gets to work - Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy: "It's good that the Obama administration has not panicked in the face of Islamist success, in contrast to most previous administrations which abandoned their rhetorical support for Arab democracy whenever Islamists won. I've been very glad to see Ambassador Anne Patterson and the US Embassy in Cairo reaching out to all the political forces in the last few weeks. Her meetings with the Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Mohammed Badie and with Freedom and Justice Party leaders, and announced plans to meet with the Nour Party, are the right thing to do. So are the similar high-profile meetings with visiting senior administration officials. I was sharply critical earlier this year of Embassy Cairo's public diplomacy and engagement, but Patterson really seems to have changed things for the better. There is simply no way that the U.S. could have avoided talking to and dealing with the largest political trends in the new Egyptian Parliament, especially after pushing so hard for the elections."

How the World Could—And Maybe Should—Intervene in Syria - Anne-Marie Slaughter, theatlantic.com: "If the Arab League, the U.S., the European Union, Turkey, and the UN Secretary General spend a year wringing their hands as the death toll [in Syria] continues to mount, the responsibility to protect (R2P) doctrine will be exposed as a convenient fiction for power politics or oil politics, feeding precisely the cynicism and conspiracy theories in the Middle East and elsewhere that the U.S. spends its public diplomacy budget and countless diplomatic hours trying to debunk.

If you believe, as I do, that R2P is a foundation for increased peace and respect for human rights over the long term; that each time it is invoked successfully to authorize the prevention of genocide, crimes against humanity, grave and systematic war crimes, and ethnic cleansing as much as the protection of civilians from such atrocities once they are occurring; it becomes a stronger deterrent against the commission of those acts in the first place." Image from

Second Edition of the Indo-US Printmaking Exhibition ‘Multiple Encounters’ begins in New Delhi - press release, Press Information Bureau of India: "The second edition of the Indo-US Printmaking Exhibition titled ‘Multiple Encounters’ was inaugurated here today by the Union Minister for Culture, Kumari Selja in the presence of Shri K.R. Subbanna, Acting Chairman, Lalit Kala Akademi and Shri Michael Pelletier, Minister Counselor for Public Diplomacy, American Embassy. The exhibition is a display of the printmaking works of over 120 artists of repute from the USA and India. The exhibition has been painstakingly curated by a joint team of Indian and American printmakers who have taken pains to select relevant works to enhance the overall quality of the display."

L'US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy n'est plus - David Millian, comfluences.net: "C'est officiel depuis quelques jours, l'USACPD est morte. Enterrée. La raison ? Les coupes budgétaires draconniennes imposées par la crise et des choix politiques discutables selon certains. Mais qu'est-ce que l'USACPD me direz-vous ? Rien de moins qu'un organe gouvernemental étasunien vieux de 60 ans et qui avait pour mission de 'superviser et promouvoir les activités du gouvernement ayant pour but de comprendre, informer, et influencer les auditoires étrangers.' Vous pouvez donc cocher les cases 'soft power', 'strategic communications', 'public diplomacy' et autres outils d'influence. Pourtant, il y a moins d'un an, l'outil reprenait du poil de la bête avec la nomination de Matt Armstrong. Consultant, enseignant, directeur du think tank Moutain Runner Institute et, surtout, prolifique blogger, tous les experts anglophones se réjouissaient d'une telle nomination. Et, croyez moi, ils avaient raison. La bonne nouvelle, c'est que Matt se remet à blogger. ... Comfluences, est un espace de réflexion axé sur les problématiques de la communication, de l'influence et des relations publiques. Mon souhait est de partager avec vous ma vision des enjeux informationnels qui émaillent l'actualité.

@ mon sujet : Professionnel de la communication, je suis diplômé en droit, en communication ainsi qu'en stratégie d'intelligence économique. Je vis actuellement au Québec." Millian image from his blog

Alhurra purchases "N2K," UK-produced program about social media, technology, internet - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

RFE/RL video shows how they "vote early and vote often" in Kazakhstan - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

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

Broadcasting Board of Governors: The Battle Rages On – USG Broadcast/BBG Watch, The Federalist: "There seems to be a conflicted message coming out of the Broadcasting: "Board of Governors (BBG). On the one hand, in the January board meeting, it appears that Chairman Walter Isaacson is amenable to compromise on the nature and extent of the reorganization of US international broadcasting assets. On the other hand, there is the agency press release of January 18, 2012 which looks to be a very public restatement of the long-intended goals of reconstituting US international broadcasting as a corporate-based model envisioned by certain elements within the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) staff. ... Here is what the reader needs to know: The BBG/IBB house is

not in order. It is out of order. Mr. Isaacson, there is a problem. There’s a whole lot of explaining to do as to why this agency is relevant to 21st Century America. Too much of what the agency has become at the hands of bonus-conscious senior officials has left US international broadcasting disappearing below the horizon." Image from

NPR and PBS Anti-Iranian Propaganda - Stephen Lendman, Op-Ed News: "Both National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting serve corporate and imperial interests. They're called public to conceal their agenda. Critics ridicule NPR as National Pentagon or Petroleum Radio for good reason. It's true as well for PBS. Calling it Propaganda Public Broadcasting more accurately explains its mandate. ... NPR's indistinguishable from other corporate media sources. It's corrupted like the rest. Consider its former head, Kevin Klose, its current president emeritus. He was president from December 1998 - September 2008, then CEO from 1998 - January 2009.

Earlier he was US propaganda director as head of Voice of America (VOA), Radio Liberty, Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia, Worldnet Television, and the anti-Castro Radio/TV Marti. As a result, he fit seamlessly in his new role. ... Created by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) calls itself 'a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress...and is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting.' ... Under George Bush, former Voice of America director Kenneth Tomlinson was chairman of CPB's Board of Governors. He lasted until an internal 2005 investigation forced him out for malfeasance. ... So-called 'Public Broadcasting' very much is commercial." Image from

Public Diplomacy Partnership | Tomorrow's Youth Organization - "TYO is proud to announce its Public Diplomacy partnership with the US Consulate in Jerusalem. This partnership brings American interns to participate in our International Internship Program in Nablus. As a part of this program, TYO’s interns act as cultural ambassadors for their country and engage in a cross-cultural, global exchange with local staff members, volunteers, and children. One of the internship’s major strengths is that interns are provided with the space for intercultural dialogue with their Palestinian peers everyday – both inside and outside of the classroom. The cross-cultural connections that TYO fosters seek to address the challenge in Nablus of being isolated from the rest of the world and the growing divides between the Middle East and North America.

Most importantly, our interns leave Nablus with not only an understanding of Palestinian culture and its people, but also with lasting friendships and memories. They return home with a newfound understanding of Palestine, its culture and its people, and they are compelled to share their stories and experiences with others, increasing global interest in Nablus. In conjunction with the US Consulate in Jerusalem, TYO is taking its intercultural dialogue to a new level, bringing American thematic programming to our center. Throughout the session, TYO will host library days and open days, based on American themes, for the children and youth of Nablus." Image from TYO President Harni Masri from; TYO homepage: TYO is an American, non-governmental organization that works in disadvantaged areas of the Middle East, enabling children, youth and parents to realize their potential as healthy, active and responsible family and community members.

Edelstein: Iran nuke may be more destructive than Auschwitz - Gil Shefler, Jerusalem Post: "A single nuclear bomb may be more destructive to the Jewish people than Auschwitz, said Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Minister Yuli Edelstein on Monday. Speaking at a Yad Vashem event marking the 70th anniversary of the

Wannasee Conference, where the Nazis drew up their plan to annihilate European Jewry, the Likud politician warned against Tehran's nuclear proliferation and hinted that if Iran passed the nuclear threshold it could spell disaster for Israel." Image from

Russia persuades Karabakh conflict parties of need to raise confidence measures - news.az: "The talks on the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict between the presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia are to be held in Sochi on Monday, 23 January. ...

Among the directions to build measures of trust, there is a proposal to resume a dialogue between intellectuals, scientific and public circles of the two countries. According to the news release, the idea of ‘public diplomacy’ has already been implemented, when in June of 2007 and in July 2009, representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani community visited Nagorno Karabakh, Yerevan and Baku within the same delegation." Image from article, with caption: Sargsyan, Medvedev, Aliyev

Encounters: A Lifetime Spent Crossing Cultural Frontiers Review -elitemodelingagency.blogspot.com: "A carefree child of expatriate parents at age 10, a prisoner of the Japanese at 16, a valued source of intelligence to the U.S. military at 19, and a fervent advocate of public diplomacy throughout his long career as a Foreign Service Officer, Clifton Forster spent his life crossing and recrossing frontiers, determined to use


dialogue, not conflict, to solve differences between nations.In 2007, a year after her husband's death, Nancy Forster began to sort through the wealth of papers Cliff had tucked away in a Japanese tea chest, and to reexamine her own memories and writings from nearly 60 years of shared international adventures. Her compelling memoir could serve as a blueprint for a U.S. government newly dedicated to building bridges across frontiers." Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

The Propaganda of Urine - Michael Ryan, wwwbookdiplomacy.blogspot.com: The recent video of a group of Marines urinating on some Taliban corpses is morally upsetting. As the United States, we would like the claim a moral high-ground. This ground

is shaken when incidents like this occur. These soldiers have just given the enemy the last thing America needs: a new propaganda tool for jihadists throughout the world. Image from, with comment: Urine-Off eliminates odors and stains from urine, blood, vomit and more using a proprietary blend of enzymes and "friendly" bacteria. Now a USDA Certified Biobased Product!

Russian copters for Afghan army - english.ruvr.ru: Russia is to deliver12 Mi-17 helicopters to Afghanistan before the end of the first 6 months of this year, and will thus fulfill the orders of the Pentagon for the supply of Mi-17B5 military and transport copters in full by July.

The Mi copter, which is produced by the Moscow Helicopter Factory could be the trademark of Russia’s aircraft industry. It is exported to more than 50 countries in the world, including India, China and Iran. The Mi-8 and Mi-17 – an upgraded version of Mi-8, are the most popular, says Andrei Fomin, editor in chief of the “Vzlet” magazine. Image from article, with caption: Mi-17 helicopter

Pakistan rejects U.S. self-defense claim on strikes - Sebastian Abbott, Associated Press, Washington Times: The Pakistani army formally has rejected a U.S. claim that American airstrikes that killed 24 Pakistani troops last year were justified as self-defense. The U.S. claimed the airstrikes were justified because Pakistani troops fired first at Afghan and American forces operating across the border in Afghanistan. The Pakistani report claims its troops fired at militants, not coalition forces. It also claims the militants were operating in a different area than the foreign troops.

Bomb-Bomb-Bomb, Bomb-Bomb-Iran?
- Bill Keller, New York Times: An attack on Iran is almost certain to unify the Iranian people around the mullahs and provoke the supreme leader to redouble Iran’s nuclear pursuits, only deeper underground this time, and without international inspectors around.

Over at the Pentagon, you sometimes hear it put this way: Bombing Iran is the best way to guarantee exactly what we are trying to prevent. Image from

Column: Why U.S. politics devolves into good vs. evil - Henry G. Brinton, USA Today: Political debate in the USA is more civil when we have a devil to oppose, whether it is Adolf Hitler, Nikita Khrushchev, or Osama bin Laden. National unity reaches its peaks in times of crisis, such as World War II, the height of the Cold War and the early days of the War on Terrorism. When the threat passes, though, watch out. Because we then turn on each other.

Bureaucratic absurdity goes online - Natalya Kovalenko, english.ruvr.ru: President Medvedev’s supporters from Russia’s Big Government launched a new site late Friday -Rossiyabezdurakov.rf. (Russia without fools) where visitors can report any absurd or simply stupid bureaucratic decisions.

The idea had been put forward by Dmitry Medvedev who told the Public Committee of the President’s Supporters. that “we have so many bureaucratic fooleries in Russia that it’s high time a special contest were organized”. Now people can go to the new website to share their experiences and discuss them, says the head of the project Raf Shakirov. Image from article; via VB

Playing soccer for peace in Colombia - beta.undp.org: Created in 2010 by UNDP, the Soccer and Peace Network aims to create an open network of organizations that use soccer to promote coexistence, reconciliation and peace among children, adolescents and young adults.

Close to 25,000 children, adolescents and young adults participate in the programs offered by the various foundations, associations and institutions in the Network. Image from article, with caption: Only eleven, Kevin Dagua is quite familiar with war. At the slightest sound of gunfire, he and his family run for shelter.

Dreams of Empire – Japanese Propaganda Textiles - The propaganda textiles in this exhibition are mainly incorporated into the traditional clothing; kimono, haori and juban and more. Designed with vivid creativity they display the full pantheon of propaganda imagery over a 40 year period and thus provide a fascinating narative of the time. This online exhibition is the abridged version of the real thing which was staged at the Caskey Lees, Arts of Pacific Asia Show in San Francisco in February 2011. There were 150 pieces on display.

For the San Francisco exhibition we published a 40 page, colour catalogue with a specially commissioned essay in it by Dr Barak Kushner, Associate Professor of Japanese History at Cambridge University in England entitled The Drive to Mobilize Wartime Society in which he illuminates the historical, political and social context in which these extraordinary textiles were made. Dr Kushner is the author of “The Thought War: Japanese Imperial Propaganda." Image from