"I am at heart a propagandist."
--Recently deceased American writer/intellectual provocateur Gore Vidal; Vidal image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Ann Stock in India – school teacher affair with student - elementaryschoolteacher.freeideass.info: "A few nice school teacher affair with student images I found: Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Ann Stock in India."
[Among them the above, with caption]: With students of the English Access Program in Chandigarh
Social Media Hub - sandboxsymposium.net: "The Social Media Hub is an internal Department of State Site Archives ... site to centralize information
on the use of social media for public diplomacy. It was developed in WordPress and included a number of custom plugins." Image from entry
Broadcasting Board of Governors builds a costly mousetrap that doesn’t work – USG Brodcasts/BBG Watch: “New media innovators at the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) built their 'Weapons of Mouse Destruction' as 'the largest participatory art project against government Internet censorship that has ever been launched.' But the mousetrap that was supposed to drive fear into the hearts of Iranian ayatollahs turned out to be an expensive fiasco — with hardly any viewer-provided art photos, hardly any comments, hardly any web traffic, and hardly any attention from anyone. The only people that should pay attention are American taxpayers.
They should not be mislead by the claim that while the Broadcasting Board of Governors and the Voice of America (VOA) strongly support the struggle against government Internet censorship, WMD is a grassroots project spearheaded by the creators of Parazit, the popular VOA television satire program to Iran. The producers of Parazit may have conceived the idea, but it was almost certainly executed by BBG-hired consultants and paid for with taxpayers’ money. It is money that has been wasted. It could have been used to support radio and television programs and Internet news content to countries lacking media freedom like China, Tibet, Russia, and Iran. Instead it went to BBG consultants and private contractors with nothing much to show for it except for a few dozen similarly-looking images that don’t leave any distict impression because they are all more or less the same.” Image from entry
The Voice of Russia scoop that went bad - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Voice of Russia has a 24-hour AM (medium wave) outlet in Washington (1390 kHz), and is trying to be a hometown news station. Whatever VOR news may lack in quality, it certainly offers the most quantity of news and current affairs on the Washington AM radio dial."
Towards A More Sustainable Azerbaijani Public Diplomacy - Gadir Shiraliyev, caucasusedition.net: "Most of us living in Washington, D.C. have probably heard our American friends say this at some joint event involving both the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities. They do not want to sit and listen to the same confrontational, but ultimately futile exchanges between these two communities. Members of one community will organize an event, which will be attacked by some members of the other, who engage in harsh positional rhetoric, trying to delegitimize the presented events and push forward their own agendas. As a result, there is a lack of an environment conducive for civil debates and interactions, limiting or completely hindering confidence-building measures that are essential for the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Furthermore, the degree and nature of Diaspora’s involvement in the political discussion in Washington D.C. is key to successful public policy efforts of both respective governments. Given the Diaspora’s importance, a constructive tone of such public events can provide fertile ground for interactions between the two communities, but also allow Azerbaijanis as well as Armenians to successfully convey their perspective on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. ... Taking a confrontational position and launching into tirades against the other party hinders Azerbaijan’s position in the eyes of the international community. Even logical tirades might push people away because it is the human nature to be put off by listening to someone who seems aggressive. Occurring parallel to the large-scale public policy work done by Azerbaijani government-linked organizations, a more constructive and sound approach by members of the Azerbaijani community, ranging from regular civilians to government representatives, could only make Azerbaijani public diplomacy efforts more sustainable and far-reaching."
Our Public Diplomacy Should Capitalize on the Expertise of Moroccans Living Abroad - expert [interview] - Morocco World News: "Karima Rhanem, president of the Moroccan Association for Development and Parallel Diplomacy, which organized last week the first meeting on public diplomacy in Rabat, told Morocco World News that the government should capitalize on the expertise of Moroccans living abroad, stop all kinds of seasonal
and folkloric diplomacy, and work on an integrated and sustained public diplomacy strategy. She added that there should be a real mapping exercise to identify all key actors in public diplomacy from home and abroad; and evaluate their experiences in the ground, see what worked, what is not, identify causes of failures and propose alternatives to activate their role with a new vision in line with key strategies meanwhile preserving their independence." Rhanem image from article
Trade in Wardrobe - diplodocus.wordpress.com: "So as I mentioned a month or so ago, for the past nine plus weeks I’ve been in at FSI. Language training — which I am petrified of — begins after Labor Day. For the summer, I’ve been in what we call 'tradecraft,' our term d’art for job training. In a year’s time I’ll be working in my first Public Diplomacy position, the functional specialty — aka 'cone' — I chose before joining the service in 2005. Many in my Foreign Service generation have been in the difficult place of having to wait a few tours before working in-cone. In my case, I will have been in the service almost eight years when I finally get to do the work I wanted to do when I joined. That’s decidedly non-optimal. After years of consular and desk work, I’m not embarrassed to say I was beginning to have my doubts about my chosen cone. I’ve now almost completed the full slate of PD training — dealing with the press, working social media, the basics of grants, cultural programs, exchanges, public speaking. And though the functional insights have had their own value, that’s not the biggest thing I’ll be taking away. The best part of training: the past weeks have, with great success, made me excited again to be a PD officer. Comments 1.Liz - July 31, 2012 As a consular coned officer, I loved being a PD officer — for 2 years. I loved that I had the freedom and money to do largely what I wanted, as long as it fit the PD mission. I loved having my own American Center (an endangered species, I know), fantastic FSNs, getting to travel a lot, and the opportunity to meet all kinds of people at all levels of society on their turf as opposed to through a visa window. But I hated the late nights and endless receptions, so now I’m looking forward to going 'home' to consular work again. Enjoy FSI! I loved getting paid to learn another language and getting to wear jeans every day — for about 9 of the 11 months I was here. Now I’m ready to get back to work overseas. See you there!"
Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work, The Essential Guide to the Foreign Service, 3rd Edition - carryrite5pockethangingorganizer.blogspot.com: "This all-new third edition takes readers to more than fifty U.S. missions around the world, introducing Foreign Service professionals and providing detailed descriptions of their jobs and firsthand accounts of diplomacy in action.
In addition to profiles of diplomats and specialists around the world—from the ambassador to the consular officer, the public diplomacy officer to the security specialist—is a selection from more than twenty countries of day-in-the-life accounts, each describing an actual day on the job."
Ban Appoints Austrian Diplomat as Coordinator for Multilingualism - phoenix-local-news.blogspot.com: "Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today appointed the incoming Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, as Coordinator for Multilingualism. ... Since 2007, Mr. Launsky-Tieffenthal has served as the Head of the Department for Communication and Information of Austria's Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. His 30 years of experience within the Austrian Foreign Service includes service in Asia, North America and the Middle East, with responsibilities ranging from public diplomacy and development cooperation to press and information."
Hawke’s Bay performer at Olympics amazed by call - artdecocity.co.nz: "Short-lived ballet lessons did not prepare Havelock North’s Ceilidh MacDonald for her recent performance in the Olympic opening ceremony. The London-based 29-year-old auditioned for the opening ceremony early in the year and was surprised to be called back for a second audition. Pam MacDonald said her daughter had never had any dance training apart from a few ballet lessons when she was 5. 'She attempted ballet, but only for a year. Her friends think it’s hilarious because they remember her doing ballet.' Miss MacDonald began work at the start of the year as the New Zealand High Commission’s public diplomacy manager. Mrs MacDonald said the opening ceremony was a positive and joyful experience for her daughter."
Courtesy of Al Hansen: Stephen M. Carney, 90, a former USIA Foreign Service Officer - Via LJB by email: "Stephen M. Carney, 90, a former USIA [United States Information Service] Foreign Service Officer, died July 3, 2012 in Mount Pleasant, SC after suffering various health issues. ... Before joining USIA he was the Director of English Teaching of the binational cultural center in Managua, Nicaragua and then Director of the binational center in Quito, Ecquador. As a USIA FSO he served in Martinique, France, Spain (three different posts), Bolivia, the Dominican Republic and Washington, DC. He was the USIA Desk Officer for France, Spain, and Portugal in the 1960s. After his retirement in 1971 he worked for McGraw Hill for nearly ten years. In 2009 he was named 'Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur' by the French Government for his military and diplomatic service in France. One of his memoirs is being considered for publication in the book program of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training and, in recent years, he wrote several essays on his foreign service experiences, one of which is on the website of the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association
RELATED ITEMS
Tears and Solipsism at the Olympics - Frank Bruni, New York Times: American broadcasters routinely approach the Olympics with jingoism. This quadrennial competition is supposed to be a reminder of how large the world is, and winds up being at least as much of a reminder of how parochial our interest in that world can be and how solipsistic we tend to be.
The Sunni Terror Threat Beyond Iraq: For now the jihadists seem content to kill Shiites. Don't assume that will continue - Robin Simcox, Wall Street Journal: We may have lost interest in the Iraqi jihad. That does not mean it has lost interest in us.
Ensuring a smooth start in Egypt: Egypt's new president, Mohamed Morsi, should take some lessons from the U.S. to avoid early-term missteps - Rebecca R. Friedman, latimes.com: First, Morsi should avoid the "first 100 days" trap. He should beware of campaign commitments.
He should court the bureaucracy. Although critics everywhere are fond of pointing out the many unappealing facets of U.S. democracy, the repeated and peaceful transfer of power between political rivals is among the most admirable events in American politics. This strong tradition offers invaluable lessons to the new democracies born of the "Arab Spring." Image from article, with caption: Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, left, meets with Hesham Kandil at the presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt. On July 24, Morsi named Kandil prime minister designate and tasked him with putting together a new Cabinet to replace the current military-appointed one.
Islam, Democracy and the Long View of History: The U.S. had no trouble living with the Arab autocrats. It did so, as George W. Bush once put it in a memorable speech, for six long decades - Fouad Ajami, Wall Street Journal: What choice do we have but to accept the democratic claims of these new Islamists? We can't send the mukhabarat (secret police) after them, as past dictators did. We have to grant them time.
Early marriage robs children of their opportunities - Graça Machel and Desmond Tutu, Washington Post: With or without legislation, we urge the Obama administration to make eliminating child marriage a foreign policy goal.
If You Get Arrested In North Korea, You May Be Used For Propaganda Purposes - Adam Taylor, businessinsider.com: Dutch tourist and stamp collector Willem van der Bijl had visited North Korea 24 times over the years, but his visit last summer was somewhat different — he was arrested, held in prison, then missed his flight home. He was only allowed to leave once he had signed a full confession for "spying". Willem took the time to talk to NKNews about his experiences in the prison.
His account is fascinating — Willem only ate rice (without salt or sugar) three times a day when he was in prison, and the guards kept all his possessions and charged him €120 for food when he was released. Perhaps most incredible is Willem's account of the forged newspaper article that appeared with his signature while he was in prison: Willem notes that the interview, published in Pyongyang Times, is somewhat ironic, given that he was in the country to purchase propaganda posters. Incredibly, Willem actually did see a polling station when he was in North Korea — but unsurprisingly, his impression of the elections doesn't quite match up with the version printed above. Image from article
American War Propaganda: Of Course I can!: I'm Patriotic As Can Be - Johnrooi.wordpress.com: "The original poster was created by Dick Williams in 1944.
I chose Arzu for this [below] poster because it portrays a confident woman who can handle a lot and because she had a Native American look going on which was kind of ironic.
Up until the day of the shoot I had only 'spoken' to her on Facebook I was suggested to add her by my wife who was an old friend of hers. And once she arrived on set she was very patient (because you know how us photographers always plan our shoots) On that day I had to shoot four people and Arzu was the last one. ... Photographer: Rodoël John Rooi Model: Arzu Aksoy Assistant: Zozan Akyuz Feathers Creator: Dick Williams"
ONE MORE CITATION FOR THE DAY
Imperial America: Reflections on the United States of Amnesia
--The title of one of many books by Gore Vidal; image from
IMAGE
Rome, Italy; Via DP on Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment