May 28

"Thus in silence in dreams' projections / Returning, resuming, I thread my way through the hospitals / The hurt and wounded I pacify with soothing hand / I sit by the restless all the dark night — some are so young / Some suffer so much — I recall the experience sweet and sad..."

--Walt Whitman, verses, from his "Wound-Dresser' poem," inscribed at one of the entrances to the Dupont Circle metro station in Washington, D.C.

VIDEO

Red Alert 3 Uprising - Soviet March 2 (soprano version), yutube.com. Via NI

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

GAO will audit Defense, State, NSA, CIA info ops. Hillary Clinton lauds successful US hack - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

US nonprofit Layalina marks 10 years of productions for Arab TV stations, claims larger audience than Alhurra - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: [Elliott comment:] "It's clear from the C-Span interview and from Layalina PR that Layalina has a public diplomacy mission -- even if it is largely privately funded. Each production is designed to bring about a some change in opinion or behavior that happens to be congruent with American interests. Alhurra, on the other hand, if it is doing its job properly, is a news station, simply informing its audience so that the audience is equipped to form its own opinions. The NGO-type function of Layalina and the journalistic function of Alhurra are therefore probably not compatible."

"An ocean of channels" from non-Arab countries competing for Arab television viewers - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: [Elliott comment:] "It is ... not correct to state that Alhurra 'does not have a high viewership,' because, among the non-Arab Arabic channels, it does."

VOA correspondent released from Ethiopian detention after police interrogation - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Good Enough for bin Laden - bloodthirstyliberal.com: “As there were no chickens or goats handy to hide behind, a woman had to do:  "The IDF imposed an embargo on a video allegedly documenting a Palestinian terrorist using a Palestinian woman as a human shield, Ynet discovered Sunday. Footage taken by IDF cameras in the area clearly shows the terrorist holding the woman hostage, carying her as a barrier between himself and IDF forces

. The video documents an incident that took place two weeks ago, near the Gaza border: Seven Palestinians planting explosive devices north of Beit Lahia were intercepted by IDF soldiers. The soldiers opened fire, injuring some of the men. The footage shows the terrorists running toward a group of farmers. Then, one of them grabbed a woman and carried her until taking cover behind a building. Golani Brigade soldiers, who are currently deployed in the sector, and have had the opportunity to see the footage, said it was clear that the woman was forced to run with her assailant until he found cover. ‘Why don’t they give this video to the media? It should be shown to Goldstone,’ said one of the soldiers The IDF spokesman’s unit said in response that, ‘The IDF uses the various means in its disposal to document its operational activities for purpose of debriefing, public diplomacy and possible criminal action. Nevertheless, for security reasons not all documented events are released for publication.’ Sometimes, it doesn’t seem clear that Israel understands it’s in a propaganda war as well as a hot war. Along with usurping ambulances, baby carriages, women’s bodies—everything imaginable—Arabs turn everything into a weapon. Or a shield, as in this case, and as in the case of the Church of the Nativity.” Image from

How #loveculture will backfire on Israel’s public diplomacy propaganda - prasino.eu: “#Loveculture becomes a twitter clash this week.  The Israeli Embassy in London is planning a twitter campaign to try to offset negative publicity surrounding the Habima Theatre company at the Globe in London. The company is due to perform ‘The Merchant of Venice’ within the World Shakespeare Festival, part of the Cultural Olympiad. Leading British actors and directors, including  Emma Thompson, Caryl Churchill and Mark Rylance have called for a withdrawal of the invitation.  A campaigning group from Israel commented: this play includes the role of ‘Shylock, the most famous and controversial Jewish character in the theatre canon’ – which naturally, presents particularly acute problems and dilemmas to an Israeli theatre. As told to the Israeli media, the Habima Theatre did not sidestep the problems inherent to this particular element of the Shakespeare canon, but faced them and dealt with them in a socially engaged and committed manner. According to the designated director Ilan Ronen, Habima’s presentation of ‘The Merchant of Venice’ will emphasize the issue of xenophobia – persecution of the Jew in particular but also of hatred of ethnic and religious minorities in general. As such, it would have of direct relevance to audiences in contemporary Britain, as in all times and places. The problem rests with Habima’s performances last year in the illegal settlements in occupied West Bank: In the past year, two large settlements – Ariel in the northern part of the West Bank and Kiryat Arba in its south – set up ‘Halls of Culture’ and asked theatres to come and present their plays there. Last year, a large group of Israeli theatre professionals – actors, stage directors, playwrights – declared they would not take part in such performances; among them were such well-known people as Joshua Sobol, Edna Mazia, Shmuel Hasfari and Anat Gov. For several weeks, this was a major issue on the Israeli public agenda, and the aforementioned Israeli theatre professionals have received much support from colleagues abroad, such as Stephen Sondheim, Mary Rodgers, Tony Kushner, Mandy Patinkin, Theodore Bikel, Mira Nair, Julianne Moore, Vanessa Redgrave, Hal Prince, Roseanne Barr and other Broadway and Hollywood stars. ( http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/blog/breaking-stephen-sondheim-julianne-m… ) The dissident Israeli theatre professionals have argued that the West bank settlements had been created in violation of International Law and with the specific aim of blocking any possibility of achieving peace with the  Palestinians; that the expropriation of land in an occupied territory and the creation and maintenance of armed settlement enclaves are the very opposite of what is commonly termed ‘Culture’; and that therefore, a settlement maintaining a ‘Hall of Culture’ was a blatant contradiction in terms. It is especially noteworthy that Ariel and Kiryat Arba, like most settlements, are surrounded by walls and fences, closely guarded by soldiers and their own armed security personnel. A theatrical performance in a settlement is by definition a performance to an exclusively Israeli audience, with Palestinians living even in the nearest village being physically excluded from any chance of attending. Despite all of the above, however, on this issue the management of Habima has taken a position which is remote from any kind of social engagement. Claiming to be ‘non-political’, the management has reiterated its decision to perform in West Bank settlements, ‘like everywhere else’. Moreover, the management specifically promised Limor Livnat, Minister of Culture in the Netanyahu Government, to ‘deal with any problems hindering such performances’, i.e. to pressure recalcitrant actors into taking part in them, even against the dictates of their conscience.  And it must be pointed out that for several months, Habima has indeed sent out its actors to hold theatrical performances in West Bank settlements, on a regular basis. There are reports that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is providing £10,000 towards the costs. The Israeli Embassy emailed on Friday to British groups: As part of the campaign around Habima’s performance at the Globe this coming week, we are aiming to get something relevant trending on Twitter. After careful consideration, we have decided to use the hashtag #LoveCulture as it is short enough to fit on a substantial tweet and won’t be taken at first glance as a political statement. The email even includes suggested tweets. (Don’t be fooled when you read; Fantastic seeing the foremost Hebrew speaking theater company perform the Merchant of Venice @the_globe #LoveCulture Was great to hear @edvaizey enjoyed watching @HabimaTheatre…did he understand any of it though? #LoveCulture [.] Public diplomacy or propaganda?  The only countries which seem to orchestrate explicit social media campaigns seem to be those on the defensive with something to hide; those outside the international norms: China’s famous 50 centers spring to mind.  The #loveculture tweets this week will rebound on Israel.  It will highlight their illegal occupation and settlement of the West Bank, as will any future social media interventions so obviously supporting the government line.”

Rethinking our power and influence in a networked centered world - ethicalcomment.wordpress.com: "If power is becoming more diffuse and if we really are entering a ‘G-Zero world’ then relying on traditional networks to influence policy is unlikely to have much traction. Organizing civil society demonstrations here in the UK might help to store up the government’s public diplomacy in international meetings. It might also on occasion serve to check certain policy stances adopted by the government that we find distasteful. But, when the government’s ability to realize the change we want is waning isn’t it high time we re-thought our own strategy of political engagement? If we are concerned by the unfolding sectarian civil war in Syria and if we feel strongly enough that there are important principles that need defending then merely targeting the British Government to do more isn’t going to achieve much. If Russia and China are the stumbling blocks for more concerted international action on Syria, then surely it makes better sense for us as Churches to reach out to the Russian Orthodox Church?"

Embassy or Prison? France’s Mission in Bogota, Colombia - rensmicrodiplomacy.com  "When it comes to embassy architecture, the big discussion has been around fortress embassies - foreign missions with glaring security features. From a public diplomacy standpoint, these building project a negative message about the security situation in the host country, and they are not inviting to the public.

Case in point: Embassy of France in Bogota, Image from entry

Top 10 Diamond Jubilee events in Bristol - bristolnews.mobi: "7.Jubilee lectures – an early one for the diary – May 10; Professor Sir David Cannadine, historian, will be giving the Bristol Diamond Jubilee Lecture – Sixty years a Queen: The Diamond Jubilee in Historical Perspective. It will compare and contrast the diamond jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1897 and that of our current monarch. The lecture, organised by the University of Bristol, is free but booking is required. On May 9 a twilight lecture will be held at M Shed called Dressing up and Queening it: Queen Elizabeth II, dress and British public diplomacy. Speaker will be Professor Jutta Weldes, school of sociology, politics and international studies. Free but booking required. Further information from cpe-info@bristol.ac.uk."

Spinster Diplomacy - Heather, Adventures Around the World: A foreign service officer's tales of life abroad: "As my time in Nepal comes to an end, I've been thinking about the work I've done here and forcing myself to honestly consider whether it's made a difference. While I can't boast about helping the government of Nepal get their act together (the political parties were unable to reach a deal on a new constitution and now the government has dissolved), I do think I've been able to make a small difference in how Nepalis regard America. One of the controversial parts of public diplomacy work is that it's difficult to measure success. I think one measurement is the willingness of the host country to listen to what we have to say. Over time, our outreach efforts help us build credibility and develop an environment in which the public listens to us when we have something to say, rather than dismissing our message as 'foreign interference.' Of course, this is much easier to do in a country that is already favorably disposed to America. I've travelled all over Nepal, engaged with thousands of Nepalis, and established friendships with a handful. While issuing press releases and posting messages on social media reach a large number of people (and seeing my words quoted in a newspaper never gets old), it has been the personal connections that I think have had the greatest impact."

Swapping music with teenagers, sharing stories about my childhood at an American Corner, nominating a talented young woman for a prestigious exchange program to the States. These are what I'll remember most about my contributions in Nepal. Most recently I met a young woman who works for an organization that assists survivors of human trafficking or domestic abuse. We started talking about the customs in that part of the country and what the expectations are for women of her age, religion, caste, etc. After listening to her for a while, I casually mentioned that I have never been married. She considered this for a moment and then her face lit up. 'Oh, I'm so happy that I met you!' I don't think she had ever met a women who never married (certainly not one of my age) and to see a real-life example was shocking. She said so many girls are pressured to marry at a very young age, but she wants to get an education, pursue a career in social service, and continue living with and caring for her parents. I think she will fulfill that goal." Heather image from article

RELATED ITEMS

Remembrances Around the Foreign Service on Memorial Day - Domani Spero, DiploPundit

Tomgram: Engelhardt, The Road to Amnesia - Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch: On this Memorial Day, there will undoubtedly be much cant in the form of tributes to “our heroes” and then, Tuesday morning, when the mangled cars have been towed away, the barbeque grills cleaned, and the “heroes” set aside, the forgetting will continue.

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"[A] senior NATO official said that so far there is no evidence of any civilian casualties. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information."

--Rahim Faiez, Associated Press, on the topic of "The U.S.-led coalition on Sunday disputed reports that eight civilians, including children, were killed in a NATO airstrike in a remote part of eastern Afghanistan."

"The IDF spokesman's unit said ... 'Nevertheless, for security reasons not all documented events are released for publication.'"

--Yoav Zitun, "IDF documents Palestinian using human shield: Censored video shows terrorist use woman as human shield while planting explosives. Soldiers irked by 'censorship'; IDF says not all footage taken by military is published," ynetnews.com. Image from

IMAGE

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