“She put a little spin on it."
--One senior Defense Department official, regarding Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton accusasing Russia on Tuesday of shipping attack helicopters to Syria that would “escalate the conflict quite dramatically,” without her saying whether the aircraft were new shipments or, as administration officials say is more likely, helicopters that Syria had sent to Russia a few months ago for routine repairs and refurbishing, and which were now about to be returned; image from
“What Secretary Clinton said was a continuation of what we’ve been saying.”
--White House spokesman Jay Carney
VIDEO
Гимн Следственного комитета (The Hymn of the Investigative Committee); via OR and NP on Facebook
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
God’s Will: Academi and Mercs at State - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: "In the days since 9/11, State has undergone a fundamental shift, one that has required the organization to make a Devils’ Bargain with mercenaries. Prior to 9/11, State’s policy was generally to evacuate embassies in countries at war, reinserting diplomats when things quieted down to the point that diplomacy was again possible. This strategy worked well for some 220 years of American history. After 9/11, State felt compelled to out-macho the military, to prove its manliness in the testosterone-fueled Bush (and now Obama) years. This meant opening and/or keeping open embassies in the midst of shooting wars, originally just in Iraq and Afghanistan, but now spread alongside America’s increasingly one-tune foreign policy of belligerence to places like South Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere in drone land. The US military, already stretched thin by endless war, has neither the forces nor the interest in guarding State’s pasty pseudo warriors, and so the Department of State is forced to turn to private armies, like Academi,
mercenaries, to enable its macho posture abroad. ... The solution is straightforward. State should understand and admit that it is neither equipped, trained nor needed for combat situations. State should take a step back from adventures that assure its role as negotiators, diplomats, public diplomacists and the like will be misunderstood at best, and refocus its resources away from spending billions on private armies. Until then, State is forced into bed with creepy organizations like Academi, and will suffer for it." Image from
Can Sports Save the World? Reflections of a Former Little Leaguer on Sports, Diplomacy, and Globalization - Derek Shearer, huffingtonpost.com: "Sports diplomacy is increasingly an important tool in the 'soft power' arsenal of nations. An invitation from Mao and Chou En Lai to the U.S. ping pong team to visit China paved the way for Nixon's famous visit and the opening of relations between the two countries. During the Clinton administration, the U.S. tried wrestling diplomacy with Iran to make overtures to the revolutionary government, and baseball diplomacy has been attempted with Cuba a number of times. When I served as U.S. Ambassador to Finland, I regularly greeted visiting U.S. sports teams. I engaged in a free throw contest at a Finnish basketball game, and threw out the ball at the championship game in the Finnish American football league at the Olympic stadium. The U.S. embassy team on which I played point guard defeated the Russian embassy for the diplomatic cup. During a speaking tour of China in the late 90s, I recognized that the most famous American in the country was not President Clinton, but basketball star Michael Jordan. Photos of him airborne in his Nike shoes adorned the walls of cafes and dorm rooms. Under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the State Department has increased its efforts at sports diplomacy. Hillary recently named NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as a cultural ambassador and sent him to Brazil. The U.S. has sent top women snowboarders Amber Stackhouse and Erin Comstock to Armenia where they visited Yerevan and judged local competitions at a ski resort. Hillary has made it a priority to promote female participation in sports around the world. Other countries also understand the use of sports as effective public diplomacy. New Zealand has used its love of rugby and the international success of the All Blacks to engage in rugby diplomacy. The success of Serbian tennis players on the international circuit has helped to change attitudes about that country and its checkered past. Nelson Mandela made use of the world rugby tournament to highlight his public support for the Spring Boks -- the favorite team of Akfrikaners -- to reach out to white South Africans (a story told by Clint Eastwood in the film Invictus)."
New Orleans entrepreneurial efforts now garnering global recognition - Adriana Lopez, nolavie.com: Now,
American politics, economics, society, culture, and values. In the wake of the one-year anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Williamson will be leading a program titled ‘Opportunity After Disaster: New Innovation in
The State Department’s Confusion over Confucius Institutes - Helle Dale, heritage.org: "On May 17, Robin J. Lerner, deputy assistant secretary for private sector exchange at the State Department, made a valiant attempt to correct the troubling disparity in the public diplomacy competition between the Chinese and American governments, a competition in which the Chinese are clearly pulling ahead. The issue in question was the Chinese government-sponsored Confucius Institutes hosted by American universities. China has 70 such institution in the United States, more than any other country in the world. The U.S., meanwhile, has all of five America Centers in China. Lerner signed a visa policy directive and sent it to U.S. universities that sponsor Confucius Institutes. The document stated that any faculty member who, through a college’s J-1 exchange program, teaches students of elementary or secondary school age, is violating visa rules. It also stated that the educator must return to China by June 30 to reapply for an appropriate program. If enacted, at least 51 Chinese teachers would have been forced to leave the U.S. ... Not surprisingly, the Chinese government went ballistic. The issue was covered extensively on the Chinese evening news and in print, unlike here in the U.S., where it barely made a media blip. According to China Daily USA, on May 20, the head of Confucius Institute headquarters in China wrote to her U.S. university partners that she hoped that the project would not be affected or halted by the directive. Lerner met with Chinese officials for a 'candid' talk, and within 24 hours of this consultation, a revised policy directive was sent out on May 25. As a result, no Chinese teacher will be forced to leave the country, and no accreditation is required for the institutes. China Daily USA even gloated that the State Department allowed Chinese officials a sneak peek of the revised document before it came out. ... It is a shame that this unusual display of State Department backbone in dealing with China was so short-lived. It might have created the reciprocity and symmetry that U.S. public diplomacy needs to have a chance against China’s ideological advances on U.S. university campuses. However, it was very clumsily handled, and the result was an American loss of face."
Grouch... - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "So this Muppet is sure curious what transpired in Pakistan as to cause the canceling of Sesame Street. Alleged corruption in Pakistan, apparently. I would like some more details than that. Simply pulling the plug on a $20 million Sesame Street project with just a third spent, we should have some serious additional details. Frankly, I can't imagine the details concern me though. Unless it was seriously egregious, this simply causes more ill will; unless it was seriously egregious, frankly I would have let it go. This goes from good PD to bad PD real quick."
12-hour bus ride for love of hip hop - New Straits Times: "Sim Yian Haw, 24, was among 35 chosen to participate in America's foremost training programme in hip hop held at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) from June 1-5. The insurance agent had earlier submitted his dance routine for an online audition as he could not afford the expensive air tickets. ... The programme, sponsored by US Embassy Kuala Lumpur and American Voices Association were recruiting Sabah and Sarawak's best young dancers and hip-hop talents to further expose them to the hip hop artistic subcluture. During the one-week intensive programme, the students aged between
14 and 31 had the opportunity to learn hip hop skills and history from HaviKoro Crew, one of United State's most well known Hip Hop teams. ... Established since 2008, American Voices Association executive director John Ferguson said the programme aimed to expose talents across the globe to a wide variety of dance, music and community leadership. ... Apart from dancing, YES Academy Hip Hop Kinabalu students also learnt graphic design and how to be disc jockeys from experts. Ferguson said YES Hip Hop and Broadway Penang would be held in George Town from June 7 -- 17 and those interested should visit www.yesacedemy.info" Via; image from article, with caption: HaviKoro choreographer Chris Thomas teaching participants some of his hip hop moves during a dance practice session at Universiti Malaysia Sabah in Kota Kinabalu on Sunday. (Inset) Sim Yian Haw, who took a bus from Miri to Kota Kinabalu because he could not afford the airfare.
Why Repeal of Smith-Mundt is Not Enough for Public Diplomacy - Jeremy Berkowitz, Public Diplomacy Council: "Constant gridlock on Capitol Hill means fewer bills are passed without a vigorous debate on their merits. If legislation regarding less visible issues wants to see a vote outside of a committee, it is often cobbled into a larger bill, usually related to a department authorization or appropriation. Hence, it was not surprising a few weeks ago to learn that an amendment to the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 ("Smith-Mundt") had been added to the 2012 Defense Authorization Bill. Congressmen Adam Smith (D-WA) and Mac Thornberry (R-TX) have worked for several years to repeal the outdated domestic dissemination ban first inserted in Smith-Mundt in 1948, and later strengthened in 1972. Both representatives are genuinely concerned that the domestic dissemination ban is not only antiquated, but also prevents the State Department from using all available tools to conduct effective public diplomacy. The repeal of the domestic dissemination ban is a good thing for public diplomacy, and the changes currently made are narrowly tailored. The bill makes clear that the repeal of the ban only applies to material produced by the State Department after the law goes into effect. The bill also makes clear that Smith-Mundt only applies to the State Department. This means that the Defense Department, which routinely produces psy-op materials for countries where the U.S. military is fighting wars, would not be obligated to release those materials upon request. However, there should be concern that this amendment is not providing public diplomacy with the proper attention it deserves during a legislative debate. A simple repeal of the domestic dissemination ban, while necessary, is insufficient, as protections will be needed to ensure that State Department personnel do not encounter interference with their work. However, more importantly, Smith and Thornberry are denying Congress the opportunity to have an important discussion about the role of public diplomacy in 2012. When Smith-Mundt was passed in 1948, it culminated a three year debate over the type of international information strategy the U.S. government wanted to establish after World War II. The stakes of public diplomacy currently demand a similar debate."
How the US is Slowly Cultivating the Conditions for a Renewed International Order - Ben O’Loughlin, globalpolicyjournal.com: "Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter’s talk in Parliament in London this week offered useful insights into how the Obama administration and foreign policy analysts around it are thinking about shaping international order. As Director of Policy Planning in that administration from 2009-11 she spoke from experience about the mechanisms being used to implement international change. ... Slaughter began by saying that structures are being put in place whose effects won’t be visible for some years. The structures the US is building are informed by the assumption that the biggest development in international relations is not the rise of the BRICs but the rise of society – 'the people' – both within individual countries and across countries. The US must build structures that harness societies as agents in the international system. Slaughter returned to Putnam’s (1988) two-level game, the proposition that it is in the interaction of international and domestic politics that governments can play constituencies off against one another to find solutions to diplomatic and policy dilemmas. Slaughter took up this framework: the US administration must see a country as comprised of both its government and its society, work with both, and enable US society to engage other countries’ governments and societies. The latter involves the US acting not as 'do-er' but as 'convenor', using social media and organising face-to-face platforms for citizens, civil society groups and companies to form intra- and international networks. Critically, these two levels are flat. This took me by surprise. At the society level, citizens, civil society groups and companies are connected horizontally. No particular group or individual is afforded a priori centrality.
Why is this a surprise? Public diplomacy experts have spent the last few years trying to target ‘influencers’ in societies. Influencers are political, religious or cultural figures who are listened to by others. This idea is informed by network analysis, marketing, and the idea that State Department messages are more credible in different parts of the world when mediated and delivered by a local influential figure than by Hillary Clinton on TV. Slaughter was not convinced by reliance on influencers, empirically or normatively. She argued that all the millions marketers have spent still hasn’t generated any clear knowledge about how influencers can be identified and utilised. Not only that, but it is surely preferable to try to engage whole societies and treat all individuals equally. That would flourish a greater democratic ethos than appealing to amenable clerics, companies, journalists and intellectuals in the hope they might spread the word downwards." Image from
Rep. Donald Manzullo Holds A Hearing On Us-Korea Alliance Outlook - power-eng.com: “ROYCE [Rep. Ed Royce, R-Calif.] ... One of the things that is changing in North Korea are the attitudes of people as a result of watching the DVDs, this influx of DVDs that you've heard about. And that sort of brings up this issue of public diplomacy. As people watch these South Korean DVDs, we already hear the reports from studies that show that the North Korean government now has to back away from the, you know, that they say, well, you live in a workers' paradise and everything is really, really bad in South Korea. And now, people know that that's the opposite of being true. They know that things are really rough. ... How can we better use technology to bring information in North Koreans. I know that (inaudible) and (inaudible) both said that it was the radio broadcast that they and their people were listening to into Poland, into the Czechoslovakia that created this change, this change in attitude where after some months of, sort of, a changed approach that occurred under the Reagan Administration. The reports back that I've gotten from those that were involved at the time where the people just changed their attitude, and it was time for change, and time for evolution. How do we tap into that? ZUMWALT [Jim Zumwalt, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau Of East Asian And Pacific Affairs, U.S. Department Of State] : I agree with you that more contact with the -- the more contact that citizens in North Korea have with outside world, the more likely that you will see change occurring. You've mentioned the advent of DVDs and people watching DVDs. I think two other noteworthy developments on the increase in the use of cell phones, some of which are -- have some contacts with ethnic Koreans living in China, for example. And the other important vehicle may be medium wave radio broadcasting. And ... ROYCE: And RSA and VOA, we need to do more in terms of medium wave. And we -- we -- we need to be a little more provocative because if you -- if you'll notice, we changed our approach in Eastern Europe when we decided it was time, you know, to really let people know the truth about what was going on and to maybe try to change those regimes. And I'd say with all the information we're getting from defectors now about the conditions in the -- in the concentration camps, or work camps, whatever you want to call them, getting that information about the regime in real time, and the mistakes being made by the regime, that kind of a surrogate news broadcasting service, is really crucial in terms of waking people up about the conditions they're living under and the opportunity to change those conditions. And I'm not just talking about people who are farmers. It has a marked impact on civil service, and on the military. I've talked colonels who have defected, and senior civil service who have defected as a result of living -- listening to these broadcasts. But it takes a certain attitude, a change in attitude about what we're going to be willing to push. And it takes using ex-pats from North Korea and getting them ... up on the air talking about what they've experienced, and contrasting that with what they're seeing with their eyes in China and South Korea today in order to get people to recalibrate their thinking. Could more of that be done? ZUMWALT: ... I think you point out a very good opportunity. Both governments broadcast like VOA, but also, as you point out, there -- in South Korea, there are many nongovernmental organizations or also doing broadcasts in -- about information from North Korea. So, I think both of those avenues are very important and things that we should continue to ... ROYCE: And how could you help advance that? ZUMWALT: ... I think, obviously, that's a very important area that we need to consider how we can advance more, because I do think that radio broadcasting is one of the most -- one of the most promising channels for getting more information to people inside North Korea. ROYCE: Yes, I -- maybe we can talk later about some additional ideas. Maybe you all could come up with some -- maybe go back and talk to some of the people that handled Eastern Europe and see how they did it and come up, maybe, with a little bit more aggressive plan for communication with people, and for more DVDs, ways to get those into the country in order to enlighten people in North Korea. Thank you very much Mr. Chairman, and I yield back. MANZULLO: Thank you, Mr. Royce. Thank you, Secretary Zumwalt.”
Broadcasting Board of Governors threatens employees with punishment for revealing non-public information - BBGWatcher, USG Broadcasts/BBG Watch: "In a controversial move for a U.S. government international broadcasting agency, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) published a resolution threatening its employees with punishment and disciplinary measures for unauthorized disclosure of official non-public information.
BBG manages the Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S. taxpayer-funded international broadcasters charged with providing news and information to foreign audiences. A large part of the BBG’s mission is to help combat censorship and other restrictions on media and freedom of expression in Iran, China, Russia and other countries." Image from article
Madonna’s hits and Earth Science field trips - The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies: "This year AIES was fortunate enough to receive a grant from the Office of Public Diplomacy at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. As part of this grant, we were able to host a number of guest speakers during the semester. From Wednesday May 16th to Saturday May 18th, students participated in a workshop called 'Mediation, Collaboration and Creativity' run by our guest lecturers from Vermont – Tom Bogdan and Susan Sgorbati from Bennington College and Rabbi Michael Cohen. Rabbi Michael Cohen’s workshop discussed environmental lessons from the Bible, reflections of an environmental activist, and the relationship between home, land and identity. Tom Bogdan’s workshop 'The Power of Song: A Way to Mediate Differences' pushed students to discover a little more about the importance of their voices while teaching them fun and inventive songs and vocal exercises. Susan Sgorbati’s workshop 'Solving the Impossible: Emergent Structuring for Intractable Conflicts’ introduced how emergent improvisation is a useful skill that can be used to resolve disputes that are seemingly impossible. Susan also held two creative sessions on improvised dance and movement for students and staff. As part of the same grant, Ben and Sarah Manski came to the Arava Institute a week later to host an environmental leadership workshop. They offered discussions on relevant and interesting topics including corporate power, green economy and austerity policy. These topics have been at the center of discussions inside and outside the classroom, and the students enjoyed having insightful constructive conversations between one another and the Manskis."
Hollywood Star David Arquette Celebrates Bar Mitzvah at the Wall - Eyal Schwartz, jewishpress.com: "American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, fashion designer, and occasional professional wrestler David Arquette is in Israel as a guest of the Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs. Third generation of the Arquette acting dynasty (grandfather Cliff Arquette, father Lewis Arquette, siblings Rosanna, Richmond, Patricia and Alexis Arquette), David has starred in the 'Scream' series, 'Wild Bill,' 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer,' 'Never Been Kissed' and 'Dream with the Fishes.'
He was also a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion. David Arquette’s mother is Jewish, the daughter of a Holocaust refugee from Nazi-occupied Poland, and his father is a convert to Islam." Image from article, with caption: David Arquette putting on tefillin at the Wailing Wall on Monday
Seeking kin: At an annual rite, South Korea salutes Jewish Korean War soldiers - jta.org: "Draping his country’s ribboned Peace Envoy Medal over the head of Irwin Goldstein, South Korea’s ambassador to Israel, Ma Young-Sam, felt a deep sense of national and personal gratitude. National for Goldstein’s fighting for the United States in the Korean War.
Personal because Ma’s father held a municipal government position when the communist North invaded South Korea in 1950 and might have been executed had his country lost the war. Goldstein was one of seven Korean War veterans residing in Israel honored by Ma on June 25, 2009. The ceremony has been held each year since, with the next one set for June 25, the anniversary of the war’s start. ... Ma said ... Israel made a strategic turn to the United States by supporting America’s pro-South efforts against the Soviet Union-backed North. Israel also decided to send $100,000 in food items to South Korea. 'This was 1950. Israel was not rich at the time,' Ma said last week from Seoul, where he now handles the Foreign Ministry’s public diplomacy and performance evaluation. We appreciate that very much.'” Image from article, with caption: Ma Young-Sam, left, until last year South Korea's ambassador to Israel, says he feels "so fortunate" to have paid tribute to American Jewish ex-soldiers like Leonard Wisper, who he is greeting here.
Israel Daily News Stream – Pesach Benson, honestreporting.com: "The Israeli state comptroller, Micha Lindenstrauss, issued a report sharply critical of the government’s handling of the Mavi Marmara raid. Among other things, he faulted public diplomacy efforts in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and IDF. According toYNet: 'While the flotilla’s organizers flooded the media with reports placing
Democratic? Let’s put @Sweden Into Context - Christian Christensen,
hrchristensen.wordpress.com: "The 24-hour rise and fall (and rise again…the feed now has seen a big jump up to 42,000 followers) of the@sweden twitter account — from global PR masterpiece to international diplomatic embarrassment — is an excellent case study in the hyping of the benefits and perils of technology at the expense of contextualization. The account, which had already received a decent amount of press, achieved a global exposure breakthrough with an article in the New York Times entitled, ‘Swedes’ Twitter Voice: Anyone, Saying (Blush) Almost Anything.’ This headline managed to crystallize everything that is misleading and shortsighted about coverage of the @sweden project: (1) the idea that the feed is the ‘voice’ of Swedes; (2) the idea that ‘anyone’ can take part; and (3) an obsessive, uncritical focus on the fact that the feed was/is marked by supposedly non-repressed Swedish sexuality. I imagine that most people reading this post will by now be aware of what happened only a matter of hours after the New York Times articles came out: the @sweden ‘curator’ sent out a number of tweets about Jews which caused a near-immediate avalanche of global media coverage containing breathless hyperbole about a failed democratic experiment where one person represents an entire country on the world stage.
As a media story, of course, this had it all: modern technology, a young blonde Swede using salty language, making risque comments about sex, Jews and AIDS, all framed within a vague understanding of Sweden and Swedishness. So, what’s the problem? Let’s start with the obvious fact that… 1. @sweden is an exercise in calculated PR and nation branding: Sweden has been very aggressive in promoting Brand Sweden online, from the rather misguided opening of a virtual Swedish embassy on Second Life, to Foreign Minister Carl Bildt blogging and tweeting his way through international diplomacy, to the current Swedish government taking the lead on providing foreign aid to net activists. In fairness, it has been widely reported that @sweden is the brainchild of the Volontaire advertising agency (who also work for corporations such as Nestle and SonyEricsson), at the behest of the Swedish Institute (a state organization involved in public diplomacy) and Visit Sweden (the Swedish national tourism agency), as a project to increase Swedish exposure on Twitter. Deeper considerations of what this fact means for the @sweden feed, however, are rarely presented. And, so, something that we might want to think about in relation to this might be that… 2. The selection of @sweden tweeters might be less ‘democratic’ and representative than the rhetoric suggests.” Image from
Babus is in a turf war over the MEA's plan for new secretary position - Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, dailymail.co.uk: "The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) lobby, in yet another attempt to maintain their dominance, has vetoed a proposal by the ministry of external affairs (MEA) to create a secretary-level post for better public dealing. The ministry currently has five secretaries - foreign, secretary (east), secretary (west), secretary (economic relations) and dean of Foreign Service Institute (secretary-level post). It had mooted a proposal to create the post of secretary (public affairs) - a nodal post that will deal with visa matters, Haj-related issues, publicity matters and public diplomacy. The plan received support from no less than the external affairs minister, S.M. Krishna, as the post would have helped coordinate between the four existing divisions of the ministry for efficient public interface. The objective was that the secretary (public affairs) would ensure smooth functioning of these four key divisions, each led by a joint secretary. The proposal, however, hit a roadblock with cabinet secretary Ajit Seth opposing it soon after the idea was sent to him for approval. It is understood that Seth and the IAS lobby have strong views against creating another secretary-level position which, according to them, will be disproportional in comparison to the other ministries. According to sources in the South Block, Seth has refused to accept the MEA's rationale behind the proposal. Diplomats have already been upset with the IAS lobby for encroaching upon their territory by eyeing the posts of commercial counsellors across 40 Indian embassies. Currently, the posts of commercial counsellors in Washington, London and Tokyo are reserved for the IAS. Besides, the head of the Indian mission at Brussels oscillates between the IAS and IFS. Surprisingly, there are voices within the MEA too which are opposed to the proposal for creating a secretary- level position. Those in the MEA who oppose the move also feel that the creation of yet another secretary-level post over and above the existing five secretaries will be disproportional. The ministry has five special secretaries and an equal number of additional secretary-level officers. The MEA is top heavy, with the presence of several officers from the mid to late seventies and 1980 and 1981 batches at the headquarters. The officer who the ministry had in mind for the proposed secretary (public affairs) post was Pinak Ranjan Chakraborty. A 1977-batch IFS officer, he is currently special secretary (public diplomacy) at the headquarters."
Warm reception to Indian naval ships in China - zeenews.india.com: "Four Indian naval warships, on a first in six years goodwill tour to China, docked at the Shanghai port on Wednesday
to a warm reception by the Chinese navy, as the two forces work to overcome mistrust and warm up for maritime cooperation. ... The ships have been lined up for a series of engagements of public diplomacy, including visits by school children, local public and media." Image from article; see also.
Fire-breathing Panda - bb1790a, The Public Diplomats: "China’s effort to promote its soft power is a lot like the combination of two of its national symbols, the panda and dragon: it appears to be a soft and cuddly bear, but it can erupt into a belligerent fire-breather. China has transformed its image from a repressive regime to one of power and of being 'the future', but it still suffers from missteps that arise from fundamental issues in its system of government, its lack of freedoms and civil liberties. There are a number of ways their slow progress is reflected. When looking at migration in flows and new citizens, China does not appear in the top 20.
Based on this and other information below, it appears China has made improvements, but still has a lot ways to go. China’s image was scraping the bottom of the barrel not long ago. Pictures from Tiananmen Square and crackdowns on Tibetan monks reverberated throughout the world. China knew if it wanted to be a world power, it needed to reform its image and it started to turn to public diplomacy in the year of the dragon, incidentally 'a time of exhilaration, ambition, power, and daring'. Yiwei Wang suggests that, 'In fact, in recent years, public diplomacy has been transformed from an unfamiliar concept into a hot topic for many Chinese scholars.' While hoping to strengthen its soft power, the results have been mixed." Image from article
Taiwan, pd and me - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "My PD work from Taiwan was blogged about by some AU PD students on the A Hard Look at Soft Power blog. Such is my soft power. Prof. Rockower gives you an A for your work! -Taiwan's Public Diplomacy Challenges and Opportunities -Taiwan: Shadow or Nation."
Foreign minister sets out key tasks for Lithuania’s economic diplomacy - lithuaniatribune.com: "'Only active economic diplomacy and implementation of projects in the fields of energy, transport, logistics, tourism, agriculture, and export and investment promotion can help Lithuania to go in for increasing economic competition with other countries and withstand tensions across world markets,'
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis said ... . According to him, Lithuania expects a significant contribution of its honorary consuls to the country’s upcoming Presidency of the EU Council, which will be one of the greatest challenges to the country’s diplomacy. 'During this period, public diplomacy will be more important than ever, as well as your creativity when implementing it in your countries, regions and business environment. This Presidency opens up a huge opportunity to present Lithuania to the world, but we have to take care of this ourselves,' the Minister stressed." Image from article
Bush, beach, beer and bayonet – or a grown-up Australia in Asia? - theconversation.edu.au: "[T]he bayonet cliché[:] ... Blameless Australians in every generation since European settlement have fought and died, first in British conflicts and later in American ones. ... Our cultural and public diplomacy may have its deficits, but that does not inhibit our export of the bayonet cliché.
The first Australians ever encountered by the people in several Asian countries were in uniform, whether they came as enemies or allies. The same was true, of course, for Indigenous Australians, and for many people in Africa and the Middle East. Australians have taken part in some 19 wars, and only once in defence of Australia. Putting on military uniforms so often has hereditary consequences for the national mindset." Image from entry, with caption: Don’t we want to be interesting, relevant, useful, independent and well-informed?
New diplomacy - loshijosdelamalinche.com: “[A]new form of diplomacy has been born. Independent Diplomats or private international experts have risen from the ranks of regular public diplomacy to form independent international relations advisory groups. Such are the cases of Independent Diplomat started by former British foreign Officers discontent with their government’s foreign policy now based primarily in New York City. The other is Global Policy Strategies created in Mexico and the United States by former Mexican public and foreign officials who have felt the need to enhance representation for and to the Americas.”
Unleashing the Nuclear Watchdog: CIGI studycommends IAEA but proposes strengthening and reform – PRWeb: “A report on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is being released today in
(CIGI) and the Canadian Centre for Treaty Compliance (CCTC), the report by CIGI Senior Fellow Trevor Findlay makes multiple recommendations, both strategic and programmatic, for strengthening and reform of the IAEA. ... Among the paper’s most important recommendations: ... Develop more effective public diplomacy and media strategies." Image from article
Balsillie School and CIGI co-host public event on media coverage of the Arab uprisings - PR Web: "For a better understanding of the emerging political and media issues in the Arab world, the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) and The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) are presenting journalist Habib Battah in conversation with Middle East expert Bessma Momani, who is a CIGI senior fellow and BSIA professor. ... For several years, Habib Battah, a Beirut-based journalist, filmmaker and media critic, has been covering Arab media for publications and broadcasters in the West and in the Middle East. He has focused mainly on social impact and public diplomacy at pan-Arab satellite stations, including the major Arab Gulf networks Al Jazeera, Al Arabia and others, as well the increasing number of Western and Asian state-backed outlets now broadcasting to the region in Arabic."
The Greeks who are swimming against the tide: While many Greeks are choosing to move abroad, others are staying put – or even coming home – to help get their country back on its feet - guardian.co.uk: "As their friends leave the country in droves, despairing at the lack of opportunity in a country where unemployment has reached 22% and more than 340,000 jobs were lost in the past year, some Greeks are swimming against the tide and choosing to stay put ... . Sometimes the aims are ambitious. Stavros Kalenterides, a 26-year-old who studied in Boston, volunteers with a public diplomacy NGO which, he says, 'tries to go beyond traditional political lines' and will soon publish a proposal for a new Greek constitution."
Seeking Caring Bellevue Families to Host International Students! - bellevue.patch.com: "Ayusa International is a non-profit organization founded in 1981 to promote global learning, leadership, and public diplomacy through foreign exchange programs. You can find us listed in the Better Business Bureau with an A+ Rating."
Offre d'emploi de l'ambassade US à Kinshasa - hustlehard.be: "The U.S. Embassy in Kinshasa is seeking an individual for the position of Budget Analyst in the Public Diplomacy Section."
Image from entry
RELATED ITEMS
Drone Strikes Widely Opposed: Global Opinion of Obama Slips, International Policies Faulted - pewglobal.org: Global approval of President Barack Obama’s policies has declined significantly since he first took office, while overall confidence in him and attitudes toward the U.S. have slipped modestly as a consequence. Europeans and Japanese remain largely confident in Obama, albeit somewhat less so than in 2009, while Muslim publics remain largely critical. A similar pattern characterizes overall ratings for the U.S. – in the EU and Japan, views are still positive, but the U.S. remains unpopular in nations such as Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and Pakistan. Meanwhile, support for Obama has waned significantly in China. Since 2009, confidence in the American president has declined by 24 percentage points and approval of his policies has fallen 30 points. Mexicans have also soured on his policies, and many fewer express confidence in him today. The Obama era has coincided with major changes in international perceptions of American power – especially U.S. economic power. The global financial crisis and the steady rise of China have led many to declare China the world’s economic leader, and this trend is especially strong among some of America’s major European allies. Today, solid majorities in Germany (62%), Britain (58%), France (57%) and Spain (57%) name China as the world’s top economic power.
Even though many think American economic clout is in relative decline, publics around the world continue to worry about how the U.S. uses its power – in particular its military power – in international affairs. There remains a widespread perception that the U.S. acts unilaterally and does not consider the interests of other countries. In predominantly Muslim nations, American anti-terrorism efforts are still widely unpopular. And in nearly all countries, there is considerable opposition to a major component of the Obama administration’s anti-terrorism policy: drone strikes. In 17 of 20 countries, more than half disapprove of U.S. drone attacks targeting extremist leaders and groups in nations such as Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. Americans are the clear outliers on this issue – 62% approve of the drone campaign, including most Republicans (74%), independents (60%) and Democrats (58%). These are among the principal findings from a 21-nation survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project from March 17-April 20. The poll also finds that, despite disappointment with Obama’s policies, there is still considerable support for his re-election in many countries, especially in Europe. Roughly nine-in-ten in France (92%) and Germany (89%) would like to see him re-elected, as would large majorities in Britain (73%), Spain (71%), Italy (69%) and the Czech Republic (67%). Most Brazilians (72%) and Japanese (66%) agree. But in the Middle East there is little enthusiasm for a second term – majorities in Egypt (76%), Jordan (73%) and Lebanon (62%) oppose Obama’s re-election. Image from article
Global Disappointment in Obama Actually Rational, unlike in US (Pew) – Juan Cole, Informed comment: The [pdf] Pew Charitable Trust Global Attitudes Survey finds that most publics abroad have experienced substantial disappointment in Barack Obama. Indeed, Middle Eastern Muslims are hoping Obama will be defeated next November. But, the rest of the world isn’t experiencing buyers’ remorse about Obama for the same reasons as the American public. Not even. Global disappointment with Obama focuses on three areas, according to the poll, with the Middle East respondents more disappointed than the Europeans. They had expected him to seek the cooperation of others rather than launching unilateral policies. They had expected him to do something about the declining situation of the Palestinians in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and he did not. They had expected him to address the problem of climate change, and from their point of view, he did not. Aside from not meeting their expectations, he also disappointed them with a new policy, that of throwing drones down on other countries without so much as a by-your-leave. That these genuinely important issues are the basis of global disappointment with Obama shows how divorced from reality the great American Bubble Island
Rock star no more: why global opinion of Obama has deflated -- A poll of global opinion finds that Obama's popularity has fallen – apparently because of disapproval of his drone-strike campaign. The drop in Arab countries is worse than in Europe - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor.
Image from article, with caption:
How Drones Help Al Qaeda - Ibrahim Mothana, New York Times: Drone strikes are causing more and more Yemenis to hate America and join radical militants; they are not driven by ideology but rather by a sense of revenge and despair. Anti-Americanism is far less prevalent in Yemen than in Pakistan. But rather than winning the hearts and minds of Yemeni civilians, America is alienating them by killing their relatives and friends. Indeed, the drone program is leading to the Talibanization of vast tribal areas and the radicalization of people who could otherwise be America’s allies in the fight against terrorism in Yemen.
The New Obama Doctrine, A Six-Point Plan for Global War: Special Ops, Drones, Spy Games, Civilian Soldiers, Proxy Fighters, and Cyber Warfare - Nick Turse, TomDispatch
Hugs From Iran - Nicholas D. Kristof, New York Times: "My 1,700-mile road trip across Iran began with a giddy paean to
Friendless in America - Scott Jaschik, insidehighered.com: Part of the ideal of recruiting foreign students to American campuses is that the friendships formed across international lines will leave those from many countries (including the United States) with new perspectives and personal connections in many nations. For many foreign students in the United States, that's just not happening, according to a new study. The research -- which appears today in the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication finds that nearly 40 percent of international students report having no close American friends and say that they wish they had more meaningful interaction with those born in the United States. The study found variation by region, with students reporting different results if they are from different parts of the world and if they are studying in different parts of the United States.
International students in the South had more American friends, and were more satisfied with their friendships than those in other parts of the country. Those in the Northeast who were outside of metropolitan areas were second in these rankings. Lowest friendship levels were reported by those studying in the New York City area. Via NS on Facebook; image from
Three U.S. ambassadors to Iraq defend McGurk – Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy: The current U.S. ambassador to Iraq and his two most recent predecessors joined together to defend the nomination of Brett McGurk to be the next U.S. envoy in Baghdad, countering calls from several GOP senators for President Barack Obama to withdraw the nomination. "We write to express our enthusiastic support for Brett McGurk's nomination to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Iraq," Jim Jeffrey, Chris Hill, and Ryan Crocker wrote in a letter today to Senate Foreign Relations Committee heads John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN).
Senate GOP Calls on Obama to Pull McGurk (Nomination) - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: Only the White House stands alone declaring that no one else in the entire US government, or the entire United States for that matter, is qualified to serve as ambassador to Iraq but a guy who has done nothing in is 38 years of life but be politically appointed to Iraq jobs (none earned, elected or competitively chosen, just appointed mind you), making a selfish hash out of even that by cheating on his wife while tossing nuggets to a now-disgraced reporter. Senate Foreign Relations Committee is due to vote on McGurk’s nomination on June 19. If they pass him, his nomination goes to the full Senate for a vote sometime before hell freezes over. Meanwhile (naughty boy voice on) White House straight man Jay Carney said “We believe that the United States will be greatly served by Mr. McGurk’s experience in Iraq, which is substantial.” Heh Heh, he said he had “substantial experience.” And we all know what that means, eh Butthead?
US Embassy Baghdad: SFRC [Senate Foreign Relations Committee] Report Says Mission Cost May Be Its Death Knell - Domani Spero, DiploPundit
Suicides No. 2 cause of death in military - Gregg Zoroya, USA TODAY: The most common way that U.S. servicemembers die outside of combat is by their own hand, according to an analysis released by the Pentagon on Wednesday. The most common way that U.S. servicemembers die outside of combat is by their own hand, according to an analysis released by the Pentagon. Since 2010, suicide has outpaced traffic accidents, heart disease, cancer, homicide and all other forms of death in the military besides combat, the report says. One in four non-combat deaths last year were servicemembers killing themselves. This year, suicides among troops occur on average once a day, according to Pentagon figures obtained by USA TODAY. The data, first reported by the Associated Press, show that after the end of the Iraq War, suicides may become more common than combat deaths.
U.S. expands secret intelligence operations in Africa - Craig Whitlock, Washington Post: The creeping U.S. military involvement in long-simmering African conflicts carries risks. Some State Department officials have expressed reservations about the militarization of U.S. foreign policy on the continent.
They have argued that most terrorist cells in Africa are pursuing local aims, not global ones, and do not present a direct threat to the United States. The potential for creating a popular backlash can be seen across the Red Sea, where an escalating campaign of U.S. drone strikes in Yemen is angering tribesmen and generating sympathy for an al-Qaeda franchise there. Image from
Syria's Cease-Fire of the Grave: Assad, Russia and Iran are rolling over a timid West - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Intervening in Syria does not mean reprising the war in Iraq. A Bosnia-style air campaign targeting elite Syrian military units could prompt the general staff to reconsider its contempt for international opinion, and perhaps its allegiance to the Assad family. Short of that, carving out some kind of safe haven inside Syria would at least save lives
When leaks are criminalized - Editorial Board, Washington Post: Disclosing classified information is not by itself a crime, and courts have found that under the flawed 1917 espionage statute used in such cases, prosecutors must show that a leak was intended to harm U.S. security — an appropriately high bar.
Groups to Help Online Activists in Authoritarian Countries - Scott Shane, New York Times: Two small American human rights groups, one co-founded by a 30-year-old State Department official turned Google executive and one by an 89-year-old veteran activist who once championed Soviet dissidents, are joining forces to support online activists in authoritarian countries. Google has no direct involvement in the venture, but intends to donate money, with the amount still being discussed, according to a company official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The merger involves Movements.org, co-founded in 2008 by Jared Cohen, now the director of Google Ideas, the company’s research arm, and Advancing Human Rights, created two years ago by Robert L. Bernstein, a retired publishing executive who started Human Rights Watch in 1978. While on the State Department’s policy staff, Mr. Cohen said, he became “the go-to person on tech stuff just because I was young.” He found that few American embassies were tracking online activists around the world, and he helped to start an annual summit of the activists. The summits gave rise to Movements.org and have linked older, traditional dissidents with younger masters of the Web.
A Dying Empire - Jim Miles, foreignpolicyjournal.com: The U.S.propaganda against the Soviet Union after the Second World War was persistent and ubiquitous. The lies and deceptions that were extended throughout this period still form a part of the U.S. myth of defending freedom. In reality, the Soviet Union never acted overtly to extend its empire beyond Eastern Europe, which it desired as a buffer against repeated German and French wars against their territory. Elsewhere in the world, whenever a democratically elected government acted for the people rather than for the corporate interests of the U.S., the propaganda mill turned events into a communist threat against the very heart of U.S. ideology and mythology. There was no war with the Soviets, but there was an ongoing war with Third World countries that attempted an independent economic and political path supporting their own people and not the corporate interests of the elites. With the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the U.S. achieved a unipolar world, with their military unmatched by any other in the world. It created a great chance for global peace, but the U.S. policy makers wanted ‘full spectrum dominance’ over the globe for ever and a day.
Rather than declining, the military violence increased, only this time directed at the Middle East. No matter what the rhetoric, the ultimate aim of empire is the centralization of wealth and power in the hands of the elite. The management of empires is largely achieved by the application of basic psychology—creating fear of some ‘other’, in order to have a target for the average citizen to focus on rather than swindles, cheats, thievery, and lies of their own government. To accompany the fearful ‘other,’ a ‘hero’ is created, a patriotic mythological character embodying the best of uber-patriotism, someone who rallies others to the flag regardless of the occasion or occurrence. This is all so obvious yet unseen as we literally swim in it with our everyday lives. From the moment of birth when the first advertisers throw their bounty on the newborn, the propaganda for our lifestyle is continuous and ubiquitous. It is often so obvious that it is simply considered normal, but propaganda it is, all in support of the elites who receive the benefits of complacent masses whose uncertainties and discomforts can be attributed to this "other." Image from article
A Guide To North Korea’s Eerie Architectural Propaganda - Pyongyang Architectural and Cultural Guide examines the architecture of
The old city, which was razed during the war in the 1950s, was replaced with buildings that generally fall into two categories: prefab plattenbau housing, similar to the blocks still found in
National Archives publish wartime propaganda in onlinegallery: Hundreds of images of war art including posters and aportrait of the future queen are released online – Maev Kennedy, guardian.co.uk: The British National Archive includes the original artwork for famous propaganda campaigns including Dig For Victory, represented by a heroically patriotic toddler with hoe and shovel, painted by Mary Tunbridge,
and an airman being vamped by a sexy blonde over the slogan "Keep mum – she's not so dumb", an image by an unknown artist for the Careless Talk Costs Lives campaign. The first 330 works launched this week are only the start of a project which will eventually place several thousand images online. Some were drafts or never used, and many of these have pencilled comments by the artists or the War Office: a vivid scene by James Gardner of British bombers attacking a German industrial complex has the withering and heavily underlined note in pencil "bomb racks open from centre and not from side as in your sketch." Image from
and an airman being vamped by a sexy blonde over the slogan "Keep mum – she's not so dumb", an image by an unknown artist for the Careless Talk Costs Lives campaign. The first 330 works launched this week are only the start of a project which will eventually place several thousand images online. Some were drafts or never used, and many of these have pencilled comments by the artists or the War Office: a vivid scene by James Gardner of British bombers attacking a German industrial complex has the withering and heavily underlined note in pencil "bomb racks open from centre and not from side as in your sketch." Image from
AMERICANA
White student lauded after returning college scholarship meant for blacks - James Eng, msnbc.com: A hush, followed by some giggles, enveloped the Martin Luther King High School gym in Riverside, Calif., when it was announced on senior awards night that Warren was the winner of the scholarship awarded by the local Martin Luther King Senior Citizens Club. The $1,000 scholarship, one of two awarded annually by the seniors club, is meant for African-American students. Club members didn’t know Jeffrey Warren is white until he rose to receive the award. The scholarship application itself stated only that African-Americans were “encouraged” to apply. Warren applied online and apparently never saw a separate letter sent to school counselors specifying that it was for black students. Jeffrey’s scholarship was later awarded to a runner-up -- a female African-American student.
MAINTAINING MENTAL HEALTH
"Recent clinical trials with a sampling of readers have demonstrated a 90% elimination of anxiety and harmful mental toxins attributed to the guilt-trip mentality caused by chronic fixation upon the atrocities and 'evils' within the historical record."
--The Washington Times
No comments:
Post a Comment