May 10

"We weren't on the wrong side. We were the wrong side."

--Daniel Ellsberg, who leaked documents from the Pentagon concerning the Vietnam War to The New York Times; image from

VIDEOS

(a) Muslim Conservatives Mad About Lady Gaga: First Christians in Korea, now Muslims in Indonesia: Lady Gaga's Asian tour is stirring up controversy. The Wall Street Journal's Deborah Kan speaks to reporter Eric Bellman; image from article under the title "Lady Gaga Warned about Offending Indonesian Muslims" by Asma Marwan, bulletinoftheoppressionofwomen.com

(b) Joseph Nye on Soft Power - abc.net.au: "Professor Joseph Nye created the concept of ‘soft power’ as a means of peaceful negotiation between nation states. This involves using the powerful tools of diplomacy, economic assistance and clear communication rather than using strong arm tactics of threats, coercion and military might. In this episode he gives the keynote address at the launch of Macquarie University’s Soft Power and Advocacy Research Centre (SPARC) where the research focus will be the function of the media in South Asia and China."

EVENT

A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment - Matt Armstrong, MoutainRunner:  "North Korea is one of the few remaining places where barriers to informing and engaging remain strong. While it remains unlikely Kim Jong Un will reduce the state’s control over the communication environment, a new report indicates access to unsanctioned foreign media is expanding inside the country.

The impact of access to alternative news could have interesting consequences inside the country. Tomorrow, May 10, InterMedia will host a conversation based on their new report, A Quiet Opening: North Koreans in a Changing Media Environment. The event starts at 9a and ends at noon. It will be at the Reserve Officer Association building at One Constitution Avenue NE on Capitol Hill." See also. Image from, with caption: North Korea Warns Retaliation if U.S. Stops Food Aid

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

A Meditation on Irrelevancy in Kabul - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: "In another social media coup, the State Department announces that 'Afghanistan’s Next Generation of Law Professors Find Success at Home and Abroad.' This little speck of taxpayer-paid fluff is all about the success of a scholarship program, written by the same person who is responsible for running the program. Objectivity builds credibility in social media ya’all! LOL!  Unfortunately, even a puff piece like this reveals more than it should. Just by reading the propaganda, you find that the program has been running since 2004 and in eight years, all of 229 people have participated, just 28 a year from a country of over 34 million. Worse yet, of those 229 only 18 have actually graduated from the full program.  ... But wait (shout State’s public diplomacists) helping lawyers in Afghanistan is not a bad thing! And even if the numbers helped are not as robust as we’d like, isn’t it better to do something instead of nothing? Doesn’t every little bit help? Yes, yes, the same tired rhetorical questions State trots out to justify its wandering-in-the-dark programs. The same tired response is that the US is supposedly engaged in a worldwide struggle and State is supposed to support the greater geopolitical goals of the nation. After eight years if the best you can do is say, well, it doesn’t seem harmful and maybe a few people benefited, that is a pretty piss poor justification for a program that costs millions of taxpayer dollars. ... And finally, just to clarify things, here is the actual wire diagram showing the relationships among the players in Rule of Law issues at the US Embassy in Kabul [:]

eDemocracy report from Lowey - US striding ahead -  Craig Thomler's professional blog - eGovernment and Gov 2.0 thoughts and speculations from an Australian perspective: “The Lowey Institute has released an excellent report on the state of US eDiplomacy by Fergus Hanson, which may help as a wake up call. Brought to my attention by Peter Timmin, who writes the Open and Shut FOI blog, Fergus's report, the result of four months spent in the US with the State Department, found that there are now 25 separate ediplomacy nodes operating at State’s Washington DC Headquarters employing over 150 full-time equivalent staff. Additionally (the report says) a recent internal study of US missions abroad found that there are 935 overseas staff employing ediplomacy communications tools to some degree, or the equivalent of 175 full-time personnel. The report states very clearly that, in some areas ediplomacy is changing the way State does business. For example, ['] In Public Diplomacy, State now operates what is effectively a global media empire, reaching a larger direct audience than the paid circulation of the ten largest US dailies and employing an army of diplomat-journalists to feed its 600-plus platforms. In other areas, like Knowledge Management, ediplomacy is finding solutions to problems that have plagued foreign ministries for centuries.[']”

Winds of change buffer Chinese film co-productions - Harvey Dzodin, chinadaily.com: "It is readily apparent to me that a critical mass has been reached and that China's long-time inability to master the art of soft power and cultural diplomacy is finally changing. The few popular long-time staples of Chinese cultural diplomacy like kung fu fighters and acrobats, together with a few memorable highbrow museum shows, now have more and more company. The floodgates seem to be suddenly opening to a growing tide of professional, world-class cultural exports and co-productions. Take the current in-depth multimedia exhibition, 'Terracotta Warriors: Defenders of China's First Emperor'

in Manhattan's Discovery Times Square. Unlike previous traveling museum-based exhibits of these iconic treasures that were object-focused, this show is designed to appeal to the masses and give a close-up and intimate understanding of the Qin Dynasty, the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang's rise to power, as well as the relatively peaceful life of the Han Dynasty which followed. It's a partnership that joins the Shaanxi provincial government, China Institute and the media-savvy exhibition subsidiary of Discovery Communications, parent company of the Discovery Channel. ... Even more important and far-reaching, however, are the announcements of Sino-Hollywood co-ventures, co-productions and various other cooperative ventures that began appearing during the visit of Vice-President Xi Jinping to the United States in February. At that time the annual limit on foreign films, which had been set at 20 for years, was increased by 14 more if these used IMAX or 3-D. Moreover, foreign studios got to keep about 25 percent of the box-office receipts, up from 13.5 to 17.5 percent. On the same day, it was announced that DreamWorks Animation was joining three Chinese partners to make live-action and animated TV programs and theatrical films 'for China, by the Chinese, in China, at a quality that can be exported to the rest of the world,' in the words of CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg. More recently, it was announced that the next Iron Man film will be co-produced in China with Disney partnering with Marvel Studios and Beijing-based DMG Entertainment. ... Last week, media tycoon Bruno Wu announced the establishment of the $1.27-billion Chinawood Global Services Base in Tianjin. With government backing, the film production base is expected to grow to 8.6 million square feet. This follows the announcement by legendary Titanic and Avatar filmmaker, James Cameron, that his Cameron Pace Group had signed an agreement to set up his China headquarters in the same Binhai New District of Tianjin to promote 3-D technology for Chinese filmmakers, media and game designers. ... The benefits for both sides are significant . ... China will be able to share and learn from Hollywood's century of creative and commercial success. This not only includes the art of filmmaking, including special effects, but marketing and theater operation. ... Perhaps the greatest benefit will be the learning that will take place by each side from the other. Neither side has a monopoly on knowledge. As the world shrinks, it is critical that we each understand, appreciate and share each other's very different outlooks." Image from

Music the Right Medium - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "The Bangkok Post has a nice article on American Voices YES Academy Thailand, which is going on right now. The performing arts academy is presently hosting 225 Thai youth from Bangkok, Yala, Hat Yai, Chiang Rai, Khon Kaen and beyond with 25 international students (Iraq, Malaysia, Vietnam, India, Nepal) with a U.S. faculty of 10 in a program of hip hop, Broadway, jazz and string orchestra."

NATO Reps, Protesters to Debate Next Week: Public forum to be held Thurs., May 17 at the Pritzker Military Library - Dick Johnson and BJ Lutz, nbcchicago.com: "NATO representatives will meet with members of the largest anti-NATO protest group will meet next week for an unprecedented one-hour public debate, NBC Chicago has learned.

Word of the strategic gesture toward the protesters came Wednesday afternoon from NATO's Secretary General following his meeting with the president at the White House. 'Our public diplomacy people are reaching out to these groups,' said Anders Fogh Rasmussen. 'They will organize some meetings where there will be a possibility to exchange views.' ... During 'Chicago Week' at NATO Headquarters in Brussels in March, there was perhaps a preview of how NATO representatives will respond. Upon being told of the protest slogan that 'NATO is the war machine of the one percent,' U.S. Ambassador [to NATO] Ivo Daalder rejected the notion, saying he believes NATO's true mission is sometimes misunderstood. 'I wouldn't regard NATO as a war machine for any percent,' he said at the time. 'What NATO is is an organization that brings together 28 countries.'" Image from article, with caption: NATO representatives will meet with members of the largest anti-NATO protest group will meet next Thursday at the Pritzker Military Library.

Are Mexico and the U.S. in Wonderland? - Oscar Castellanos del Collado, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: “'In Wonderland [: the Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States]' binds together Mexico and the U.S. by emphasizing the shared experiences between American, Mexican and European female émigrés both as women and artists.

This element could pave the way for reinvented narratives between the already very complex and fascinating relationship between the U.S. and Mexico." Image from article

Collateral entanglements - Aldo Matteucci, Reflections on Diplomacy: "[W]hen main goals and objectives and collateral effects intermingle [,] we may get 'collateral entanglements', which may derail the process, or highjack it, or even yield perverse results. 'Collateral effects' may be the political mileage the government obtains from the negotiating success – be it at the national or international level. Ministers may profit from a good press, or may be pilloried for failures. Careers are made and undone when it comes to negotiators. ... As the negotiating goals fades, the collateral effects tend to hog the center of the stage. What was expected fall-out can be achieved only through deliberate and assertive action: saving one’s political or

career skin influences or even overwhelms judgment about the negotiation as it reaches critical stage. The process may degenerate into downright fabrication and 'cover up'. In other words: suddenly tactics trumps strategy. In the short run this may sometimes be a winning position – particularly if the press is an accomplice. Deep trouble starts when failure has negative international consequences – as indicated at the beginning. Participants and bystanders are not easily fooled, and failure may harden fronts are create psychological barriers to a new start. At best disillusionment with the international process is the legacy – the complaint that multilateralism is 'shadow-boxing'. Multilateral and public diplomacy emerged from the ruins of secret 'cabinet diplomacy' and policy making. When transparency and accountability are the goal, politically self-serving camouflage is not the answer." Image from entry

Items from Public and Cultural Diplomacy: A group blog by students at London Metropolitan University: (a) A critical review of the report of the Advisory Committee on Cultural Diplomacy (b) Is This Nation rebranding or What?

Graph Mining Applications to Social Network Analysis: Apply to my citizen crawl of pre-Hillary public diplomacy - boizebu, Twitter

From English Teacher to Foreign Service Officer - Cha Jones, Women of Color Living Abroad: "As a Foreign Service Officer, there are five different career tracks

that you may enter: Consular officer, Economic officer, Management officer, Political Officer, and Public Diplomacy Office." Image from

NHL Playoffs: The Hockey Myth, Joel Ward and My Immigrant Identity - Sehreen Noor Ali, feetintwoworlds.org: "Sehreen Noor Ali worked for the State Department as a public diplomacy strategist for five years and recently moved to NYC to pursue a career in technology and education. She worked with the White House on President Obama’s Muslim engagement strategy and also led an effort to increase science and technology outreach."

RELATED ITEMS

Amendment puts spotlight on Pentagon propaganda - Gregory Korte, USA Today, posted at Stars and Stripes: A member of the House Armed Services Committee threatened an amendment to block funding for Pentagon propaganda efforts Wednesday, citing USA Today reports questioning their efficacy and management. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., called the information operations program a "fiasco" and said contracts with the largest

propaganda contractor, Los Angeles-based Leonie Industries, should be immediately suspended. Johnson also called for an investigation into reprisals against the USA Today journalists who have reported on the program, whom he said were "targeted in a possibly criminal disinformation and reputation attack." Image from

America’s War on Tourists: Foreign visitors are a goldmine for the U.S. economy, so why do we make it so hard for them to get here? - Matthew Yglesias, slate.com:  Tourism ought to be one of the main ways in which the United States benefits from global growth. With per capita GDP surging in China and generally on the up in India and Latin America, more people than ever can afford to travel. But American public policies are not helping foreign visitors as they could.

Everyone knows American transportation infrastructure is in many respects subpar, but few acknowledge the direct link this has to a key element of our international trade. Upgrading our airports, air traffic control, and rail and highway links would make it easier for visitors to come and spend. National parks and public lands, also facing major budget pressure, are critical elements in maintaining America’s appeal as a destination. And we ought to reassess some of the security measures implemented in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Workaday U.S. airport security is an enormous pain for everyone, and its national security value is dubious. The increased scrutiny given to people seeking tourist visas ishidden from most Americans but very annoying for potential tourists. The 36 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program that lets people make short-term visits without applying for special permission account for 65 percent of visits to the United States. But major Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, aren’t on the list. Even where it’s not viable to expand the Waiver Program, we should try to make the process more convenient. A January Obama administration executive order has succeeded in drastically reducing wait times from Brazil and China. But there are logistical issues beyond wait time. China, a nation of 1.2 billion people, has  just five locations where visas can be obtained. Harbin, a metro area about the size of Philadelphia’s, is an almost eight-hour drive from the nearest spot where you can interview. Image from

The Great Human-Rights Reversal: The Democratic left has conceded human rights to the conservatives - Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal: Liberals and Democrats who work on human-rights issues won't like to hear this, but with the Obama presidency, human rights has completed its passage away from the political left, across the center and into its home mainly on the right—among neoconservatives and evangelical Christian activists. Conservatives didn't capture the issue. The left gave it away. The official formulation of the left's revision of human rights came two months into the Obama presidency, with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's widely noted comment in Beijing that the new administration would be going in a different direction: "Our pressing on those issues [human rights] can't interfere with the global economic crisis, the global climate change crisis and the security crisis."

Under Netanyahu, Israel is stronger than ever - Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post: In his “The Crisis of Zionism,” Peter Beinart argues that the obsession with victimhood has prevented people in Israel and the United States from focusing on the gravest threat to Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state: demography.

If there is no progress toward a two-state solution, at some point Israel will not to be able to continue to rule over millions of Palestinians without giving them the right to vote — at which point it will cease to be a Jewish state. Netanyahu image from

Singapore’s next frontier - Matt Miller, Washington Post: Singapore's sound fiscal management puts it in an enviable position to make prudent adjustments to its social compact. And the nation’s well-deserved reputation for policy innovation means Singapore might come up with smart new ways to reconcile the tension between individual responsibility and social provision from which everyone from China to the United States might learn.

Now propaganda is a funny thing - This Is How Our Life Sounds Like: Several Western TV stations, republican-bound FOX and the brit BBC have shown those large protests in Russia declaring how fed up the people are with the lack of democracy.

To explain how stupid this is let's just use simple mathematics: The largest protests in Moscow following the latest elections had a crowd of around 20, 000 people. It seems to be a lot, but guess what: It's 0,16% of all the people living in Moscow. But people barely ever realize that they are being brainwashed all the time - FOX News would even show bits of the clashes in Greece and tell that it's happening in Russia. Image: ‎#6May: "Russia's Tianamen image" - Julia Ioffe @ioffeinmoscow. Via MP on facebook

Art behind the Iron Curtain: Exhibit showcases the works of two who defied Soviet control - Patrick Hruby, The Washington Times: In the Soviet Union, visual artists like Leonhard Lapin and Alexander Zhdanov had a choice. They could labor for the state, producing communist propaganda and pabulum while making no waves, in exchange for a studio, supplies and a livable wage. As an alternative, they could strike out as dissidents, be barred from galleries, scrounge for materials and eke out income by surreptitiously selling paintings to foreign diplomats, all while risking the ire of an ever-watchful government. In the new Russia — the free, modern, democratic one where ex-KGBofficer Vladimir Putin just celebrated his third presidential inauguration amid squashed protests — artists increasingly face a similar choice: Steer clear of political statements or pay a price.

The parallels between Soviet-era repression and Mr. Putin’s authoritarian rule are at the heart of “Lest We Forget: Masters of Soviet Dissent,” a new exhibition of paintings and drawings by Mr. Lapin and the late Mr. Zhdanov at Charles Krause/Reporting Fine Art gallery in Washington. Image from article, with caption: Leonhard Lapin’s “Stalinism and Satanism” series turns communist iconography on its ear. He is now considered one of Estonia’s most important modern artists.

Video: Edinburgh during wartime - scotsman.com: A wartime propaganda film featuring Edinburgh as an idyllic setting has been released by the British Film Council. For several decades, the Council was an enthusiastic commissioner and distributor of documentaries, designed to showcase Britain to the outside world and promote democratic values at a time when fascism was spreading across Europe. The films were largely shown at embassies, consulates and to students and schoolchildren around the world. Over 120 films providing fascinating snapshots of the UK’s cultural, sporting, industrial and political heritage have been launched online thanks to funding from Google and the British Council. The films are from the British Council’s own film archive which dates back to late 1939 – and give an insight not only into a bygone age, but also serve to capture how cultural relations has changed. The films have been digitised by Time/Image, an archive agency that grew out of work placements organised at the British Council by New Deal of the Mind as part of the Digital Domesday project. Briony Hanson, the British Council’s Director of Film, said: “This is a hugely exciting Collection available digitally for the first time so that audiences can watch, enjoy, use and play with the films in imaginative creative ways. Important in its own right, the Collection represents a significant chapter in British documentary history with involvement from some of the country/region’s cinema greats from Jack Cardiff to Ken Annakin. Much more than that, it also gives a unique insight into how Britain wanted to portray itself internationally – a portrait which was probably quite far from the truth. With our self image very much in the spotlight again this summer as the world watches the Olympics and the Jubilee, these films encourage us to ask timely questions about what it means to be British.

Propaganda Posters - nikisfierce.blogspot.com: Among them:

IMAGE

--Via NR on facebook