August 8

"There is no map."

--Washington Post purchaser Jeffrey Bozos, regarding the future of the news business; image from

"Social media has given us the illusion of hard data, analytics, and control when what it’s really done is flooded us with more raw, decontextualized numbers."

--James Thomas Snyder, "Twitter in a Teapot?" blog

VIDEO

"State in 60 Seconds Video" -- Public Affairs - blogs.state.gov: "Assistant Secretary of State Mike Hammer explains how the State Department's Bureau of Public Affairs can serve as your 'window into American diplomacy.' " Facebook comment by diplomat Peter Van Buren: "Public Diplomacy used to [be] about telling foreigners good things about the US, but I guess we just ran out

of things foreigners would believe, and so turned it toward our more gullible fellow citizens." Image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Savir's corner: John Kerry’s diplomacy - Uri Savir, Jerusalem Post: "All in all, with new motivating factors, innovative diplomacy and the introduction of American policies and an active public diplomacy, John Kerry has in relatively short time introduced a new proactive American diplomacy for the Middle East."

Rapprochement possible if US accepts realities of Iran: Marandi - presstv.ir: "Press TV has conducted an interview with Dr. Mohammad Marandi, a Tehran University professor, to share his opinions about the election of Hassan Rohani as Iran’s president and his role in the future of Tehran-Washington relations. ... [Q:] What do you think about the sanctions? What kind of an effect have they had in the process? Marandi: Well, first of all the sanctions do not expire.

In fact there are many conditions attached to them that have nothing to do with the Iranian nuclear program. The sanctions are inhumane and I think it is public diplomacy failure, to say the least, by the United States because among ordinary Iranians it is clear that the person or the people to blame for the hardship that many people are enduring are in Washington." Image from, with caption: "rapprochement difficile."

Nothing Phony About This Scandal, Barack! - Firebird, aleksandreia.com: "John E. says: August 2, 2013 at 9:21 pm ... Obama was involved and looked at the cost/benefit analysis on the value of sending in a strike force versus exposing a CIA arms movement to the people in Syria we like . ... On the one hand, yeah I think it would be great if the whole thing got dragged out into the open and showed the influence that the CIA has as compared to the State Department – and that might happen yet. Consider this scenario – Hillary Clinton is the one who comes out and says 'this is what happened, America,' and she goes on the record explaining how Obama made the decision, based on CIA’s advice, not to send rescue because of the needs of that agency. And she says that if she is elected President, she will favor public diplomacy and sharply restrict covert actions such as the one that got those brave men killed. Why were those men from the embassy there, anyway? Did they need to speak to a representative of the Syrian rebels face to face? What deeper secrets are there still to bring to light?"

Dense Fog by The Federalist - The Federalist, usgbroadcasts.com: "On Tuesday, August 06, 2013 David Ensor, director of the Voice of America (VOA) conducted an 'all hands' staff meeting for agency employees – complete with a hard stock billboard on the front of the podium from which he addressed the audience. We won’t cover all the subject matter of this hour-long activity.

However, we will touch upon those that elevated our attention. If Mr. Ensor has a mantra it would be captured in his overview of the agency; namely that, 'the state of VOA is strong.' It’s a nice thing to say to bolster the workforce, but there are two things wrong with it: (a) it isn’t true and (b) the operative description of the agency is stronger: dysfunctional and defunct." Image from

"Be Ambassadors Of Goodwill For Motherland" - Ambassador Wickramasuriya, defence.lk: "August 8, 2013 , Washington, DC: The Embassy of Sri Lanka Washington DC brought Sri Lanka's public diplomacy to new heights in its latest community outreach program incorporating new technology. Ambassador Jaliya Wickramasuriya connected with Sri Lankan American community leaders across the United States in the Embassy's first ever live Web Conference on Sunday, July 29, from the Sri Lanka Residence Washington DC. ... Deputy Chief of Mission Ambassador Esala Weerakoon opened the session welcoming the participants. He said in his remarks that the Embassy's initiative to tap the far-reaching and boundless capabilities of digital diplomacy would set a new benchmark for the Sri Lanka's diplomatic outreach. Ambassador Wickramasuriya expounded on the purpose of the conference, that it is to keep Sri Lankan Americans informed of the activities undertaken by the Embassy to expand bilateral relations between Sri Lanka and the United States. Also, he said the discussion was intended to explore the possibilities of their involvement in complementing the Embassy's efforts."

As peace talks near, Palestinians protest and settlers lobby Congress - Allison Deger, mondoweiss.net: "Although the start date for direct peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders is still a few days away, the prognosis is already bad. ... Last week, factions opposing the direct-talks protested and clashed with security forces in Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. It would have been called a brawl had the police not worn uniforms and the protesters not carried placards. But as it were, this march was the only substantial outpouring from the occupied Palestinian territories over John Kerry's resumption of reaching a peace deal. 'The negotiations process that we've been going through for 20 years now, actually in September it's going to be 20 years, has not led us anywhere,' said Ahmad Omar, 24, one of the protesters. ... [M] ajor construction projects like the planned rail across the West Bank indicate an Israeli desire to expand into, not retract from, the occupied Palestinian territories. Israel's far right is also making forays into obstructing Kerry's plans. ... 'Today there is only private construction, not governmental. We are concerned they will try to stop us again, so we build faster,' said David Ha'Ivri, director of public diplomacy and communications at the Shomron Liaison Office to the Washington Jewish Week."

Yachimovich, other MKs to speak at J Street conference: Left-wing lobby hopes growing participation in its annual event a sign its views are gaining traction in the Israeli mainstream - Rebecca Shimoni Stoil, timesofisrael.com: "Knesset opposition leader Shelly Yachimovich will address a plenary session of J Street’s annual conference in September, a spokesman for the dovish American Jewish organization told The Times of Israel Wednesday.

Yachimovich’s appearance marks the first time that an opposition leader will appear in person before the conference, which is viewed by some as a political hot potato. ... Amid reports that the Netanyahu government supported a general boycott of the organization’s activities, the Knesset’s Immigration, Absorption, and Public Diplomacy Committee held a hearing in 2011 in which J Street founder Jeremy Ben-Ami defended his organization against charges of anti-Israel sentiment. But now, with peace talks set to take place in Jerusalem next week, J Street believes that the growing Israeli willingness to participate in its flagship event is a sign of changing times and attitudes." Image from article, with caption: Labor party Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich

Grapevine: KKL-JNF’s urban parks - Greer Fay Cashman, jpost.com: "SCOOP ISRAEL is the name of a conference organized by students for students at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, as part of a project to broaden the effectiveness of Israel’s public diplomacy. The conference will open on August 11 and continue through August 15, with the participation of 30 international student reporters who are at the forefront of campus media and are responsible for how Israel is portrayed."

Turkey's moves in Somalia unnerve al-Shabaab: A recent attack on the Turkish mission in Mogadishu has worried diplomats and foreign students - Dilge Timocin, aljazeera.com: "Turkey gave more than $1bn in humanitarian aid in 2012," the Global Humanitarian Assistance 2013report says, making it the fourth-largest donor in the world.

In 2011, Somalia was the largest recipient. According to the Turkish Prime Minister's Office of Public Diplomacy, Turkey sent $365m in cash and in-kind aid to the country last year." Image from article, with caption: Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan visited Mogadishu in August 2011

Public Diplomacy as a Global Phenomenon: Kosovo - John Brown, Notes and Essays: See the website, Kosovo Diaspora: „Beyond Remittances: Public Diplomacy and Kosovo's Diaspora.“

China Finding Superpower Path No Cakewalk - Richard Wike, globalpublicsquare.blogs.cnn.com:
"While China’s rise has been the subject of considerable debate among elites in recent years, ordinary citizens around the world have also taken note, and for many it’s a troubling development. Pew Research Center polling has shown that a growing number of people see China as the world’s leading economic power. Moreover, people not only see the economic balance of power shifting; many believe that in the long run, China will surpass the U.S. as the overall leading superpower. Across the 39 countries included in a spring 2013 Pew Research poll, a median of 47 percent say China has already replaced the U.S. as the leading superpower or will eventually do so. Just one third think China will never supplant the United States. But, as the U.S. has often learned, power does not necessarily generate affection. More typically, it creates anxiety.

In regions throughout the world, people worry about how a superpower will use its clout and how it will behave in the international arena. ... In his recent book, China Goes Global: The Partial Power, David Shambaugh details the considerable efforts Beijing has made to enhance the country’s soft power since Hu Jintao first declared it a national priority at the 17th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in 2007. However, Shambaugh also highlights how ineffectual China’s public diplomacy efforts have been and concludes that 'China possesses little soft power, if any, and is not a model for other nations to emulate.' Survey findings also highlight the limitations of the Chinese political model. Across the nations polled by Pew Research, a median of only 36 percent say the Chinese government respects the personal freedoms of its citizens in contrast to the 70 percent who think Washington respects Americans’ personal liberties. Ultimately, the biggest challenge for Beijing’s public diplomacy may be that it doesn’t offer a political model that guarantees the democratic rights and institutions that people in regions across the world want." Image from entry. Note: The PDPR review is, according to reliable sources, not easily accessible on mainland China.

Leaving the silos on the farm (or missile shelter) - unmaskingdoe.com: "Here’s how I view it: Communication, as a field, is about the channels used to transfer data or information. This is a very general definition, I know. But it serves as an umbrella under which many different communication related research and activities could fall. Public relations? Sure. Public diplomacy? Yes, definitely. Intercultural communication? Yep. Network analysis? Uh Huh. Information studies or science, then, is the study of data. And not only data itself, but how data is cataloged, preserved and classified. I think this is a broad and general definition as well. Does this include network analysis? Absolutely. Librarianship? You got it. Information architecture? Most def."

Fridtjof Nansen and the Birth of Celebrity Diplomacy - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "[D]uring a recent visit to Norway when I visited the museum in Oslo that houses the Fram, this was the ship used by Fritdjof Nansen (1861-1930) and Roald Amundsen in their polar expeditions at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

I was particularly intrigued by Nansen as an exemplar of celebrity diplomacy rather than being a product of Live Aid and the internet the polar explorer was outdoing Bono a century earlier. ...  [T]he literature on ‘super-empowered individuals’ or celebrity diplomacy  treats this as a new development whereas Nansen was able to use build his own celebrity using the social and media networks of the late 19th century in a way that was useful to the Norwegian proto-state." Uncaptioned image from article

Political Assistant - US Consulate General - Karachi - pakvacancy.com: "U. S. Consulate General Karachi is seeking applications from qualified individuals for the Political Assistant position. ... University degree (14 years of education) in political science, history, journalism, public diplomacy, sociology, anthropology or law is required."

RELATED ITEMS

Remarks at the Launch of the Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives - John Kerry, Secretary of State; Shaun Casey, Special Advisor; Melissa Rogers, Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships - U.S. Department of State: Kerry: "I am very proud today to announce the creation of the Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives here at the State Department. Its mission is as clear as it is compelling: It is to engage more closely with faith communities around the world, with the belief that we need to partner with them to solve global challenges, and there is an enormous partnership, I believe, there for the asking. Many of you know that we already have a number of leaders here at the State Department that work on issues related to religion, including our Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. And I want to say that I have great respect for and enormous gratitude for their efforts, and these leaders are important and will remain equally as important. But I believe that their work will be enhanced by this effort. And the Office of Faith-Based Community Initiatives will grow our ability to be able to reach out to more communities and to create greater understanding between peoples and countries."

President Obama must find his voice on Russia - Editorial Board, Washington Post: There aren’t any agreements worth celebrating right now with Russia. The relationship is clouded by disputes and conflict. So it makes sense that President Obama has decided against a summit meeting with President Vladimir Putin. Skipping the summit is a tactic. A long-term strategy with Russia has to include engagement, including at the highest level, no matter how prickly and unpleasant that may be. But the engagement has to be faithful to the United States’ highest values. Below image from

A Welcome Rebuke to Putin: Obama acknowledges Russia's hostility to U.S. interests - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: As long as Mr. Putin's Russia behaves as an adversary of the U.S., Mr. Obama should treat it accordingly.

Caustic Light on White House’s Reaction to a Terrorist Threat - Robert F. Worth and Eric Schmitt, New York Times: The gloating among jihadists and their sympathizers began last week, right after the United States shut down almost two dozen diplomatic posts across the Middle East in response to a terrorist threat. “God is great! America is in a condition of terror and fear from Al Qaeda,” wrote one jihadist in an online forum. Another one rejoiced: “The mobilization and security precautions are costing them billions of dollars. We hope to hear more of such psychological warfare, even if there are no actual jihadi operations on the ground.” The jihadists are not the only ones who see the new terrorist alert in a caustic light. The Obama administration’s decision to evacuate so many diplomats on such short notice — however justified by the seriousness of the threat — has upset some of its foreign partners, who say the gesture contributes to a sense of panic and perceived weakness that plays into the hands of the United States’ enemies, and impedes their efforts to engage with people in their countries. The vagueness of the threat has made it easier to question the Obama administration’s response.

‘Core al-Qaeda’ is not defeated - Marc A. Thiessen, Washington Post: Obama’s entire meme of having put “core al-Qaeda” on the “path to defeat” is untrue.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Egypt’s Propaganda War - Mona Abdel-Fadil, newmeast.wordpress.com: An incredible amount of effort has gone into establishing and spreading two opposing media narratives (or media frames) in order to sway public opinion both within Egypt, and in ‘the West’ to support one or another of the parties in conflict. I would argue that propaganda war may be just as important as the actual clashes on the ground. Some would even argue that the propaganda war is more important than violence on the ground. The latter argument

is founded on the assumption that salient media frames will ultimately influence decision makers who will either opt for the continuation or discontinuation of financial or political support from Western countries. Such support is also important in terms of claims to democratic legitimacy. Let me now present these two frames. The first frame I call ‘the Muslim Brotherhood narrative’. The second, I call ‘the Military narrative’. This does not mean that there are no other narratives that can be attributed to either the military or the Muslim Brotherhood. My point is simply that I consider these two frames to be the dominant and most salient media narratives and readings of the current political events in Egypt – and each has a clear bias. "The military narrative' is more salient in Egyptian media, while ‘the Muslim Brotherhood narrative’ appears to have gained more salience in "Western media." Image from entry

Mice and Men: The Failure of Closing our MidEast Embassies - Peter van Buren, We Meant Well: America’s global war of terror can this week be declared officially a failure, total and complete. After twelve years of invasions, drones, torture, spying and gulags, the U.S. closed its embassies and consulates across (only) the Muslim world. Not for a day, but in most cases heading toward a week, with terror warnings on file lasting through the month.

Letter: Banning propaganda is counterproductive - Jeff Isaac, Hemet, pe.com: Good grief! One of the best tools we have for teaching critical thought is, in fact, propaganda. We’re bombarded by it constantly, so why not use it in the classroom? What a shame. If students are not challenged to fact-check, analyze and evaluate polemical reading material, we run the risk that graduates will be rather empty-headed citizens.

RUSSIAN-AMERICAN RELATIONS

“If the President really wanted to hurt Putin, he would have said he was coming and just stood him up. ... Or if you wanted to be more passive-aggressive, the President could have just said, ‘Let’s meet somewhere that’s not technically in Russia, like, I don’t know, the Moscow airport. Isn’t that how it works?’”

--John Oliver, cited in "Late Night Political Humor," Political Bulletin (August 8, 2013), Bulletin News, LLC.

"I just watched an episode of Perry Mason with my boys, my favorite tv show when I was 10. I always wanted to be a lawyer. What happened?"

--U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on Facebook (55 minutes ago near Moscow, Moscow City; [August 8, 2013]; image from

PUBIC DIPLOMACY

International Day of The Female Orgasm Brings Pleasure To Brazilian Women - Connor Adams Sheets, ibtimes.com: The International Day of the Female Orgasm -- or Día Internacional del Orgasmo Femenino -- is a Brazilian holiday celebrated each year on August 8.

The holiday is one of the more risque occasions probably ever to be given a name and a dedicated day, but it is also one that its progenitors and supporters hope will help women become more aware of their sexuality. Image from