"Three reasons to be an academic: June, July, and August."
--From a letter to the editor of The Times Literary Supplement (September 7, 2012), p. 6; image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Seeing Through the Fog - Bill Kiehl, Public Diplomacy Council (September 14): "The tragic death of four brave Americans in Benghazi was not caused by an anti-Islamic video. This was a planned, coordinated attack by a terrorist organization which would have happened whether this video existed or not. Clearly the consulate and the 'safe house' we're [sic] targeted. The real question here is why the security, especially on this 9-11 anniversary was not better. The demonstrations, allegedly based on the video, would have occurred or could occur on some perceived slight to Islam in any case. The root causes of this unrest and violence go well beyond the video. Indeed, focusing on the video is merely a distraction from a bigger issue. Explaining our free speech society can do some good with people of good will but the sort of people who delight in chanting 'death to America' are unmoved by such rhetoric. Indeed for them, America's free speech society IS the problem.
Public diplomacy has a leading role in explaining our society and values to the world but we should be prepared for the fact that for some people our society and values are repugnant. ... The Arab Spring had great potential and may still have that potential but the US has missed several critical opportunities so far and may need to rethink a number of current assumptions. Unless we are willing to recast some of the policies of the United States held by all administrations since the end of WWII, we may expect to find more angry mobs who don't like us or our values. That just may be the price we must pay for pursuing our core values and national interests in this dangerous neighborhood. Two things are for certain, however: (1) American foreign policy must be clear, resolute and clearly understood (that is public diplomacy's role) by both allies and adversaries. (2) When America creates expectations, America must follow through on those expectations--that is the essence of leadership." Image from, with caption: Rioters attacking the American embassy in Yemen
America just cannot be the loved one - Michael Young, The Daily Star (September 13): "The White House and the State Department would do best to save their public diplomacy funds and focus more on a redefining a lasting, bipartisan strategy toward the Middle East that can span antagonistic administrations. This has not been done in a serious way since 9/11, and it needs to be at this essential moment when Arab countries are facing momentous change."
Assassination, symbolism and implications for Public Diplomacy - Madhurjya Kotoky, publicdiplomacyblog.com (September 12): "5389! Yes, that’s the number of articles a simple Google search shows as I surf the web now to read about the assassination of Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Libya. It is reflective of the immense symbolism of the incident across the world, especially in the Arab world currently undergoing significant political transformations. The world awaits the American reaction, and, maybe a lot of us are expecting spectacular retributive justice from the Americans. ... In my previous posts I had written about the possibility of a counter reaction to the Arab Spring in the next few years. Viewed in context of the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and rising tide of millenarian aspirations post the fall of the older political order, incidents such as these can play on popular imagination and provide the reactionary forces with just the ammunition to seize power.
Enhanced strategic communications is now more important for United States than ever to counter such a possibility. This will call for more action from State Department to build ‘networks of influencers’ and deepen engagement rather than going out all guns blazing. Can these story tellers be crisis managers? Can PD/ Public Affairs be expected to manage such conflicts? Policymakers must not lose sight of the fact that this battle will be fought over ‘24 hour media’ all across the world. This will be as much a battle of ideas and attitudes. Every action by both the parties will create different narratives that would shape perceptions, form opinions in societies currently undergoing tremendous change. The implications will be significant and it might help if policymakers indulge in some ‘scenario gaming’ from this perspective." Image from entry, with caption: Palestinians burn the US flag during a demonstration against an anti-Islam on September 12, 2012 in front of the UN headquarters in Gaza City.
Public Diplomacy in the Middle East - Joseph Knippenberg, firstthings.com (September 23): "President Obama began his outreach to the Muslim world with a speech in Cairo, widely hailed as a new opening and change in tone from that of the Bush Administration. While I won’t take the acts of anti-American mobs in
Observations on Embassy Attacks - Adam Elkus, rethinkingsecurity.tumblr.com (September 12): "Anger ... should be directed at the criminals who violated diplomatic norms by assaulting the American embassy in Cairo and the consulate in Benghazi. Anger should also be reserved for the foreign governments that shirked their sovereign obligations to protect US diplomatic property and personnel. This is not say that we should toss out the entire idea of information operations, public diplomacy, or military information support.
Any tool the United States can employ to realize its interests should be used, and IO, PD and MISO all have valuable roles to play as instruments of national power. But we should be realistic about what they can achieve. ... From 1979 to tonight, we have a troublesome habit of allowing rent-a-mobs of armed 'students' and 'protestors' to gain access and control over US diplomatic facilities. Perhaps the consistent failure to secure these facilities, prevent entry. and exact costs on governments that fail to protect them plays a role in their continued seizure?" Image from entry, with caption: The above picture depicts a man waving the flag of declared enemies of the United States over US government property on the anniversary of September 11
Riots - Paul Rockower, Levantine (September 14): "Ok, enough with the mobs outside the U.S. Embassies. Shabab, just cause the video was made in America by a Egyptian Copt (Not an Israeli-American Jew as falsely noted) does not mean it reflects American policy. It wasn't produced by the State Department as a public diplomacy video, so kindly chill. I get that you are offended, the video is reportedly pretty offensive. But enough with storming our embassies simply because this trash was produced on our shores."
Limits on Free Speech? A Dangerous Message - Conservative Byte (September 14): "Diplomats abroad represent the government of the United States. They must, therefore, speak with tact, but also with honesty. After all, most of the people they’re speaking to have no firsthand experience with the U.S. Our diplomats are teaching foreigners about America. In fact, the 'primary purpose of United States public diplomacy is to explain, promote, and defend American principles to audiences abroad.'
So let’s consider the message our government sent with this statement that the American Embassy in Egypt put out on Tuesday: 'The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims—as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.' It was speaking out against a low-budget film that has apparently been screened only once, to an audience of about a dozen people, clips of which have circulated online. The embassy seems to have been attempting to reduce tensions in the region. That obviously didn’t work, as a mob soon stormed the embassy compound anyway." Image from entry
US Embassy Egypt: PAO Larry Schwartz Thrown Under the Bus Over “Inappropriate Apology” - Domani Spero, diplopundit.net (September 13): "[T]hat condemnation statement from the US Embassy Cairo has now entered the twilight zone of presidential politics and The Cable’s Josh Rogin has the scoop inside this public relations disaster at our Cairo embassy. Two responsible officials were named in the article — the Deputy Chief of Mission Marc Sievers, who was the acting charge d’affairs and the embassy’s senior public affairs officer Larry Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz was previously Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad and a seasoned public diplomacy officer. He, presently, just got thrown under the bus over the apology controversy. And run over twice once more for good measure. ... Anyway here’s the thing — Foreign Service officers are really, really excellent at following the chalked lines. You don’t see a lot of rogue and old diplomats for very good reasons. And they, certainly, do not suddenly forget their clearance procedures because they were confronted with a badly made, badly written and badly acted movie clip in YouTube; much less, defy a direct order from the State Department when it comes to an official statement for public consumption. Unless, of course, the officer is looking to commit a career suicide. And I’m not convinced that is the case with man of the hour, Larry Schwartz. It would be nice to know who in the State Department 'directed' Mr. Schwartz not/not to post the statement without changes, wouldn’t it? Was it somebody in the Bureau of Public Affairs? Was it somebody in the regional bureau? Did anyone also tell him that if this sh*t blows up we’ll make sure Foreign Policy knows how to spell your name? This is what you’d call the bureaucratic duck and cover. It looks like the poor sod under the bus did not get a lot warning. If he did get some warning, we’d be interested to know if he got a special phone call telling him to take one for the team before they throw him to the sharks on a feeding frenzy."
The U.S. Embassy to Egypt's Oddly Informal Twitter Feed - Max Fisher, theatlantic.com (September 13): "Twitter is a social medium, and it both encourages informality and rewards users who embrace that more conversational style. It does not reward users who put out only staid press releases and official statement. The diplomats who run the account of the U.S. embassy to Egypt seems [sic] to have understood this, attempting to master Twitter's more conversation style to maximize its public diplomacy potential.
But one problem with this is that, if succeeding on Twitter outreach means running the feed like a real person instead of a faceless bureaucrat, does that make the feed reflect the individual behind it more than the broader United States and United States government, which is what the feed and embassy are meant to represent?" Image from article, with caption: Security forces guard the U.S. embassy in Cairo.
Kristol Doubles Down - andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com (September 12): "Input from readers with diplomatic backgrounds: [']I work in [a State Department office] where we deal with information security directly. (Please don't name that office . ... ) Do you know how many tweets there are from diplomatic missions? Almost all posts have a Twitter feed now, and they are most likely only cleared by public diplomacy Foreign Service Officers. That means it's a local issue, has nothing to do with 'State Department' officials in charge at home. I know for certain we do nothing of the sort, clearing them in this office.['] Such a sad situation, infuriating all of us here. Another: [']I'm a former US Foreign Service officer and can tell you that the statement by the US Embassy in Cairo - which, frankly, seems perfectly OK to me to begin with; what's really so offensive about it that the Obama administration has to 'distance' itself from it? - almost certainly wasn't cleared with DC, because otherwise it wouldn't have been issued for another day or two! It would have spent that time bouncing back and forth from the Egypt desk up to the Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs and over then to Public Affairs and God knows who else getting massaged, tweaked, edited and finally OK'd. The reason embassies have Public Affairs officers is so they can handle this sort of statement on their own, though doubtless the DCM, acting as charge d'affaires in the absence of the ambassador, signed off on it.[']"
Benghazi and Diplomacy's Hard Power - dtrombly, cnas.org (September 12): "Adolph Dubs, the U.S. Ambassador in Afghanistan, [was] killed after a botched, hasty raid on his militant kidnappers in 1979. That same year, three American embassies – Tripoli, Tehran, and Islamabad – all suffered sieges. As in Tehran, there was a record of targeting foreign diplomats and officials (including by groups such as the MEK) before the siege. Unfortunately, the hindsight is too late. What is to be done? The most obvious solution would be for the governments of Libya and Egypt to perform their diplomatic obligations and curb attacks on other countries’ diplomats. Yet compelling even a friendly government to conduct such a task when it disrupts transitional regimes’ relationships with violent, and powerful political actors, is a task difficult even when the government in question is deeply dependent on American largesse. For those few for whom hasty (and later repudiated) Embassy press releases and tweets might tip the balance from violent assaults on American lives and sovereign soil to less ferocious forms of truculence, there is public diplomacy, information operations, and the 'war of ideas' ... . For everyone else, there’s the Marine Corps.
In addition to the Marine Security Guards at U.S. facilities, today’s Marines maintain FAST units – Fleet Antiterrorism Security Teams and RRTs – Rapid Response Teams – to protect American officials, citizens, and interests abroad." Image from
Our Diplomats Deserve Better - Prudence Bushnell, New York Times (September 13): "Diplomacy is a dangerous profession. You cannot exert influence by whispering in diplomatic code to your government counterparts behind closed doors. You do not spread American values — especially in places where passions are high, governments fragile and guns plentiful — by remote control from Washington. You have to get out from behind the walls and engage with people. We know this can put us in harm’s way; our people in the Benghazi consulate knew it. And they did their jobs anyway. That is because, hokey as it sounds, the people who represent us overseas really do believe they can make a difference. They confront violent behavior and strong passions with American leadership, smart power and peaceful means. We must make that work safer."
Romney self-destructs - Mark Kleiman, samefacts.com (September 12): "[Comment by] Wido Incognitus ... Anyway, it probably would have been better if organs of the US government were less quick to condemn this film that they had nothing to do with (I know that public diplomacy is about making it clear that you can do business with people, even at the expense of dumbing it down), but it does seem overwrought to make it all the responsibility of Barack Obama and it also is over the top to identify these condemnations as an attack on freedom of speech etc."
Comedy Hour at State Dept. on Iran and Israel: The US says there are two diplomacies – public and private. Israel is “private” when it comes to red lines apparently. But Iran is public - Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, israelnationalnews.com (September 12): "A journalist at the daily briefing asked [U.S. State Department spokesperson Victoria] Nuland, 'How do you alleviate those Israeli concerns without some sort of markers in the sand that you won’t allow Iran to cross?' She replied with the usual answer of 'I’m not going to comment today on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s statements.' She added, 'We don’t think it’s particularly useful to have those conversations in public. It doesn’t help the process and it doesn’t help the integrity of the diplomacy.' Journalists began to pepper her with questions on 'why is this issue something that needs to be handled privately [while] other issues, I mean U.S.-Israeli issues such as settlements, you’ll make a comment from the podium that’s sometimes critical of the Israeli government’s behavior.'
Nuland held firm, and then [Associated Press journalist Matt] Lee, known for his incisive and acerbic questioning, started up with her. 'You don’t think it’s helpful to do diplomacy with Israel or anyone else in public' he asked. 'What are you doing up here every day, then?' Nuland: 'I’m explaining our diplomacy.' Lee: 'What is public diplomacy, then, if it is not – I mean, I don’t understand. If you are explaining every day what the position –' Nuland: 'There is public diplomacy and there is private diplomacy.'” See also. Nuland image from
Podcast Blues - jamesthomassnyder.com (August 25): "Buried on YouTube is an intriguing and expanding experiment in Internet-enabled public diplomacy. Beginning a few years ago, the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) started short video profiles of American ambassadors bound for exotic posts abroad. This is a way to introduce themselves to the countries where they will be serving, the bilateral agenda they’ll be promoting, and maybe get some of that social media mojo everybody’s been talking about. IIP stood up a video production capability in 2008 and is producing by its count an astonishing 300 video products a year. Typically for a federal agency, these introductory videos – 16 are live, which setting aside consulates and other missions represents about a tenth of our diplomatic representation abroad – are produced with gusto but manifestly uneven style and quality. So this is a friendly critique with suggestions for how these videos can get better and find the audience they are clearly intended to reach."
The Impact of International Student Exchanges: Changing Minds, Changing Lives - Tara Sonenshine, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Remarks at Drake University (As Prepared for Delivery) Des Moines, IA September 10, 2012 - U.S. Department of State: Sonenshine: "Now, what is public diplomacy, exactly? Well, it’s many things. But I would like to underscore this: It’s about joining the global conversation and making sure America is relevant, connected, and active. A big part of that is our academic exchange programs, such as the Fulbright Program, which operates in more than 155 countries worldwide. To date, the Fulbright Program has provided approximately 310, 000 participants the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, and exchange ideas in each others’ countries."
“Hope Fellowships made it possible to witness US model of democracy” – Ardita Metaj-Dika, hopefellowships.wordpress.com (September 14): "My name is Ardita Metaj-Dika. I am a young Kosovar lawyer. It was a true honor and privilege to be part of Hope Fellowship program which is a lifetime experience. Even though I had visited the USA on two occasions before, I had not yet seen some of the top attractions. And to me, the biggest attraction of all is the US model of democracy. No wonder, then, that I chose to be part of Diplomacy and Democracy Group. The Fellowship program offered a fantastic opportunity for me to experience first-hand the US political system. In addition, I learned more about the history, legal environment and contemporary trends of the civil society sector in the US. After trainings in Kosovo that were focused on Public Diplomacy and Leadership we attended a six week program in Washington DC. There were additional training sessions, visits, events, meetings and sightseeing that made this program so special and I find it very hard to summarize my impressions in a few sentences. As soon as you step foot in Washington DC
you can feel the American Public Diplomacy. It’s amazing how people get carried away by the American way of doing things. You cannot help falling in love with this country, especially when you happen to be there on the 4th of July…You feel like an American. ... Hope Fellowship was established by the National Albanian American Council (NAAC) and is funded by USAID to strengthen the role of women in policy and decision-making in the Balkans. The program operates in Kosovo, empowering women leaders to create collaborative, sustainable, positive change in government, civil society, and business that strengthen the democratic process and promotes prosperity for all peoples in the country. NAAC’s aim is to contribute to the development of the Balkans by offering concrete support in the form of educational opportunities and tools to foster democratic participation." Metaj-Dika image from entry
Still Exchanging? The History, Relevance, and Effect of International Exchange Programs - Giles Scott-Smith, e-International Relations (September 14): "In an age when social media networks, digital platforms and ‘cloud formations’ are being explored as new terrain for branding campaigns and public diplomacy strategies, it might seem odd that ‘slow media’ such as exchange programs can still garner much attention. Yet public statements declaring their continuing worth are common. On 30 May 2012 former Defense Secretary Robert Gates delivered a speech to the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA) in which he proclaimed that 'no policy has proven more successful in making friends for the United States' than encouraging foreign students to study at US universities. US influence and credibility – not to mention its economic competitiveness – depended on continuing 'to build bridges with universities that are in cultures different from our own.' While the Pentagon may not at first be thought of as an advocate of soft power tools like exchanges, US strategic influence around the globe has undoubtedly been enhanced through the many military training programs operated with allied nations – as Gates well knows. Gates’ speech highlighted the many different roles that exchanges can play in US foreign affairs: breaking down stereotypes and obstacles of cultural difference; contributing to the transfer of knowledge and expertise; familiarising the outside world with the variety of opinions in the United States, as well as familiarising Americans to the different views held outside the US. His outlook has been avidly shared by Secretary of State Clinton, who has turned her appointment into a globe-trotting public diplomacy exercise (843,458 miles travelled as of 10 August) that emphasises at every opportunity the value of facilitating people-to-people contacts. Clinton has pursued on a grand scale President Obama’s personal reflection in his Cairo speech of 4 June 2009, where he talked of the need to 'expand exchange programs, and increase scholarships, like the one that brought my father to America.' This is promoting the United States as the unique ‘Crossroads Nation’, as David Brooks would say. ... Exchanges contribute, in a loose, unguided way, towards an ever-denser global network society. Needless to say, states don’t have a monopoly on this activity either. In an era of increasing international tensions over issues such as territory, natural resources and wealth distribution, even a small contribution towards greater cross-border understanding is welcome."
The ‘Smart Power’ of Books in Building Bilateral Relations - Sharon Hudson-Dean, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (September 4): "In March 2011, my embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe, started two CLSC [Chautauqua Literary and Scientific Circle] groups using Kindle e-readers loaded with twelve CLSC books. With seed money from the State Department’s Public Diplomacy Innovation Fund, we invited
opinion leaders from various spheres of life – politics, media, religion, academia and civil society -- to meet every two months over a meal at the Ambassador’s residence or another diplomat’s house to discuss the books. Given the tense relations between the U.S. and Zimbabwe over the last decade, these knowledge-focused, apolitical meetings were a forum for creating person-to-person relations to improve and advance bilateral relations." Image from
Public Diplomacy's Role in Troubled Africa - Philip Seib, Huffington Post (August 24): "Public diplomacy's great value ... is that rather than relying on the grand abstractions of 'policy,' it connects directly with individuals, providing tools they can use in bettering their lives. Now is the time to step up such efforts, strengthening civil society within Mali and elsewhere in Africa. Doing so will give Africans a better chance of meeting the huge challenges they face, and that is clearly in the strategic interest of the United States."
Why Does Religous Freedom Matter? - Jennifer Marshall, Constitutional Free America (September 12): "The most secure and consistent protection for religious liberty needs to be rooted in constitutional government. U.S. public diplomacy can support the development of such robust religious freedom by telling America’s success story. That requires that U.S. policymakers understand and be able to articulate the role of religion in the American constitutional order. In the 21st-century war of ideas, U.S. public diplomacy must rely on the bedrock of American founding principles in the fight against potent ideologies that present strong, coherent, and deeply misguided explanations of the nature and purpose of human existence. Evaluating religious dynamics around the world should become a regular function of analysis, and articulating the role of religion in the U.S. should be a consistent feature of communications strategy."
Endangered Languages in the Pacific Provide Unique Opportunity for American Public Diplomacy - Eddie Walsh, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (August 31)
Chefs are the new diplomats - Tom Sietsema, Washington Post (September 10): “Initiated by the U.S. Chief of Protocol Capricia Penavic Marshall and blessed by her boss, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership aims to 'elevate the role of culinary engagement in America’s formal and public diplomacy efforts,' according to a mission statement. The initiative, in partnership with the James Beard Foundation, named for the late dean of American cooking, will be officially announced at the State Department on Sept. 7 at a reception featuring some of the nation’s premiere chefs and pedigreed products. ‘James used to say, ‘Food is our common ground,’ ‘says foundation president Susan Ungaro. ‘He would be thrilled’ by chefs ‘getting recognition in ways they never have before.’
The wide-ranging effort creates an American Chef Corps, a network of culinary leaders who could be deployed to promote
U.S. Public Diplomacy Increasing Domestic Outreach - Steven R. Corman, csc.asu.edu (August 29): "I have been following developments in public diplomacy for close to twelve years now. Lately I have noticed something new: Messages in my inbox from Tara Sonenshine, the new Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (whose department, for arcane reasons, is known as 'R'). She was appointed earlier this year as successor to Judith McHale. I cannot remember ever receiving regular email messages from this office before. Wondering what was behind them, I requested and was granted an interview last week with Aviva Rosenthal, the Under Secretary’s Chief of Staff. The upshot is that this is part of an effort at R to be more engaged with domestic constituencies. ... Noting that the newsletter is, after all, primarily one-way communication, I asked what parts of the initiative would create more two-way dialog. She noted that the newsletter has generated a significant amount of feedback to which they regularly respond. She also said they have already begun outreach to Capitol Hill staffers and have had conversations with congresspersons and their staffers about PD. They have more things in planning that they are not ready to talk about just yet, but she said we could expect coming events that create more dialog with academics. For example, Under Secretary Sonenshine will be visiting the USC Center on Public Diplomacy this fall. I was also curious if they had concerns about the new mailings running afoul of the Smith-Mundt Act, which (arguably) precludes PD communications from being shared with a domestic audience. Ms. Rosenthal said they were tracking that issue closely and worked with the lawyers to follow the restrictions while still allowing greater engagement for R. 'You need to follow the law, but at the same time you don’t want to constrain public diplomacy unnecessarily,' she said. The solution they found is that the Department can disseminate information about its PD activities, but not all products of those activities. For example readers may learn that a certain video was developed, but they will not be provided a link to see the video itself. ... My assessment of these changes is positive for three reasons. First, as we at the CSC [Center for Strategic Communications at Arizona State University] have argued for quite some time now, PD should forego the old transmission model of communication so entrenched throughout the government and move toward one based more on dialog. Our argument was more about international PD efforts, but it is as true for domestic ones. Though the dialog aspect of this new initiative is somewhat a work in progress, it is encouraging that they are thinking in these terms. Second, it is wise to build more support for PD in the
Washington DC USC forum focuses on person-to-person contacts - Adam Clayton Powell III, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (September 6)
In The Weeds: The Last Three Feet - Donna Oglesby, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (August 30): "On the ground in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan as well as Bahrain, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and China, public diplomacy officers from the U.S. Department of State tell us their stories in the newly published book: The Last Three Feet: Case Studies in Public Diplomacy (2012). For the price of a posey, you can download it now. Edited by Dr. William Kiehl, the book is a convenient way to access the wonderful firsthand accounts of U.S. public diplomacy today." See also.
Bridging the last three feet – language and local knowledge - ckilbyus, The Public Diplomats (September 13): "Language and cultural expertise to meet the public diplomacy challenges unique to each country were what stuck out to me most in the Public Diplomacy Council’s new book, The Last Three Feet. Each case study had significant differences in the approach and particular mission, from the Shanghai Expo to the news environment in Pakistan.
What was common, though, was the new implementation of language. The Shanghai Expo utilized Americans fluent in Chinese to reach out to visitors. In the case of Pakistan, there was an identified need for Urdu language skills so that the Embassy staffers could read and understand the major papers read by the public. Even if they do have speaking skills, it’s important to note, as Ambassador Anthony Quainton did at the The Last Three Feet book launch, the Foreign Service Institute does not teach writing. Given the importance of reading and writing in both traditional forms of media, like newspapers, and in the new social media platforms, is it a problem that our public diplomats are exceedingly reliant on local staff for language needs?" Image from
Looking Beyond the Obvious: A critique of “The Last Three Feet” - mflash16, The Public Diplomats (September 13): "The underlying theme throughout The Last Three Feet focuses on the need for flexibility, adaptability and responsiveness to on-the-ground challenges. The case examples focused described how successes in Public Diplomacy were a product of combined happenstance, experience and diligence. While each case example showcases lessons learned from the field that can be applied to difference scenarios, each study also highlights the unpredictability of public diplomacy work making the applicability of the lessons learned questionable. Additionally, the 'a-ha' moments of the book, when taken in context seem more of a 'well obviously' moments than startling revelations. For example, in the Pakistani case example discusses the importance of obtaining actual knowledge from news sources beyond those published in English. Yet why the concept of the need for information from the native language created such a surprise and stir is baffling. Similarly, the success of the @America in Indonesia created a huge stir. And yet, attacking the attention of 15-20 year-old students with a prime location and advanced technology is an idea most major successful tech companies use in every day marketing practices. Combining the use of fairly obvious solutions with the degree of unpredictability and happenstance apparent throughout the book, most prominently displaced in the China World Fair case study leads to the conclusion that success in public diplomacy requires luck and common knowledge. While clearly, the nuances of public diplomacy require lengthy study and preparation, and success in public diplomacy endeavors takes time, ingenuity, skill, and an ability to interpret complex and contradictory signals, this book attempts to boil all of it down to simplistic conclusions and lessons learned that someone with no public diplomacy experience needs to be taught. As a tool for practitioners, The Last Three Feet can either be interpreted as banter between well seasoned public diplomats who don’t need an actual guide to navigating the last three feet or as a tool lure young practitioners into the field with hopes of 'success by the seat of their pants.'”
Broadcasting Board of Governors – Information War Lost: The Arab and Muslim World - The Federalist, USG Broadcasts/BBG Watch: "The recent murders of U.S. diplomats represent the ultimate expression of a rejection of American ideals and principals [sic]. Of all the former journalists, international communications experts, public relations and public diplomacy specialists present at the Broadcasting Board of Governors open meeting in Washington, DC on September 13, 2020 — shortly after BBG members and International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) Director Richard Lobo had met with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine — only BBG Governor Ambassador Victor Ashe had the presence of mind to speak up and insist that 'passing' in the BBG resolution be changed to 'murder' — to call a spade a spade in reference to the horrific killing of Ambassador Stevens. Most of the participants
in the BBG meeting are responsible for the direction, the tone and to a large degree the content of U.S. international broadcasting. The Voice of America (VOA), the most important broadcasting entity managed by the BBG, reported recently that the Taliban in Afghanistan killed a dozen or so partying civilians because because the Taliban 'disapproves' of dancing and singing. Another curious choice of words. That kind of communications strategy is not encouraging news for Americans at home and abroad and U.S. international broadcasting audiences in the Arab and Muslim world. It sends a confusing message and emboldens extremists. We’re not suggesting using inflammatory language in BBG resolutions — much less in Voice of America (VOA), Radio Sawa or Alhurra news — but 'Passing' and 'Disapproval'? Such expressions are more appropriate for describing the death of a grandmother or voicing parental concern over teenage behavior." Image from article, with caption: Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) members and International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) Director Richard Lobo meeting with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine, Sept. 13, 2012.
BBG meets with Hillary Clinton, "the only Secretary of State to have met with the Board" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: Elliott comment: "To 'increase the impact of U.S. international broadcasting' requires a recommitment to the most important commodity of international broadcasting: credibility. Phrases such as 'strategic efforts,' 'mission in support of U.S. interests,' and 'in support of freedom and democracy' may be worthy notions, but they are not indicative of an independent news organization and thus do not enhance credibility."
NBCUniversal exec Jeffrey Shell tapped as next chairman of the BBG, which meets today [September 13] at 2045 UTC - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting.
Shell image from entry
The words they use to describe VOA. Everything except "news" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Radio World examines the Smith Mundt Modernization Act, presently going nowhere in Congress - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting. Elliott comment: "The Thornberry-Smith bill state, in part: 'The Secretary and the Broadcasting Board of Governors are authorized to use funds appropriated or otherwise made available for public diplomacy information programs to provide for the preparation, dissemination, and use of information intended for foreign audiences abroad about the United States, its people, and its policies, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, the Internet, and other information media, including social media, and through information centers, instructors, and other direct or indirect means of communication.' I added the underlining, because the US ethnic radio stations, often cited as a reason to relax the domestic dissemination ban, are probably more interested in news about the home countries of their immigrant audiences. VOA and the Radio Free stations have plenty of such news, and conveninently in the languages of the those immigrant communities. Would Thornberry-Smith allow the domestic dissemination of target-country news? When the VOA receives a request from a US media outlet to reprint or rebroadcast VOA content, present practice is to decline the request. Perhaps instead, the media outlet should be sent the language of Gartner v USIA (1989), which ruled, basically, that while the domestic dissemination ban is constitutional, US citizens and media outlets can, of their own accord, acquire and disseminate VOA content. Fears about relaxing the domestic dissemination ban are often based on the premise that VOA and other BBG elements are engaged in propaganda, or at least 'public diplomacy.' It is unhelpful when the BBG refers to its own work as 'public diplomacy.' The BBG should stress that its entities are in the news business, and invite journalism professors to analyze the output of the BBG entities to look for evidence that the content is anything other than news. The new BBG mission statement has, unfortunately, jettisoned the reference to 'accurate, objective, and balanced news' contained in its previous mission statement. As I've written many times, the internet and satellites have not made the domestic dissemination prohibition obsolete. Through IP blocking and specification of footprints, these technologies make the ban finally observable. The ban is not observed, however, and maybe it's best just to let the sleeping dog lie. Continued activity to pass Thornberry-Smith could have an outcome opposite of what was intended. The House passed the Thornberry-Smith bill as part of the Defense Authorization Act. The Senate did not include it in their authorization for the BBG or DOD. Passage of the bill would seem to be an uphill struggle."
Nine-month absence of VOA Persian show "Parazit" is beginning to cause some static - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting.
Hudson Institute paper would have USIB tilt away from journalism, under a new Counter Terrorism Ideology Committee - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: Elliott comment: "At the Hudson Institute event (see video) which presented this paper, James K. Glassman was a commentator. Mr. Glassman was, during the George W. Bush administration, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and, before that, chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. In his remarks, Glassman referred to the 'conflict of mission' of US international broadcasting.
He added, 'It's just foolish, in my opinion, for [US international broadcasting] to be outside the strategic control and coordination of national security policy makers.' So the former first guard of the USIB firewall would like to dismantle that firewall. This Hudson paper, with Glassman's endorsement, is just one of several recent recommendations that US international broadcasting be more closely coordinated with US foreign policy. It seems more and more likely that the 'firewall' concept will go up in smoke in a future administration. Because credibility is vital to success in international broadcasting, a reasonable goal for US international broadcasting might not be to become, as recently proposed, the world's leading news agency. Instead, it may be more a matter of holding off its inevitable failure for as long as possible." Image from entry
A New Take on International Broadcasting - William Lafi Youmans, Shawn Powers, takefiveblog.org (September 14): "International broadcasting, as state media aimed at foreign publics, plays an important role in public diplomacy efforts. Our latest paper examines the challenges before IB entities in a new media environment. It proposes a framework for analyzing IB systematically, and predicting its success. Generally, state-sponsored international broadcasting bodies operate with the aim of
changing public opinion elsewhere, whether to spread goodwill, better views of the sponsor country, spread dissent against other governments or open up audiences to new ideas and policy proposals. Governments spend billions on IB without central strategy or a conception of what IB should be today. Academics and practitioners alike have failed to agree on models or theories that explain the success and failure of international broadcasting at different times. Equally debated is what it should be. Propaganda? Or dialogue? Should it be a more networked form of diplomacy?" Image from entry
The rise of Twiplomacy: What Canada can learn from Hillary Clinton: U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton is showing the diplomatic world how to boost its influence, 140 characters at a time. But where are Canada’s tweets? Renee Filiatrault makes the case for Twitter as a perfect medium for a middle power - ottawacitizen.com (September 7)
Image from article, with caption: While Hillary Clinton uses Twitter for serious diplomacy, the blogosphere has had fun with this photo, imagining what she’s writing at textsfromhillaryclinton.tumblr.com.
Sri Lanka Day Expo 2012: Marketing Sri Lanka's image in California well received - Daya Gamage, asiantribune.com (August 29): "Marketing Sri Lanka's image abroad using the basics of public affairs, public diplomacy and strategic communication, as Sri Lankan watchers have observed, seems to be a dueling task for Sri Lankan authorities.
This obstacle was overcome in the populous city of Santa Monica in California on Saturday, August 25 by the launching of Sri Lanka Day-Expo 2012 which attracted non-immigrant Americans from the length and breadth the State of California many of whom once entertained mixed feelings about this South Asian nation which they connected to terrorism, suicide bombers and human rights abuses." Image from article, with caption: Dr. Walter Jayasinghe, President Sri Lanka Foundation California addressing the gathering. Richard Bloom, Mayor of Santa Monica and Sri Lanka Consul General for western States Dr. Hector Weerasinghe on the podium
The How and the What of Public Diplomacy - jamesthomassnyder.com (September 5): "Here, I’d like to look at the 2009 Czech Presidency of the European Union. Every Presidency – held by a nation in the European Council for six months, a blink of the eye in American political life – is a unique opportunity for each country holding the office to promote itself and the European Union. It is, then, a moment for the country to put its stamp not only on the Union but on Europe itself, to sell the idea of Europe to Europeans, and
It means, literally, 'We will sweeten Europe,' but loosely translated it means 'We will stir things up.' ... The larger point to be made here is that you must shoulder both the risk and reward in public diplomacy, but by concentrating on the how you do these things you’re more likely to get the reward when you take the risk. The Czechs were clearly very capable of getting the how very right but they also got it very wrong. (That, appropriately to my mind, demonstrated everything that is both right and wrong with the European experiment: spirited and smart and clever but also deeply cynical and occasionally deaf to the public if not outright corrupt.) The presidency, by the way, was a political fiasco. The Czechs were true to their motto: they really stirred things up, but it was pretty sweet, too. Looking back, I can’t help thinking, isn’t that what public diplomacy is all about? Image from entry, with caption: “We Will Sweeten Europe” (Czech Tourism)
Russian digital diplomacy: clicking through - Alexander Yakovenko, rbth.ru: "In recent years it often looks like diplomacy has moved from the 'smoke filled rooms' of international gatherings to the touchpad screens – so much has been said about the new dimension of public diplomacy labelled e-diplomacy, twiplomacy, etc. While, talking seriously, the good old confidential contacts have not been (and will not be) abandoned by anyone, the conquest of the digital space by diplomats is really a hot trend today. World media cover the effort of the US Department of State (the website of which sports the motto Diplomacy in action) and the UK Foreign Office. Too little has been said, however, about Russia’s foreign digital engagement, even though we have made some significant advances and have a huge potential for growth (even here in London – take a look at our Embassy’s Diplomacy online website www.rusemb.org.uk). In fact, last year Russia overtook Germany as Europe’s largest internet market with over 54 million monthly users and rapidly growing. Some 7 percent of all websites in the world are in Russian; the contribution of internet economy to Russia’s GDP will rise to 3.7 percent in 2015 (not least because broadband connection in Moscow is way faster than in many European capitals).
Russia is one of the very few countries where the local search engine (Yandex) and social network (VK) beat foreign rivals in free unhindered competition. Russia does not resort to filtering or blocking internet content (except for child pornography and a limited list of hate speech websites), and the Government is keen on making the web a universal way of receiving and controlling public services, thus reducing corruption. So, we have sufficient expertise to be well represented in the cyberspace. The question is how best to use it to get our voice heard? It is not a secret that the international headlines are mostly defined by the English-language media. If they silence alternative voices – like they did and are doing on Libya, Syria and other international issues – those issues are to get little or no attention of the public opinion. But things have changed since the times when colonial wars were sparked by letters in The Pall Mall Gazette about white women abducted by wicked natives. With the advent of internet dissenting voices got a chance to be heard. I learnt about the power of this new guerrilla journalism from my meetings with British bloggers. If you are intelligent, original and provocative, your message has now a chance to get across (this is also the approach of the Russian TV station RT which quite often gives voice to those ignored by the mainstream media and has now become the third most popular TV news outlet in the UK after BBC and Sky). For a diplomat, forays into the digital world, though, come with a challenge. People of my profession are used to self-restraint and often believe that once we have a position on something, published on the official website, all those who need to know it, know it. Although there are always people who only know what they want to know. We were taught to be always intelligent, sometimes original and never provocative – now we have to learn how to combine all these. In a country like Britain, where 2/3 of adults are on Facebook and ¼ on Twitter, one cannot ignore these media and should learn the logic of communicating through them. Successful digital communication is not about just issuing press releases – it is as much about conversation and interactive engagement. Even negative comments have the power to stir up discussion and help to get the original message across. And while many still do not believe that 140 symbols on Twitter are enough to convey an idea, I am firmly convinced that they are enough to raise awareness and encourage those who read them to reflect and make their own conclusions. My first Twitter conference in May confirmed that. Another challenge for e-diplomacy is the internet 'culture of anonymity' – anyone can adopt any persona, address or even attack anyone (though Britain has seen a row of 'Twitter troll trials' recently). We shouldn’t ignore such interlocutors – they live according to a specific set of rules. But for those who exercise public diplomacy this is not a good choice. Our message should be clear. That is why I (@Amb_Yakovenko) am proud to be one of just 35 thousand officially verified Twitter users worldwide. Russia joined the club of 'twiplomacy great powers' relatively recently, and in the London ranking of followers our Embassy is third after US and Israel who have invested heavily in this instrument of foreign policy over longer period of time. Still, my country has a message to convey and expertise to accomplish that. During this year’s Conference of Ambassadors in Moscow President Putin called upon us to make use of new instruments of diplomacy to argue in a more effective way for our views and positions on world affairs. We believe that the more people learn about our policies and about our country, the better they understand us. And better knowing each other works for peace and stability. The Russian Embassy in London is present in the following social networks: 1. www.twitter.com/Amb_Yakovenko, 2. www.twitter.com/RussianEmbassy , 3. www.twitter.com/RussianEmbassyR (Russian version), 4. www.facebook.com/RussianEmbassy,
5. www.youtube.com/RussianEmbassy, 6. www.slideshare.net/rusemblon, 7. www.flickr.com/photos/rusembassylondon, 8. russianembassy.livejournal.com [.] Alexander Yakovenko is Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the United Kingdom. He was previously Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation."
Comments on Weibo - Public Diplomacy and International Communications: Thoughts and comments about public diplomacy, soft power and international communications by Gary Rawnsley (September 11): "At the weekend I was asked by contacts at China's English language newspaper, The Global Times, to comment on the way The People's Daily and Xinhua now use Weibo (China's major social networking site). The final report can be found here:
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/732364.shtml"
Ai Weiwei: ‘China’s Art World Does Not Exist’: Prominent contemporary artist, Ai Weiwei, dismisses Art of Change exhibition in China, denying the existence of contemporary Chinese artwork - psfk.com (September 11): "Last year, we saw China bringing its propaganda right into New York’s Times Square. In an advertising push that the state news agency Xinhua described as a 'public diplomacy campaign', billboard-size screens played videos
that featured martial-arts movie star Jackie Chan, basketball player Yao Ming, astronaut Yang Liwei, and pianists Lang Lang and Li Yundi. Meanwhile Confucius Institutes, promoting Chinese culture, are spreading all over the world, as are Chinese travelling acrobatic troupes. To me, these are an insult to human intelligence and a ridicule of the concept of culture – vehicles of propaganda that showcase skills with no substance, and crafts with no meaning." Image, evidently of Ai Weiwei, from entry
Indian envoys’ meet: Cyber security, Arab Spring on agenda - inewsone.com: "New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) Against the backdrop of new threats like cyber security and the shifting contours of global geopolitics, around 120 envoys from Indian missions abroad will kick off a three-day conference here Friday that will focus on key diplomatic and strategic challenges facing India. The conference will brainstorm on various issues and challenges that confront India’s foreign policy, external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters here Thursday. ... The spokesperson said the envoys will also look at new challenges in areas of cyber security, public diplomacy and cultural diplomacy.
Worldwide Delegates Participate in the New Media and Public Diplomacy Seminar at the Ariel University Center - Sara Layah, shilohmusings.blogspot.com (September 13): "The hot Israeli sun brought warmth to the faces of the delegates who just got off the bus. They have arrived from all over the world
including
Culture Posts: Paradox of Promoting National Values in the Global Political Arena - R.S. Zaharna, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (September 10): "I have always been intrigued by the desire of countries to convey their cultural, political or social values as part of their public diplomacy mission. On the surface, it is appealing. However, in practice, it is fraught with challenges and is something of a paradox. On the one hand, it is difficult to accurately convey cultural values because they are so deeply tied to a country’s historical and socio-cultural experience. Something gets lost in the translation. However, because values are so integral to a nation’s experience and identity, a nation’s communication will inevitably convey something of its values."
Journalism, Mass Communication and Public Diplomacy - Emily T. Metzgar, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (August 21): It’s not clear to me that we in the field of journalism and mass communication are sure yet what we mean when we say 'public diplomacy.'"
Public Diplomacy in Battle - Rita J. King, theimaginationage.net (August 2): "Despite the American inclination to pretend that the Bush Administration never happened, it did, in my opinion, have at least one genuine major figure: under secretary of State for Diplomacy [sic] and Public Affairs, James K. Glassman.
He understood the depth of digital culture. ... Glassman, shown above in avatar form, gave his last major speech before stepping down in a virtual world called Second Life. My company, Dancing Ink Productions, was commissioned to build the virtual newsroom project. Hundreds of journalists around the world, many of whom were under house arrest or living under threat of violence, were served by the project, even as the media and public continued to mock virtual environments with the familiar 'I've got a first life, why do I need a second one?' which is not dissimilar from 'I don't need to be on Twitter and know what everybody ate for lunch.' Glassman's commitment to the project was incredible, and as a result, he met, long before the Egyptian Revolution, the journalists who would be known for their coverage of it."
Hating Great Satan - greatsatansgirlfriend.blogspot.com (September 14): "[A]nti-Americanism is more the norm than the exception in the Arab world, even if a vast majority of people never expresses that sentiment in violent ways. Yet who can deny that the mainstreaming of hostility toward America greatly facilitates the violence of minorities? At no time was this more obvious than after 9/11, whose 11th anniversary we commemorated this week, when initial shock soon made way for explanations, then implicit justifications, of the mass murder that had occurred. It was 9/11, and the question posed at the time, 'Why do they hate us,' that sent American officials scurrying for remedies to that hatred. Public diplomacy was given a bureaucratic face-lift, radio and television stations were opened broadcasting in Arabic, and despite the invasion of Iraq, many thought they had discovered the best therapy in the exit of 43 and his replacement by 44 who, fortuitously, had 'Hussein' as a middle name. Well, apparently not. Whether it is 44 or 43, the American sirens calling for more love are apparently not having their effect."
A Dirge for America Houses/America Centers - mistertunde, Public Diplomats (September 8): "Our readings and our discussion last Tuesday about the past and present of American public diplomacy efforts reminded me of the American cultural centers, dubbed 'America House' or 'America Center,' that used to exist around the world before USIA was folded into the State Department. I am so curious about what these spaces must have looked like, especially because I am a big fan of organizations like the British Council, Goethe Institut and the Alliance Francaise that promote the culture and language of their respective countries."
Two Unique Graduate Programs, Two Football Teams, and Public Diplomacy Bragging Rights - Mike McLean, exchangediplomacy.com (September 7): This Saturday is the Super Bowl of public diplomacy graduate programs. Two of the only universities in the country to offer graduate programs in public diplomacy will meet on the gridiron. The Syracuse University Orange will take on the University of Southern California Trojans at MetLife Stadium
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