Friday, January 27, 2012

January 27



"We are so used to such [US] propaganda that we do not consider it propaganda any more: this is the lifestyle we (almost) all dream of, oh yeah!"

--No author cited, "USSR propaganda vs USA propaganda"; image from

VIDEO

Vladimir “New Word Order” Putin, Pours on the Propaganda for Another Sham Election

INTERNET

One policy, one Google experience: "We’re getting rid of over 60 different privacy policies across Google and replacing them with one that’s a lot shorter and easier to read.

Our new policy covers multiple products and features, reflecting our desire to create one beautifully simple and intuitive experience across Google. This stuff matters, so please take a few minutes to read our updated Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service now. These changes will take effect on March 1, 2012." Image from entry

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

21st Century Statecraft: Forging U.S. Digital Diplomacy - Victoria Esser, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs for Digital Strategy, U.S. Department of State, Huffington Post: "Innovate or die. It's an oft-repeated phrase about the adoption of technology and innovation that evokes Darwinian images of people running scared, trying to stay ahead of the curve just enough not to get trampled by the pack. From the perspective of the State Department, we see a different image -- that of a blank canvas that is being painted a bit every day. We see how harnessing technology and digital networks is making our public diplomacy more strategic and how it is strengthening and amplifying the bonds between individuals and institutions like the State Department. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has made 21st Century Statecraft, or using digital networks to advance America's interests around the world, a key part of our foreign policy approach.

So we're continually asking ourselves as we look at our foreign policy priorities - how can innovation help us do this better, faster, and more economically? This week, asking those questions resulted in the Department's announcement of the launch of our Turkish-language Twitter account @ABDTurk, joining the Department's 10 official feeds in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Urdu. ... You an read more about our digital engagements this week, and how you can participate, here." Image from

"Alhurra in the Iraqi-Turkish war of words. And more Alhurra in the news" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Into The Fray: A study in impotence - Martin Sherman, Jerusalem Post: "'Water reveals a new apartheid in the Middle East.


The 450,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank use as much or more water than some 2.3 million Palestinians... even if only a few dare to use the word, all indications are that the Middle East is the scene of a new apartheid.... And in this situation, water is a particular element of conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.' – Excerpt from the French parliamentary report on 'The Geopolitics of Water[.]" My most recent columns have been devoted to analyzing Israel’s public diplomacy, the reasons for its manifest ineptitude, and the mechanisms that produce this abysmal performance. Last week, by coincidence, an illustrative example, underscoring precisely what I have been trying to convey, broke into the headlines. It came in the form of a French parliamentary report on Israel’s water policy, authored by Jean Glavany, a Socialist member of the National Assembly, and accusing Israel of using water as an instrument of apartheid and oppression against the Palestinians. ... One diplomatic source characterized the report as “a serious mishap that... has seriously damaged Israel’s image in France.” The embassy in Paris was accused of falling asleep on the job for not alerting the Israeli authorities of the impending publication and the malevolent nature of its contents. Israel robustly repudiated the report. The Foreign Ministry spokesman condemned it – correctly – as 'unacceptable,' 'loaded with the language of vicious propaganda, far removed from any professional criticism' and tainted with 'blatant tendentiousness.' ... Rather than adopt an offense strategic initiative to remove Israel’s water policy for the list of topics that can be used to denigrate the country, those charged with the conduct of its public diplomacy have opted for defensive tactical responses to hostile initiatives. Rather than launch an ongoing enterprise to set, a priori, the context in which later events are interpreted/perceived, they have opted to fend off individual accusations and condemnations, made in the inimical context prevailing today. This is particularly exasperating in the case of water, which is one of the topics most amenable to mounting such an preemptive enterprise. ... [F]acts and many others should be assertively and proactively inserted into the public discourse, not only as a response to attacks, but as part of an ongoing endeavor to mold public awareness and perception of the realities that pertain to the Arab-Israeli conflict. One of the principal reasons that this is not occurring are the PC (Palestinian-compliant) perspectives of the Israeli civil society elites, discussed in my previous columns, who exert a dominant influence on the conduct of our public diplomacy." Image from

The Knesset: 120 potential diplomats: Delegations of parliamentarians work to strengthen Israel’s diplomatic position abroad – even if they disagree on how to do it - Lahav Harkov, Jerusalem Post: "On the surface, Israel’s ties with other countries are managed by the Foreign Ministry, and sometimes the Prime Minister’s Office, or the recently established Public Diplomacy Ministry. However, for decades, there has been another channel, by which public figures have represented Israel abroad to very little fanfare: parliamentary diplomacy.

Throughout the year, delegations of MKs travel to international organizations and present their views on various issues – though, usually, they’re asked to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Often, they meet representatives of countries that do not have formal relations with Israel, including Arab countries, and attempt to block decisions – such as recognition of a Palestinian state – that would cause problems for the government. According to Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, the main advantage of MK participation in interparliamentary groups is that it builds personal relations with decision-makers in other countries." Image from article

Can Cultural Diplomacy Lift Jamaica’s Brand Quality? - Hume N. Johnson, humejohnson.wordpress.com: "Given Jamaica’s brand positioning in the international arena, effective cultural diplomacy is required to give legs to the myriad cultural products that Jamaica has to offer. It would be good to see the development of a cultural diplomacy strategy with the objective to purposefully and tactically re-image, re-position and promote Jamaica’s culture and identity abroad. It is time that we begin to leverage the following: Jamaican architecture (Old Capital Spanish Town; Rose Hall Great house; other Castles and Forts); Jamaican Cuisine (our Food festivals, Jerk, Ackee and salt fish, Festival; Dumplings); the successes of Jamaican Fashion/models; Jamaican Music (Reggae; Dancehall; Jamaican Jazz; Street dances – Passa Passa, Weddy Weddy etc); the Arts in Jamaica (Paintings, Sculpture, Craft); Jamaican Religion (Rasta, Obeah, Revivalism, Kumina); Sport (Athletics, Football, Netball). It is also important to leverage Jamaican scholarship through the formation of Think Tanks overseas as well as student exchanges; as well as Indigenous Films and Alternative Medicine. ... The government of Jamaica

can no longer take for granted that Jamaica’s image is powerful and that its brand quality is secure. While our athletes will continue to fly the Jamaican flag, it is important to take a more strategic and proactive approach to nation branding. A cultural diplomacy strategy is required. It could undertake a study of cultural diplomacy of other countries (e.g. European Union) to discover how they use this tool and how can Jamaica leverage its cultural products to bolster its image overseas and attract investment. It is also important to conduct a comprehensive audit of Jamaica’s arts and cultural offerings locally and overseas (festivals, Trade Shows, Expos, Cultural Campaigns) to assess their impact and discover the possible structural impediments to increased arts and cultural programming. The strategy would also explore ways to collaborate with the Jamaican private sector in promoting Jamaican culture abroad. Public Diplomacy (the umbrella term under which cultural diplomacy falls) is also crucial for Jamaica, as it is also about communication and engagement at a strategic level. In many respects, public diplomacy smoothens issues that may serve as a barrier to cooperation. It will encourage investors to give Jamaica the benefit of the doubt on controversial issues such as the control of crime and violence, since they would understand better our socio-economic, political and historical context, as well as our cultural underpinnings. Public and cultural diplomacy will illustrate our true ideals, our interest in fostering positive values, and attitudes, combatting the popular notion that Jamaicans are homophobic and violent. Public diplomacy helps to create relationships with foreign publics which can endure beyond changes in government. Through think tanks and other outreach and exchange programmes, this tool can reach influential members of foreign societies, who cannot be reached through traditional embassy functions. It will not only create a platform for the expansion of Jamaican culture overseas but will also build positive civil society by including Jamaican Diasporic communities more heavily in nation building." Image from article

Whither the Arab Spring? Senator Henry “Scoop” Jackson’s Centennial Meeting - demdigest.net: "By kind invitation of U.S. Senator Patty Murray, and to mark the occasion of Senator Henry 'Scoop' Jackson’s Centennial, The Henry Jackson Society and The Henry M. Jackson Foundation are pleased to be able to invite you to ‘Whither the Arab Spring [.]' ... [Speakers include] Dr Lina Khatib

is the co-founder and Program Manager of the Program on Arab Reform and Democracy at the Institute of International Studies at Stanford University. She is also a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London, and, from 2010-2012, a Research Fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School." Khatib image from

RELATED ITEMS

The Afghan divide - Sarah Chayes, latimes.com: If the U.S. government chooses not to address the two fundamental political and diplomatic challenges its intelligence estimate is said to highlight — corrupt government and Pakistan's support for extremist violence — then why waste more blood and treasure? But President Obama must make that decision in full cognizance of the dangers, so he can plan for them and try to mitigate some of them. He needs more divergent views, not fewer. The aggressive efforts by some to spin perceptions of Afghanistan have grown unseemly as well as dangerous. Image from article, with caption: Former Taliban militants attend a surrender ceremony in the Afghanistan city of Herat under a U.S.-backed Afghan government anmesty program.

Freedom of the Press Fail in Iraq – Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: Reporters Without Borders track the way different countries implement this freedom, or not, and produce yearly rankings. Sadly, the US comes in at number 47. Iraq, however, trolls the pathetic mid-ranks at 152, having fallen 22 places as the US war of terror packed up and left the country. That places freedom of the press in Iraq below that of such inviting democratic hot spots as Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Venezuela. Quite an accomplishment given the resources the US poured into establishing new media as part of the reconstruction of Iraq.

UN hands Iran 'propaganda fodder' over Camp Ashraf - Tarsem King: publicserviceeurope.com: Remarks attributed to the UN's top diplomat in Iraq, Special Representative of the Secretary General to Iraq, Ambassador Martin Kobler, have handed Tehran a propaganda coup by suggesting Camp Ashraf dissidents want to return to Iran, writes a member of the British Parliamentary Committee for Iran Freedom.

The 3,400 Iranian dissidents in Camp Ashraf, Iraq, are members of the People's Mojahedin Organisation of Iran, the principal Iranian opposition movement. These Iranians fled the ruthless rule of the clerical regime and took refuge in Camp Ashraf, across the border. Following the American led occupation of Iraq, Ashraf residents disarmed to the United States voluntarily. In return, every resident signed an agreement with the Americans guaranteeing his or her protection until final disposition. Image from article

President Ahmadinejad: Israel Would Not Be Away from Danger if Syria Came under Aggression - sana.sy: President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran on Thursday underlined that Israel would not be away from danger if Syria came under any foreign aggression. "The US seeks to strike Syria as it is an obstructer to the Zionist, US project in the region, but the peoples

of the region are aware, and Israel would not be apart from danger if Syria was subjected to any aggression," President Ahmadinejad said in a speech in Kerman Province. He added that the US administration is spreading false and fabricated propaganda in order to archive its goals in the region. Image from article

US Embassy expects 14 pc annual rise in visa applications in India - ibnlive.in.com: The US is expecting nearly 14 per cent annual increase in visa applications

from the country following implementation of streamlining of the application process as part of President Barack Obama's strategy to boost tourism from emerging countries like India and China. Image from article

Five myths about China’s power - Minxin Pei, Washington Post; 1. China’s rise is marginalizing American influence in Asia. 2. China’s massive foreign exchange reserves give it huge clout. 3. The Communist Party has the Internet under control. 4. China’s regime has bought off the middle class. 5. China’s rapid economic growth shows no signs of slowing.

How Nations Can Be United With Social Media - Alex Fitzpatrick, mashable.com: The United Nations is a huge organization: 193 member states and six major organs. As you can imagine, running the UN’s social media networks is no walk in the park. But the international organization is incredibly active on social media, using it as a tool to spread knowledge and information about its mission, goals and accomplishments.

Twitter can now censor tweets nationally, rather than globally - Nathan Olivarez-Giles, latimesblogs.latimes.com: The wings of some Twitter users may be clipped a bit less going forward. The San Francisco-based company said Thursday that it will now be able to censor tweets in specific countries that ask it to do so for legal reasons, rather than having to block tweets globally as before.

"As we continue to grow internationally, we will enter countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression," the company said in a blog post. "Some differ so much from our ideas that we will not be able to exist there. Others are similar but, for historical or cultural reasons, restrict certain types of content, such as France or Germany, which ban pro-Nazi content." Image from article

Ex-Colonel of Special Forces: Lukashenko Enjoys Smashing his Victims - telegraf.by: Former Special Forces colonel Vladimir Borodach believes that the current President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, "received a carte blanche for political bargaining and propaganda"

when his former opponent in the elections Andrei Sannikov, convicted in the "Case of December 19," filed a petition for clemency. "Lukashenko enjoys smashing his victims. He’s now in the seventh heaven," said Vladimir Borodach. Lukashenko image from article

Nicolae Ceausescu auction - in pictures - guardian.co.uk: Gifts received by Nicolae Ceausescu to be auctioned off on what would have been the late Romanian leader's 94th birthday.


The auction is called Golden Age in reference to the last years of the Ceausescu's rule, when propaganda pictured a striving

Romania, whereas in reality people were struggling to get by. Among the images: A bronze yak given by Mao Zedong to Ceausescu; Communist era posters advertising a railway worker school, fresh fruit and a hydro-electric plant

USSR propaganda vs USA propaganda -loranablog.wordpress.com: USA propaganda is well-known in Western countries. Every war movie, comedy drama, family sitcom, serial and even cartoon is ambassador to USA way of life. We cried for American soldiers giving their life for world freedom, like Ryan’s friends. Who didn’t share the same feelings of the many losers who fought and won, like Rocky? What about USA baby-sitters, cops, farmers, drivers, journalists, porn-stars who showed us the wonderful American dream? Not to mention the army of doctors, nurses, cosmonauts, dancers, oil drillers, bartenders, librarians and comic superheroes fighting for the good against the evil … and always succeeding in it! We are so used to such propaganda that we do not consider it propaganda any more: this is the lifestyle we (almost) all dream of, oh yeah! Probably USSR lost the Cold War because Russian Hollywood productions were not as popular. What would have happened to Western Europeans if they could give a look to USSR propaganda, of course pro Soviet lifestyle? What about this “White sun of the desert”

(English subs), where a single Red Army soldier fights for the freedom of Muslim women “in name of the working class“? Or what about “An office romance” (English subs), grounder of many office sitcoms still popular nowadays? Or “Winnie Pooh,“ the Russian version? And all the war movies USSR produced to glorify the 20 millions Russians, women included, who died in the second world war against Nazis?  Image from

Selling War - Stephen Lendman, Op-Ed News, posted at warisacrime.org: Throughout its history, America glorified wars in the name of peace. From inception, they're perpetuated against one or more domestic or foreign adversaries. They include mass killing, assaults and abuse. Pacifism's called sissy or unpatriotic. Propaganda insists America's peace-loving. In fact, more than ever today, it's addicted to permanent war and violence. Nonetheless, initiating them requires public support. Famed US journalist Walter Lippmann coined the phrase "manufacture of consent." It's a euphemism for mind control. In 1916, Woodrow Wilson was reelected on a pledge of: "He Kept Us Out of War." Straightaway, he began planning US involvement. In April 1917, he established the Committee on Public Information (CPI or Creel Committee). It operated through August 1919. Its mission was enlisting public support for war and undermining opposition sentiment. Corporate America was so impressed, it recruited Edward Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud. He became a PR/propaganda pioneer. His 1928 book titled "Propaganda" said it's possible to "regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regiments their bodies."

Bernays's pioneering PR techniques got Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter to describe him and Ivy Lee as "professional poisoners of the public mind, exploiters of foolishness, fanaticism and self-interest." In his 1947 book titled, "The Engineering of Consent," he called it "the very essence of the democratic process, the freedom to persuade and suggest." In fact, it's used manipulatively more for ill, than good, especially in selling war. During the WW II buildup, anti-war proponents were called subversives and Nazi sympathizers. Once begun, anti-German/Italian/Japanese propaganda censored media and other communications to enlist support. Other techniques included posters, advertising, comic books and cartoons, leaflets, and films extolling America and portraying the axis as bad guys. Steven Casey's ground-breaking book titled, "Selling the Korean War : Propaganda, Politics, and Public Opinion in the United States" analyzed Truman and Eisenhower administration efforts to shape public discourse, influence media coverage, and gain popular support for limited conflict and anti-Soviet Cold War policies. Noam Chomsky calls the Vietnam War "a classic example of America's propaganda system." Major media scoundrels let doves and hawks debate, but "(b)oth sides agreed on one thing. We had a right to carry out aggression," but refused to admit it took place. In their book, "Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq," Sheldon Rampton and John Stauber showed how manipulative propaganda sold the public on war against Iraq. Combining PR and media deception, Operation: Iraqi Freedom was created. Deconstructing the process, they showed how top Bush officials planned war prior to his election, but waited until September 2002 for "product launch" to inform the public. Warmongering's constant. On-air voices cheerlead it. Slanted news shuts out truth. "Political solutions" are alien to America's vocabulary. War profiteers demand jingoism. A century ago people were manipulated to accept war with Cuba. William Randolph Hearst hyped the big lie about Spain sinking the battleship Maine when, in fact, a coal bunker explosion did it. Hearst, however, told his Havana illustrator: "You furnish the pictures, and I'll furnish the war." To this day, lies launch them. They're all based on lies to get people to go along with what wouldn't be possible otherwise.  Top Image from, with note: Perfect example of how the concept of limited-hangout was used in advertising encouraging more individualism and in this case specifically, individualism and 'more choice' for

women, who never even thought of smoking before Bernays told them why they should
. On Bernays's "get-women-to-smoke" campaign, see. Below image from

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