“the birth of dirty campaign tactics."
--Vladimir Churov, the head of Russia’s election commission, regarding the campaigns of Abraham Lincoln; via NI on Facebook; Lincoln image from
VIDEO
Speech: Providing Information to Communications Denied Areas - toinformistoinfluence.com: A speech given by Ambassador Brian Carlson to the AOC Capitol Club on October 25th, 2012 at the Town Hall meeting at the Sheraton in Pentagon City, Virginia. Speech based on an to-be-published article about the United States Public Diplomacy efforts. The article is based on the personal and professional experience of Ambassador Brian Carlson and research by Joel Harding.
PANEL DISCUSSION
Public Diplomacy in the Next Four Years: A Post-Election Look at American Strategies and Priorities for Engaging with the World, Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communications, The George Washington University, Tuesday, November 13, 2012 9:00 - 11:00am: Ambassador James Glassman, former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; Judith McHale, former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs; Paul Foldi, Senior Professional Staff Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; and Philip (PJ) Crowley, former Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Spokesperson. [Scroll down link for item.]
ANNOUNCEMENTS
A) Announcing the Fall 2012 Issue of the Global Media Journal (American Edition) Guest Editors R.S. Zaharna, The American University, Washington, DC; Ambassador William A. Rugh, Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA. The Fall 2012 issue of Global Media Journal-American Edition, with focus on The Use of Social Media in Public Diplomacy by State and Non-State Actors: Getting Connected and Getting the Message Out, presents refereed and invited contributions and three book reviews by scholars and graduate students in the United States and abroad.
B) Welcome to American Music Abroad, a program that the Association of American Voices is proud to administer on behalf of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This site is designed to help you follow the dynamic American Music Abroad ensembles as they tour the globe. Learn more about American Music Abroad.
Youth Voices International: Exchanges and Public Diplomacy
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
U.S. Answer to Confucius Institutes - Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed: "In what experts describe as an unusual form of public diplomacy, U.S. colleges have created State-Department-funded 'American Cultural Centers' in partnership with Chinese host universities. 'Their primary purpose is to expose Chinese audiences to the depth and breadth of U.S. culture,' said Erik W. Black, an assistant cultural affairs officer at the American embassy in Beijing, which administers the grants. Colleges that have received them have used the funding to create resource centers or reading rooms, host visiting faculty lectures on American cultural topics, and sponsor
arts programming. ... Black, of the embassy, emphasized that the centers operate independently of the State Department. 'Since the American Cultural Centers operate independently of the U.S. Mission to China, there are no ground rules or lists of topics that they must follow,' he said. 'We do encourage the universities to take advantage of the programming offered through the U.S. embassy, but we typically avoid getting involved in the day-to-day operations of the centers in terms of what they can and can’t do. We see ourselves as cheerleaders and coaches of the universities.'” Image from
Social Media Numbers Don’t Add Up at State Department - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: "The latest self-congratulatory social media pablum from the State Department (in the guise of a 'new' Brookings Institute report whose data has been peddled before) offers one non-insight, and one quite revealing. The non-insight is over the course of forty dense pages of praise ('At the vanguard of this adaptation is the U.S. State Department,” Hillary Clinton is referred to as “the Godmother of 21st Century Statecraft') is that despite over 150 people employed at State in 25 separate ediplomacy nodes covering eight different work areas, and at U.S. missions abroad another 900 staff use ediplomacy tools to some extent, there’s not a word said about effectiveness, value, return on investment, whatever you might wish to call actually assessing the point of spending time and money on something. ... [T]he problem is that a hugely significant number of the people the State Department is talking to are in the United States, a clear miss for what is supposed to be America’s foreign affairs organ. For Facebook, out of some 12 million fans, almost 8 million are in the U.S., about two thirds of them. For Twitter, out of 1.7 million followers, 867,000 are in the U.S., about half of them. For YouTube, out of 26,700 subscribers, over 15,000 are in the U.S., well more than half."
Time to get Engaged! - Tory, Thoughts on Public Diplomacy: Group 2 of Applied Public Diplomacy: "If public diplomats are using social media only for one-way promotion, then we are not taking advantage of the full benefits of social media. We could be using it to show that we are listening.
This does NOT mean showing sympathy for viewpoints we do not agree with, or making any promises to change policy because of a critical tweet. It does mean perhaps retweeting a message from a person or behavior we want to support, or attempting to give information that disproves any rumors that paint the US in a bad light and we know to be untrue. I know that this is much easier said than done." Image from
U.S. Still Needs Radio for Public Diplomacy in the Internet Age - Tom Woods, worldpoliticsreview.com: "Radio Liberty’s emphasis on new media is just one example of a broader shift being implemented by Voice of America and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the entity responsible for all U.S.-sponsored international broadcasting. The board, appointed by the U.S. president, is seeking to greatly reduce broadcast radio in favor of the Internet and social media. However, the move overlooks the vital role that radio still plays in many parts of the world, including the United States, as Hurricane Sandy has illustrated. In particular, highly reliable and modern radio broadcasts may still be the best bet to reach behind the electronic curtain imposed by dictators. ... If the goal of U.S. public diplomacy is to inform and influence foreign publics, it does not make sense to rely too heavily on any one medium for public outreach. ... Social media may mobilize young tech-savvy people in the U.S., but penetrating the electronic curtain in critical countries requires upgrades to our strategic radio broadcasting capabilities. The U.S. has been slow to recognize that it is in an escalating communications race. Modern Internet and satellite-based communications are valuable assets, but they must be complemented by reliable and equally modern digital radio capabilities."
Public Schedule for November 5, 2012 - U.S. Department of State: "UNDER SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TARA SONENSHINE 11:00 a.m. Under Secretary Sonenshine meets with Tripoli University Vice President and Libyan Representative to the U.S.-Libya Higher Education Task Force Dr. Neffati Rouai, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE) 1:00 p.m. Under Secretary Sonenshine meets with President and CEO of CRDF Global Cathleen Campbell, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE) 1:30 p.m. Under Secretary Sonenshine meets with U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Republic of Vanuatu Walter North, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)"
R you the real Murrow? Or, Public Diplomacy and Accuracy - John Brown, Notes and Essays: "Tara Sonenshine, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Remarks for Edward R. Murrow Program For Journalists, October 29, 2012: 'And then I came to the State Department, where I now oversee the Department of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the State Department, which is known as 'R.' ... Edward Roscoe Murrow was the first director of the United States Information Agency – which in 1999 became part of the Department for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. He was the founding father of public diplomacy – this Edward 'R' Murrow … . Stands to reason we’d call our department 'R.' '
Actually, Edward R. Murrow was the fourth director of USIA. His predecessors were Theodore Streibert (1953-1956), Arthur Larson (1956-1957), and George V. Allen (1957-1960). See. It would also be more accurate to say that Murrow was 'a,' rather than 'the' founding father of public diplomacy. The coinage of the term 'public diplomacy' in its modern meaning is generally attributed to Dean Edmund Gullion in 1965 -- the year Murrow regrettably passed away. Which leads me to repeat what was said in that propaganda state, the former Soviet Union: 'We never know what will happen yesterday.' Or, even better, to quote blogger extraordinaire Paul Rockower, himself quoting Mark Twain, regarding the above statement by the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, 'never let the facts get in the way of a good story :).' " Image from
Public Diplomacy and the Flight to the Academy - John Brown, Huffington Post: "Today, American public diplomacy, once implemented by an independent and very imperfect agency (... USIA), is hidden away at the regulations-driven State Department, some would say like a coffin at a funeral home, despite the good intentions of the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs."
Why I Left Radio Liberty - Anastasia Kirilenko USG Broadcasts/BBG Watch: "I am a 28-year-old Russian web editor and investigative radio reporter who studied digital media journalism in Russia and in France. I have submitted my resignation
to the new management of the American-funded Radio Liberty in Moscow after working there for almost four years. I could not in good conscience stay at the 'new' and 'exciting' Radio Liberty, as the station is now being described by its American management. It is no longer a news organization I and most independent journalists and democratic opposition leaders in Russia want to identify with. I parted with the old Radio Liberty with a very heavy heart, but I leave the new one without any regrets. There is nothing left of the former free media institution." Kirilenko image from entry
Petitioning The White House, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. 20500
Остановите уничтожение Русской службы Радио Свобода \ Stop the destruction of Radio Liberty Russian Service - Alex Moma, Moscow, Russian Federation. Via YO on Facebook
RFE/RL Russian and "the vital role that radio still plays" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting.
Daniel Hall - stateofformation.org: "As a staff member of the Soka Gakkai International-USA Buddhist Association, I direct awareness raising initiatives centered on the U.N. Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace. In May 2012, I completed a Master of Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California and have since conducted research in this area as an independent scholar. My research interests center on faith diplomacy, media and religion, and the role of transnational non-state actors in global affairs - particularly the role of religious and media networks in developing international human rights norms. In 2013, Palgrave Macmillan will publish my article titled 'Pope John Paul II, Radio Free Europe and Faith Diplomacy' as part of a new volume on religion and public diplomacy."
Ex-employee of VOA Bethany, Ohio, shortwave transmitting station shares WWII era memories - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting.
Image from entry
NATO Allied Command Operations Public Affairs Directive - publicintelligence.net: "1-6. Strategic Communications in NATO and ACO - a. In concert with other political and military actions, Strategic Communications (StratCom) is used to advance NATO’s aims and operations through the coordinated, appropriate use of Public Diplomacy, PA and Information Operations (Info Ops). This is done at NATO HQ level. b. Within ACO, StratCom takes in all components of the information campaign, but Public Diplomacy and political guidance are the responsibility of NATO HQ. Therefore, at the ACO level, StratCom will be conducted in concert with other military actions and following NATO political guidance, to advance AGO’s aims and operations through the coordinated, appropriate use of PA and Info Ops, in cooperation with the Public Diplomacy Division. In essence, StratCom is the umbrella under which Info Ops and PA reside."
Military Invasions Leading to Cultural Influence - Balance of Culture: "Stuart Laycock started researching for his new book after his 11-year old son asked him a very simple question: How many countries has Britain invaded overall ... . [E]very single country in the world except for 22. That's just stunning. ... The next country to top the list of most world invasions is
On Eve Of CPC Congress, China Examines Its Digital Image – Analysis - B. Raman, anointedblog.com: "In addition to encouraging the party functionaries and officials to use the social media sites for direct and continuous interactions with party cadres and the public, the Chinese Government has also been closely monitoring the use of these sites by foreign embassies in Beijing for digital interactions with the people in order to influence their perceptions.
The 'China Daily' reported on November 3,2012: 'The micro blogs have become an important platform for foreign governments to promote public diplomacy in China and pose an increasing influence on China’s Internet, said the first research report on foreign governments’ micro blogs in China, which was released on Friday.['] (November 2)." Image from
Time to Close Australia's Diplomatic Deficit - kerrycollison.blogspot.com: "The recently tabled report on Australia's Overseas Representation – Punching below our weight? by the Foreign Affairs Sub-Committee of the Australian Parliament confirmed what many concerned stakeholders such as the Lowy Institute, peak business groups, DFAT chiefs and operatives, aid organisations and diasporas have been saying for a long time. That is, the value of robust diplomacy, innovation and good foreign policy has been poorly understood and neglected by successive Australian Foreign Ministers, by Treasury and the Australian Parliament over the last three decades. This current diplomatic deficit is a serious problem which is preventing Australia from achieving better trade, investment, strategic, cultural, environmental and public diplomacy outcomes on the regional and on the world stage. It is a pressing issue that must be addressed this financial year by the Foreign Minister Senator Bob Carr, with the support of the Prime Minister, Treasury, the Coalition and other key stakeholders such as diasporas."
Russia's Civic Chamber to send observers to U.S. elections - rapsinews.com: "Members of Russia's Civic Chamber, a state-appointed consultative body that advises the government on civic issues, will observe the U.S. presidential elections. They will act as foreign observers for the first time ever, Alexander Sokolov, the head of the Civic Chamber Inter-Commission Working Group on International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy, said on Friday."
The Importance of Strategic Influence – The Political Warfare Aspect - globalcivilwar.wordpress.com: "When softer persuasive methods and political actions fail, there is a need for another instrument of statecraft: political warfare. Political warfare differs from political action in that it is inherently aggressive but it stays within the confines of civilized political conflict and can avoid the need to use military force. Professor Waller argues for the use of political warfare as a means of influencing public opinion and the policies of leaders around the world to promote American national security.
Using political warfare would make it possible to avoid the perceived need to resort to economic sanctions and military force that needlessly harm human life. For further reading see J. Michael Waller, Strategic Influence: Public Diplomacy, Counterpropaganda and Political Warfare (2010). It is a work of 13 scholars and practitioners in the fields and surveys the subjects of public diplomacy, counterpropaganda and political warfare from the American Revolution through the Cold War, to present-day wars in Iraq and Afghanistan." Image from
President Ronald Reagan’s Emphasis on Information and Psychological Components in National Security Strategy - varldsinbordeskriget.wordpress.com: "Three National Security Decision Directives (NSDDs) built the cornerstone of Reagan’s strategic influence policy: NSDD 45, signed 15 July 1982; NSDD 77, 14 January 1983; and NSDD 130, 6 March 1984. ... NSDD 77 established a Special Planning Group (SPG) under the National Security Council to strengthen the organization, planning and coordination
of the various aspects of public diplomacy related to national security. Chaired by the President’s National Security Adviser, SPG members included the Secretaries of State and Defense, the Director, USIA, and the Assistant to the President for Communications, with other agencies invited as needed. NSDD 77 also established four interagency standing committees that reported to the SPG: the Public Affairs Committee, the International Information Committee, the International Political Committee, and the International Broadcasting Committee. The latter committee had responsibility for planning and coordinating international broadcasting activities pursuant to NSDD 45.' Image from
American Public Diplomacy - (Dakota / Scott) - telecommuteanywhere.com: "~High School Foreign Exchange Program Seeks Local Coordinators in Minnesota~ Become a local coordinator and introduce the US to students from around the world. Make a difference in the lives of international students, and make their dream of studyi [...]"
A Public Diplomacy Practitioner Reacts to a Public Policy Anthropologist's Pronouncements - John Brown, Notes and Essays
What Would You Ask About Communications and the 2012 Campaign? - Frank Ovaitt, instituteforpr.org: "On November 8 at the Institute for Public Relations Annual Distinguished Lecture and Awards Dinner, Mark Penn and Karen Hughes will deliver our first-ever team lecture, 'Communications Lessons of the 2012 Campaign: Why __________ Won.' ... Karen Hughes is Worldwide Vice Chairman of Burson-Marsteller.
She served as counselor to President George W. Bush, leading the White House offices of communications, press secretary, media affairs and speechwriting. She reached out to audiences across the world as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs." Image from
RELATED ITEMS
One Gray Night It Happened - David Witten, Huffington Post: Thanks to the indefatigable energy of Dr. Marina Cunningham, Director of Montclair's Global Education Center, and to the world-wide connections of Dr. David Sanders of Montclair's Broadcasting Department, Montclair was host to four remarkable men who came to speak (and sing!) in a Panel Discussion, "The Arts and Culture as Forces in Social Change."
Pulling the U.S. drone war out of the shadow - Editorial Board, Washington Post: The continuing fight against al-Qaeda and other Islamic jihadists targeting the United States must be considered a war and conducted as such. Nevertheless, when that war ranges far from conventional battlefields, U.S. interests will be better served by greater disclosure, more political accountability, more checks and balances and more collaboration with allies. Drone strikes should be carried out by military forces rather than by the CIA; as with other military activities, they should be publicly disclosed and subject to congressional review.
Why the U.S. needs Muslim allies - Husain Haqqani, Washington Post: American foreign policy is not making enough of an effort to contain Islamist extremism, and the consequences are likely to roil not only Afghanistan and Pakistan but, eventually, the wider region and beyond. Instead of signaling eagerness to exit Afghanistan, Washington should be demonstrating that the United States is willing to stay for as long as necessary.
Ironically, a firm display of that iron will all along, coupled with a global strategy to combat extremist Islamist ideology, might have made an early withdrawal easier. Image from
The Dogs of War Are Barking: Mitt Romney’s Team Wants to Let 'Em Loose in Iran - Jeremiah Goulka, TomDispatch: War with Iran is an incredibly bad idea, yet it’s a real threat. President Obama has come close to teeing it up. Even talk of a preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities is delusional, because, as just about every analyst points out, we wouldn’t know if it had worked (which it probably wouldn’t) and it would be an act of war that Iran wouldn’t absorb with a smile. In its wake, a lot of people would be likely to die.
Iranian MP Says U.S. led Sanctions are Propaganda Tools - Masoud Bidgoli, mideasttime.com: Despite the disastrous effects of U.S. led sanctions on Iran’s economy, a member of Iran’s Majlis believes these sanctions are only some ‘propaganda tools’ used by American politicians before presidential election. “Western countries and the United States are walking away from negotiations with Iran over
the nuclear case. They want to buy times from other countries to hold presidential election in the United States and postpone meetings with Iran.” said Mohammad Hassan A’safari, An MP sitting on the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Committee. Image from
Trafficking Anti-Iranian Propaganda - Stephen Lendman, mathaba.net: In October, EU nations lawlessly blocked 19 Iranian television and radio stations. European satellite provider Eutelsat sold its soul. It went along. It agreed to silence them across Europe. Doing so violated its own charter. Banishing Iranian broadcasters is clear irresponsible censorship. Doing so suppressed truth. European television viewers were deprived of real news, information, commentary and analysis.
Fortunately, they have other options. They can still follow Press TV easily online 24-hours a day.
Backing up rhetoric with action in Bahrain - Stephen McInerney, Washington Post: “Our challenge in a country like Bahrain,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said last November, is that the United States “has many complex interests. We’ll always have to walk and chew gum at the same time.” The growing problem is that the United States does plenty of “walking” — maintaining our strategic alliance with the Gulf kingdom in the short term — but little or no “chewing,” or taking meaningful steps to spur the political reforms needed to preserve Bahrain as an ally in the long term.
Jihadist Internet propaganda on the rise - dw.de: The Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) undertook a close study of the last 15 years of Jihad propaganda, producing a summary of its results. SWP experts say that around the year 2000, the Internet played just a small role.
Al Qaeda sent its declarations via fax or recorded videos, which where then sent to TV broadcaster Al-Jazeera. But shortly after the attacks on September 11, 2001, various Arabic forums advocating jihad gained influence. Image from article
The Permanent Militarization of America - Aaron B. O’Connell, New York Times: Our culture has militarized considerably since Eisenhower’s era, and civilians, not the armed services, have been the principal cause. From lawmakers’ constant use of “support our troops” to justify defense spending, to TV programs and video games like “NCIS,” “Homeland” and “Call of Duty,” to NBC’s shameful and unreal reality show “Stars Earn Stripes,” Americans are subjected to a daily diet of stories that valorize the military while the storytellers pursue their own opportunistic political and commercial agendas.
Letitia Baldrige dies at 86; etiquette expert, author, columnist: Letitia Baldrige was social secretary to First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and helped create the image of elegance, youthful energy and sophistication that the first couple came to represent - Rebecca Trounson, Los Angeles Times: In 1951, she embarked on a career with the State Department but first had to complete a course in secretarial skills. That accomplished, she took a job in Paris as social secretary and advisor to U.S. Ambassador David Bruce, then served in Rome in a similar capacity for Clare Boothe Luce, the U.S. ambassador to Italy.
Baldridge image from article, with caption: Letitia Baldrige established herself as the nation’s leading arbiter of contemporary etiquette, writing a syndicated newspaper column, lecturing frequently and in 1978, updating Amy Vanderbilt’s “Complete Book of Etiquette.”
Dissident Films and North Korean Propaganda at Hong Kong Festival - Elizabeth Leigh, artinfo.com: Opening tomorrow is the ninth annual Hong Kong Asian Film Festival (HKAFF), a major fixture on the city’s cultural calendar where films of a huge variety from across the region are showcased. Amongst their regional foci this year is North Korean cinema. Four of the hermit kingdom’s most classic cinematic narratives will be shown in Hong Kong, offering a glimpse at the values and psyche of the North Korean filmmaker. HKAFF festival director Gary Mak recommends “A Schoolgirl’s Diary” directed by Jang In-hak, 2007, calling it “propaganda in a subtle form.” The film portrays the sacrificial role of North Korean women as the country faces the need to develop.
Chinese Photo Exhibit Exposes Years of Meticulous Propaganda - Ye Qingqing, Epoch Times: A photographic art exhibit in mainland China, displaying historic news images that were doctored by state-controlled media, along with the true original versions, have exposed some sensitive historical facts to the Chinese public. One of over 100 images recently on display at the Guangdong Art Museum in Ershadao, Guangzhou Province, was the famous “Tank Man” photo. It depicts a man, thought to be named Wang Weilin, in front of a line of tanks on June 4, 1989, attempting to block their
advance prior to the bloody crackdown on Tiananmen Square. The photo was widely circulated in Hong Kong and by world media, but has been censored in China. State-run Xinhua News Agency published its own photo-shopped version, showing thousands of people on the roadside appearing to give a warm welcome to the tanks approaching Beijing. Image from article, with caption: At the top is the original "Tank Man" photo depicting Wang Weilin blocking the path of the tanks, titled “Beijing Event." The bottom photo shows Xinhua's edited version of masses of people left and right welcoming the tanks.
Art? Propaganda? One in the Same? - baangandburne.com: Art and propaganda is one of our favorite topics. What is art? What is propaganda? Are they one and the same? Is all art propaganda? Is it still art if it is used as for advocacy?
AMERICANA
Secretary Clinton was a bit shocked to hear Gangnam Style through her headphones instead of the translation; Secretary of the Awesome via YO on Facebook
RUSSICA
Via NR on Facebook
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