“Air power is an unusually seductive form of military strength, in part because, like modern courtship, it appears to offer gratification without commitment.” Image from
--Eliot A. Cohen, who directed the U.S. Air Force’s Gulf War Air Power Survey from 1991 to 1993
VIDEO
Russian Army Choir Sings in English; via JMcC
SCHOLARLY RESOURCES
Bruce Gregory's Public Diplomacy Resources: Public Diplomacy: Books, Articles, Websites # 65
May 28, 2013
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
John B. Emerson is the new U.S. Ambassador: With Berlin Döner is even more beautiful; Today, the new U.S. Ambassador John B. Emerson presented his credentials to the President. Before he made a tour with his wife and three daughters -- and discovered [Google translation] - tagesspiegel.de: "Emerson in blue and white polo shirt beige for jeans is very relaxed. This may be because Barack Obama has personally sent him to Berlin. A little bit but it probably has something to do with his wife Kimberley, also a lawyer as he and diverse dedicated expert on public diplomacy.
The early nineties, she worked as a public worker for the Clinton administration. At the time this subject was not so strictly involved in the government apparatus as today. In times of upheaval in Eastern Europe there were so room for creative solutions." Image from article, with caption: His daughters, Jacqueline, Taylor and Hayley and wife Kimberley showed the designated U.S. Ambassador John B. Emerson his new work in Berlin.
An Interview with Michael McFaul, U.S. Ambassador to Russia - Uriel Epshtein, thepolitic.org: McFaul: "My job is not actually to improve U.S.-Russia relations . ... I’m not sure that as an outsider, before I became the ambassador, I fully appreciated that this is what diplomacy is all about. ... A part of my job now is virtual diplomacy, where almost every day I am communicating directly to the Russian people something about our policy or our country. I have over 50,000 followers on Twitter and 12,000 Facebook friends and subscribers, for example, most of whom are Russians. Today, much of it is about Mr. Snowden, but it may also be about issues like how many Russians get visas. This is actually a great example because there is a great misperception in this country that you have a 50/50 chance of getting a visa. When I heard about this, I decided to investigate and found that over 90 percent of Russians who applied received visas. I tweeted this information and the tweet got a lot of attention. This was a major diplomatic success correcting misperceptions."
It’s Worse Than You Think - The Federalist, "Let’s focus on one area of inquiry – the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) and its Middle East Broadcasting Network (MBN) of Radio Sawa and Alhurra television in particular. That takes us on a short road trip south of DC to what we will call 'Fortress Springfield,' the location in suburban Northern Virginia of MBN, Radio Sawa and Alhurra television. Infrequently, some attention has been paid to these operations. ... These stations have been broadcasting to the Middle East for the better part of 12 years – first with Radio Sawa then followed by Alhurra television. The American taxpayer has been 'dimed' for millions of dollars for this effort which supposedly was intended to change the paradigm in the Middle East following the al-Qaeda attacks of September 11, 2001. ... It’s worth repeating: we don’t know what this operation is doing. To all appearances, it is in 'lockdown.' Don’t be looking for transparency from this operation or its senior bureaucrats. And that is wrong. We’re paying for this operation and need to know what we are paying for. We need to know what it is doing, the nature of program content being broadcast on Radio Sawa and Alhurra television. Since many of us are not conversant in Arabic, we need independent, authoritative Arabic linguists to assess the program content of these stations. Just as important, we need serious congressional scrutiny of these operations. Clearly, the sentiment in the Arab and Muslim world is increasingly hostile toward the United States, its government, its citizens – our way of life. That in itself is a clear indication that the millions of dollars spent on MBN programs over the past twelve years has been a bust. It is also an indication of how successful al-Qaeda has been with billions of US taxpayer dollars spent on an expanded domestic security apparatus to contend with an asymmetrical threat."
We need Voice of America here - Letter to the Editor, Marcus Sopher, Milford, Letter to the Editor, ctpost.com: "Does anyone remember the Voice of America? It is the official broadcast arm of the federal government. Its charter contains the following statement: 'VOA news will be accurate, objective and comprehensive.' It was designed to accurately inform people in countries where news and information was suppressed by their governments through official propaganda outlets. I propose that the VOA begin to broadcast to another country: the
2013 Fulbright Symposium pictures: Pictures from the [Australian-American] Fulbright Symposium - fulbright.com.au: Among them:
A group of guests relaxing between sessions
Achievement in Korea-U.S. collaboration to correct N.K. history - english.donga.com: "The 'Modern Korean History Portal' opened last Thursday by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a think tank dedicated to history of the U.S. Cold War era, can be considered an important step in this mission. ... Marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the South Korea-U.S. Alliance this year, the governments of South Korea and the U.S. have been busy celebrating the bilateral ties through glaring commemorative events and various projects, and trying to establish vision for the next 60 years. The Modern Korean History Portal can be considered a meaningful achievement that has been created through collective efforts by private think tanks and academia of the two allies, and 'semi-public, semi-private' public diplomacy. It is even more meaningful, given that to establish an accurate North Korean history will lay cultural foundation for reunification of the two Koreas."
2013 EPICS Forum, Sport for Development and Peace - aroundtherings.com: "2015 Gwangju Summer Universiade Organizing Committee (hereafter GUOC 2015), in collaboration with the UN Office on Sport for Development and Peace (UNOSDP), held the International Youth Mentoring Program, the EPICS Forum, on the 23rd in Gwangju. ... Laima Janusonyte, the first female vice-president of the International Sports Press Association, Jang Mi-ran, Olympic Gold medalist and chief director of her own foundation, and Ma Young-sam, the first Korean ambassador for Public diplomacy, attended the forum and gave inspiring speeches to the students and talked about their personal experiences in their field of expertise."
Syrian official: Israel 'first victim' in case of strike - ynetnews.com: "A member of the Ba'ath Party in Syria, Halef al-Muftah, said that Israel will be under fire if the US strikes in Syria. Al-Muftah, until recently the deputy to the Syrian public diplomacy minister, claimed that 'Israel is the one moving the American government.' He also warned that the Mideast 'will go up in flames' in case of a strike in Syria."
Why is a BBC journalist on an expenses-paid propaganda junket to Israel? - Benjamin Doherty, electronicintifada.net: "Dozens of young journalists, including at least one working for the BBC, are in
Now in its fifth year, the seminar is the brainchild of the advocacy group StandWithUs. The Media in Conflicts Seminar is 'hasbara for foreign media personnel, diplomats and youth from all over the world,' according to the website of Israel’s Ministry for Public Diplomacy (which was recently absorbed into the prime minister’s office). Hasbara is a Hebrew word that literally translates as 'explaining' but is used specifically to describe government propaganda and outreach efforts to gain support for
Brand Israel self-destructs - intifada-palestine.com: "This month saw a further escalation in Israel’s propaganda activity rather than improvements to the Israel product. The Times of Israelhttp://www.timesofisrael.com/pmo-stealthily-recruiting-students-for-online-advocacy/ reported that 'The Prime Minister’s Office is working to set up a network of advocacy units in Israeli universities, operated by students who will receive scholarships for their efforts totalling nearly $845,000.' The plan aims to harness 550 bilingual students drawn from the student pool at the country’s seven universities, who will target their efforts abroad. Haaretz, in its report, calls the initiative 'online public diplomacy (hasbara)'. ... PressTV points out that a liaison officer for the Zionist regime will oversee the dissemination of 'rapid responses' from Israeli officials to news events, and coordinate with the regime’s other official bodies that deal with public diplomacy, including the Israeli military. ... These are desperate times for the Israel brand… and truly desperate measures.
The regime will eventually have to face it. Theirs is the worst brand reputation on the planet because they have nothing to give the world except trouble. They can’t patch it up or make it smell sweet with more lies and distortions." Image from article
Fear and doubt about Indonesia - Bernard Lane, theaustralian.com.au: "Almost 50 per cent of Australians believe Indonesia is a threat to our national security, according to a landmark study that testifies to government concern about the effect of popular attitudes on bilateral relations. In the opinion poll ordered by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, more people (59pc) agreed with the mostly misleading statement that Indonesia's law-making is based on Islamic codes than were able to recognise our neighbour as a democracy (47pc). The survey of 1,202 people, carried out by Newspoll in 2012 and yet to be released, is the first of its kind and will be used in efforts to promote better 'people to people' relations as DFAT pursues so-called public diplomacy."
New era for seaweed - Anshoo Chandra, fijitimes.com: "A new era has begun with the development of the seaweed industry in Fiji. ... While elaborating on the success of the seaweed industry, Abdurrahman M. Fachir, Director General for Information and Public Diplomacy at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it
provided a gateway to massive investment opportunities." Image from article, with caption: Mau villagers hold up seaweed collected during their seaweed training conducted by Indonesian seaweed experts last month at Mau Village.
Review – New Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century - Sue Jansen, e-ir.info: "Public diplomacy (PD), traditionally defined as state-sponsored communications that strategically target citizens of other nations, has a long and controversial history. However, the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States triggered an urgent rethinking of the theory and practice of PD: an effort that soon expanded beyond the United States (U.S.), now involving academics and practitioners from many nations. James Pamment’s book contributes to this reassessment. Pamment’s work represents the inaugural volume in the Routledge series, New Diplomatic Studies, edited by Corneliu Bjola and Markus Kornprobt.
He distinguishes between traditional, gatekeeper and mass-mediated models of PD as well as newer approaches which take into account twenty-first century market-based globalization as well as new digital and satellite media environments. Contending that the ‘new public diplomacy’ (NPD) represents a paradigm shift in political communication theory, Pamment compares NPD theory to actual PD practices using case studies from three countries: the United Kingdom (U.K.), Sweden and the U.S. He offers systematic assessments of each case examining national policies, objectives of specific campaigns and evaluation methods, use of official documents, campaign artifacts, secondary accounts and interviews with senior diplomats, campaigns managers and measurement and evaluation consultants. The early chapters of the book distinguish between traditional PD and NPD, engage in extensive definitional exercises and examine some of the factors motivating the paradigm shift. They include a brief history of PD, an overview of NPD’s theoretical challenges, a critical assessment of PD evaluation methods and a preliminary examination of the theory-practice tension. Pamment then devotes a chapter to each of the three aforementioned countries and concludes with a provocative synthesis of his findings, which he uses to assess the future prospects of NPD theory." Image from entry
Propaganda and Public Diplomacy – Paul Rockower, Levantine: “A good piece by Monsieur Brun on the Paradoxes of Propaganda. I fully admit I am a propagandist. I propagate the faith in my own causes. But I do it through public diplomacy, which is different.”
European integration without EU membership: The different paths of Norway and Switzerland - events.carleton.ca: "H.E. Mona Elisabeth Brøther
was appointed Norwegian ambassador to Canada in September 2012. ... Since 2009, she has been deputy director general of the department for cultural promotion, public diplomacy and protocol at the ministry of foreign affairs." Uncaptioned image from entry
Public Intellectuals: Theory and Practice [Course syllabus] - Henry Jenkins, henryjenkins.org "Among the readings in the course]: Shiela T. Murphy, Heather J. Hether, Laurel J. Felt, and Sandra de Castro Buffington, 'Public Diplomacy in Prime Time: Exploring Potential of Entertainment Education in International Public Diplomacy,' American Journal of Media Psychology 5(1-4), 2012, pp. 5-32."
POSCO Visiting Fellowship Program for International Applicants at East-West Center in USA, 2014 - scholarship-positions.com: "The East-West Center is inviting applications for visiting fellowship program for outstanding scholars and policy makers. The East-West Center invites four to six visiting fellows to spend one or two months from March 1, 2014 to February 28, 2015 for carrying out research activities on Korean topics at the East-West Center. ... Fellows are provided with a stipend and round trip economy airfare between their home base and Honolulu. They are required to give one seminar, prepare a high quality paper to be submitted for publication, and join in East-West Center activities. The Fellow may also be asked to participate in local outreach and public diplomacy activities. Proposals for cost-shared fellowships are welcomed."
RELATED ITEMS
Questions for President Obama — Before He Pulls the Trigger on Syria - Andrew Bacevich, billmoyers.com: Let us posit that the Syrian government did, in fact, order last week’s chemical attack that killed hundreds of Syrian citizens, including women, children and others who had not taken up arms against the Assad regime.
First, why does this particular heinous act rise to the level of justifying a military response? Second, once U.S. military action against Syria begins, when will it end? Third, what is the legal basis for military action? Bacevich image from article
Syria Side Effects: Chemical weapons and other costs of doing nothing - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: As President Obama again considers military action in Syria, it's worth recalling that the use of chemical weapons isn't the only nasty side effect for the Middle East and U.S. interests from the 30-month uprising against Bashar Assad. No one knows if U.S. intervention two years ago would have prevented any of this, though we think it had a good chance of doing so. But one argument no one can credibly make is that U.S. action would have made things worse. Doing nothing made it worse. The United States can’t dictate the outcome in Syria, and it would be foolish to send ground troops in an effort to do so. But by combining military measures with training, weapons supplies and diplomacy, it could exercise considerable influence
Syria strategy can’t rely solely on military might - Editorial, Washington Post: The dangerous outcomes that Mr. Obama worried might be precipitated in Syria by U.S. involvement have mostly come about in the absence of such involvement. The fact that Syria offers no perfect outcomes or options does not mean that all possible outcomes are equally undesirable.
Syria's Gas Attack on Civilization: It takes a barbarian to employ poison gas. Assad joins the ranks of Mussolini, Hitler and Saddam Hussein - Andrew Roberts, Wall Street Journal: There is
Obama already missed chance on Syria: Analysts - As the international chorus grows louder for a military strike, some Middle East specialists believe such action would be too late to weaken the position of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad. “Even if the U.S. does intervene militarily, the time window for its best option has already passed,” said Anthony Cordesman, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Syria will require more than cruise missiles - Eliot A. Cohen, Washington Post: As weak as the United States now appears in the region and beyond, we would look weaker yet if we chose to act ineffectively. A bout of therapeutic bombing is an even more feckless course of action than a principled refusal to act altogether. The question before the president is whether he will make matters worse by convincing himself that he has found a minimal solution to a fiendish problem. He will convince no one else.
While Egypt and Syria burn, Obama is Arsonist in Chief - Doni Kandel, Washington Times: If America attacks Syria, it is Israel that will be attacked in retaliation.
Obama has played a large part in setting the Middle East on fire and it is Israel that is constantly getting burned. Uncaptioned image from article
Adrift on the Nile - Bill Keller, New York Times: In the excruciating test that Egypt has become, America has seemed not just cautious (caution is good) but timid and indecisive, reactive and shortsighted, stranded between our professed commitment to change and our fear of chaos.
Reading Tweets From Iran - Editorial, New York Times: President Rouhani is sending strong signals that he will dispatch a pragmatic, experienced team to the table when negotiations resume, possibly next month. That’s when we should begin to see answers to key questions: How much time and creative thinking are he and President Obama willing to invest in a negotiated solution, the only rational outcome? How much political risk are they willing to take, which for Mr. Obama must include managing the enmity that Israel and many members of Congress feel toward Iran? And finally: Do the two sides have the courage to resolve a conflict that has been decades in the making?
Artists protest Russia's anti-gay-'propaganda' law - dw.de: German artists are showing solidarity with gays and lesbians in Russia. However, while some are calling for a boycott, others believe there are better ways to get their voices heard and make a difference.
Image from entry, with caption: Gay rights activists demonstrate in Moscow, with a banner reading "Love is stronger."
Propaganda Pictures Depicting Women’s Role in World War II - Kaushik, amusingplanet.com:
During World War II, the American government made a conscious effort to include women in the war effort using a vast array of media to urge the public. Large scale campaigns were launched to encourage women to enter the work force and fill places that were previously held by men, as they went off to fight a worldwide war across the Atlantic and the Pacific.
The military for the first time in history set out deliberately to recruit large numbers of women to fill not only essential nursing positions, but to meet military requirements across a vast array of officer and enlisted skills. Women were called upon to work in factories making bombs and aircraft parts, as air raid wardens, driving tanks, building shops and so on. Patriotism was used as a major recruiting device to lure women into the industrial workforce. The "Women's Bureau" of the "War Manpower Commission" had to work hard to combat initial reluctance among employers to hire women.
These overcome by advertising gender constructions that presented images of women at work while respecting the traditional separation of sex roles.
The propaganda worked as eight million women joined the American labor force between 1940 and 1944. These women not only entered the workforce in record numbers but they also entered the military.
Surprisingly, the propaganda changed as the war came to an end. After the war, images appeared in publications depicting men and women in traditional pre-war roles. Images from entry, in following order: (a) Students at Washington High School at class, training for specific contributions to the war effort, Los Angeles, Calif. Ralph Angar, instructor, explains propeller characteristics to students in the aeronautics class in September 1942. (b) This woman worker at the Vultee-Nashville is shown making final adjustments in the wheel well of an inner wing before the installation of the landing gear, Nashville, Tenn. in February 1943. This is one of the numerous assembly operations in connection with the mass production of Vultee "Vengeance" dive bombers. (c) Gist inspector, Mrs. Mary Betchner inspecting one of the 25 cutters for burrs before inserting it in the inside of a 105mm. howitzer at the Milwaukee, Wis. plant of the Chain Belt Co. in February 1943. Her son is in the army; her husband is in war work. (d) War production workers at the Vilter [Manufacturing] Company making M5 and M7 guns for the U.S. Army, Milwaukee, Wis. in February 1942. Ex-stage orchestra musician, checking an M7 gun with gage, after turning out on a gun lathe. Her two brothers and husband are in the service.
AMERICANA
"Stanford offers more classes in yoga than Shakespeare."
--Allysia Finley, Wall Street Journal editorial writer
VIVA L'ITALIA
The Economic Crisis Makes Infidelity Too Expensive: Forget the mortgage. Hit by the economic crisis, Italian men can no longer afford mistresses - Barbie Latza Nadeau, Daily Beast: The Italian psychologist Florinda Bruccoleri, who has studied the issue, recently wrote on her blog that, these days, "infidelity is at least as stressful as the original marriage because of economic concerns.
It’s hard to reconcile keeping the equivalent of two wives.” Via JMcC; image from
The military for the first time in history set out deliberately to recruit large numbers of women to fill not only essential nursing positions, but to meet military requirements across a vast array of officer and enlisted skills. Women were called upon to work in factories making bombs and aircraft parts, as air raid wardens, driving tanks, building shops and so on. Patriotism was used as a major recruiting device to lure women into the industrial workforce. The "Women's Bureau" of the "War Manpower Commission" had to work hard to combat initial reluctance among employers to hire women.
These overcome by advertising gender constructions that presented images of women at work while respecting the traditional separation of sex roles.
The propaganda worked as eight million women joined the American labor force between 1940 and 1944. These women not only entered the workforce in record numbers but they also entered the military.
Surprisingly, the propaganda changed as the war came to an end. After the war, images appeared in publications depicting men and women in traditional pre-war roles. Images from entry, in following order: (a) Students at Washington High School at class, training for specific contributions to the war effort, Los Angeles, Calif. Ralph Angar, instructor, explains propeller characteristics to students in the aeronautics class in September 1942. (b) This woman worker at the Vultee-Nashville is shown making final adjustments in the wheel well of an inner wing before the installation of the landing gear, Nashville, Tenn. in February 1943. This is one of the numerous assembly operations in connection with the mass production of Vultee "Vengeance" dive bombers. (c) Gist inspector, Mrs. Mary Betchner inspecting one of the 25 cutters for burrs before inserting it in the inside of a 105mm. howitzer at the Milwaukee, Wis. plant of the Chain Belt Co. in February 1943. Her son is in the army; her husband is in war work. (d) War production workers at the Vilter [Manufacturing] Company making M5 and M7 guns for the U.S. Army, Milwaukee, Wis. in February 1942. Ex-stage orchestra musician, checking an M7 gun with gage, after turning out on a gun lathe. Her two brothers and husband are in the service.
AMERICANA
"Stanford offers more classes in yoga than Shakespeare."
--Allysia Finley, Wall Street Journal editorial writer
VIVA L'ITALIA
The Economic Crisis Makes Infidelity Too Expensive: Forget the mortgage. Hit by the economic crisis, Italian men can no longer afford mistresses - Barbie Latza Nadeau, Daily Beast: The Italian psychologist Florinda Bruccoleri, who has studied the issue, recently wrote on her blog that, these days, "infidelity is at least as stressful as the original marriage because of economic concerns.
It’s hard to reconcile keeping the equivalent of two wives.” Via JMcC; image from
No comments:
Post a Comment