February 27

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”

--Winston Churchill; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Public Diplomacy That Lasts: The Value of International Visitor Exchanges - Stuart W. Holliday, Huffington Post: "Perhaps one of the most noted facts about last week's visit by Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping was his unusual personal connection to the United States. As a provincial official 27 years ago, Mr. Jinping was here as part of a Chinese delegation to Iowa to study agricultural policies. ... This ability to build bridges between the U.S. and rising global leaders is the paramount reason that the U.S. and many other countries around the world place so great a value on sustaining and expanding international visitor programs. While people are rightly pointing to the power of social media to bring people across societies together, exchanges still represent a key component of public diplomacy. Exchanges offer an in-depth experience with a foreign country, its culture, its systems, and most importantly, its people. Exchanges provide a substantive and long lasting connection. Technology and social media serve to extend and sustain that connection. The U.S. Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) has been fulfilling this important mission for more than 60 years. The program brings emerging international leaders to the United States on programs that reflect professional interests and U.S. foreign policy goals on topics such as combating trafficking and international crime, interfaith dialogue, food security, and rule of law, women's rights, entrepreneurship and others. ... As president of the

Meridian International Center in Washington, I've seen first-hand the tremendous value of intercultural exchanges. Meridian has been one of the State Department's leading partners in organizing these exchanges for more than 50 years, arranging programs for more than 64,000 such visitors to date. Of those, 157 are current or former heads of state, four are Nobel Peace Prize winners, and one is a former UN Secretary General." Image from

Life as a citizen diplomat - Jyoti Bachani, ReVisiting India: "The fellowship that brought me to India was set up by a former US senator as a way to increase people to people contact amongst the various nations and have an effort of public diplomacy with contact amongst the citizens, not just the diplomats. I like this idea. As part of this vision, we got oriented on the US foreign policy in this region before our departure from the US. And tonight, we get to dine with the US Ambassador to India. I am looking forward to this. It feels like an opportunity of a mini visit home."

The Hypocrisy of Free Speech - Peter Van Buren, wemeantwell.com: "Secretary of State Clinton has made internet freedom and the rights of bloggers and journalists a cornerstone of her foreign policy, going as far as citing the free use of social media as a prime mover in the Arab Spring. ... Yet inside her own Department of State, Clinton presides over the censoring of the internet, blocking objectionable web sites that refer to Wikileaks, such as TomDispatch ... while allowing sites that play to State’s own point of view, such as Fox.com, which also refer to Wikileaks. ... One web site reported that when Matt Armstrong was hired as Executive Director for the now defunct Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, a condition to his hiring was to stop blogging. The condition was set by the office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs."

Inside the mind of General Petraeus‎ - Jamie Weinstein, Daily Caller: "History will remember retired Army General David Petraeus, now director of the Central Intelligence Agency, as 'the model soldier-scholar-diplomat,' argues Paula Broadwell, author of the recently released 'All In: The Education of General David Petraeus.' ... [H]is battlefield success was matched by his intellectual achievements, she argues.

'A star-man (top 5 percent) at West Point, as well as a varsity letterman and cadet captain, top of his class in military schools and a PhD in international relations at Princeton, he later became the chief intellectual author of a counterinsurgency doctrine that helped to usher in an era of organizational change,' she explained. Petraeus was also uniquely adept at public diplomacy for a military man, Broadwell says." Petraeus image from article

Support democracy in Hungary with new Radio Free Europe broadcasts - Mark Palmer, Miklos Haraszti and Charles Gati, Washington Post: "With the fall of Hungary’s Western-style, pluralistic democracy, the time is right for the United States to reinstate Radio Free Europe’s Hungarian-language broadcasts. Hungarian would then join 28 other languages in which Radio Free Europe (RFE)

transmits its programs on radio stations in countries of the former Soviet Union, the Middle East, South Asia and the Balkans. The president of one of these countries told one of us last year that he begins every morning by listening to RFE’s summary of the news. While Hungary is a member of both NATO and the European Union, it is at risk of becoming a constitutional dictatorship and a pariah in the West. Its hastily adopted new constitution has no meaningful provisions for checks and balances. All branches of government and all independent institutions, including the judiciary, are controlled by Orban and his party for nine years with automatic renewal for many more similar terms." Image from

‘A Separation’ Oscar win heralded by Iranians - Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post: "Iranians are heralding the country’s first Oscar win as the best public diplomacy for the Islamic Republic in many years. With news dominated by Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions and talk of war, it is rare for the world to get a peek into the lives of normal middle-class Iranians, but the success of 'A Separation' offers a different picture.

Director Asghar Farhadi, who in January also won a Golden Globe for his fifth movie, underlined the tensions in Iranian society during his acceptance speech for winning the Oscar for best foreign film on Sunday. ... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s film czar, Javad Shamaghdari ... on Saturday had compared the Oscars to an 'unimportant film festival in some backwater town.' But on Monday, Shamaghdari lauded the Iranian Oscar win, saying that 'American judgment bowed for Iranian culture,' the semiofficial Mehr News Agency reported. ... The government’s spin notwithstanding, the movie’s success has been embraced by the country’s vast but politically silenced middle class. For them, the Oscar victory represents a rare moment of optimism in a year of increasing tensions with the West, including tighter sanctions that have driven up prices and weakened the national currency. ... 'A Separation' centers around the unraveling marriage of Nader and Simin, a couple in their 40s. It highlights the daily accommodations that people need to make in Iran to cope with suffocating laws and traditions. Their story is told against the backdrop of a quickly changing society governed by Islamic clerics, but where emigration, depression and an uncertain future have created separate realities." Farhadi image from article

Biggest anti-Israel conference evah? Americans there; UN, Europe in official attendance; *UPDATE*- J.E. Dyer, hotair.com: "An 'International Conference on Jerusalem' is being held 26-27 February in Doha, Qatar. The conference was scheduled by the Arab League during its meeting in Sirte, Libya in 2010. Its purpose is to combat the 'Judaization of Jerusalem.' ... [T]he English transcriptions (such as the ones at the official conference website) don’t all provide the event’s full name: 'International Conference for the Defense of Occupied Jerusalem.' Implied in this posture is a sense of momentum behind, and mainstreaming of, anti-Zionist themes. This unabashed posture is certainly bolstered by the attendance of representatives from around the globe. Thirteen of them are from the United States. One, Kenneth R. Insley, Jr., bills himself as a consultant to the US State Department. Mr. Insley’s Zoom Info profile describes him as the Director of Public Diplomacy for the Capital Communications Group, and a board member of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, Inc. The Foundation’s Links page includes a number of virulently anti-Israel groups such as the Holy Land Trust and the Applied Research Institute-Jerusalem/Society. (Note: the Foundation’s website does not show Insley as a board member, but the last update is marked with a date of March 2008.)" See also.

Encountering Peace: Q and A on the future of the Middle East - Gershon Baskin, Jerusalem Post: "Meeting with American Jews and non-Jews on college campuses, synagogues and churches all across America is always a refreshing opportunity to see how much interest our small country attracts. It is also quite disturbing how divisive the issue of support for Israel has become. ... In all of my talks

I always leave a large amount of time for questions, of which there are many, and not unsurprising to me the questions asked in the United States and not unlike those asked in Israel. ... Q: With the current state of internal politics on both sides, the divided Palestinian camp and the right-wing religious coalition in Israel, is it even possible to consider that progress towards peace is possible? A: Both leaders have been negotiating over their shoulders with their own public, either in the talks in Jordan, or in public diplomacy, rather than negotiating with each other. It is clear that both sides are concerned with the viability of their ability to govern with the current political constellations on both sides. This is why there is zero chance of success in a negotiation which is public or in the public’s eyes." Image of Israel beach from

A challenging solution for Syria‎ - Ali Bulac, Today's Zaman: "The clashes in Syria are growing in intensity and scope, causing large-scale casualties. If the bloodshed cannot be stopped at once, Syria may be dragged into a more comprehensive civil war, in which Syria may be divided along sectarian lines and the clashes may spread to the entire region. A full year has passed since the start of protest, and tragically, the regional countries have failed to display the right initiative, willpower and insight. Iran and Turkey have emerged as the top two countries who have failed the test with respect to the Syrian crisis. Leaving aside the national reflexes along with the rhetoric of public diplomacy strategies and propaganda, both countries have proved that they are actually no different from each other. They put the blame on each other but they appear to be equally guilty."

Russia can provide 'serious platforms' for Azerbaijani-Armenian dialogue - "News.Az interviews Alexey Vlasov, general director of Moscow State University's Post-Soviet Research Centre. Azerbaijan is seeking recognition of the Khojaly massacre in February 1992 as genocide. [Q:] The parliaments of a number of countries (in particular, Mexico and Pakistan) have already recognized the massacre as genocide. If the conflict had been settled in the 1990s, Azerbaijanis would have been unlikely to start this campaign and would have preferred to forget the bloody event for the sake of peace. Do you think that reconciliation of two countries that have such tragedies in their history is possible in the foreseeable future?

[Vlasov:] Reconciliation will come sooner or later, but it is too soon to speak about a date. We cannot see any serious achievements towards mutual understanding and compromise. Public diplomacy and the development of contacts between young people may produce an effect, but this also requires a lot of time. Therefore, I am optimistic but it is necessary to understand that a return to the previous relations may take decades. We all need to be patient." Vlasov image from article

Al-Shabaab is now in disarray – Ethiopian official - Daniel Berhane, danielberhane.wordpress.com: "In an exclusive interview with WIC, Getachew Reda, Public Diplomacy and Communications Director General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the terrorist group is greatly weakened."

Morality Play - Eusebius McKaiser, Foreign Policy: "South Africa certainly has massive foreign-policy weaknesses: poor public diplomacy, inconsistent and unpredictable moves on the world stage, and political and technical skills deficits within the international relations department. But a dearth of morality is not one of them."

Dan Bing Diplomacy - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Dear Taiwan, Thanks for following my advice on the beef noodle soup as a centerpiece of your gastrodiplomacy. Now, I am craving some dan bing for breakfast and think that it could make a great delicacy to promote. Dan bing is the Taiwanese breakfast crepe made from cracking an egg on a griddle and covering it with a spring roll pancake, as the egg cooks into the pancake it is then rolled up and cut it into little bites to be slathered with chili sauce.

It is delicious, and would be a super popular street breakfast food. I am still waiting for you to come out with food trucks too. This would be a fun foodtruck snack worthy of gastrodiplomacy promotion. sincerely, Bao Loa. " Image from article

Book Review: I’d Rather be in Charge: A Legendary Business Leader’s Roadmap for Achieving Pride, Power, and Joy at Work by Charlotte Beers: Charlotte Beers’s new book, I’d Rather Be in Charge, offers up some important lessons for women in business - Cari Guittard, periscopepost.com: "Charlotte Beers during her tenure as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs during the Bush Administration ... has been misunderstood, distorted, and often inaccurately reported.

Her distinguished advertising career – where she shattered one glass ceiling after the other – is often minimized and diminished by the media, and male journalists in particular, as seller of Uncle Ben’s Rice and Head and Shoulders. Really. Is that the best they can do when encapsulating a lifetime of leadership, taking risks, and performance in the corporate world over decades in traditionally male dominated industries? ... If there is one word to describe Beers – ... it is 'fearless'. The White House called prior to a press conference with Beers, asking ... the Under Secretary not to say certain things and then not to wear her trademark short leather mini-skirt and form-fitting sweaters. Beers was never shy about speaking her mind – which more often than not threw many of the straight-laced career foreign service officers and political appointees off kilter. She was also never shy about being feminine and wearing exactly what she wanted to at State – a land where there is very little color, form-fitting attire, and creativity." Image from article

People: America in the world–Louis Susman - agendani.com: "Ambassador to London since July 2009, Chicago-born Susman was a senior partner at the St Louis based law firm of Thompson and Mitchell for 27 years.

He then joined Salomon Brothers (later Citigroup), where he was Vice Chairman of Citigroup Corporate and Investment Banking. In 1998 he was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, which provided oversight to the US Information Agency." Susman image from article

At long last... it's almost March?! - Giannina, A Year in the Life of G: Tales of stepping out of the comfort zone and chasing my dreams: "Late November brought another highly anticipated trip - this time to Berlin. I had visions of a hedonistic up-all-night bender in the infamous German clubs type of weekend, but instead my friend Blair and I took the healthy and informative route, and I couldn't have enjoyed it more. We spent the weekend exploring museums, monuments and memorials, taking a walking tour that encompassed the main Nazi and Cold War sights on both sides of the Wall.

It was really eye-opening and fascinating to be in a part of the world where so much important historical and political events have happened, and to put it into context with my studies on propaganda, public diplomacy, and the war of words that was the Cold War. ... I'm REALLY enjoying the subject material in my courses - focusing on public diplomacy, propaganda, globalization, information flows, cultural imperialism, transnational activism, emergence of new technologies and historical, political and global change brought about through communication. It's all so fascinating!!" Image from entry, with caption: What's left of the Wall

RELATED ITEMS

Violent Uproar in Afghanistan Casts Shadow on U.S. Pullout - Matthew Rosenberg and Tom Shanker, New York Times: American officials sought to reassure both Afghanistan’s government and a domestic audience on Sunday that the United States remained committed to the war after the weekend killing of two American military officers inside the Afghan Interior Ministry and days of deadly anti-American protests. But behind the public pronouncements, American officials described a growing concern, even at the highest levels of the Obama administration and Pentagon, about the challenges of pulling off a troop withdrawal in Afghanistan that hinges on the close mentoring and training of army and police forces.

Egypt trial strains relations with U.S. - Hamza Hendawi, Washington Times: Egypt went forward with a trial Sunday that has plunged relations with the U.S. into the deepest crisis in decades, prosecuting 16 Americans and 27 other employees of pro-democracy groups on charges they used foreign funds to foment unrest. Behind the scenes, U.S. and Egyptian officials were said to be in intense discussions in an attempt to resolve the case.

America's Iranian Self-Deception: Let's admit the facts about its nuclear program and then have an honest debate about what to do - Frederick W. Kagan and Maseh Zarif, Wall Street Journal: Iran is starting to race to reach a breakout point at which the international community will be unable to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons, short of a massive American military strike. The evidence available supports no other conclusion. Those who oppose military action against Iran under any circumstances must say so, and must accept the consequences of that statement.

Those who advocate military action must also accept and consider the consequences—regional and possibly global conflict and all of the associated perils of war. But neither American nor Israeli nor any Western interest is served by lying to ourselves and pretending the predicament will go away. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad image from article

The genius of propaganda - Ben Kolisnyk, Asia Times: North Korea, like many autocratic regimes, uses numerous mediums to control ideas and information. This includes, but is not limited to, state run media, art (film, posters, theatre, mass games) and the educational system. As Jane Portal has pointed out, using art to persuade people to think that they live in the best possible world is not new. Augustus Caesar used art in the 5th century BC to perpetuate a new and lasting vision of Rome as the ideal world. The stylistic elements of North Korea's socialist realist propaganda art, according to Portal, have been influenced strongly by the Soviet Union. The primary characteristics of this art form are “accessibility to the masses, class consciousness, relevance to current issues and faithfulness to the Party.” Although this art is realist in its life-like depictions of subjects, it is idealistic in the content and messages it portrays. Socialist society and quality of life is hyper-inflated, and the people in it are given almost superhero qualities as a means of encouraging the masses to strive for this perfection. Leaders are portrayed as omnipresent, great soldiers, and benevolent fathers to assure the masses that they have their leaders to thank for successes and comforts, and are in capable hands. Thus, a common goal of autocratic regime propaganda is mobilizing support for the leader. The key propaganda themes of benevolent father and military man are also being played out in photographs and televised media.

And just what is it about the frequent use of horses in North Korean propaganda? The first statue ever erected of Kim Jong-il is him riding a wild steed, the first statue we are told because he was too humble to have one erected while he was alive (although a towering likeness is reportedly in the works). And as mentioned, Kim Jong-eun has frequently been pictured riding horses by state media. White horses, in particular, have a special meaning in Korean mythology in the story of Silla. In this story a white horse emerges from a bolt of lightning and bows to a shining egg from which a boy emerges. The boy then goes on to unify six warring states. While many scoff at the idea that North Korea is working towards a unified peninsula, the regime excels at linking Korean unity with racial purity, resistance to foreign intrusion, and how the Kim family lineage gives it the legitimacy to lead this charge. Image from