Posted: 26 Jun 2012 08:38 AM PDT
"It's a sad fact about our culture that a poet can earn much more money writing or talking about his art than he can by practicing it."
--W. H. Auden; Auden image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Kindles Are Nice... - Brian Carlson, Public Diplomacy Council: "A couple of weeks ago the State Departmentannounced plans to enter a 16.5 million dollar, five-year agreement with Amazon to purchase Kindle tablets and assorted services for public diplomacy. There is a lot of enthusiasm these days about tablets, e-readers and electronic books. The contract reportedly will deliver an initial tranche of 2,500 Kindles to American libraries, cultural centers, American Corners, and other kinds of reading rooms and 'spaces' operated by embassies forpublic diplomacy purposes. As part of the deal Amazon also will manage 'content distribution,' as well as support an online bookstore, international 3G services, device registration, and a help desk. It is unclear whether those services are more than what Amazon already does for its customers outside the U.S. Under the contract, the State Department can acquire up to 7,000 Kindles annually. Amazon will be responsible for upgrading software and enabling a text-to-speech capability on the Kindles. ... Most interesting however is the contract’s statement that Amazon will maintain metrics on how content is accessed on all the devices. The data will include 'content accessed, content not accessed, length of time that content is viewed, e-reader features used and content downloaded. The format for reporting will be developed with and approved by the Department of State but will include reporting by country and e-reader serial number.' Done well, with a healthy application of Amazon’s considerable market analysis capability, this aspect of the deal could provide some new and unprecedented insight into the public diplomacy audience’s habits.
After all, being able to analyze how each Kindle is used could begin to enable the Department to adjust and improve its content offerings. If the Kindle usage data is cross tabbed with qualitative public diplomacyaudience research in a given city or region, embassy officers could begin to make data-driven decisions. This would be big. But I wonder why the Department did not address content in this deal with Amazon? Public diplomacy has a long and successful record of supporting the translation and distribution of key books and documents around the world. Book translation and distribution might not be sexy, but it is a model of public-private cooperation that has worked in many parts of the world, year after year. Embassy officers approach a publisher with an attractive offer: we’ll underwrite the translation from English to the local language, or other preparatory costs, if you (the publisher) will distribute the book at a price that makes it accessible to the target audience. In some cases the deal might include a certain number of copies for the embassy to present to reviewers or other influential folk. ... Shouldn’t State’s public diplomacy make a content deal with Amazon? Shouldn’t we get books like Michael Lind’s “Land of Promise,” or some of the classics from the American bookshelf, into foreign languages? Shouldn’t they be available to all our audiences as e-books? Kindles are nice, but content is king." Image from entry
Oh, Baloney. State Department Internet Freedom Fellows Emphasizes Defense of Freedoms Online - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: "The Department of State, which apparently does not care whether anyone actually believes what they say, said this: [']At the Human Rights Council (HRC), the United States has consistently placed special emphasis on the protection and promotion of the freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, because we understand that these fundamental freedoms are essential to facilitating the exercise of other universal rights. As activity in the economic, social, and the political realms gravitates from the offline world to the online world, we have an additional responsibility to ensure that human rights and fundamental freedoms are not eroded simply because they are being exercised in the digital realm. The United States is committed to the principle that the same rights that people have offline must also be protected in the online world. [']
Now, Welcome to My World [:] Imagine a world where your emails, web browsing, Facebook and Twitter are monitored, where you are threatened with prosecution at work, where government agents dig through your credit report and ask your neighbors and officemates for 'dirt' (some, scared, try to supply it), and where sudden 'compelled' interrogations shatter your life. Imagine being jerked out of your job of 24 years and placed on a Secret Service Watch List for publicly criticizing a government official, and then allowed back to work only in a capacity designed to humiliate you, and send a message to others to remain silent. Welcome to my world. Since writing a book and beginning this blog, all of the things listed above have happened to me, here, in the United States, and all done by my employer, the Department of State. The same organization that speaks out for the rights of bloggers in Syria, offers sanctuary to dissidents in China and promotes web freedom in Iran, has used all of the security tools at its disposal to silence a minor critic within its own ranks."
AFP's e-diplomacy tool maps tweets between world leaders - Kimber Streams, theverge.com: The Agence France-Presse (AFP) has released a new e-diplomacy tool that curates and maps tweets from heads of state and government, officials, thinkers, and activists. The app displays the most-used hashtags, measures an individual's influence (think Klout), and maps the relationships between these important figures. The e-diplomacy hub is an effective way to show which figures are talking about what issues, and where these public diplomatic dialogues are taking place. The site also has a section that displays the Twitter use of militant groups like the Taliban in Afghanistan and Hamas and Hezbollah in Israel, as well as hacktivist group Anonymous. The tool is useful for seeing what these influential figures have to say in public, but it does not it does not give a clear picture of these diplomatic relationships — most negotiations and international relations still happen behind closed doors. The e-diplomacy app is currently open to the public, but AFP CEO Emmanuel Hoog said that after several months the tool may be commercialized for professional or media use.
Richard Olson likely to succeed Munter as ambassador - timesofpakistan.pk: "In approximately a month’s time, US Ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter will step down from the position he has held for nearly two years. ... The only name that has been floating in US media reports has been of Richard Olson, who was most recently posted in the US embassy in Kabul. As of earlier this month, Ambassador Olson was listed as the assistant ambassador at the US embassy in Afghanistan and the coordinating director for development and economic affairs.
His bio has been recently removed from the Kabul embassy’s website, and a replacement has been announced for the post he had held. A State Department spokesperson confirmed to The Express Tribune that Olson has left his post this month. According to his bio, he had previously served in Iraq, UAE and Saudi Arabia. Shamila Chaudhry, former White House national security council and director for Af-Pak, told The Express Tribune, that the new ambassador will have to balance two major needs: stabilising Pakistan-US relations, and support the US drawdown efforts in Afghanistan, which have suffered due to the closure of Nato supply routes in November of last year. Chaudhry said that the next ambassador will face difficulties specifically in pursuing counterterrorism goals that help the US in Afghanistan, while also promoting public diplomacy, development and economic growth goals in Pakistan. Wendy Chamberlin, a former US ambassador to Pakistan, told The Express Tribune that some of the key challenges that the new ambassador will face is not just to explain what America is thinking for the Pakistani people, but also explain Pakistan to Washington." Olson image from article
The Failure of “Quiet Diplomacy” in China - Seth Mandel, Commentary: "When Chinese anti-forced-abortion activist and dissident Chen Guangcheng attempted to use Hillary Clinton’s visit to China earlier this year to get his family to safety abroad, his efforts and those of the State Department appeared to have failed just hours before a deal was struck to save Chen. The narrative of that story held that a Republican House committee chaired by Chris Smith–which called a hearing on the case as it was developing–and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney had behaved recklessly in drawing such public attention to the case and appearing to hand down judgment on the case before diplomacy had a chance to work. Typical of this attitude was a comment from Chinese politics expert Steve Tsang to the U.K. Guardian, as the story unfolded: 'Public diplomacy or grandstanding will limit the scope for quiet diplomacy.' We have plenty of counterexamples in recent history that challenge this theory, but it appears now we don’t need to employ them. ... It turns out that Clinton got a nice boost from a game-changer: Republicans in Congress who made Chen’s plight as visible and public as possible, convincing the Chinese the game was out of the shadows and the world was watching. ... [I]t seems 'quiet diplomacy' got nowhere until Chris Smith turned up the volume back home."
Coker Dance Residency Part of Cultural Diplomacy Initiative - peedeearts.blogspot.com: "As part of the Department of State’s Center Stage initiative, internationally renowned choreographer Jean-René Delsoin will bring his 10-member troupe from Haiti to Hartsville for a public performance at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 24 in the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center’s Watson Theater. 'Jean-Rene Delsoin doesn’t design his dance classes like a simple transmission of savoir-faire. He certainly believes in how precisely movements are executed, but he also shares the love and passion he feels for dance with his students. He works tirelessly to communicate to all, young and old, the blessed fire of dance and as such, reinvents the world every day,' explained renowned Haitian writer and activist Yanick Lahens. ... An initiative of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Center Stage brings compelling contemporary artists from Haiti, Indonesia and Pakistan to the United States to engage Americans in cultural diplomacy as a way to create opportunities for greater understanding. Administered by the New England Foundation for the Arts, with funding from the Asian Cultural Council, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, this public-private partnership is the largest public diplomacy effort to bring foreign artists to American stages in recent history." See also.
VOA, Radio Sawa, BBC transmitters in Iraq may be shut down due to licensing issues - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Paul Calvert Spoke With Daniel Seaman - crossrhythms.co.uk: "Daniel Seaman is the Deputy Director General for Information at the Israeli Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs. He is one of the foremost experts on the foreign press coverage of the Arab-Israeli conflict and Paul Calvert spent some time with him hearing his thoughts on the ongoing conflict with the Palestinian people, bias in the press and the growing threat of a nuclear armed Iran. Paul: What is the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs? Daniel: It's the Ministry that handles the Public Diplomacy; the image or projecting the image of Israel and presenting the State of Israel to the international community. The Diaspora Affairs aspect is another element, which deals with the Jewish communities around the world, on the public diplomacy level, but mostly on the mutual interests of Israel and the Jewish people. ... Israel
Neil Lazarus speaks about the Israel Public Diplomacy Program - holiday-packages.holiday-host.net: "Neil Lazarus talks about Israel and Real Life Israel’s Public Diplomacy Program . ... Real Life Israel ... is already endorsed by a number of partnerships including The Israeli Government, The David Project, various Federations in the US and Neil Lazarus."
Julie Bishop on the Pacific, PNG and Australian aid - devpolicy.org: "Speaking at the ANU’s Crawford School at a public lecture hosted by the Development Policy Centre, Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, painted a new vision of Australia’s relations with the Pacific, calling on Australia to 'show the leadership and vision that is expected of us in the Pacific' and backing 'the forging of true economic partnerships with our great friends' of the Pacific and PNG. ... Noting that talk of the Asian century can easily lead to the overlooking of the Pacific, Ms Bishop argued that the Government 'has taken its eyes off the region
and has failed to show the necessary leadership or long-term vision that is required of it. Australia needs to create a new narrative that encompasses a shared vision for the Pacific.' Aid was important, but the relationship had to go beyond aid to encompass 'defence, trade, investment and diplomatic engagement throughout the region' all under a 'focused and effective, practical and principled overarching strategic framework.' In terms of concrete suggestions, Ms Bishop began with public diplomacy, calling for a better effort from Australian Network and better branding of Australian aid." Image from article.
7 Pillars of PD - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Screw Lawrence of Arabia, I am becoming Don Pablo of Kurdistan. Because what did good ol' Lawrence do if not PD for Arabia; I would be happy to do the same for Kurdlandia."
Image from entry
The Challenges of Real-Time Diplomacy: The Middle East and Beyond - Philip Seib, europeanfinancialreview.com: In diplomacy, as in other aspects of public policy, responding quickly and responding wisely might be very different. Good diplomatic practice should not be tossed aside, but it must adapt to the pace of events more comprehensively than it has to date. Part of this change must take place in the field, where diplomats should develop better contacts with the general population than they do today. This requires greater emphasis on public diplomacy. Working with publics, not just governments, is particularly important now that communications technologies have empowered individuals in terms of their ability to access information and connect with one another. As the events of 2011 illustrate, power can emanate from the public, and so developing and maintaining ties with publics around the world is an essential element of foreign policy. ... Doing so will require more resources than most countries make available today, and, more importantly, it means making public diplomacy much more central in the creation and implementation of foreign policy. This will require remapping the terrain of international relations, with traditional state-to-state linkages being enlarged to incorporate far more state-to-people programs than now exist and to make them much more integral in a nation’s diplomacy. ... This article is drawn from Real-Time Diplomacy: Politics and Power in the Social Media Era (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012). About the author [:] Philip Seib is Professor of Journalism andPublic Diplomacy and Professor of International Relations at the University of Southern California. He is also director of USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy and is the author of Real-Time Diplomacy: Politics and Power in the Social Media Era (Palgrave Macmillan, 2012)"
RELATED ITEMS
Who Lost Egypt? Egyptians, obviously. Obama and Bush, too. And a superficial idea of 'freedom' [subscription] - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
What to Expect From the Muslim Brotherhood: Egyptians deserve a decent interval before Western observers consign them again to a despotic fate - Fouad Ajami, Wall Street Journal: hose who had given the reign of Hosni Mubarak three decades of indulgence are unwilling to see in the last 18 months the birth pangs of a democratic possibility. They forget or ignore even recent history, how the Egyptian people had abandoned politics and all but given up on their country. A new hope has arisen in that weary country. Are Egyptians not entitled to a decent interval before we consign them, yet again, to a despotic fate?
Whose Spring? The CIA's Hand In The Rise of Islamists And International Terrorist Groups - Saman Mohammadi, opednews.com: Policy-wise, there is no difference that separates the Bush administration from the Obama administration in their approach to the Middle East. Regime change is the name of the game. Financing and arming terrorists is done by the CIA, Mossad, and their Arab clients at the word go. Washington's goal is to destabilize Syria, overthrow the regime, and split Syrian society apart. Washington is waging its war against Syria under a thick layer of propaganda smoke provided by government-controlled media channels and newspapers.
As part of its larger criminal effort to change the regime in Syria, Washington is spreading false information through Western and Arab media outlets to discredit Assad as a viable leader. It is using propaganda in an attempt to brainwash the West into believing that the violence in Syria is the result of the regime's response to democratic protests, not NATO's malicious destabilization campaign and acts of terrorism. Image from
China: Easy on That Whole Democracy Thing, Burma - John Hudson, theatlanticwire.com: In today's tour of state-sponsored propaganda: China tells Burma democracy isn't that great, Saudi Arabia funds propaganda in Syria, and an American propagandist loses work.
The propaganda of Soviet Union during World War - II - aulas.pro.br. Among the posters - “The West – road to victory!”
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--From LV on facebook
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