January 3-6

"What’s the value of a Facebook 'like' or a Twitter follower?"

--Technology journalist Stephen Baker;  image from

SCHOLARLY RESOURCES

Bruce Gregory’s Public Diplomacy Resources – #63.

Gregory image from entry

INTERVIEW

Interview – Joseph S. Nye, Jr. By e-International Relations on January 3, 2013

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Would Kerry advance e-diplomacy? - Frank Konke, fcw.com:

"The State Department has had an Office of eDiplomacy since 2003, but Clinton has made '21st Century Statecraft' a priority, jump-starting its ability to harness individuals' interconnectedness through mobile devices and social media platforms. It's a path that other nations have followed; according to a survey by the Digital Policy Council released Jan. 1, 75 percent of the world’s heads of state are on Twitter, up from 20 percent in 2010. When reached for comment by FCW, Kerry’s Senate press secretary Alec Gerlach said the senator and his team aren’t doing any interviews yet, but it seems likely Kerry will provide continuity in existing eDiplomacy policies that sources said are close to institutionalized at this point. 'I can’t prejudge Kerry’s beliefs, but the reason I have confidence Kerry will carry forward (existing eDiplomacy initiatives) is first and foremost because the Internet is already demonstrating benefits for the United States, at least in terms of using it as a tool for public diplomacy,' said Bennett Freeman, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright during President Bill Clinton’s second term." Image from

How Hillary Clinton Democratized Diplomacy One Tweet at a Time - Ryan J. Suto, policymic.com: "[B]y embracing new technological innovations in the context of a traditional bureaucratic structure, Clinton has democratized diplomacy. Around the world foreign publics can now converse and interact with the State Department on their mobile phone, tablet, or computer in their native language. They only need internet access and a social media account. Have you ever sent an email, Tweet, or complaint to a faceless organization, only to be pleasantly surprised at receiving a real response? Anyone who has knows first-hand the difference between marketing and engagement.

Public diplomacy, among other things, is a tool of what I call preventative national security: responding to the grievances of those who feel slighted by America before they become radicalized and violent. Like any other approach this engagement model of public diplomacy is not perfect, and as such must be used alongside broadcast media approaches to public diplomacy and traditional diplomacy, as well. But Hilary [sic] Clinton's embrace of new technology to institutionalize conversations between the State Department and foreign publics around the world will build relationships and help shape America's image abroad for generations to come. Because while a commercial can last only thirty seconds, a relationship can last a lifetime." Image from article

Syria: UN numbers? - sustainabilitank.info: "Posted by: Pat Bateman | Jan 2, 2013 11:45:10 AM | 2 ... Currently the UN is a virtual branch of the US State Department, especially when that 'world threat' Iran and its allies are concerned. State calls this propaganda 'public diplomacy.' State: The mission of American public diplomacy is to support the achievement of U.S. foreign policy goals and objectives, advance national interests, and enhance national security by informing and influencing foreign publics and by expanding and strengthening the relationship between the people and government of the United States and citizens of the rest of the world. And if “domestic publics” are also influenced it’s good too."

Repeal of Smith-Mundt is good for media freedom, but Americans must be wary of government bureaucrats - BBG Watch Commentary, bloggernews.net: "Commenting on the defense authorization bill that President Obama signed last night, which includes a provision that reduces restrictions of the Smith-Mundt Act on the dissemination of materials within the United States that were originally intended for audiences overseas, former Broadcasting Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) and Voice of America (VOA) official Ted Lipien said that 'while the repeal

of some of the restrictions is good for media freedom, Americans should be wary of government bureaucrats trying to actively market their news programs domestically using U.S. taxpayers’ money.' ... 'The repeal of some of the restrictions of the Smith-Mundt Act is a good thing for free media and transparency, but the leadership of the Broadcasting Board of Government (BBG), the federal agency in charge of the Voice of America (VOA) and other U.S.-funded broadcasters serving foreign audiences in countries without free media, must be very careful so that its bureaucracy will not focus on serving and trying to influence the domestic market at the expense of the international one.'... Lipien said. ... 'The new law, if properly interpreted and implemented, may actually help the Broadcasting Board of Governors to better focus on its international mission, but it also presents serious risks,' Lipien added." Image from

Repeal of Smith-Mundt domestic dissemination ban is good, unless it goes over to the Dark Side - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: [Elliott comment:] "he new law ... won't change much except to forestall any member of Congress or government lawyer from making mischief by calling for the old law to be enforced. ... The repeal is good, in that it allows the content of USIB to be used by US ethnic media. Immigrant communities can now get USIB news about their home countries in their native languages. In this way a valuable public service is provided at no extra cost to the US taxpayers. Also, the repeal allows American access to the content of USIB without having to resort to the Freedom of Information Act. Although ... internet access to such content has not been impeded in the United States.

The repeal, however, could have its dark side. Language in the legislation notwithstanding, future administrations might be emboldened to borrow the facilities and talent of USIB for domestic information campaigns. Furthermore, it is the goal of every bureaucracy to increase its budget every year, regardless of the broader public interest. USIB could well be tempted to disseminate more and more of its content within the United States as a way of nurturing domestic constituencies. ... Finally, US private media, if they ever notice this provision in a Defense authorization bill, should be concerned. ... If US international broadcasting were ever to be consolidated and unboondoggled, it could be a competitive news organization, not just internationally, but domestically." Image from

The Soft Power Twist to the Al-Jazeera [video] – Current News Story - Candance Ren, rensmicrodiplomacy.com: "You may have heard that Al-Jazeera has purchased Current News.

The Washington Post published a well-written article on the news item, but especially interesting is the public diplomacy rational that may have fueled the purchase: [']The U.S. market has been the nut they wanted to crack, and this is why they pursued Current TV so assiduously,' he said. 'A small country like Qatar has very few tools to exercise global influence, and they’ve figured out that media is one of these tools.[']" Image from Ms. Ren's blog

Did Steve Korn resign from CNN and RFE/RL or was he canned both times? - BBGWatcher, USG Broadcasts/BBG Watch: "Steven Korn, the outgoing president and CEO of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), insists that he is resigning from his post at the U.S. taxpayer-funded international media freedom outlet for purely personal reasons. In 2002, Korn also cited personal reasons, spending more time with his family, for leaving his executive position at CNN. Both times questions have been raised about Korn’s performance, but his tenure at RFE/RL produced what has been described as the greatest crisis in the history of U.S. international broadcasting. Korn is strongly defending his record at RFE/RL, while the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the federal agency which had hired and reportedly fired him for destroying Radio Liberty in Russia, keeps largely silent. In comments for The Washington Post and in a letter to the Editor of The Wall Street Journal in response to John O’Sullivan’s article Turmoil Over America’s Radio Voice in Russia, Korn continues to defend himself and to defame dozens of Radio Liberty journalists whom he had fired in Moscow as 'not well suited to the demands of our new approach.' ... BBG Watch has learned that as part of a deal reached with Korn, the Broadcasting Board of Governos would not discuss the real reasons for his departure, even though the BBG is a public institution funded with U.S. taxpayers’ money who deserve to know what they are getting in return.”

European public interest journalism expert calls for Ragona and Gessen to leave, return of fired Radio Liberty staff - BBGWatcher, USG Broadcasts/BBG Watch: "European public interest journalism expert Zygmunt Dzieciolowski has called on the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), the federal agency in charge of U.S. international broadcasting, to apologize to the fired Radio Liberty Russian journalists and to offer them a chance to return.

Dzieciolowski also called for the departure of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) vice-president of content Julia Ragona and the Russian Service director Masha Gessen for causing the crisis at Radio Liberty and showing 'unlikely moral blindness and political ignorance.'” Dzieciolowski image from entry

U.S. Must Take Immediate Action to Save Radio Liberty in Russia - Mario Corti and Ted Lipien, usgbroadcasts.com: "[S]ome within the BBG bureaucracy are trying to delay any real and immediate solutions. Any further delay will cause irreversible damage to RFE/RL, U.S. public diplomacy standing in Russia, and Radio Liberty’s reputation."

Lipien image from entry

With RFE/RL president Steven Korn departing, what is the future of RL Russian director Masha Gessen? - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Brainier Brawn: "Smart power": a brief history - Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Policy: "November 9, 1989: Following the fall of the Berlin Wall, the U.S. emphasis on soft power plummets; the number of Foreign Service officers working in public diplomacy, for example, drops about 25 percent, and educational and cultural programs lose funding every year until 2002."

Get your terror calendar - Al Kamen, Washington Post: "Kristin Lord , now executive vice president and director of studies at the Center for a New American Security — the think tank started by a former undersecretary of defense, Michele Flournoy , and a current assistant secretary of state, Kurt Campbell — is said to be heading to the U.S. Institute of Peace to be executive vice president, taking the job once held by Tara Sonenshine , now undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs."

Why U.S./Israel face sinking polls - Paul R. Pillar, arabamericannews.com: "When U.S. and Israeli officials look glumly at international polls showing their declining popularity, they often think that just some better salesmanship will do the trick. But the real problem isn’t the pitch; it’s the product, in this case policies that offend much of the world. ... An Israeli think tank, the Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy, has just issued a report that examines Israel’s efforts at public diplomacy. ... Is there something fundamentally wrong, Israelis have asked, with how the country conducts public diplomacy and presents its case to audiences around the globe? The report concludes that no, there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, Israel has one of the most sophisticated, well-funded and well-managed public diplomacy programs in the world. The report contrasts the Israeli program with organized efforts to criticize Israel and observes that the latter do not hold a candle to the former. Presentation of the Israeli government’s message to the world is far superior in resources, access, organization and most everything else. The unpopularity, the report concludes, has nothing to do with salesmanship in support of Israeli policies and everything to do with the policies themselves. There are strong parallels here with the United States, where there also has been much hand-wringing over the years about public diplomacy. The United States has its own unpopularity problem, especially in parts of the world where the negative sentiments about Israel are also strongest.

Various schools of thought have been advanced from time to time about how the United States could do public diplomacy better. Draw in audiences with a soft approach, say some. Hit them harder with a more value-laden ideological approach, say others. Or do a better job of applying the skills of Madison Avenue. Or devote more resources to the task. Following the 9/11 terrorist attack there was a surge of interest in the subject, of the 'why do they hate us' and 'how can we get them to stop hating us' variety. One result was a study prepared by an ad hoc advisory group authorized by Congress and chaired by former Ambassador Edward Djerejian that looked at U.S. advocacy efforts in the Arab and Muslim world. The group’s report mainly recommended additional resources for public diplomacy. Interest in the subject has waned since then. A year ago a standing body that dated back to the 1940s, the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, quietly went out of existence when as a budget-cutting gesture Congress did not renew its funding. It was a rather silly gesture; the commission had one paid staff member, who says the commission’s annual budget was $135,000. But maybe there wasn’t a lot of advice left to give anyway. In one sense there wasn’t. With the United States just as with Israel, the sources of negative feelings abroad are policies, not the quality of efforts to sell the policies. People feel most strongly not about a government’s advertisements and messages but about its actions — specifically, actions that affect directly their lives or the lives of people with whom they identify, or that link the government to other governments that take actions that affect those lives. The actions range from drone strikes to military occupations to the abetting of Israeli policies in occupied territories. If there is no change in such things, don’t blame the salesmanship." Image from

Estonian Embassy new NATO contact point embassy in Belarus - News of Belarus: "On 1 January 2013 the Embassy of Estonia became the NATO contact point embassy in Belarus, BelTA learnt from the French Embassy in Minsk. The Embassy of France was the NATO contact point embassy in Belarus in 2011-2012. ... Contact point embassies work closely with the Nato Public Diplomacy Division in providing information on the objectives and activities of the Alliance in the host country, and also provide assistance to the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division (PASP) in the activities organized within the framework of the EAPC, PFP, MD and ICI."

Exploring China’s peripheries: Southwest - blog.hiddenharmonies.org: "Having explored most of the developed eastern coast,I was keen to see just how much work was being done to spread the benefits of China’s rise to its interior and peripheries. Xi’An, in China’s central north-west was as deep as I had travelled to before.

Eager to learn more and experience China’s promise of equitable growth and armed with a tablet computer (disclaimer as I decided to travel ultra-light, without a purpose-built camera), I head to China’s southwest with Yunnan and Sichuan province in my sights. First stop is Yunnan’s capital – Kunming." Image from entry, with caption: #1 On board the China Eastern flight to Yunnan’s Kunming Changshui Airport. As a student of Chinese public diplomacy and a keen musician, this was a heartening piece of news from the Global Times, as the subtext and semantics of language can often confuse.

Public diplomacy the key to closer ties - China Daily, english.peopledaily.com.cn: "Japanese Ambassador to China Masato Kitera said on Saturday that China-Japan ties are now in a 'tough situation' as bilateral tension over a territorial dispute in the East China Sea continues. Kitera was making his first public appearance since taking office in Beijing in late December. He was addressing a joint coming-of-age ceremony of more than 200 Japanese and Chinese college students who will turn 20 this year. Feuding flared after the Japanese government illegally 'purchased' part of the Diaoyu Islands last September, and public fury was aroused in China as massive crowds took to the streets in protest. Kitera stressed the importance of public diplomacy by youths from both countries to stimulate deeper mutual understanding. ... Both China and Japan have considerable shared and reciprocal interests in economic and cultural exchanges."

Public diplomacy essential in countering negative ideas about China - Global Times: "[Ke Yinbin and Bao Maohong], Public Diplomacy between China and Southeast Asian Countries, Xinhua Publishing House, October 2012] Public diplomacy is an integral part of a country's national diplomatic efforts. After the Cold War, especially after entering the era of the Internet, forms of public diplomacy have become more diverse and have involved more players. With the establishment of the China-ASEAN free trade area, communication in fields of personnel mobility, economic exchanges and cultural transmission between China and Southeast Asian countries are growing, even as disputes between the two remain. At this time, public diplomacy can play an important role in relations between China and Southeast Asian countries. Public Diplomacy between China and Southeast Asian Countries, edited by Ke Yinbin, secretary-general of the Charhar Institute, and Bao Maohong, secretary-general of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at Peking University, analyzes in detail the public diplomatic activities between China and Southeast Asian countries.

The book first generally discusses China's public diplomacy. Because of Western countries' advanced position in the battle of ideas, many opinions which do not benefit China, such as the 'China threat' theory and Chinese neo-colonialism, are spreading in developing countries. Furthermore, China's current public diplomacy is government-led and guided by traditional media. In the current world, public diplomacy has already entered the era of Web 2.0, but application of new media is limited in China's public diplomacy with Southeast Asian countries. The book holds that with the development of the relationship between China and Southeast Asian countries, Southeast Asia has become a region for China to shape its image as a responsible power and promote the establishment of a harmonious environment. That's why we should attach more attention to public diplomacy. There are many favorable conditions for public diplomacy between China and Southeast Asian countries. China is geographically close to the region. Culturally, China and many Southeast Asian countries share similar values and traditional customs. Moreover, many Southeast Asian countries take economic development as their central task. However, nationalism and territorial disputes hinder development of public diplomacy between the two sides. ... Generally speaking, with the increase of exchanges, China's image will be irreversibly positive, and public diplomacy will be a main driving force in this process." Image from article

The Foreign Ministry will prosecute if it is found to respond to my citizens illegally export missile parts - 70794.com: "Hua Chunying First announced: President Hu Jintao’s special envoy, Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei will go to Accra, Ghana to attend the presidential inauguration ceremony held on January 7, 2013 Mahama. ... Q: 2012 will soon be over, how do you evaluate the 2012 Chinese diplomacy, China’s diplomacy in 2013, what are the prospects? A: Recently, Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the 'People’s Daily' published the article entitled 'unswervingly follow the road of peaceful development,' Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhijun Forum eighth 'Blue Room' The keynote speech, delivered a speech entitled 'adhere to peaceful development, and to promote cooperation and win-win' comprehensively expounded China’s foreign policy under the new situation.

In 2012, Chinese Foreign tackle tough steady intake. Chinese leaders attend a major diplomatic activities where bright was. We should promote with the major powers, neighboring and developing countries relations, actively play a constructive role in international and regional hotspot issues, and promote the public diplomacy and cultural exchanges, and resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests, for the Party and 18 The big victory convened and 'Twelfth Five-Year Plan' full implementation to create a favorable external environment." Image from entry

scientific evaluation mechanism for government reform is not in place - huntlanka.com: "Political Consultative Conference held in the Great Hall of the People yesterday afternoon. 15 CPPCC members on how to promote rural reform and enhance national cultural soft power, urban and rural education issues for the General Assembly to speak. Liu Guangfu thorough governance 'mountain of the sea' … let the vicious circle of 'high-voltage' really bring “high-voltage”, playing in place of the accountability of the board, out of the vicious cycle. Zhao Chinese government and society should further increase investment in international volunteer projects to improve the level of training of volunteers, but also the ability to enhance their cross-cultural communication and public diplomacy. ... Zhao called for the Chinese government and the community should further increase of international volunteers investment in projects to improve the level of training of volunteers, the ability to enhance their cross-cultural communication and public diplomacy,hollister, and concern for the volunteers returning after job placement, and allow them to play a more important role on the international stage." Below image from

and they face the public good description - learning.eldelantal.com: "3 ,abercrombie france, held a press conference of the Fifth Session of the Eleventh National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference , Zhao Qizheng ,isabel marant, spokesman of the General Assembly ,isabel marant sneakers, the Chinese and foreign media about the conference , conference excerpt : [ Zhao ] Chinese enterprises But on the whole is still in its infancy, because the lack of depth perception and a comprehensive grasp of the prevailing rules were not sufficiently familiar with international practice , is not very good at public diplomacy with local enterprises on the international market . [ Zhao ] We all know that a well-known under foreign obstruct no successful examples, parajumpers CNOOC is competition in the United States Unocal transaction failed. U.S. Senate a report pointed out that one of the reasons for the failure of CNOOC is no effective public diplomacy to eliminate government and civil opposition voices."

联盟已承诺政治对话 科索沃地区局势需得到稳定 - mil.sohu.com: Mention of "Public Diplomacy Division，PDD."

ASEAN-India Summit: New Delhi Euphoric ... - sarkaritel.com: New Delhi has reason to be euphoric over the recently-concluded ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit.

It has aptly inched closer towards the theme of enhancing the 'partnership for Peace and Shared Prosperity’. Indeed, the Summit marks a significant watershed in India-ASEAN relations, which thus far were mostly on trade and commerce. ... Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ... particularly stressed on the vitality of public diplomacy by enunciating that the durability of the partnership between the two depended not only on Government level exchanges but on greater interaction between their 'people, students, scientists, academics, intellectuals, media, entrepreneurs, agriculturists and artists.'” Image from entry

Indian envoy turns to YouTube, reaches out to Indonesians [Video] - wespeaknews.com: "India’s new ambassador Gurjit Singh used YouTube in his first outreach to the people of Indonesia to say that the two countries would contribute to development of a new international order and had 'set a bilateral trade target of $25 billion by 2015'. In his YouTube message that is little over six minutes long, Gurjit Singh

said India and Indonesia together will contribute to development of a new international order which is 'inclusive and provide adequate space to the views of the developing countries'. ... The ambassador said: 'We would like to expand our cultural linkages and public diplomacy events to emphasise the depth and diversity of our cultures. This is the centenary year of the birth of Indian cinema, which has great resonance in Indonesia. The epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata are immortalised in Indonesia and thus I can see in many areas where we can engage in the public domain.'” Uncaptioned mage from article

reasons or reasons like marriage does not pause - kobe2012, itblogit.com: "So how will the possibilities come for people beyond the US to interact by means of Americans in non-official, every day settings where he or she can learn about their commonalities and differences?And in the absence of such opportunities, the duty of conciliation will autumn on the same state where the foreign policies possess led to ‘blowback’ and who is other agencies head the military system The journey from 9 to 21 still looks challenging; certainly where an public diplomacy photo chance makes an impact all day and night, there is nothing in it and build and sustain a climate of reconciliation as well as peace***Now, let’s look at Sweden India’s neighbourhood is full of relationship challenges; bilateral differences remain a problem between states while subcontinent’s people have everything from ethnic culture to weather for you to popular culture in accordance across borders."

Danish Business Ethics: They also consider the environment and social bottomlines - sportscrossfire.com: "Malaysian companies intending to do business with the Danes be forewarned: they generally follow a set of business ethics that do not necessarily hinge on the profit bottomline. ... I stumble upon this unique business model at the 22nd floor office of Ambassador of Denmark to Malaysia Nicolai Ruge at the Sunway Tower in Jalan Ampang where minutes earlier we had embarked on a discussion on how Danes do business at home and abroad. ... His personal agenda for this year in Malaysia is to promote bilateral diplomatic relations and trade, play an effective role in consular affairs and engage in public diplomacy."

Help Israel Spread the Truth - buyisraelweek.com: "The Israel Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs put our a great pamphlet on ‘True Facts about Israel’. Here is a little extract and some facts that I read in it. The opening letter reads: 'In today’s world of social media and internet, opinions are formed and minds are changed by people like yourselves… Facebook and Twitter play an important role and are sometimes more effective than traditional media.'

It is now up to us, supporters of Israel, to spread the truth about the wonder of the state of Israel and all the good that they do for the world at large. One of the most important roles that Israel fills in the world is that of providing emergency aid and assistance. 'Israel believes in doing it’s part to provide humanitarian aid and assistance whenever and wherever disaster strikes.” Some of Israel’s recent humanitarian work includes: 2011: Medical Aid team to Japan Tsunami 2010: First response team to Haiti earthquake 2009: Storm victims in Philippines 2008: Aid to Congo 2004: Aid to Hurricane Katrina victims.'" Image from entry, with caption: Images of Israeli aid to victims of the Haiti earthquake in 2010 (taken from www.mfa.gov.il)

Report: Israel sinks in world opinion - rehmat1.com: "On December 27, 2012, Dr. Shibi Greenfield in his report titled ‘Israel PR 2012: Myth and Reality’, prepared for Israeli think tank, Molad, had concluded: 'Israeli public examination in light of international public diplomacy measures reveals that – that contrary to his image, it’s array of sophisticated and well-coordinated. Therefore, you don’t blame Israel’s diplomatic difficulties in marketing problem, but the product – Israeli policy itself'."

Presenting, A Strategic-Based Policy Interview With Dr. Martin Sherman, Founder of the Israel Institute For Strategic Studies (IISS) - Adina Kutnicki, adinakutnicki.com: "[Y]ours truly is pleased to present a featured strategic policy interview with the founder of the Israel Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS – www.martinsherman.net/), Dr. Martin Sherman. ... AK: So what should be the major components to the complex interacting challenges and threats facing the country? Dr. Sherman: Well, without wishing to suggest that this is an exhaustive catalog, I would include the following as the nation’s major policy imperatives, not necessarily in order of importance since most of them are in one way or another intertwined with each other: The need to formulate and promote a Zionist-compliant paradigm that would (a) discredit, disprove and hence delegitimize the Palestinian narrative; and thereby (b) remove the issue of Palestinian statehood from the international agenda. The need for Israel to undertake a radical restructuring and revamping of its diplomatic strategy, infrastructure and doctrine and to prepare a massive public diplomacy assault on world opinion, without which Israel will not be able to generate the freedom of action to pursue policies compatible with its vital national interests. ... Dr. Sherman: It is crucial to understand that in order to ensure its long-term survival as the nation-state of the Jewish people, Israel has to address two imperatives: The Geographic Imperative and the Demographic Imperative. ... This brings to the fore the importance of Israel’s public diplomacy as a strategic consideration . ... AK: Let’s leave the discussion of public diplomacy for later."

It's your policies, stupid - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "There is a bit of conventional wisdom among Israel and its supporters that Israel has a public diplomacy problem. If only Israel explained itself better, the notion contends, then the global public would be more sympathetic to Israel. A think-tank in Israel called Molad recently came out with a report backing up something I have long been saying: rather just the opposite, Israel does public diplomacy quite well, but can't cover for bad policies. Israel is quite adept at public diplomacy, and is an early-adopter of new mediums and platforms.

It does a good job of engaging its diaspora, and fostering people-to-people connections. Its public diplomacy promotes Israeli innovations, and its cultural diplomacy can be dynamic in scope and often showcases iconclastic sides of Israeli life. But...all that can't cover for the fact that occupation and settlement-building is TERRIBLE policy, and no amount of public diplomacy can change that. It's lipstick on a kosher pig, at best. As Murrow contended, not even the best public diplomacy can cover for bad policy. It's time for Israel to learn that maxim."  Rockower image from his blog

Facebook off the Hook for Intifada Pages That Promoted Killing Jews - Erin Sherbert, blogs.sfweekly.com: "Last year, Freedom Fighter Larry Klayman took Facebook to court, claiming Mark Zuckerberg

was a self-hating Jew. Why? Because the 28-year-old bajillionaire refused to (promptly) take down the 'Third Palestinian Intifada' Facebook page. Yes, it's exactly as it sounds. ... Klayman argued that Facebook refused to remove the page 'for many days,' despite a request from Israel's Public Diplomacy Minister. It eventually removed it 'begrudgingly,' according to the complaint. Klayman sought more than $1 billion in damages and asked a court to permanently bar Facebook from allowing users to publish the Intifada pages and similar content." Zuckerberg image from article, with caption: Dodged another billion-dollar bullet

Turkish FM says unity of Syria, Iraq crucial for Turkey - theturk.biz: "Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu has stated that the unity of Syria and Iraq, whose relations with Ankara have been strained, is as important as the unity of Turkey. ... Regarding the stance in crisis regions, Davutoğlu gave Somalia as an example, and said that Turkey opened an embassy in Somalia. 'Turkey’s Somalia policy has taken on a legendary quality.

We achieved public diplomacy success which cannot be achieved by billions in investments,' said Davutoğlu. Turkey has taken the lead in sending humanitarian aid to famine-stricken Somalia and has bolstered its efforts in the reconstruction of the country.'" Image from article, with caption: Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmed Davutoglu

Bahrain: Stalemate - Blake, blakestilwell.com: Bahrain remains a point of conflict and confrontation between more than just the government and the various opposition movements. The situation in Bahrain is more complex, as the country is one example of the uniqueness of the various nations in the Middle East in terms of culture, history, and daily life.

The Sunni-Shia ideological divide is not as wide in Bahrain as it is in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Though the economic and opportunity divide continues. On a recent public diplomacy trip to Manama during the anniversary of the Pearl Roundabout Demonstrations, I learned that Bahrainis, on both sides of the Democracy debate, are nationalists at heart. Tribal and sectarian divides do not supersede their love of the country and their island. Uncaptioned image from entry

2012: A year to remember - dreurovision.blogspot.com: "Eurovision in Azerbaijan was an excercise in public diplomacy, albeit an expensive one."

Independence of the Elections Commissioner is equally important - Shrinath Fernando, srilankaguardian.org: "The Tamil Diaspora and the pro-separatist lobby are making mammoth strides overseas on the public diplomacy front and government does not seem to have any coherent strategy in countering the pro-separatist lobby overseas. If the Government remains passive on the public diplomacy front, especially in countering pro-separatist lobby overseas, it would one day pose a grave threat to the sovereignty of Sri Lanka."

ZABIDA pushes GAD plans in Barangays - zamboangacity.com: "The Zamboanga-Basilan Integrated Development Alliance (ZABIDA), Inc. has underscored the importance of 'Gender and Development' (GAD) Planning in the development

of local communities to government representatives during an assessment conference held at the ZABIDA Peace and Development Resource Center at Suterville in Barangay San Jose Gusu, this city. ... The mobilization of women in community development is part of ZABIDA’s and PAZ’s umbrella program on public diplomacy and good governance." Image from entry

COTELCO/IDPP Faculty Share Research Findings at HICSS 46 - cotelco.net: "During the first week of January 2013, several COTELCO/IDPP faculty associates will participate in the 46th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 46) in Maui, Hawaii. Ranked as one of the top two Information Systems conferences in the world, HICSS is one of longest continuously-running scientific conferences. ... [O]n Wednesday, 9 January, Dr. [Derrrick L.] Cogburn

will present a paper entitled, 'Computationally Intensive Content Analysis of Public Diplomacy Data: Understanding the Public Remarks of US Secretaries of State, 1997-2011,' co-authored with former COTELCO research associate Ms. Amy Wozniak." Image from entry

Public Diplomacy disrupted [Google translation] - Niv Calderon, nivcalderon.com: "The upcoming conference 'Networks and Democracy' I'm going to talk about public diplomacy and how she 'disturbed' in recent years by technology, enterprises, thinking outside the box and by Kraud Sorsing.

I'm going to talk about dinosaurs, the Star Trek, Facebook and love. The conference is going to be in Hebrew, of course, and of course I will speak Hebrew, but the presentation made in English. My lecture name (scheduled for 15 minutes) Public Diplomacy is disrupted." Image from entry. See also.

Thewsie Boston Conferences: Presantations [sic] on 'Innovation Diplomacy', 'Smart Cultures' and 'Women of Science' by Professor Salim T S Al-Hassani, President of The Foundation for Science Technology and Civilization (FSTC) - ce4tf.org/fstc-news: "Innovation Diplomacy Panel [:] ... Jed Willard, Director, The Public Diplomacy Collaborative, Harvard Kennedy School of Government [.]"

Image from entry, with caption:  For the full web photo album please visit theWSIE Facebook

G.K. Quiz On Current Affairs - bankersadda.com: "4.Recently Patrick Suckling appointed as Australia's Next High Commissioner to India. He replaced___? (1) Mark Sawers (2) Peter Varghese (3) Justin Lee 4) Billy Williams (5) Brett Aldam ... 4. (2) Patrick Suckling replaces Peter Varghese and appointed as the new Australia’s next High Commissioner to India. Post-Graduate Diploma in Hindi from the University of Sydney and as a career diplomat had an expertise in policy development, public diplomacy and consular service."

Fun and Games...and Social Marketing - Nedra Weinreich, blog.social-marketing.com: "An extensive list of online and video games geared toward promoting health and wellness (and other 'entertaining games with non-entertainment goals' can be found at Social Impact Games.

For more on games for public diplomacy, take a look at this post by Micki Krimmel at WorldChanging." Image from article


Nikolas Glover about the Swedish sin: Our putative liberation conceals a sexual conservative Sweden - debatt.svt.se: "Nikolas Glover, historian at the University of Stockholm.

Author of National Relations: Public diplomacy, national identity and the Swedish Institute 1945-1970 (2011)." Glover image from entry

Raymond A. Warren, State Department official and CIA officer - washingtonpost.com: Raymond A. Warren, 89, who held a series of posts in South America with the State Department and later worked for the Central Intelligence Agency, died Dec. 15 . ... Mr. Warren joined the State Department in the early 1950s and had Foreign Service assignments in Colombia, Chile and Venezuela. In 1974, he joined the CIA, where he worked until 1983. Mr. Warren later was a program director at the National War College and director of public diplomacy at the Defense Department."

2012: A Year of Adventure in Review - beckymezzanotte.com: "Not long after New Years, I found myself on the first adventure of the year. Jackie and Esther and I found myself at the shooting range. Now, you might be wondering why three lovely girls such as ourselves made it a point to go to the shooting range. The reason is rather simple. We decided that it would be an adventure…and it was. I had never held a gun before and it was both terrifying and amazing. I also had the amazing opportunity to work an event at AU where I heard former President Bill Clinton speak. He was phenomenal  January also brought the start of my second semester of grad school. It was not as exciting as the first, but I

did have some interesting classes (Public Diplomacy, Cultural and Communication Policy, Web Development and Dynamic Websites). This semester also brought the start of Hamlet. An amazing show that I would stage manage, but would eat a large chunk of my life. But, more on that later." Image from entry, with caption: My Irene Adler costume

User:Zina3232 - wikimommy.com: "Where is my life headed [:] I graduated from a Public Diplomacy grad program about a year ago and since then have been working in D.C. I enjoy my job a great deal and I love living in D.C. but my real passion is traveling; I love to explore new cities, new countries, and new cultures. I like to meet new people and see different ways of thinking. I love a good argument :) When I have the chance, I like to walk around the city, go hiking, skiing, etc. What I am good at [:]

Cooking." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Your State Department Winning Hearts and Minds in Iraq - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: Courtesy of Cryptome, a picture

speaks for itself…Comment by Lafcadio: If she were a political officer, this would actually be a productive use of her time.

Book review: ‘The Insurgents’ by Fred Kaplan and ‘My Share of the Task’ by Stanley A. McChrystal - Greg Jaffe, Washington Post: A fundamental problem with Petraeus’s and McChrystal’s counterinsurgency doctrine, which seeks to bolster the local government’s legitimacy in order to win over the populace and sap the guerillas’

strength is that if a country’s ruling elite do not share America’s interests or are unwilling to change their corrupt ways, even the most sophisticated counterinsurgents are doomed to fail, Kaplan writes. Petraeus image from article

The U.S. ranks 47th in press freedom rankingamerica.wordpress.com: According to Reporters Without Borders, the United States ranks forty-seventh out of one hundred seventy-nine countries ranked for freedom of the press.

Sale of Current TV to create Al Jazeera America has Americans talking about international broadcasting - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

International Twittercasting: world leaders tweet in multiple languages. But please don't call it "social media" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: Elliott comment: PNM Netanyahu's Arabic Twitter account is now up to 817 follows, but his account follows only 3. This is the typical pattern among such Twitter accounts of world leaders. The tweets are no doubt written by staff, and the very few who are followed are, if at all, read by staff.

Changes in China's "communications concepts" do not yet include a two-way information flow - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Radio Free Asia reports stepped up North Korean jamming of foreign broadcasts - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

AMERICANA

Does confidence really breed success? - William Kremer, BBC World Service: American students are increasingly likely to label themselves as gifted in writing ability, objective test scores indicate that actual writing ability has gone down since the 1960s. While in the late 1980s, almost half of students said they studied

for six or more hours a week, the figure was little over a third by 2009 - a fact that sits rather oddly, given there has been a rise in students' self-proclaimed drive to succeed during the same period. Image from article. Via MC on Facebook

RUSSICA A LA FRANÇAISE

Actor Gerard Depardieu welcomed as Russian citizen: Tax exile given warm reception a day after getting passport - The Associated Press, cbc.ca.

Image from article, with caption: Gerard Depardieu, left, greets Russian President Vladimir Putin after the actor's arrival late Saturday at the president's residence in Sochi.