Monday, January 9, 2012

January 9



"It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg."

--Thomas Jefferson; image from, with caption: The Smithsonian has restored and put on display a 19th century book known as "The Jefferson Bible."

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Drone attacks remained ineffective against militant leaders: CMC - International News Network: "According to the Conflict Monitoring Center’s (CMC) annual report on drone attacks American Spy Agency CIA has failed to eliminate more than four Al-Qaeda leaders in its highly costly and controversial ’assassination by drones’ campaign inside Pakistan during the year 2011. ... During the year 2011 collaboration and cooperation between CIA and ISI turned into confrontation, when , following arrest of CIA agent Raymond Davis and Abbottabad Operation, ISI busted many modules of local and international CIA agents active in the country. ... During the confrontation, the CIA also conducted revenge attacks in Pakistan; as following differences between American State Department and the CIA, at the occasion of almost every high level meeting between Pakistani and American authorities, the CIA carried out a drone attack. American premier agency effectively undermined public diplomacy of its own government. ... Mounting protest and public backlash against drone attacks as well as tension between US and Pakistan during the year led to the decline in drone attacks. U.S. has suspended drone attacks

after an attack by NATO helicopters on a Pakistani military check post on November 26, 2011. ... Drone attacks have emerged as a cause of the problem rather than a solution, as during the year many public demonstrations were held against drone attacks in different parts of Pakistan, with National Assembly, Senate, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkha Assemblies passing resolutions to condemn drone attacks. Besides public protests, there are at least three court cases pending against drone attacks in three different courts of Pakistan." Image from

Because Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia - thebigdogblog.co.uk: "Since Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and also the United Arab Emirates all rely about the strait to ship their oil and natural gas exports, a blockade could undermine some of those governments in an currently unstable region. Analysts say that a crisis more than the Strait of Hormuz would most probably carry China along with the U[SA] into something of an alliance to restore shipments, though ... China would far more possible resort to non-public diplomacy instead of military force."

Liberia's Arts and Crafts Celebration: Annual Event at the U.S. Embassy - musue-haddad.blogspot.com: "Recently, the Embassy of the United States of America held its Second Annual Arts and Crafts Exhibition, featuring Liberian arts and crafts. The Embassy’s annual Arts and Craft Exhibition celebrates Liberian artists and showcases the best of Liberian Arts and Crafts. The event also provided an opportunity for members of the Diplomatic Corps and of the NGO community, the public at large, Embassy employees, and friends of the Embassy to purchase arts and crafts, including paintings, quilts, and other art works directly from the artists who produce them.

The occasion further provided an outstanding opportunity for participants to come out and enjoy a festive day highlighted by cultural activities, and ethnic food. The event was a reflection of the United States Embassy’s support for the work of Liberia’s artists, as can be seen hanging on Embassy building, including homes artworks by Liberian artists. The U.S. Embassy’s Annual Arts and Craft Celebration takes place at the compound of the Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Section at Mamba Point in Monrovia. The Celebration brings together artists, and supporters of artists from all walks of life." Image from article

Organisations start to post corporate communications plans online - Mark Phillimore, newmediaimpressions.blogspot.com: "The transparency and public diplomacy agenda is seeing a growing number of public organisations start to post their strategic or corporate communications plans online. This is a new trend although it is one where very few commercial organisations have followed the same path and would seem to be an area crying out for more research. ... I became aware of this trend, attending the Euprera conference at Leeds Metropolitan University in the summer where

Robert Hastings, formerly Acting Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs at the US Defense Department spoke about the development of a strategic communications plan for the department. ... As part of this process and here the public diplomacy agenda would appear to be particularly influential and is driving the development of several reports looking at the role of strategic communications at a national level. First the US Defense Department's research team, the Defense Science Board has produced one and more recently the UK's Chatham House think tank has produced one in conjunction with Bell Pottinger, titled Strategic Communications and National Strategy. The idea underpinn[i]ng these is that communications is a strategic resource and is a response to the perceived dominance of communications by Al-Qaeda in the first few years after 2011." Hastings image from

Rwanda's military takes issue with a VOA report - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

South Korea - Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kim Sung-Hwan - isria.com: "Today, I will brief you on the Foreign Ministry’s 2012 Annual Work Plan, which was reported to the President earlier today, and the President’s plan to make a state visit to China starting from January 9. ... The four priority tasks reported to the President are security diplomacy that the public can trust; diplomacy that contributes to global co-prosperity; diplomacy that secures engines for future growth; and diplomacy that serves the public, each of which I will explain in more detail. ... We will ... contribute to the international community through development cooperation, and firmly establish the image of a charming country by helping spread

Hallyu (Korean wave) and promoting public diplomacy. ... [D]iplomacy for the public will be put in full gear to promote overseas presence as well as rights and interests of the ROK nationals. We will also carry out various activities to secure public support for key foreign policies." Image from

Australia helps prevent children's drowning‎ - Tuoitrenews: "The Australian Consulate-General in HCMC [Ho Chi Minh City] has helped to supply a swimming teaching program to elementary students in the Mekong Delta to prevent drowning. Last week, 8 swimming teachers from Western Australia provided basic water safety training for 200 students in Tien Giang Province, using financing from the Direct Aid Program (DAP) which is funded by the Australian Government and disbursed by the Australian Consulate-General. ... A small aid program, DAP

is created to address humanitarian hardship and assist low income communities through funding small-scale development projects while at the same time fulfilling Australia’s international relations and public diplomacy objectives." Image from article, with caption: This photo shows Australian swimming teachers training elementary students in Tien Giang Province in a drowning prevention program funded by the Australian Government.

These Africans take Indian development ideas home - Alyssa McDonald, twocircles.net: "35 foreign nationals, several of them from Africa ... joined over 400 Indian youngsters on the 15-day train journey, spanning 7,000 km and stopping at 13 institutions that have developed unique solutions to India's challenges, in an effort to awaken the spirit of entrepreneurship among them. ... Out of the 35 foreign nationals invited ... the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of External Affairs sponsored the participation of eight Africans."

Danger of Using the Media to Incite Violence in Africa, The Recent Case of Liberia - Gabriel I. H. Williams, all-about-liberia.blogspot.com: "When Madam Sirleaf became president in 2006, I was one of many Liberian professionals, most of us young men and women, she recruited from abroad to join our compatriots at home to serve in various

governmental departments, charged with the mandate to push through government’s aggressive reform agenda. My colleagues and I at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism were mandated to create the environment, through policies and programs, to ensure press freedom which is enjoyed today. Having served as deputy minister at the Information Ministry, the President was pleased to reassign me as a diplomat at the Liberian Embassy in Washington, D.C., in charge of public diplomacy." Williams image from

Conservative columnist Tony Blankley dies at 63 - Washington Post: "Mr. Blankley was born in England and spoke with a trace of a British accent, but he was raised in Los Angeles. As a child, he acted in television shows such as 'Lassie' and 'Make Room for Daddy' before developing an interest in the law and politics as a teenager. ... After serving [House Speaker Newt] Gingrich as press secretary from 1990 to 1997, Mr. Blankley

remained prominent as a commentator on politics and international affairs. ... Most recently, Mr. Blankley was a senior executive with the Edelman public relations firm. At the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, he pursued research on global public diplomacy." Image from article: In this March 7, 1995, file photo, House Speaker Newt Gingrich, center, and his press secretary, Tony Blankley, left, meet with reporters during a daily Capitol Hill news conference.

Vacancy Announcement from US EMBASSY - Employment Directory Liberia: "Position: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Duty Station: Montserrado ... The incumbent serves primarily as administrative assistant to the Public Affairs Officer and support program staff as needed. The Public Diplomacy Section currently is staffed by one American and 7 PSA positions."

RELATED ITEMS

Iran sentences American man to death in CIA case: An Iranian court has convicted an American man of working for the CIA and sentenced him to death, state radio reported Monday - Associated Press, latimes.com: Iran charges that as a former U.S. Marine, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati received special training and served at U.S. military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan before heading to Iran for his alleged intelligence mission.

The U.S. State Department has demanded his release. Image from article: In this video frame grab image made from the Iranian broadcaster IRIB TV, U.S. citizen Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, accused by Iran of spying for the CIA, sits in Tehran's revolutionary court.

Talking to the Taliban: As the insurgents say, the U.S. has the watches but the Taliban has the time - Rajan Menon, latimes.com: The Taliban's leaders know that the insurgency lacks the muscle to defeat the U.S. troops. But that has never been the Taliban's strategy. Its plan all along has been to persist till war weariness and the weakening of allied support nudge the United States toward the exits.

Image from article, with caption: Afghan Taliban fighters sit on their pickup vehicle in the Sangin district of Helmand province in this photograph taken on April 6, 2009. The Taliban announced on Jan. 4 that they had come to an "initial agreement" to set up an overseas political office in their first public gesture towards peace talks with the U.S.

Karzai’s Ultimatum Complicates U.S. Exit Strategy - Matthew Rosenberg, New York Times: President Hamid Karzai’s denunciation last week of abuses at the main American prison in Afghanistan — and his abrupt demand that Americans cede control of the site within a month — surprised many. The prison, at Bagram Air Base, is one of the few in the country where Afghan and Western rights advocates say that conditions are relatively humane. American officials, caught off guard by the president’s order, scrambled to figure out the source of the allegations. Now they have at least part of an answer: the Afghan commission that documented the abuses appears to have focused mainly on the side of the prison run by Afghan authorities, not the American-run part, according to interviews with American and Afghan officials. Mr. Karzai was, in essence, demanding that the Americans cede control of a prison to Afghan authorities to stop abuses being committed by Afghan authorities.

Afghanistan's poor face difficult decisions amid winter cold: Seasonal hardship is nothing new for Afghans, but a combination of factors is making this winter harder to bear as the number of displaced soars in Kabul - Laura King, Los Angeles Times
Image from article, with caption: Boys warm themselves amid the morning cold on the outskirts of Kabul, the Afghan capital, which has experienced a large influx of refugees from around the war-torn country.

The U.S.: MIA in the Mideast -- The Obama administration's lack of strategic vision, its instinct for retreat and its complicity in the unraveling of the Mideast's security are key concerns - John Hannah, latimes.com: No good can come from the perception of the United States in retreat, a willing accomplice in the dismantling of a regional order — Pax Americana — that has been the linchpin of Mideast security for decades. It's a dangerously corrosive narrative, one that left unchecked will breed uncertainty, instability and even war.

Obama’s foreign initiatives have been failures - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post: Obama has mishandled the biggest international development of his presidency:

the popular revolutions against autocracy. Image from

2012 Elections: Shoot-Out at the Republican Corral Continues - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: The major image problems for the US that recent polls have identified in Muslim majority countries are: •First, the lack of progress in settling the Israel-Palestine conflict. (Note: this is most visibly manifested in the US government’s support for the right wing “greater Israel” policies of the Netanyahu government); and •Second, the continuation of the US military presence in the Middle East. This principally means Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Whether the US troop withdrawal from Iraq on December 30 and the draw-down in Afghanistan will make a difference is too soon to tell - but it could.

New defense strategy guidance: Hardly a strategic pivot - Kevin Ryan, Power and Policy: The new strategic defense guidance, announced at a Pentagon press conference on January 5th by the President, is primarily an apologia for having a smaller active duty Army and Marine Corps and a clear declaration that we have suspended our interest in conflicts the size of Afghanistan or larger. The guidance projects that our main areas of interest will be the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. Those goals are no different from what we are attempting to do now. They are the same goals. The main change that the guidance brings us is that we will not be sending large armed forces anywhere. Below image from

Obama’s war plan pins hopes on peace: Hawks cite risks, point to history - By Rowan Scarborough, The Washington Times: In dumping the Pentagon’s two-war strategy, President Obama is reversing a doctrine adopted by Republican and Democratic presidents, including himself. His 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review, a congressionally mandated document that lists the armed forces’ major missions and required forces, stated that the U.S. is “maintaining the ability to prevail against two capable nation-state aggressors” in “overlapping time frames.” But Mr. Obama’s revised strategy, on which he put his personal imprint by announcing it at the Pentagon on Thursday, discards talk of prevailing in two wars.

Smear in Russia Backfires, and Online Tributes Roll In - Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times: A photograph of a grinning Aleksei Navalny, the blogger turned leader of street protests in Moscow, showing Mr. Navalny with a man wanted by the police in Russia, the exiled financier Boris A. Berezovsky, appeared in a newspaper distributed on Saturday by a pro-Kremlin group in the major provincial city of Yekaterinburg, according to residents. The caption said that Mr. Navalny “never kept secret” his ties to Mr. Berezovsky.

Mr. Navalny said it was a fake, and his assertion was supported when the original, unaltered photograph appeared on Russian Web sites. That, in turn, set off a flurry of parodies using altered photographs all seeming to highlight the outdated nature of some Russian propaganda. “Vladimir Putin and his team do not understand the Internet,” Mr. Navalny said in a telephone interview, referring to the prime minister. Navalny/Berezovsky "image" from

Belarus suspends Euronews and restricts internet access - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

North Korea: Propaganda Machine Full Steam Ahead - english.ntdtv.com: North Korea's propaganda machine - firing on all cylinders. State television on Sunday aired this documentary on Kim Jong-un, the communist nation's newly-minted leader. Set to soaring patriotic music, it showed him watching a military drill, touring factories and even visiting an amusement park. The documentary - entitled "Succeeding the Great Work of the Military First Revolution" - aired on Jong-un's birthday.

Image from, with caption: In this undated image made from KRT video, North Korea's new young leader Kim Jong Un appears from a military vehicle at an undisclosed place in North Korea, aired Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012.

Is the U.S. Still a ‘Land of Opportunity’? - Room for Debate, New York Times: There is a growing consensus that it is harder to move up the economic ladder in the United States than in many other places, like Canada. Should more Americans consider leaving the U.S. to get ahead? Or can the U.S. make changes to be more of a “land of opportunity”?

Human knowledge, brought to you by . . . - Ezra Klein, Washington Post: By the end of the 20th century, there were hardly any party-affiliated newspapers left. That was, in many ways, a good thing. The “objective” newspaper was certainly preferable to the propaganda outlets that preceded it. But objectivity wasn’t just about the news. It was also about keeping audiences large and advertisers happy. It was part of a business strategy. That meant it could often induce a kind of studied inoffensiveness, an unwillingness to speak truths that audiences didn’t want to hear. One of the most mind-bending facts of our information culture is that almost every major medium of information supports itself by advertising. At least with newspapers and television, the advertising was directly in front of you, and your interaction with it was straightforward. In the case of newspapers and, later, cable television, you were paying something — you knew the information wasn’t free. Online, you not only are exposed to advertisements, but the data on what you search, where you go and what you do are fed to advertisers so they can better target their appeals. You’re often paying nothing for the experience, at work or in a cafe. As the information appears ever more free, the hidden costs are growing correspondingly greater. Via

AMERICANA

E-books sales surge after holidays - Bob Minzesheimer, USA Today: But even as the sales of e-books doubled from 10% of the overall market to 20% in 2011, print books still account for about 80% of the market.

MORE AMERICANA

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich kisses his wife Callista after a Republican presidential candidate debate at the Capitol Center for the Arts in Concord, N.H., Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012.

--From Princess Sparkle Pony's Photoblog

VIVE LA FRANCE

--From Boing Boing

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