John Brown's Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review: September 23-25

"[T]here’s an argument to be made that her entire life has constituted an exercise in public diplomacy."

--Christian Science Monitor correspondent Jennifer Skalka Tulumello, regarding Caroline Kennedy, nominated by President Obama to serve in her first official government post (Ambassador to Japan); Kennedy image from

“It’s public diplomacy at its best.”

--Lawrence Pintak, dean of the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University and a former CBS News correspondent in the Middle East, regarding Syrian President Bashar Assad's appearance in a Fox News Channel interview that is the latest installment in a charm offensive intended to counter portrayals of him as a bloodthirsty dictator; according to Hannah Allam, McClatchy Washington Bureau, "His clean-shaven, business-suited image makes for a stark juxtaposition with bearded, gun-toting rebels waving the black flag of militant Islamists." See also; image from

[WATCH] The Public Diplomacy Battle over Syria - thepublicdiplomat.com: "It’s an over-simplified, unanswerable question, but who won the public diplomacy battle over Syria: Russia or U.S.?"

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Geneva Conversion - Christopher R. Hill, mareeg.com: "America’s supply of moralistic – and even churlish – advice to the rest of the world has greatly exceeded international demand for it.

And its willingness to engage militarily as an early step, rather than as a last resort, has alienated many around the world. No amount of 'Muslim outreach' and other public diplomacy alone will change that." Image from

The Strategy that Dare Not Speak Its Name - Matthew Duss, American Prospect: "A new book from Ken Pollack [Unthinkable: Iran, the Bomb, and American Strategy] unpacks the potential ways the United States could move forward with Iran, and why containment may be the least bad option we have. ... Taking on criticisms, mainly from the left, that Obama has not done enough to demonstrate American good faith to the Iranians, Pollack de-couples the two parts of this argument. First, on the question of public messaging, he shows that the administration has tried, both through its public diplomacy (such as Obama’s Nowruz greetings, where he spoke directly to the people and the government of 'the Islamic Republic of Iran') and at the negotiating table, to demonstrate to Iran that the United States does not seek its destruction and would like to lessen tensions. In this respect, the claim that Obama has simply continued the approach of the previous administration falls on its face."

News media’s revolving door to Obama White House blurs lines of objectivity - Jennifer Harper, The Washington Times: "News media and politics in the age of Obama have grown uncomfortably close. So many journalists have found employment in the Obama administration that the phenomenon has become a story itself, with a dozen news organizations tracking the cross-pollination between the two and speculating on the implications. The current count of press turncoats varies from a low of 15 reported by The Daily Beast to a high of 24 as reported by The Atlantic. ... For conservative critics of President Obama and the mainstream media, the traffic between the two suggests a bigger problem. 'If one has a propensity to start out at a left-wing publication and then become an objective reporter, or one is readily willing to leave being an objective reporter to be a mouthpiece for one side or the other, it reveals their world view,' Erick Erickson, founder and editor of RedState.com, told The Washington Times. He recently rattled the media landscape with a detailed account

of the revolving door between the press and 'left-wing politics,' sparked by Richard Stengel’s recent decision to leave his managing editor post at Time magazine and become undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs." See also.

The Secretary, IIP and its new leader: can it be made to work? - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "Of all the new appointments made by the Obama administration in the area of media and public relations, by far the most intriguing is Macon Phillips, the guru who shaped President Obama’s re-election social media campaign.

Phillips is slated to be the new coordinator of IIP, the State Department’s troubled International Information Programs Bureau. ... What no administration has yet to grasp is that to be successful, IIP needs continual care, feeding, support and respect for its mission. Its staff needs to combine a blend of considerable domestic and foreign policy knowledge, and international communication skills. It must be savvy enough to know when to employ what, where and to be able to act in the immediacy of the moment. The question today, however, is whether a bad situation can be turned around. It is possible but whether probable is a different story. Why? I’m not convinced that the State Department can change its spots enough to accommodate an open, not secretive, environment in its midst that is minimally hierarchical or whether it will agree to fund and staff such a bureau adequately and then let it do what it can do best." Image from

White House digital director leaves for State Department - Justin Sink, thehill.com: "The first-ever White House director of digital strategy is leaving the West Wing to head the State Department's international propaganda program. Macon Phillips, an Obama campaign veteran who has managed the president's social media and Web presence since the beginning of his first term, will move to Foggy Bottom to head the Bureau of International Information Programs . ... In his new job, Phillips hopes to use the same tools to reach foreign audiences. He'll help reimagine a bureau grappling with how to best convey foreign policy ideas and American culture in an increasingly diverse and fractured media environment. ... The State Department has also used social media to help in the wake of international disasters. During Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's tenure there, the department used social media to raise money for the victims of the Haiti earthquake."

Rabens fosters next generation of government leaders - Michael O'Connell, federalnewsradio.com: "Through his work as a special advisor for youth engagement at the State Department's Bureau of Near East Affairs, Andrew Rabens, 30, helps young people from the Middle East and North Africa to be come the next generation of leaders in the their countries. Rabens helped put together the 2012 Active Citizen Summit, which brought 55 delegates to the U.S. from the Middle East and North Africa to share ideas on how to become effective leaders in their nations. 'Andy was able to recruit these people by working with our embassies and design a program that really gave them the opportunity to meet each other, to see what their counterparts in different parts of the region were doing and what the United States has to offer,' said Mario Crifo, the bureau's deputy director of public diplomacy. For his efforts, the Partnership for Public Service named Rabens as a finalist for the 2013 Service to America Medal in the Call to Service category. The medal honors a federal employee whose work best reflects the achievements of the new generation coming to public service."

Photo of the Day: US Embassy Manila Hosts First “Eco-Fashion” Show -- Via US Embassy Manila - Domani Spero, DiploPundit: “U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr. hosted 'Forward Fashion,' U.S. Embassy’s first eco-fashion show on September 17, 2013 at his residence. The event was a celebration of U.S.-Filipino collaboration in eco-fashion and design, corporate social responsibility, and sustainable development under the creative direction of Aristeo Tengco and showcasing eco-fashion designs of Dita Sandico-Ong and Paul Cabral.

Some of the celebrities who donned the designs for the runway were Anne Curtis, Dennis Trillo, Matteo Guidicelli and Venus Raj.” Image from entry

Voice of America abdicates its responsibilities under its Charter, VOA journalists say - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com: "The American Federation of Government Employees, Local 1812, published a commentary on the failure of the Voice of America management to cover news in a timely and comprehensive manner. Since the original publication of this article, BBG Watch reported that the VOA English website is more than just frequently late in posting news stories or uses short Reuters reports instead of original reporting by VOA correspondents. Last weekend, VOA failed to report altogether on a news story about a near nuclear explosion in the United States in 1961. Nearly all international media reported on this story, with BBC and Russia Today getting thousands of Facebook 'Likes' for their reports."

VOA going silent in Iran? - Ed Morrissey, hotair.com: "Earlier today, I mentioned the significant role that the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe played during the Cold War, undermining the credibility of oppressive regimes in Russia and eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain by broadcasting objective news and American viewpoints. One might think that such an effort would be worth making in Iran, where people rose up once to attempt to shed themselves of the mullahcracy. Apparently the VOA doesn’t believe in that mission, at least not for the editorial broadcasts in Farsi . ... Two points. First, putting forth the US government’s position is almost the literal definition of American diplomacy. The VOA is supposed to serve that purpose, not its own organizational ends. Second, anyone who thinks that removing the editorials will make people think the the Washington-run VOA is more independent is fooling themselves. If the VOA wants to just be an independent news agency, then perhaps its board should resign, raise private funds for its operation, and let the VOA get back to its mission."

Connecting Some Dots - The Federalist, usgbroadcasts.com: "Russia Today plays an important role in the Putin public relations, public diplomacy offensive. In so many words, Mr. Putin and the Russians stole a march on the US Government. One consequence is that Russia Today is scoring an even higher volume of hits to its website along with viewers to its television broadcasts.

You may not agree with their editorial position, but you do need to watch and listen to what they are saying, being not too far removed from the thinking inside the Kremlin. In the meantime, one of our sources sent us a quote attributed to a media consumer abroad and reposted by the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) 'employee-blogger' Kim Andrew Elliott on his 'private' website: 'RT (Russia Today) is a never-ending, forever repeating documentation of the American tragedy.' For the purposes of discussion, here is our point of view: If this is coming from inside the Cohen Building, message to the IBB: Stop whining! ... While the IBB is engaged in a consummate exercise in irrelevance, the United States Government has likely spent BILLIONS of dollars deploying the Sixth Fleet and other military assets for a possible strike against the Assad government in Syria. Worse, the United States is confronting an increasingly anarchic situation on the ground in Syria where there are no good guys and a plentiful cornucopia of bad guys. Adding to the nightmare scenario, the American public wants no part of Syria in any way, shape or form regardless of the heinous acts against defenseless civilian populations in the war zone. And to complete the downward spiral toward a Middle East apocalypse, some news reports – including national security correspondent Bill Gertz’s column in The Washington Times on Thursday, September 19, 2013 – now suggest that part of the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal may have already been dispersed to Iraq and Lebanon. This agency [Broadcasting Board of Governors], at the hands of the IBB, is as labeled: dysfunctional and defunct." Image from entry; on Russia today. See also John Brown, "Propaganda, Public Diplomacy, and the Most Watched Foreign News Channel ....," Huffington Post (2012)

New advocacy Please Increase 2 Time Clock radio RFA [Google "translation"] - vietbao.com: "After the project is astir would increase 2 hours broadcaster Radio Free Asia.

strapping Arts Project RFA Vietnamese overtime RADIO moving target: increase request RFA Vietnamese radio broadcaster to 5 hours a day instead of just includes 2 hours at present." Image from entry

PA deputy minister of information meets US officials - maannews.net: "The Palestinian Authority deputy minister of information met with officials from the US consulate general on Wednesday. Mahmoud Khalefa met with head of public diplomacy at the US consulate, Richard Buangan, Press Attaché and Consulate Spokesperson, Leslie Ordeman, and the US Consulate Senior Information Specialist Mr. Naser Ideis.

Buangan was briefed on the media situation in Palestine and the difficulties faced by Palestinian journalists in their work due to Israeli restrictions on movement, such as military checkpoints and roadblocks. The meeting also discussed joint cooperation for media development and capacity building. Mr. Buangan commended the PA ministry for seeking new opportunities for training Palestinian media professionals, despite the difficult conditions in Palestine. Maher Awawdeh, Director General of External Media at the PA Ministry of Information, said that further training and infrastructure is needed to develop specialized Palestinian journalism." Uncaptioned image from article

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s Washington Post op-ed, annotated - Max Fisher, Washington Post: "Recently inaugurated President of Iran Hassan Rouhani published an op-ed in The Washington Post today. It's yet another of many gestures of goodwill Rouhani has made toward the United States, with which he advocates seeking detente, since taking office in August. It's also an interesting bit of public diplomacy, revealing as much for what Rouhani says as how he says it -- not to mention what he leaves out."

After Miss America controversy, Indian Embassy opens cultural center - Rahat Husain, Washington Times: "The Indian Embassy intends to open a cultural heritage center in Washington D.C., said the Hindustan Times, a mere one week after media sources noted widespread racist reactions to the selection of Nina Davuluri as Miss America. While born and raised in the United States, Davuluri was born to a family of immigrants from India.

The Indian Ambassador to the United States, Nirupama Rao, dismissed the notion of widespread racism against Indians. 'At the popular level, there is a tremendous interest and goodwill that Indian culture enjoys in the United States. To sustain this spirit of inquiry about India among our American friends, we hope to establish an Indian Cultural Center in Washington D.C. soon, which would provide a platform for exchange of ideas and intellectual discourse between our two peoples in the coming years,' said Ambassador Rao in public remarks last year while speaking at Harvard. ... India maintains cultural centers in major cities throughout the world, spanning such countries China, Russia, Germany, England, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, and Nepal." Image from article

Israel Trolls Iran With Parody Rouhani LinkedIn Account - Eli Lake, Daily Beast: "At 6:15 p.m. Monday,

Israel

’s embassy in Washington tweeted a link to a parody LinkedIn account for

Iran

’s new president, Hassan Rouhani. ... The parody LinkedIn page refers to Rouhani as 'President of Iran, Expert Salesman, PR Professional and Nuclear Proliferation Advocate.' Among the president’s skills listed on the page are 'Weapons of Mass Destruction,' 'Ballistics,' and 'Military Justice.' The bio for the Iranian president then goes on to say, 'Since my election as President of Iran in 2013, I developed and executed an unprecedented PR campaign for the government of Iran. Through a series of statements, tweets, op-eds and smiles I have re-branded the human rights suppressing Ayatollah led regime as moderate and a source of hope among the international community.' The parody was created by

Noam Katz, the embassy’s minister of public diplomacy. He told The Daily Beast on Tuesday, 'LinkedIn was our way to highlight Rouhani’s long history in Iranian politics and his true position as the leading PR face for the regime that the public is largely unaware of on a platform they’re familiar with.' ... Israel’s mocking of Rouhani is in contrast to the regime’s recent approach to Twitter diplomacy. A Twitter account associated with Rouhani’s office tweeted a Rosh Hashanah greeting to Jews earlier this month, though his office later disavowed the tweet. A similar Jewish new year greeting from Iran’s foreign minister, Javad Zarif, was not rescinded." See also. Image from entry

Hassan Rouhani: Refreshing Iran’s Image? - Javad Rad, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "This week, Hassan Rouhani is going to address the world as the new face of Iran at the UN General Assembly. There is even a chance for him and Obama to meet during Rouhani's visit to New York. Politicians around the world, especially in the Middle East and Europe, will be eagerly listening to what the moderate Rouhani says. However, the world will wait to see if Rouhani will actually implement the change he has promised."

US and Chinese Interests Align in Pakistan - Andrew Detsch, thediplomat.com: "While Washington has attempted to instill a top-down approach, sending taxpayer-funded aid grants directly to Islamabad, Beijing has poured private investment into infrastructure, arts and cultural projects. ... China has also been expanding its cultural diplomacy with Pakistani as of late.

In downtown Islamabad’s sprawling Rose and Jasmine Garden, Beijing spent 3 billion rupees to build the Pakistan-China Friendship Center, a state-of-the-art performance, conference and exhibition space boasting an 800-seat auditorium, eight conference halls and 105 residential rooms. Projects like this are 'indeed solidifying the goodwill for China in Pakistan,' said Irfan Shahzad, Lead Research Coordinator at the Institute of Policy Studies, an Islamabad think tank, in an interview with The Diplomat. But that facility is just the tip of the iceberg: institutions such as the China Study Center, inaugurated at the Islamic International University Islamabad last year, along with engineering and science scholarships for Pakistani students to study in the mainland, will be critical in efforts to forge cultural linkages with elites. But China’s practical security concerns still outweigh efforts at public diplomacy, and it is here that Chinese and American interests increasingly overlap." Uncaptioned image from article

China, S. Korea should strengthen public diplomacy: officials - "China and South Korea should boost mutual-understanding through more public diplomacy initiatives including the economic and trade exchanges, personnel exchanges, research cooperation, the mass media and others, officials said Tuesday during the Sino-South Korea forum on public diplomacy held in Seoul. 'China and South Korea have lots of similarities in history and culture. The public diplomacy are valued and implemented by leaders of both sides. Frequent communications between citizens of the two countries have laid solid foundation for bilateral relations. So it is quite necessary for China and South Korea to boost mutual understandings through various public diplomacy activities in future,' said Li Zhaoxing, chairman of the China Public Diplomacy Association, also former Chinese foreign minister.

Li added that many Chinese people have known the economic development and high technology of South Korea through its TV series, which demonstrates that cultural public diplomacy can be a good supplement to state diplomacy. At the forum, more than 200 officials, scholars, enterprisers and journalists discussed how to promote bilateral cooperation in the field of public diplomacy including non-political diplomacy efforts toward the public of the two countries. 'We will take advantages of K-pop, TV series, Films, education and other soft powers to promote South Korea's cultural prosperity. Meanwhile, we would like to share our experiences with China and other countries to make more contributions to the world,' said Hahn Choong-hee, an official of South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs." Image from article, with caption: Li Zhaoxing, chairman of the China Public Diplomacy Association, also former Chinese foreign minister, addresses the Sino-South Korea forum on public diplomacy in Seoul, South Korea, Sept. 24, 2013. China and South Korea should boost mutual-understanding through more public diplomacy initiatives including the economic and trade exchanges, personnel exchanges, research cooperation, the mass media and others, officials said Tuesday during the forum. See also (1) (2)

Kolkata to Kunming: Forum to focus on seven areas - india.nydailynews.com: "The Kolkata to Kunming (K2K) Forum, that seeks to strengthen sub-regional economic cooperation between India and China, will deliberate on seven sectors for greater collaboration at its ninth session here Nov 21-22. ... Binoda Kumar Mishra, secretary general of the forum, told IANS that agriculture and food processing, non-conventional energy (solar), textile, leather, tea and jute products, travel and tourism and IT are the seven sectors identified for greater exchange and collaboration between West Bengal and Yunnan. ... The forum meets every year alternatively in Kunming and in Kolkata. The forum will this time focus on business, academic exchanges and cultural ties. The forum started as a civilian initiative in 2002 to promote India-China relationship through interactions at the sub-regional level. The purpose of the forum is to promote mutual understanding between India and China through increased interactions in the fields of economy, culture and academics. ... In 2010, K2K Forum, with active support from the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), put up an exhibition of artworks by Chinese artists depicting their understanding of India and artworks by Indian artists depicting their understanding of Chinese society. It brought together paintings from Rabindranath Tagore's time till date. Mishra said the Yunnan provincial government had lent its support to the forum and participated in each of the meeting held in Yunnan. From last year, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) participated in the forum through Indian Consulate in Guangzhou and the public diplomacy division of the ministry funded the Forum."

China: The Internet And The Birth Of Cyber Diplomacy - Richard Rousseau, diplomaticourier.com: "In the 2000s, 'public diplomacy' became a central part of the function of diplomacy. As a result of the communications and transportation revolutions, diplomats, national leaders, and more can now be seen and heard by more people in more places than at any previous time in history. Skillful public diplomacy can influence public opinion beyond one’s own country to support policies and positions, and can influence foreign peoples to have a favorable view of one’s country. Conversely, blundering public diplomacy can undermine even well-conceived policies and positions, and can project an extremely negative image of a country. Public diplomacy is important at other levels as well. Diplomats often seek and accept speaking engagements and media interviews, and work with other outlets in which they can obtain the opportunity to influence others to view their country and its policies favorably. At times, such public diplomacy may be considered by host countries as meddling in their internal affairs. At other times, such it may be virtually identical to a diplomat’s representation function. However, recently a new type of diplomacy, more malign, came into being. On January 7, 2010, Google announced that it had been victim of a major hacker attack that began in mid-2009 and continued through December 2009. The attack, known as 'Operation Aurora' and described by the largest search engine in the world as 'sophisticated' and 'high-level,' was aimed at more than 30 other organizations, including Adobe Systems, Rackspace, Yahoo, Symantec, Juniper Networks, Morgan Stanley, Northrop Grumman, and Dow Chemical.

In 2011, Google also said that the hackers, who were based in China’s Jinan province, had compromised personal email accounts of hundreds of top U.S. officials, military personnel, and journalists. Nobody has yet produced conclusive proof that such attacks were state-sponsored, but Google’s Press Office stressed that the primary goal of the hackers was to penetrate Google’s computers and access the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Google also said that, apparently, the attack failed, as users’ data was not compromised. ... These incidents led to diplomatic confrontations and raised profound questions about the future of online freedom and cybersecurity. ... In addition to the traditional contentious issues between the United States and China—freedom of information, human rights, commercial rivalries, and the most recent agreement between Washington and Taiwan for continued military procurements—the Google episode is the prelude to further diplomatic confrontations." Image from entry

Seoul steps up public diplomacy - Nurul Islam Hasib, bdnews24.com: "South Korea has stepped up its public diplomacy with Bangladesh to bolster its 40-year-old relationship with the South Asian country. In its latest effort, Seoul has appointed Bangladeshi actress Nusrat Imrose Tisha as its ‘goodwill ambassador’ for the country's Dhaka mission amid an ongoing, year-long cultural exchange programme. Ambassador Lee Yun-young handed over her appointment letter on Monday and said she would work for ‘public diplomacy’ over the next two years. The appointment has been made at a time when the world’s 15th largest economy is celebrating its 40 years of diplomatic ties with Bangladesh.

The embassy in Dhaka kicked off its year-long celebrations in January with a musical show by their leading musicians. The envoy termed Tisha’s appointment ‘a happy’ one and said she would play a strong role in the promotion of culture between the two countries. 'She is popular and talented'. ... This year, several leading cultural personalities as well as artists visited Dhaka to perform concerts and participate in joint art exhibitions. Bangladeshi artists have also visited Seoul. The embassy also organised seminars jointly with Bangladesh to give people an idea of Korea’s diplomatic as well as economic policies. The envoy said more cultural troupes would come in the coming days to perform in Dhaka to increase people-to-people contacts." Uncaptioned image from entry

Romania Ramps up Its Public Diplomacy - Philip Seib, Huffington Post: "Romania's new emphasis on reaching out to foreign publics -- not just other governments -- should be considered a useful step forward in a number of ways. It is likely to benefit Romania's regional stature and it will widen the circle of public diplomacy practitioners. In Europe, the collective political blood pressure tends to reach dangerous peaks. Public diplomacy may prove a helpful antidote."

Woman On The Go: Q and A With Sarah Shabbir, U.S. Foreign Service Officer - Suchi Rudra, asianfortunenews.com: '[Q:] AF: What are a couple of key issues or projects that you are involved in currently? [A:] Right now, I’m working from the State Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. in the field of public diplomacy, which focuses on people-to-people connections between

America and the rest of the world. Specifically, I cover all of South Asia. I work on providing support on outreach through social media, written materials, video and the like. My office also supports the 820 'American Spaces' we have in 169 countries all over the globe. These cultural outposts are usually small libraries where people can gather to connect to resources online, study English and learn more about America and its values." Shabbir image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

At the State Department, diversity can count against you - Lydia DePillis, Washington Post: The State Department has long precluded some people from serving in certain countries for various reasons.

For example: When Kendrick Liu was applying to serve on the D.C.-based desk that deals with China and Mongolia, he says he was asked to submit information about relatives who were foreign-born U.S. citizens, and was ultimately denied the position on security grounds (Diplomatic Security had previously forced him to forego an assignment in Hong Kong as well). Image from article, with caption: Michael Young, who was twice prevented from serving in China, in his native San Francisco.

President Obama at the United Nations - Editorial, New York Times: Mr. Obama affirmed his intention to use “all elements of our power, including military force,” to secure America’s interests, like preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. But he also said that after more than a decade of war and a conflicted record in the Middle East, America has gained a “hard-earned humility” about its ability to alter the course of other countries. The challenge for the United States is balancing those two ideas.

Obama Needed More Than Translators at the U.N.: The audience would have been justified in wondering about the president's foreign policy of the past five years - Lewis Libby, Hillel Fradkin, Wall Street Journal: Hasn’t America’s withdrawal from the burdens of leadership been the Obama administration’s message from the beginning?

Talking to Tehran makes sense: Despite distrust between the U.S. and Iran, a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue is worth pursuing - Editorial, latimes.com: In his speech to the U.N. General Assembly, President Obama on Tuesday promised to engage Iran's new leadership in negotiations to prevent the development of nuclear weapons in that country as part of a broader normalization of relations. The president was right to say that "the diplomatic path must be tested" despite concerns in this country and Israel that Iran will never abandon its ambitions to be a nuclear power.

U.S. needs action, not words, from Iran: As charming as new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sounds, his deeds during his first 100 days in office are what matter - Ed Royce and Eliot Engel, latimes.com: Our current Iran policy reflects more than 30 years of violent and destabilizing behavior from Tehran, and there will not be support in Congress for an easing of sanctions absent a significant and lasting change in Iran's behavior.

Such a change cannot be demonstrated by soothing words alone, but must be proved through concrete action. Image from

He's Just Not That Into You: Iran's president can't even find a way to shake an eager Obama's hand - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Politics in the normal sense doesn't exist in Tehran, where the rules are set and the players chosen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who is accountable to nobody. What Iran's leaders do understand is how to humiliate adversaries they consider to be weak.

No Brief Encounter - Maureen Dowd, New York Times: Maybe the tweet-happy Iranian president was too busy retweeting Christiane Amanpour to have time to pretend to bump into the American president in a U.N. hallway.

Striking Deals With Despots Stalin played FDR in 1945. Iran's Rouhani now attempts to do the same with President Obama - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal: President Obama has spent five years giving abundant evidence of his desire to reconcile with autocrats, as he did with his Russian reset; to overcome mistrust by demonstrating the purity of his intent, as he tried in his Cairo speech; to seize on any enabling fiction that will relieve him of his commitments, as he has done with Syria. A deal with Iran, arranged via a first-of-its kind meeting with Mr. Rouhani, is a personal and ideological temptation Mr. Obama is incapable of resisting. Should it happen (I'm betting it will), Mr. Obama will be hailed as a master diplomat and a triumphant peacemaker. As with Yalta, it won't take long to learn who is betrayed, and what is lost, in the service of an illusion.

Book Review: 'Unthinkable' by Kenneth Pollack: The U.S.-Iran conflict is about Tehran's ideology of enmity, not its nukes. The Islamic Republic knows this. Washington doesn't - Sohrab Ahmari, Wall Street Journal: Surveying 34 years of unprovoked Iranian terrorism, Mr. Pollack concludes, "it is not American behavior that generates Iran's objectionable actions" but rather "the Iranian leadership's pathological perceptions of the United States or its own aggressive ambitions."

The book's most compelling section contends, convincingly, that the West should attempt to foment revolution inside Iran by supporting dissidents—regardless of which policy we pursue on the nuclear front.

Obama at the U.N., Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post: You wonder if there is anyone in this administration (Samantha Power? Someone at Foggy Bottom? An NSC staffer?) who is appalled by the gap between action and rhetoric and by the complete failure to pair American values and power.

Guilty! UN Report on Syria Does Not Say What John Kerry Says it Said - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: "The UN released its report on chemical weapons use in Syria. You can read it here. It’s not that long, just some forty pages including legal appendices. John Kerry says it confirms that the Assad regime fired the gas rockets. Unfortunately, that is not what the actual report says. In a court, Kerry’s case might be seen as circumstantial at best, certainly not enough for a jury to return a guilty verdict in a murder trial."

A mathematical approach to Syria: Game theory suggests we should seek the least worst option - K. C. Cole, latimes.com: Whether or not turning over Syria's chemical weapons to the United Nations works, the present pause in the stalemate gives everyone time to think things through.

A Sinking Empire Called America - Leon Hadar, watchingamerica.com: The Syrian crisis of 2013 is likely to be remembered as a turning point in which it becomes clear that the hegemonic status the United States enjoyed in the world and in the Middle East after the end of the Cold War no longer exists and that the unipolar balance of power has gradually become multipolar. The weakening of the foundations of the United States’ economic and military power has transformed the nation into one of a few major powers that must take into account the interests of other world powers, as well as the fact that its ability to serve as a steady backrest for Israel in the future will be limited due to international changes and the constraints which the American public will place on Washington.

Al Qaeda's African Surge Threatens the U.S.: The affiliate that attacked the shopping mall in Kenya includes young Muslim recruits from Minnesota - Katherine Zimmerman, Wall Street Journal: Groups like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Ansar al Shariah in Libya, Ansar Beit al Maqdis in the Sinai, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have metastasized from local to networked global al Qaeda groups. Al Shabaab is following al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which first hit Saudi targets and then moved on to the United States. Yet the U.S. government insists on calling al Shabaab a local, Somali threat, playing down the potential threat to the U.S. See also.

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