August 7

“What is less customer-focused than a pay wall?”

--Brad Stone, a journalist who has covered Amazon for more than 14 years, speculating on the move that Amazon founder Jeffrey P. Bezos, purchaser of the Washington Post, might take at the outset to end the newspaper’s new online subscription program, which limits how many stories readers can access without paying for a subscription; image from

EVENT

Upcoming Panel Discussions in Washington: Public Diplomacy as a Global Phenonemon - John Brown, Notes and Essays

CALL FOR PAPERS

Status Update - Nic Iljine on Facebook: "CALL FOR PAPERS Cultural Exchange: Russia and the West II [,] University of Cambridge, 10th December 2013 [:] Following the highly successful Cultural Exchange: Russia and the West conference, held at the University of Bristol in 2011, Theodora Clarke and Cinthia Willaman are pleased to announce a follow up postgraduate symposium at the University of Cambridge. Cultural Exchange: Russia and the West II is an opportunity to re-examine the artistic links between the two regions both before and after the Revolution of 1917." See also.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

"A Serious and Credible Threat:" Tara Maller on the Embassy and Consulate Closures - Tara Maller, a research fellow with the New America Foundation's National Security Studies Program: " It is difficult to say precisely how long the embassies and consulates that have been closed will remain so, since officials have to evaluate the threat over the coming days and weeks.

I think it is important that we reopen the embassies as soon as possible if and when the US is able to assess that there is not a heightened level of threat against these facilities. US embassies in this region of the world are critical for the US – particularly in moments of crisis. A diplomatic presence helps the United States gather information and enhances communication channels with the host state. It also allows the US to engage in public diplomacy and monitor events on the ground during times of stability and crisis." Image from

Rapprochement possible if US accepts realities of Iran: Marandi - Press TV: [JB note: Link provides only a blank page (10:36 am, August 7)].

Remarks at Swearing-In Ceremony - Daniel R. Russel, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, scoop.co.nz: "The well-being and future of the United States is imminently connected to the peaceful development of the Asia-Pacific region . ... Four and a half years ago, President Obama deliberately decided to make engagement in the region a strategic priority for the United States of America, and I’m proud to have a continuing role in developing the Asia rebalancing strategy. The strategy spans the range of diplomatic and economic, political, cultural, security, and strategic interests. It involves the sustained work we do with nations ranging from the world’s most populous countries to the small island states in the Pacific, from the world’s second and third largest economies, to those still in the earliest stages of development. And it’s founded on close cooperation with our treaty allies and our friends. It entails transforming our relations with former adversaries and building new models of practical cooperation in our relations with emerging powers. It requires outreach through public diplomacy and that means visits, programs, social and traditional media, academic exchanges so that we’re communicating with and listening to the people, not just the governments. It builds on the work of business and the private sector in promoting balanced trade and increasing investment and fostering global economic growth. And in all cases it means upholding universal principles and rights, promoting the rule of law, and advocating for our core values."

Kwan Heading To Sochi Winter Olympics - Michael P. Neufeld, "When the XXII Winter Olympic Games open February 7, 2014, in Sochi, Russia, Rim High graduate Michelle Kwan will be covering the games as an analyst for FOX Sports (FS1). The games run until February 23, showcasing 15 disciplines of seven (7) winter sports. While the 12,000-seat Iceberg Skating Palace

will be one of her main venue assignments, Kwan indicated in a press briefing that she hopes to cover a wide range of winter sports, including hockey and curling. The two-time Olympic medalist and decorated figure skater — who trained in part in Lake Arrowhead — is also reportedly going to be involved in FOX’s coverage on Super Bowl XLVIII, on February 2, from MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... the most decorated figure skater in U.S. history, Kwan serves as a senior adviser for public diplomacy and public affairs for the U.S. State Department. Kwan married White House National Security Officer Clay Pell at the First Unitarian Church in Providence, Rhode Island, on Saturday, January 19. Pell, the grandson of the late Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell, is also a lieutenant in the Coast Guard." Kwan image from entry. See also:   "Statement by the Press Secretary on the President’s Travel to Russia": "Following a careful review begun in July, we have reached the conclusion that there is not enough recent progress in our bilateral agenda with Russia to hold a U.S.-Russia Summit in early September. We value the achievements made with Russia in the President’s first term, including the New START Treaty, and cooperation on Afghanistan, Iran, and North Korea. However, given our lack of progress on issues such as missile defense and arms control, trade and commercial relations, global security issues, and human rights and civil society in the last twelve months, we have informed the Russian Government that we believe it would be more constructive to postpone the summit until we have more results from our shared agenda. Russia’s disappointing decision to grant Edward Snowden temporary asylum was also a factor that we considered in assessing the current state of our bilateral relationship.."

"Conflict Kitchen": Gastrodiplomacy in Action - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "The Conflict Kitchen was established in 2010 by a professor (!!) and his former student, who already co-owned a Waffle Shop. Apparently, the idea was born from an initial plan to open up a restaurant serving cuisine that was not available in Pittsburgh.

Then, they decided to rotate the menu, offering street food from countries that the US is in conflict with. Iran was first, followed by Afghanistan, Venezuela, and now - Cuba. ... Food as a tool of diplomacy has been a subject of many a conversation in the recent years, gaining increasing prominence in the US, as well as internationally. Terms such as 'gastrodiplomacy' or 'culinary diplomacy' are becoming increasingly common and familiar. Yet, what is so special and appealing about this particular project is its openness, accessibility, and - quite frankly - the fact that it was an independent, local operation, with no involvement by any government. Unlike the State Department's 'culinary diplomacy' project, for example, which will inevitably be prohibitively expensive and involve a tiny portion of whatever public (that was clear, after just one look at the list of all the top chefs involved), the Conflict Kitchen provides a very affordable, simple, and yet delicious menu sampling some of the most traditional dishes from the culture it is featuring (the average cost of items is about $5-6). That, in the very heart of Pittsburgh. [Think: 'old school', high-level diplomacy behind closed doors vs. new public diplomacy.]" Image from entry

Keepers of the PD Flame: An Appreciation of Embassy Local Staff - Paul Rockower, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Good public diplomacy ultimately relies on good local knowledge; through the service of so many FSNs [Foreign Service Nationals -- local staff working at USG overseas missions], American public and cultural diplomacy is done well. I doubt most Americans appreciate the role that foreign nationals play in helping to showcase America’s culture abroad. It is an underappreciated aspect of traditional and public diplomacy, and these people deserve more appreciation and support for their service."

Manning Court-Martial Looks at Pakistan Issue in Secret - courthousenews.com: "The publication of cables leaked by Pfc. Bradley Manning stirred up relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, a two-star general said in the non-classified portion of his testimony Tuesday. Maj. Gen. Michael Nagata, the deputy commander of the U.S. defense attache in Pakistan, did not refer to any particular cables or their contents in the public portion of his testimony. Rather, he spoke only generally about U.S.-Pakistan relations during his tenure at the Office of Defense Representative to Pakistan from July 2009 to September 2011. ... Of the more than 250,000 State Department telegrams that WikiLeaks published under Cablegate, prosecutors have charged Manning only with the release of 117 such cables. Of this subset, only one telegram is from the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. Dated Jan. 25, 1999, and marked 'Confidential,' it bears the subject line: 'Public Diplomacy: Usama bin Laden.' Public Diplomacy Counselor Richard Hoagland told Foggy Bottom in the cable's summary, 'It is our impression that the [U.S. government] is not doing as well as it might projecting public diplomacy on Usama bin Ladin.' Brady Kiesling, a former 20-year diplomat who resigned in protest to the Iraq War, said in a phone interview that he was 'mystified' as to why this 14-year-old telegram was selected among the charged cables. 'It's a confession in 1999 that we seem to be losing the propaganda war and the Taliban are outsmarting us, which is remarkable to read in a U.S. cable, but I would say that it's touching humility rather than a damaging confession of weakness,' he said."

Americans Finally Have Access to American Propaganda - Elspeth Reeve, theatlanticwire.com: "A law went into effect this month that ends the ban on U.S. government-made propaganda from being broadcast to Americans. In a remarkably creative spin, the supporters of this law say that allowing Americans to see American propaganda is actually a victory for transparency.  As Foreign Policy's John Hudson explains, the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 went into effect July 2, and allows government-made news — which includes products like Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks — to reach Americans. In the 1970s Sen. William Fulbright said these outlets 'should be given the opportunity to take their rightful place in the graveyard of Cold War relics' because, as he and his allies argued, U.S. taxpayers should not have to pay for propaganda directed at them. But now these agencies say that's actually unfair to taxpayers. Broadcasting Board of Governors spokeswoman Lynne Weil told FP it's actually best for taxpayers to be able to see the propaganda, so they can serve as a check on it.  'Now Americans will be able to know more about what they are paying for with their tax dollars--greater transparency is a win-win for all involved,' she said. Likewise, a former government official said: 'Previously, the legislation had the effect of clouding and hiding this stuff…. Now we'll have a better sense: Gee, some of this stuff is really good. Or gee, some of this stuff is really bad. At least we'll know now.' To be clear, only State Department-made news, not Pentagon-made news, will be available to Americans. Who are the targets? One example, Foreign Policy explains, is the Somali community in St. Paul, Minnesota. In Somalia, there are three choices for news, a government source said: 'word of mouth, Al-Shabaab or VOA Somalia.' While that's not true in Minnesota, the government still wants to reach Somalis: 'Those people can get Al-Shabaab, they can get Russia Today, but they couldn't get access to their taxpayer-funded news sources like VOA Somalia... It was silly.' Update: Weil strongly disputes that the Broadcasting Board of Governors programs are propaganda; she maintains its outlets 'present fair and accurate news' (as she told Foreign Policy) and it employs many people who've worked as independent journalists to produce, as the official history of Radio Free Liberty and Radio Liberty reads, 'a professional substitute for the free media' in countries where citizens wouldn't otherwise get them. In a statement to The Atlantic Wire, Weil writes, 'The professional journalists supported by the BBG are tasked with presenting accurate and objective news and information for audiences in many countries where it is difficult or impossible to receive locally-produced, uncensored or unbiased programs. They provide responsible discussion and open debate in places where this is rare in the media. To call these efforts ‘propaganda’ is a misuse of the term and an affront to our journalists, many of whom put themselves at great risk for this work.' But these activities are governed by the original Smith-Mundt Act [PDF], or the U.S. Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, which authorized the State Department to create 'an information service to disseminate abroad information about the United States, its people, and policies promulgated by the Congress, the President, the Secretary of State and other responsible officials of Government having to do with matters affecting foreign affairs.' Because of fears that a government program pushing its foreign affairs agenda would amount to domestic propaganda, the original act spelled out that it was only authorizing the 'dissemination abroad.' And it is that restriction against domestic propaganda, which predates many of the programs overseen by the BBG, and indeed the BBG itself, that has been lifted by the new law, which refers to the media activities as part of the State Department and BBG's 'public diplomacy information programs.'" Via TL on Facebook. See also John Brown, "The real problem with the Modernized Smith-Mundt Act: its 'zero effect on the CIA and the Pentagon,' " Notes and Essays (July 18, 2013); "Propaganda, Public Diplomacy and the Smith-Mundt Act," Huffington Post (05/26/2012)

China and the US count most for Nepal - Upendra Gautam, telegraphnepal.com: "We at the China Study Center have been of the view that China-US relations are the most important major power relations of the 21st century. This bilateral relationship has a capability to substantively influence and impact other international relations. This day, while I write here in Kathmandu, I must state that for the sake of international peace and justice, this relation must be able to bolster independence, integrity and wellbeing of countries like Nepal. ... It is interesting to note that with a China more developed in its national capability and acquiring a Pan-Pacific geo-political reach, it has returned to the immediate neighbors with a sense of humility, belonging, shared prosperity, and perhaps above all, with a concern for joint security. China's this return to the neighbors is matched by a paradigm shift in China's state diplomacy.

Now, China's greater thrust on public diplomacy of people-to-people contact and strategic dialogue, as we in the China Study Center have noted, will open up and intensify public diplomacy at the people-to-people level. Now onwards, China's region/province, prefecture, city and county level governments, in addition to central government, shall play greater proactive public diplomatic role vis-à-vis the respective foreign local government units in the neighborhood. In summary, China-America pivotal relations and China's humble return to the neighbors shall be the two most important factors for Nepal in the days to come." Gautam image from article

Market open for bilingual job seekers - Zhang Yunbi, China Daily: "Zhang Daojian, vice-president of the Confucius Institute in Islamabad, said he has had numerous requests over the past year from Chinese businesses that want to hire local Mandarin-speaking students. 'Studying Chinese is a great help to Pakistani students because many Chinese companies here want to hire people who can speak English, Urdu and Mandarin,' Zhang said. Urdu is the national language of Pakistan, and both Urdu and English are the official languages. 'Last year a Chinese company asked me to recruit such talent, and I apologized because we had no students available,' said Zhang, a former teacher at Beijing Language and Culture University. The university established the Confucius Institute in Islamabad in 2007. ... The Confucius Institute gave Mandarin lessons to 6,000 students in 2012 amid the nationwide drive to learn the language. 'Mandarin lessons are compulsory in the leading elementary schools here,' Zhang said. The Confucius Institute also co-hosted a series of cultural events to boost public diplomacy. One such event last year impressed Zhang with the Pakistani public's enthusiasm for Chinese culture. ... Traditional Chinese culture also appeals a lot to the local people, Zhang added. Although Pakistanis have a strong desire to learn Chinese, Zhang said maintaining that enthusiasm is difficult. 'Some students have been brought up in well-off families, and they went to Britain or the United States for further studies after abruptly ending their Mandarin lessons,' he said."

Macedonia Press Review – August 7, 2013: Diplomats must be polite on Facebook. Price hikes cause hardship for Macedonian consumers - balkaninsight.com: "DNEVNIK [:] Diplomats should be professional, hold a moral conduct, be effective and efficient in their work, abide the law, respect human rights and not discriminate others. These are some of the characteristics contained in the new ethical codex for the employees in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The codex, announced to be introduced for the first time in the ministry also regulates how diplomats use social networks like Facebook or Tweeter to build a public diplomacy."

Great tales from Leon’s diplomatic bag - Cyrus Smith, iol.co.za: "After I reviewed Tony Leon’s excellent book On The Contrary ... I had hoped he would also write a book about his three-year stay as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

This he has now done and it should also become a best-seller. ... One of the many problems he and his wife, Michal, encountered was the late hour – any time between 10pm and 11pm – at which Argentinians have their evening meal. ... One of the highlights of their stay was the 2010 Fifa World Cup, which was front and centre of their public diplomacy. Sport therefore played an important role during Leon’s stay in Argentina." Image from article

Alo Presidente! - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Aló Presidente. I am going to Venezuela in Spring 2014 to do some Hawaiian cultural diplomacy to Venezuela! Bring on the arepas!"

Families needed for international students - Trina Kleist, YubaNet: "You can practice public diplomacy by hosting a foreign exchange student – a great experience for the host family and a way to show foreigners the best of the United States."

The Art of Diplomacy – The digital diplomat - apuntesinternacionales.cl: "Since the 1960’s, public diplomacy has been discussed as a concept. Ever since, it has emerged to become the practiced reality for influential diplomacy in international affairs today. Twitter and Facebook are part of shaping the world, and to gain an influence for a nation state. Taking use of new tools, spreading the influence of a nation, or indeed an international organisation is being done through various means, in a combination of technical tools and ordinary diplomacy. Looking at public diplomacy in the light of the new technologies makes it even more pertinent. ... Artículo de  Ulf  Bergstrom  publicado en Modern Diplomacy + Business."

Social Glasnost: The Social Media Age and The Implosion of IR - A.T. Kingsmith, e-ir.info:
"According to Phillip Seib, Director of University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy: 'media do not create revolutions; people with courage do. Media can, however, accelerate the pace of a revolution and help build its constituency'."

The Public Diplomacy of Free France During WWII - Paul Rockower, Huffington Post: "De Gaulle and Free France's use of public diplomacy to rally a down-yet-not-out France remains a stirring example of how a semi-official national movement can project legitimacy and rally support for its cause. Through leaflets, communiqués, and international broadcasting efforts, as well as by projecting the trappings of authority, Free France was able to use public diplomacy to rally support domestically and throughout the areas of the French territory worldwide still under contest, as well as to supporters in Britain and the United States."

Key Foreign Policy Ideas - bestessaywriters.com: "Discuss relative merits of various media outlets eg press, letter in press, advertisement; radio/tv propaganda? 24 hr TV.

Large amounts being spent by PRC and US. Time frame Problems of access in civil war Problems of identity Counter public diplomacy? an essential technique in the 21 st century battle for ideas. Is anybody listening ? ORDER THIS ESSAY HERE NOW AND GET A DISCOUNT !!!" Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

Have the terrorists won?: Al Qaeda has gone local, making it less dangerous for Americans at home but more so for Americans who live in the Middle East and Africa - Doyle McManus, latimes.com: Al Qaeda hasn't gone away, but it has changed — in a way that makes it less dangerous for Americans at home, but more dangerous for Americans who live in the Middle East and Africa. Once it was global, but today's Al Qaeda has gone local. In that sense, Al Qaeda may be returning to its roots, reprising the kind of plots it successfully employed before Osama bin Laden escalated to spectacular attacks in the West. But working diplomats worry that if embassies close in response to every threat, their work will be impossible.

America's Chronic Overreaction to Terrorism: The country's capacity for self-inflicted damage must have astounded even Osama bin Laden - Ted Koppel, Wall Street Journal: At home, the U.S. has constructed an antiterrorism enterprise so immense, so costly and so inexorably interwoven with the defense establishment, police and intelligence agencies, communications systems, and with social media, travel networks and their attendant security apparatus, that the idea of downsizing, let alone disbanding such a construct, is an exercise in futility. We have created an economy of fear, an industry of fear, a national psychology of fear. Al Qaeda could never have achieved that on its own. We have inflicted it on ourselves.

Keep al-Qaeda's threats in perspective: Our view - Editorial, USA Today: In the end, radical Islam's demise must come not at the hands of Americans but at the hands of moderate Muslims, and there the news is good. Polling in the Muslim world finds al-Qaeda overwhelmingly unpopular. Al-Qaeda has no traction in Egypt, the most important county in the Arab world, despite fierce anti-Americanism there. In Syria, anger at the brutal sharia rule imposed by jihadists in parts of the country has produced rebellion, even in the midst of civil war. So it is important not to get carried away with the optics of the moment. U.S. policy should continue as it has for the soundest of reasons: It has worked.

Daring to Fail - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: Secretary of State John Kerry has pulled off a major achievement in getting Israelis and Palestinians to say yes to the United States. That said, the prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian deal remain slim.

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"It is important to clarify that poststructuralism may seem inaccessible to the mainstream is because it is positioned outside our common senses."

--Blogger A.T. Kingsmith

AMERICANA

As Detroit Flounders, Its Art Scene Flourishes - Courtney Balestier, New York Times: Detroit’s dismal financial situation has been a subject of minimal regard for many artists, who said that their city is far from the ghost town some might assume from the news.

They point out that a rich cultural undercurrent has grown only stronger in recent years, with a rise in contemporary art. They say that the arts, in the end, may propel economic development in Detroit, as it has from Asheville, N.C., to Bilbao, Spain. Image from article, with caption: A group show at the Detroit Mercantile Company, called “Art Ethereal: Beauty and the Beast,” included the photographs of Sebastian Sullen.

MORE AMERICANA

“It goes especially well with burgers and fries.”

--President Obama on his favorite food, broccoli; image from; see also.

IMMORTAL LINES FROM MODERN POETRY

They glitter in the sun like tiny men

searching the sand for tiny women

to lure into their tiny hotels

--From "Glittering Flies"

On the next page

we have the zany white poet,

so zany he trades

--from "The Zany White Poet"

I'm lying on a brown leather sofa

chatting to mother on the phone.

Mother doesn't hear awfully well,

but that doesn't stop her from talking.

--From "Alakefic"

(All verses from The Times Literary Supplement, August 2, 2013)

PUBIC DIPLOMACY

Orgasmic Meditation: Actress Karen Lorre Says She Had 11 Orgasms Using 'OM' Method (VIDEO) - Huffington Post