"[L]oving America is not essential."
--Former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Glassman; image from
VIDEO
(a) Propaganda - Full English Version (2012) [North Korean film]
(b) Communist Propaganda: This is a 1950's propaganda piece about propaganda
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Hillary Clinton with Embassy Staff and Families at U.S. Embassy Kampala [August 3] - Still4Hill - Hillary Clinton: Making Femininity Presidential!: "MS. BLASER [not identified in transcript] A visit from the Secretary is always exciting, but today it’s especially nice, because I know that Secretary Clinton takes great personal interest in all the accomplishments of Mission Kampala and the goals that you work so hard to achieve every day from strengthening democracy and human rights, to building the economy of Uganda, to creating a healthy and productive society, strengthening regional peace and security, or working on public affairs and integrative public diplomacy. You can rest assured that your work has the attention and the support of the Secretary of State.
(Applause.) Ladies and gentlemen, my friends, my colleagues, my family, will you please help me give a very warm welcome to Secretary Clinton. (Applause.) Image from
Send public diplomacy into battle - James K. Glassman: "One of the paradoxes of the Obama years has been how little attention the administration has paid to directing the tools of 'soft power' — specifically, public diplomacy and strategic communications, deployed through advanced digital technology — toward achieving the national interest. Instead, President Obama has mainly counted on targeted violence and conventional diplomacy. In some cases, the results have been good, but generous opportunities — beginning with the uprising by Iranians against the stolen election of June 2009 and continuing through the recent events in Syria — have been squandered. The previous administration came to soft power relatively late in the game, but in 2006, President George W. Bush designated a State Department official — first Karen Hughes, then me — as the government-wide lead in using strategic communications to fight terrorism and oppressive regimes. We built a structure and a strategy that was working well as our terms came to an end. Our mission was to push back against the ideology of violent extremism and to divert young people from a path that could lead them to join groups like al Qaeda. We used the power of persuasion, applied with the tools of technology. We mobilized
public diplomacy and sent it into battle — specifically, to fight a war of ideas with terrorists and oppressive regimes. Such current State Department officials as Alec Ross and Farah Pandith are wielding the new tools effectively, and I have high hopes for the new undersecretary, Tara Sonenshine, but the Obama administration hasn’t warmly embraced public diplomacy, which is defined as informing and influencing foreign publics — as opposed to foreign officials — in order to achieve America’s goals. In the short term, public diplomacy explains U.S. policy and tries to set the record straight when it’s distorted. In the long term, public diplomacy, mainly through exchange programs, tries to make foreigners feel good about America and understand our history, values and people. It is actions in the medium term — within six months to five years — where public diplomacy can have its most powerful, and for now most neglected, impact. A pressing need today is to influence Iranians to prevent their government from acquiring nuclear weapons. We could, for example, help establish a digital and physical network of young people who want the power to make their own choices — including the choice to live in peace with their neighbors. We created similar networks made up of families of victims of terrorist violence and, using the techniques of social media, we spread the word that al Qaeda was killing fellow Muslims and that some of its most passionate and articulate leaders were turning against the organization and picking apart its ideology. We also learned quickly that preaching doesn’t work, and that Americans are not the best messengers to Muslims. By contrast, we invented something called Public Diplomacy 2.0 that poses the United States as the convener and facilitator of a broad and deep conversation, in which our messages — grounded in vigorous advocacy of freedom, tolerance and responsibility — will get a respectful hearing. The specific means are abundant, as are the targets: not just al Qaeda but the dictatorial regimes of Syria, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela. What’s important is that public diplomacy be strategic — that is, it needs to be placed in the service of specific, crucial ends, such as ousting Syria’s dictator or building civil society in Egypt. Too often, instead, we find public diplomacy trying to make the rest of the world like us better. That’s hard to do. Favorable opinion of the United States, according to the Pew Research Center, remains at rock-bottom levels in most Muslim nations and has even declined since Obama took office in such countries as Jordan, Pakistan and Egypt. But loving America is not essential. Public diplomacy is not about us anyway. It’s about making the world more free, more safe and, especially in today’s Middle East, showing clearly that we’re on the side of democracy, human rights and tolerance. We can’t make other people’s decisions for them, but we can help create an environment where they are able to make decisions. Sometimes, we have to rely on force; sometimes on the ability of diplomats to twist counterparts’ arms. But, more and more, the best tools are the non-violent but powerful weapons of persuasion directed at people of other nations." Via LJB. See also. Image from
US public diplomacy: should it be about us, or about them? - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Mr. Glassman was under secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, and before that chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, in the George W. Bush administration. Note that he does not mention international broadcasting in his [above - JB] essay. This is a good thing. To maintain its all-important credibility, US international broadcasting cannot be 'placed in the service of specific, crucial ends.' On the other hand, the news function of international broadcasting does 'help create an environment where they [the audience] are able to make decisions.'"
Public Diplomacy Mission: Defining America as a Resilient Nation Built on Individual Dreams - Helle Dale, blog.heritage.org: "In a recent speech to the American Security Project, Tara Sonenshine, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy, laid out her vision for her tenure in office. ‘I always begin with, well, what is this nation about?’ she said. Most people hesitate to go there, presumably for fear of offending this group or that, or because in a nation as diverse as
We tend to proceed from the notion that each individual has the potential to achieve his or her individual dreams or desires, while also contributing to the common good. We believe in unlocking human potential through access, rights, and the human freedom to imagine, to innovate, to inspire, to achieve peace and prosperity. We believe in interests, values, and security. ['] Well said. In a 2009 Heritage report, 'Ideas Matter: Restoring the Content of Public Diplomacy', Robert Riley, former director of the Voice of America, argued that without a strong sense of purpose,
A Snapshot of Public Diplomacy in Action - Tara D. Sonenshine, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, campaign.r20.constantcontact.com: "List activities of the State Department in Public Diplomacy. See also.
Radio Programming for 2012-2013 - "The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 07/31/2012. If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis. ... CFDA Number(s): 19.501 -- Public Diplomacy Programs for Afghanistan and Pakistan ... Agency Name Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Description [:] The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan is pleased to announce an open competition for assistance awards through this Request for Proposals (RFP). PAS anticipates issuing multiple awards under this Funding Opportunity. PAS Kabul invites all eligible organizations to submit a proposal or set of proposals for some or all of the radio broadcast concepts outlined below. Programs should be in both Dari and Pashto wherever possible, and proposals must specify the language(s) to be used in the broadcasts. Specific concepts include programming on issues important to women and their families, and to the critical importance of sustained women’s involvement, across sectors and across regions, to building a stronger future for Afghanistan. Link to Additional Information If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, please contact: Cynthia Rafferty, Grants Manager, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Embassy, Kabul, Afghanistan, Email: KabulPDProposals@state.gov inquiries"
Sanctions: Diplomacy’s Weapon of Mass Murder - Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, The Progressive Mind: "There has been little resistance to sanctions in the false belief that sanctions are a tool of diplomacy and preferable to war. Enforcement of this belief has been a major victory for American public diplomacy. The reality is otherwise. Sanctions kill indiscriminately – they are far deadlier than 'Fat Man' and 'Little Boy' – the two atomic bombs that took the lives of over 200,000 people. In the case of Iraq, the United Nations estimated 1,700,000 million Iraqi civilians died as a result of sanctions.
1.5 million more victims than the horrific atomic bombs dropped on Japan. Diplomacy’s finest hour. ... Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is a Public Diplomacy Scholar, independent researcher and blogger with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups." Sepahpour-Ulrich image from
French Minority Groups and American Public Diplomacy Implementation - Walter Quintanilla, The Political Pause: Political theory and foreign policy anyone: -"[P]ublic diplomacy is not an easy task. The money available for public diplomacy initiatives is fickle, variable, and more often than not, inaccessible. Recent economic cuts have affected posts across the board. Also, it cannot be sure that public diplomacy initiatives directly with French minority groups will not seem like a usurpation of power from the national government. Often what sounds good in theory falls short in practice which can discourage change in public diplomacy implementation. Though France is the U.S.’s oldest mission, the diplomatic relationship with the new French social composition will be one more complicated than before."
Erasmus Exchange Program Celebrates 25th Year - Christopher F. Schuetze, New York Times: "On its 25th anniversary, the Erasmus program is being hailed as one of the success stories of European integration. By providing a framework and financing for studying and training abroad, it allows young Europeans to look beyond their national borders when considering their education and their future. The program, which is financed by the European Union and named after the 16th-century Dutch-born pan-European scholar, has made it mainstream in Europe for students to experience adapting to a different culture while learning a new language. About 10 percent of European students now study abroad, according to a European Commission estimate, and roughly half of them receive financing from Erasmus. In comparison, 1 percent of U.S. students enrolled in higher education study abroad each year, according to a 2011 report by the Institute of International Education." Via RH on Facebook
The Primacy of Human Development in the Arab Spring - Yossef Ben-Meir, moroccotomorrow.org: "The durability of national governments in the Middle East and North Africa is now determined by the extent to which leaders can expeditiously and effectively address the primary cause of the Arab Spring: shameful levels of underdevelopment of the people in the context of abundant socio-economic potential. ... Government budgets in the region and international development assistance should more heavily fund building skills in managing local participatory development, and, vitally, the projects identified by local communities – which range depending on the opportunities they face. The support of these bottom-up democratic development processes is a powerful measure of public diplomacy. A human development revolution can only save the day for governments in the Arab Spring, and time is not a friend. To survive, governments need to disperse to local levels the power for communities to create the development they seek.
A ‘Superpower’ That Couldn’t Keep the Lights On - Aurangzeb, pakistankakhudahafiz.com: "India’s policymakers have been fixated with pursuing major strategic ambitions with the hopes of one day becoming a superpower. The country has tripled its defense expenditure over the last decade to become one of the top-ten military spenders. It has been lobbying for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council and it has been trying to raise its profile globally through public diplomacy and events such as the Commonwealth Games. ... Without ... urgent reforms, India may finally have to turn the lights off on its lofty ambitions of superpower status."
6 Reasons Why Israeli PR Sucks: What You Can Do About It - Iinterview with] Neil Lazarus, Times of Israel, myforumdaily.com: "The Israeli concept of public relations, or Hasbara, has failed to meet many of the needs of explaining the position and policies of the State of Israel. It is clear that classic Hasbara doesn’t work, what is less apparent is that Hasbara cannot work as it is inherently reactive. ... . The Commandments were short and easy to remember and written only on two tablets of stone.
Imagine the lack of impact the 10 Commandments would have had if they were the 100 Commandments or had been handed down in a 400 page hardcover book. Nobody would have read them. ... The Five Rules of Effective Israel Advocacy are: Use Emotion and Personalize[;] Refute and Redefine [;] Speak their Language [;] The Logic of Yes. ... Logos is the appeal to reason. Aristotle believed that by appealing to simple reason, a speaker could convince his audience of their cause. Ethos is an appeal to character and a judgment of what is fair. By appealing to an opponent’s sense of justice, a speaker would prevail. Pathos is the appeal to emotion, a force that was as powerful as ration. When ration did not work then a careful and considered use of emotion was prescribed. It would be interesting to ask Aristotle what he thought of Hasbara and Israel’s attempts to explain its cause. ... Neil Lazarus is an internationally acclaimed expert in the field of Middle East Politics, Israel Public Diplomacy and Effective Communication Training. He is emerging as one of Israel’s leading key note speakers. He is the author of book 'The Five Rules of Effective Israel Advocacy.'” Lazarus image from article
Operation Teddy Bear Drop - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "In one of the most perfect examples of public diplomacy from the Barnum-Bernays School of PD, comes the Operation Teddy Bear Drop. Apparently a Swedish advertising firm called Studio Total invaded Belarus airspace and dropped 800 teddy bear bombs upon Minsk. The bears were complete with signs supporting democracy and criticizing Belarus' antiquated police state. THIS IS HOW YOU FIGHT AUTHORITARIANISM WITH PUBLIC DIPLOMACY! You denigrate its authority with acts of irreverence. You poke it in the eyes with symbols of dissidence. Apparently, the government tried to cover it up but videos and pics leaked out. Lukashenko was so mad, he fired two generals for the breach of Belarus airspace! Public Diplomacy is best when it is lithe and lively. It has to be fast and prick with indirect assaults on the calcified status quo. I give Studio Total a full salute for its work, you get an A+ from PD General Rockower. PS: Taru and Musu shared this amazing tale of a German boy-pilot causing similar havoc on the Soviets when he landed his plane in Red Square."
The Olympics And Nationalism - Andrew Sullivan, Daily Beast: "Alpha Abebe reflects on how the success of Ethiopian athletes will help shape the perception of a country 'whose historical global image is as diverse and contradictory as
Art of cultural diplomacy - Bayani San Diego Jr. - entertainment.inquirer.net: "What is the relevance of a film festival from a neighboring Asian country like Taiwan, amid mounting tension in the West Philippine Sea? In times of crisis, cultural exchanges are all the more imperative, according to Wellington Wei, director of the press division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office. Wei explained that 'cultural diplomacy, through film festivals, art exhibits and sports meets,' can help bring nations together—smoothening out differences and fostering understanding amid strife. Now on its third year, the Taiwan Film Festival will be held at the Shangri-La Plaza mall starting today until Aug. 6."
The Bigger Point - Judith McHale, Huffington Post: "Judith McHale is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Cane Investments, LLC. From 2009 to 2011 she served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Previously McHale was the President and Chief Executive Officer of Discovery Communications."
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Pentagon Soldiers With Islamic Propaganda - Jim Kouri, CPP: As part of its mission to "win the hearts and minds" of people who despise the United States of America, including those who live in the U.S., the Pentagon released a new military manual that's sure to please groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization some allege is a Fifth-Column for radical Islamic terrorist organizations. According to the blog on the web site of a non-profit watchdog group that investigates government corruption and misconduct, in this new era of rampant political correctness, the U.S. Army has published a special handbook for soldiers that appears to justify Islamic jihad by describing it as the “communal military defense of Islam and Muslims when they are threatened or under attack.” Because radical Muslim groups consider Islam to be perpetually under moral, spiritual, economic, political and military attack by the “secular west” they consider military jihad
a “constant necessity” and use it as a “rallying cry to resist and attack all this is un-Islamic,” according to the new Army manual. According to Judicial Watch's blogger, the handbook was created to help soldiers become “culturally literate” ambassadors with sensitivity and understanding of Islamic civilization. The goal is to help them understand how vital culture is in accomplishing military missions. Military personnel who have a distorted picture of a host culture make enemies for the United States. At least that’s what the publication (“Culture Cards: Afghanistan and Islamic Culture") says. An organization of scientists dedicated to national and international security issues discovered the new Army tool and published it on its web site a few ago. Image from
US resists control of internet passing to UN agency - Leo Kelion, BBC News: At present several non-profit US bodies oversee the net's technical specifications and domain name system. They operate at arms-length from the US government but officially under the remit of its Department of Commerce. There has been speculation that other nations will push for a change later this year, but they cannot force the US to comply. The US has set out its position in documents filed with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) - the UN agency responsible for encouraging the development of communications technologies. The ITU is hosting a conference in December in Dubai to which representatives from 178 nations have been invited to review the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITR). The ITR is a 1988 treaty which set out rules for how traffic should flow between different telecom networks, and how to calculate charges for traffic exchanged between carriers in different countries. The rise of the internet and mobile devices has led to calls for it to be revised, but countries are expected to disagree over the changes needed. The US's ambassador to the conference, Terry Kramer, outlined his worries in a statement published by the country's Department of State. "The US is concerned that proposals by some other governments could lead to greater regulatory burdens being placed on the international telecom sector, or perhaps even extended to the internet sector," he wrote. "The United States also believes that existing multi-stakeholder institutions, incorporating industry and civil society, have functioned effectively and will continue to ensure the health and growth of the internet and all its benefits." At present US-based Icann (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) co-ordinates the codes and numbering systems, deciding which new internet address endings should be allowed as an alternative to .com. It then leaves it to ISPs (internet service providers) to assign individual addresses.
Rand Paul holds up U.S. ambassador to Pakistan nominee - Josh Rogin, Foreign Affairs:
Assad spam fills social media networks - dw.de: The Syrian conflict is filling social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Supporters and opponents of the Syrian regime are engaged in a fierce propaganda battle. Image from article
Atrocities in Syria show the rebels' true colours, and have given Assad a boost in the propaganda war - Michael Burleigh, dailymail.co.uk: We should be realistic in recognising that the rebels are not white as the driven snow.
Image from article, with caption: Execution: Half naked, unarmed and trembling with fear, a group of captured pro-Assad soldiers are made to kneel to face a wall in Syria's war-torn Aleppo
Al Qaeda, The CIA and Media Propaganda directed Against Syria - The ‘objective’ news network PBS has been (and still is) engaging in the media propaganda war against the Syrian government, from perpetuating the myth about Syrian Migs attacking rebel fighters to calling the Syrian rebels “underdogs,” the Public Broadcasting Service is perpetuating the disinformation campaign surrounding the events in Syria.
Keeping Sudan from becoming another Syria - John Prendergast and Dave Eggers, Washington Post: Now that the specter of mass starvation is looming in Sudan’s war zones, and Sudan’s cities are pulsating with demand for change, the international community must respond more creatively and forcefully, lest an outcome more like Syria than Libya result.
The Power of War Propaganda on Iran, and How It Works - John Glaser, antiwar.com: A new poll finds 80% of Americans think
Beijing’s Growing Credibility Gap - Kelley Currie, CNN: Authoritarian regimes have traditionally relied heavily on controlling the flow of information that their subjects receive as a critical element of maintaining political power. The Chinese Communist Party is no different: they have an extensive and well-funded propaganda apparatus that’s integrated into all aspects of the Party’s operations, coupled with a sophisticated set of tools that are used to control the Chinese public’s access
to alternative sources of information. After decades of maintaining a fairly successful monopoly on the flow of information, the party-state’s current approach is much more calibrated and nuanced. It seems to be based on the principles of modern flood-control techniques: allow a greater flow in certain channels when necessary to take the pressure off the highest risk zones. While these techniques are generally successful, recently we’ve seen how freak events and unexpected storms can overwhelm systems that are based on routine handling of high probability events. The analogy to flood control is an apt one given the latest disaster to tax Beijing’s information management apparatus: the deadly floods that swept through the capital on July 21. Image from article
The Dark Age of Canadian Diplomacy - Aziza Mohammed, diplomaticourier.com: Diplomatic history has earned Canada respect, soft power, and even some moral high ground within the international community. Within the last decade, it is hard to recall the last time that Canada really did something. Our latest diplomatic “accomplishments” are limited to a G8 summit that produced some new patio furniture for Tony Clement’s electoral district and some forgettable communiqués, and a G20 summit that saw Toronto’s downtown core overrun by a motley crew of protestors, anarchists, and the police trying to constrain them. This does not bode well for Canada. In a globalized world.
Culture in a Time of Austerity - Jonathan Blitzer, New York Times: The arts have always paid a high price for their privileged status. But as the euro crisis rages on in
Cross-Cultural Communication Takes More than Manners - Leonard Fuld, blogs.hbr.org: Even in a world of globalization there remains an ever-present need for executives to anticipate and appreciate this frequently hidden culture factor and early on to place it on both the written and unwritten agenda of every similar meeting in the days ahead. If not, decision-makers may overlook basic data — and miss major strategic opportunities.
Why Doesn’t TSA Trust the State Department? - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well:
Not a word on why State’s diplomats are not trusted by TSA. Image from entry
Canning History: When Propaganda Encouraged Patriotic Preserves - Jessica Stoller-Conrad, NPR: Recently, home canning has seen a rush in popularity, and even upscale retailers like Williams-Sonoma want a share of the idea that a pint of home-canned jam is a fun gift idea. But during both world wars, canning saw another surge, this time prompted by colorful propaganda sponsored by the United States government. During wartime, American and British citizens were encouraged by their respective governments to start "victory gardens," reducing their reliance on limited food rations. The natural next step — canning their newly-grown produce. Getting folks to can at home was a way of "relieving pressure on the canning industry that was needed to preserve food for soldiers," says Anne Effland, a U.S. Department of Agriculture social scientist and former food historian with the agency.
So naturally, the government called on a few good artists to help it gin up a propaganda poster campaign to make canning seem patriotic. Check out our slideshow above for some samples of the posters, many of which live on today in the special collections at the National Agricultural Library. The commissioned posters featured brightly colored artwork and slogans like "Can All You Can" and "Of Course I Can" — puns that recall a simpler time and perhaps a simpler sense of humor. "The posters were used as a rhetorical device to bring the public together around the common need to support the armed forces," says Effland. Image from article, with caption: During World War II, the government used posters to encourage Americans to grow and preserve their own foods as a way to aid the war effort. Produced by the Office of War Information in 1943. (Northwestern University Libraries)
Historian explores how images of Hitler’s homes were used as propaganda - Patricia Donovan, buffalo.edu: Architectural historian Despina Stratigakos, an award-winning scholar of modern German architecture and associate professor in the department of architecture, is at work on the first in-depth study of the aesthetic and ideological constructions of the “domestic” Adolf Hitler and the uses to which they were put by propagandists of the Third Reich. Stratigakos says “Hitler at Home”
will span the fields of architectural history, social history and politics and explore how the Fuhrer’s domestic spaces—which reveal a great deal about his self-conception—became a part of the national cultural imagination and were used to launder his image in Germany and abroad. Image from article, with caption: Images in the popular press of Hitler’s alpine country estate were intended to portray the Nazi ruler as a country gentleman of taste and gentle demeanor.
AMERICANA
Are Americans Still Puritan? - Matthew Hudson, New York Times: “I think I can see the whole destiny of America contained in the first Puritan who landed on those shores,” the French political thinker Alexis de Tocqueville wrote after visiting the United States in the 1830s. Was he right?
Do present-day Americans still exhibit, in their attitudes and behavior, traces of those austere English Protestants who started arriving in the country in the early 17th century? It seems we do. Image from article
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