"DPRK art of any kind is state-supported, prolific and serves to educate people about the government and revolution. This gives artists freedom of subject matter, except for abstract art — something open to interpretation does not a message make."
-- DPRK Art – Demystifying Propaganda Posters - koryogroup.com, with English caption: “Lets [sic] Introduce Successful Scientific Study to Economic Development Projects”; image from entry
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Forget the public diplomacy, Iran and the U.S. have a long road ahead - Peter Jones, The Globe and Mail: "The past weeks have seen a shift in Iran-U.S. relations. Instead of the usual bombast we are seeing measured, even respectful points from the two presidents. We hear that Iran’s Supreme Leader has, in his usual round-about and never entirely certain way, blessed the idea of talks. All of this is good news, but it
does not mean that the problems have been solved; not by a long shot. We are witnessing the setting of the stage for talks. The talks themselves have yet to begin. There is no reason to expect that they will be quick or easy. Indeed, one of the major problems they may face is expectations, based on the recent public diplomacy, which are too optimistic." Image from
Iran’s ‘charm offensive’ hits gravel - Michael Wilner, Jerusalem Post: "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani made his debut in New York this week with a combative speech, asserting that Western governments misunderstand the intentions of the Islamic Republic. ... Calling for 'immediate, timebound and results-oriented' talks with the goal of an agreement within six months, Rouhani proposed few details on just how far his government would actually be willing to go . ... The US government put that political will to a key test on Monday, offering an encounter between President Barack Obama and Rouhani, which the government in Tehran declined. The US leaked the offer anyway, in a clever move of public diplomacy intended to publicize America’s willingness to negotiate and gauge reaction in Iranian media to the private exchange." See also
A Meeting That Was Not Held "Hastily" - Davoud Mohammadi, payvand.com: "The issue of relations between Iran and the United States has taken a new turn in the past months, particularly in the past few weeks, which has convinced even the most cynical observers that the time is now ripe for a 'change' in those relations. ... The new trend is in stark contrast with the fact that during the past 34 years in which official relations between the two countries have been severed, Western media have been teeming with rumors about 'covert' direct talks or indirect and 'mediated' consultations between Iranian and American diplomats.
An example to the point was a trip to Tehran by an American delegation in June 1986. Despite controversial accounts that were released on that trip at first, it was finally confirmed by officials in the two countries. ... When the American delegation went to Tehran in 1986, since proper information was not provided to the public before the trip came into the light, radical elements in both the United States and Iran were offered with a golden opportunity to forcefully enter the scene. Subsequently, they mobilized the public opinion in their respective societies and turned that opportunity for the improvement of relations into a threat which prevented further progression of negotiations. Now, the two countries seem to have learned their lesson from that incident and its consequences, and have chosen for a 'public' diplomacy in order to reduce tension in their relations. In this way, they will both have the support of the public opinion on both domestic and international levels, and strip the radical elements of any possible excuse, thus, restricting their maneuvering room and thwarting their efforts aimed at forestalling a diplomatic agreement between the two sides." Image from
Testing Iran’s soft-sell strategy - Editorial, Washington Post: "A small accord with Iran — a reduction of nuclear capacity in exchange for a partial lifting of sanctions — would be preferable to unchecked development by Tehran that provokes U.S. or Israeli military action. The Obama administration has aimed at such a deal since 2009 — and has responded to Tehran’s intransigence by sweetening its offers. The danger is that, in the fevered atmosphere generated by Mr. Rouhani’s skillful public diplomacy, the United States and its allies will be induced into further, unwarranted concessions — or deluded into believing that a 'grand bargain' is possible with Iran. Better to swiftly demand that Mr. Rouhani make clear his bottom line — and prick the bubble he has been inflating."
US-Iran: Hints of hope in presidents' speeches - Dina Esfandiary, lowyinterpreter.org: "In the eight weeks Rouhani has been president, the tone of diplomacy has changed, political prisoners have been released, letters have been exchanged and Rosh Hashana greetings have been extended to all Jews. Although the Iranians have always been adept at public diplomacy, it would be unfair to say that Rouhani is all talk.
The US and Iran have not had diplomatic relations, or any significant interaction, for more than thirty years. The expression of a willingness to talk and meet with Secretary Kerry to address Iran’s nuclear program and ultimately perhaps resolve their differences is a feat in itself." Image from
A New Trio: US, Russia and Iran - Verda Özer, hurriyetdailynews.com: "Rouhani’s pledge to engage in constructive interaction with the world, specifically the
What’s Behind the New Iranian Charm Offensive - Karl Vick, Time: "Close students of Tehran recognize that the most encouraging development in months was the behind-the-scenes role Iran evidently played in the deal to bring Syria’s chemical and biological arsenal under international control, to which Obama alluded. The stars were aligned for that cooperation, what with Iran’s wrenching history
with chemical weapons and weariness with Assad. In terms of public diplomacy, it’s just possible the mullahs don’t realize they’re talking as loudly as they are — simply because they’ve never before been saying the same things, together, at the same time." Image from article, with caption: Iranian President Hasan Rouhani speaks at his first press conference since taking office, at the presidency compound in Tehran, on Aug. 6, 2013.
Hearts and minds: leaders court Western public in media blitz - James Blitz, Financial Times: "Shashank Joshi of the UK based Royal United services Institute, a think tank, says the leaders of Iran, Syria and Russia are making a bigger effort at public diplomacy for several reasons. First, he says, Mr Assad and Mr Rouhani are a new generation of western-educated Middle Eastern leaders who understand better than their predecessors the importance of trying to change public opinion in the US and Europe. But the bigger point is that after the experience of war in Iraq and Afghanistan, western societies are living in an era of doubt about foreign policy. They are highly sceptical when US and western leaders threaten military action because of Iran and Syria’s nuclear and chemical weapons. As Mr Joshi puts it: 'They want to tap into pre-existing currents of thought, of doubt, of scepticism.' Whether this will get any of these leaders very far is hard to say. Americans and Europeans certainly have a fairly defined and negative view of Mr Putin and of Mr Assad and will be reluctant to give them a hearing. Mr Rouhani is in a different situation, however. He is a new figure on the international stage and one whom most broadcasters tend to label – rightly or wrongly – as a moderate. It will be hard for the US to make arguments for military action against Iran in the next few months if its leader looks so approachable. And the Iranians surely know this."
Caroline Kennedy: a Perfect Choice as Ambassador to Japan - William Brooks, newasiapolicypoint.blogspot.com: "Forget any brickbats in the media: Caroline Kennedy is a wonderful choice to be the new U.S. ambassador to Japan. Japan, like Britain, has become a key ally and friend of the United States; and Tokyo has become like London a leading cosmopolitan city. It is a logical place for a U.S. President to award a distinguished ambassadorial post to a close supporter and confidante. Unlike her grandfather, Joseph P. Kennedy, the U.S. Ambassador in London during The Blitz (1940), she will enjoy the trust of the President. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy can be expected to bring traditional diplomacy to Japan.
Until now, this highly social and elegant form of statesmanship seemed more appropriate for European capitals than for Asian ones. The famous Kennedy name and the new ambassador’s personal credentials will be a tremendous boost for this kind of American-style public diplomacy. Moreover, the new ambassador will have the ear of the President, as well as the Secretary of State – extremely important for a Japan that often has seemed off the radar for Washington policymakers." Caroline image from
Cool War With China? - Joseph A. Harriss, The American Spectator: "It would be hard to find a better symbol of the relative decline of American influence and the rise of Chinese sway than the attractive building on this piece of prime Paris real estate. Located on an elegant, tree-lined boulevard hard by the Seine, the seven-story glass-and-steel structure houses the Centre Culturel de Chine. With a friendly, accessible Chinese staff of 20, the first-class operation offers language lessons—currently some 800 Parisians are being taught Mandarin by 15 teachers in half-a-dozen multimedia classrooms—and other instruction in its Confucius Institute. It organizes art exhibits and screenings of Chinese films, and makes available an array of newspapers, periodicals, and thousands of books in its luminous, glass-walled library. Its slick quarterly magazine, Chine sur Seine, and website promote exchange programs and social activities. Sorry if I can’t compare that with America’s outreach program in Paris. After serving as an important Left Bank contact point for Parisians starting in 1934, the embassy-sponsored American Cultural Center closed years ago. Many a Frenchman got his first taste of American literature, theater, cinema, and jazz in its quarters, not to mention an introduction to U.S. democracy. The privately financed American Center for Students and Artists, where a number of aspiring French painters, musicians, and actors got their start, carried on the mission for a while before closing in 1996. When I called the American Embassy to ask about the defunct official center, the press officer said offhandedly in the tone of today’s Clintonized ('What difference does it make?') State Department, 'I guess it’s somewhere on our website.' It wasn’t, so I tried the embassy’s Resource Center, a disembodied cyberpresence and email drop that briefly confirmed the center’s closing 'for budgetary reasons.' ... Good luck to any potential French friends who might want to learn English, explore our history, or find a book by an American author. Our shabby showcase means you no longer have a ready source of information on how ordinary Americans live or how democracy and free markets work in our country. ... The same is true all over Europe. Berlin’s Amerika Haus, which attracted up to 2 million annual visitors during the Cold War, closed in 2006. London’s situation is the same. I know of no European country where we have an outreach/dialogue program remotely comparable with China’s. Where’s the U.S. Information Agency, 'Telling America’s story to the world,' when we need it? Oh yes, it closed in 1999, subsumed by the tin-eared State Department. Forget 'Lafayette, we are here!' Now it’s more like 'Lafayette, we’re outta here!' As a result of this myopic penny-pinching, the U.S., the country that invented modern media along with marketing, advertising, and other forms of gentle persuasion, is forfeiting the competition with China for the world’s hearts and minds. (Full disclosure: I once did a stint as a senior editor at USIA.) ... Today relations between the two countries [France and China] are thriving. France has a big Alliance Française operation in Beijing and two other sites, claiming over 10,000 Chinese following language courses and a range of other activities. ... If I dwell on the Franco-Chinese love fest, it’s to show in microcosm—in this case, one of our oldest allies—the extent to which the oft-foretold decline of American global influence is actually here and now. ... [I]t would help to inform more people around the world—many of whom today get their impressions of life in the U.S. from ubiquitous TV serials like Desperate Housewives and movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre—about the real America. It’s easy to mock 'public diplomacy,' 'soft power,' and 'hearts and minds.' But if we’re in a cool war with a smart, nimble opponent, they’d better be part of our arsenal."
US advocates and Pillay follows enforcing norms on Sri Lanka - Daya Gamage, Asian Tribune Since the conclusion of the Sri Lanka-Tamil Tiger battle in May 2009, the United States has been steadily but in slow measured pace moving toward hauling Sri Lanka toward an international investigation to scrutinize its management, conduct and execution of the battle against the separatist Tigers. ... The pro-Eelam Tamil media and the proponents of separatism within the Tamil Diaspora who were once providing 'material support' to Tiger leader Prabhaharan declared - and most successfully - that the US was concealing Sri Lanka's war crimes and was aiding and abetting the 'genocidal regime of Rajapaksa' to 'white wash' its 'crimes' against the minority Tamils. It paid to push the US, Blake [Former American diplomatic envoy to Colombo and later assistant secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake], Obama's national security advisers to adopt a strong attitude on Sri Lanka and the Rajapaksa administration. The global pro-Eelam Tamil media and the proponents of separatism in the Tamil Diaspora use of the basic principles of public diplomacy and strategic communication worked very well."
Turkish Drama in the Arab World: Social Impacts, Religious Reaction and Dramatic Void in the Arab World - Mohamed Zayed, researchturkey.org: "Turkey and its government should be thankful to the soap stars who are conquering hearts and minds on their behalf — and on the cheap. The government can claim the benefit and ride a wave of popular support among the Arab masses, something which burnishes Turkey’s already popular image in the Arab world (indeed, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is already considered a hero on the Arab street due to his strong show of solidarity with the Palestinian people; rather for his Israel-bashing). Between topics including romance and social upheaval that rattles traditional values, and highlighting the Palestinian cause, one can see a blurring of the lines between art and reality, and the effect one has on the other. Who said that capturing hearts and minds in the Muslim world is mission impossible?
It’s just that the United States hasn’t figured out the right way to do it. Sometimes, it seems the U.S. government still thinks that public diplomacy is exchange students and a few diplomats who can speak Arabic and struggle on satellite television in the region to explain U.S. foreign policy. Welcome to the power of the stars! I am not talking about the ones in the sky, but rather a handful of good-looking blond and dark Turkish movie stars who are taking the Arab world by storm (during the Ottoman Empire, most of the Arabs would not have regarded this as occupation since this was a Sunni Muslim regime, the Young Turks are only a very late phenomenon in that history). The Arab world is embracing Turkey, opening its living rooms and flocking around their television sets to watch over 140 episodes of second-rate Turkish soap operas that don’t even do well in Turkey itself." Image from article
Time’s Stengel latest in long line of reporters who jumped to jobs in Obama administration - Paul Farhi and Billy Kenber, Washington Post: "Jay Carney says it was a simple calculation. He could continue as a reporter and writer for the rest of his working life, or he could try something new and different. He chose something different. After 20 years as a reporter at Time magazine, Carney accepted an offer to become communications director for Joe Biden, the newly elected vice president, in late 2008. Carney would go on to become President Obama’s press secretary two years later. ... The latest hire: Richard Stengel, Time magazine’s managing editor (and Carney’s former boss). Obama nominated Stengel last week to be the State Department’s undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, a top communications post. Stengel will succeed Tara Sonenshine, another journalist (ABC News, Newsweek) who became part of the government she once covered. ... Every administration draws in a few journalists, typically as speechwriters and press secretaries, a natural given the overlapping skills. A young reporter named Diane Sawyer went to work in Richard Nixon’s press operation in 1970, eventually helping Nixon write his memoirs. Tony Snow, the late columnist and Fox News host, wrote speeches for George H.W. Bush and served as the press secretary for George W. Bush from 2006 to 2007. Edward R. Murrow, the legendary CBS anchor and perhaps the most famous newsman in America at the time, headed President John F. Kennedy’s U.S. Information Agency, overseeing the U.S. government’s broadcasts around the world."
So this happened - Josh Rogin on Facebook: "Comedian Arrested After Punching Journalist Josh Rogin at D.C. Funniest's Celebrity Competition -- [Comment by PDPBR compiler John Brown on Facebook:]
"Maybe you could take on a 'safe' job as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs ..." Rogin image from Facebook
International Media Accused of Being in 'Propaganda Mode' - rferl.org: "The head of the media arm of Azerbaijan's Central Election Commission, Azer Tagiyev, expressed concern today over what he called the 'propaganda mode' of
presidential campaign coverage by RFE/RL, Voice of America, and the BBC, accusing the outlets of trying to influence voters in violation of Azerbaijani legislation on elections." Image from article, with caption: Azerbaijan -- detained journalists in Baku - 02Aug2013
Director of Radio/TV Martí describes his station's media mix - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcaasting
VOA's Willis Conover has a (memorial) Facebook page - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "'Willis Conover (1920-1996) was one of VOA's treasures, an internationally-known jazz aficionado, well-connected within the jazz community but little-known in the United States. Although few Americans knew the name
Willis Conover, his distinctive baritone was the voice of jazz — that quintessentially American music — for millions around the world. From 1955 until 1996, Conover’s Music USA Jazz Hour brought sounds that Louis Armstrong once called 'not too slow, not too fast — kind of half-fast' to listeners of the U.S. government-sponsored Voice of America radio service.'" Conover image from entry
When you have nothing nice to say... - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Shut up. Israeli public diplomacy, of course, did the opposite regarding the president of Iran's visit to the U.N. Unfortunately, walking out of a man who is talking moderation and peace makes you look shrill and small. Such actions are an albatross on your pd image, because it makes you look like the extremist. ... Oh Israel, always such a tin ear when it comes to public diplomacy."
Pro-Israeli agents boost activity in UK universities - Charleston Voice, chasvoice.blogspot.com: "As students begin a new academic year, there are signs that pro-Israel propaganda initiatives at Britain's universities are being given a boost in order to undermine Palestine solidarity, a new report says. The Union of Jewish Students (UJS) has established a new role within the organization of 'Israel Engagement Officer', a post being taken up by Canadian Beca Bookman. Bookman comes with considerable experience in working with the Israeli regime to undermine Palestine solidarity, and is a past recipient of a
'Hasbara in Action' award from the Menachem Begin Foundation. According to the advertisement for the job, the position is part funded and supported by UJIA, Jewish Agency for Israel and, the Community Security Trust (CST). In addition, the work of the Israel Engagement Officer will be complemented by another new addition: an 'emissary' (schlicha) from the Jewish Agency for Israel, sent to Britain in part to help hasbara initiatives on campus. These changes are being overseen by new president Joe Tarsh, who hopes to serve in the Israeli army and believes 'UJS should be representing Israel on campus'. In preparation for the term, the UJS team has met with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK Daniel Taub, and held a training summit that featured speakers from the Israeli embassy (Director of Public Diplomacy), Israel lobby group BICOM, and Labor Friends of Israel. Representatives of liberal Zionist advocacy group Yachad, BICOM project ‘We Believe in Israel’, and StandWithUs UK have also held a panel discussion on campus hasbara, which is concentrating on promoting Israeli regime’s policies among British students and picking pro-Israel student leaders from among the students." Image from
Re-visioning governance: Hollande’s weak hand and the French malaise - Lara Vergnaud, blogs.blouinnews.com: "France is flailing. Under President François Hollande, an economic and political decline a decade in the making looks to have accelerated. True, the Socialist leader inherited a country in crisis. True, he is suffering the repercussions of stodgy fiscal policies, an unsustainable welfare state, and institutionalized protectionism (both in trade and language). But thanks to his unsure-of-itself leadership, France’s standing — especially in Europe — and domestic confidence have taken a hit. As have Hollande’s approval ratings: he is now the most unpopular French president in five decades. With the president’s political house in disarray (exemplified by his unruly Socialist party and contradictory socio-economic policies) amid growing subservience to Germany, little wonder that France’s soft power is on the wane. ... [T]he first few months of Hollande’s term were marked by ideological paralysis as the reality of France’s economic woes set in. However, inactivity proved less dangerous than the contrary. Hollande was lambasted by his own party as he uneasily traversed the political spectrum, echoing Sarkozy’s fiscal hard line as well as his most controversial social policies: tough restrictions on full-length veils and Roma deportations. While the former has broad domestic backing, it too could hurt France’s image abroad. During Sarkozy’s tenure, a government-commissioned report warned Paris that such policies 'baffled or angered observers in other nations,' and that better public diplomacy was needed. ... Amid all the flak, Hollande has held fast to the narrative of his nation’s legacy of greatness. After six months in office, the president gave a press conference from the pomp-filled Elysée Palace, stating, 'decline is not our destiny.' In June, he came to verbal fisticuffs with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso over France’s insistence on cultural exceptionalism. ... Of course, France is still a global power. Despite economic setbacks, the country has significant military assets — as attests the Mali operation — and one of the highest birthrates in Europe. It remains a top tourist destination and one of the most popular countries in the world (5th, according to the BBC’s annual poll). But its soft power has shrunk alongside French’s displacement by English as the world’s lingua franca and the lack of competitiveness of French schools and businesses in global markets."
The Long Road to Resolution: Conflicted Break-Away Regions of the EaP - Adrienne Warren, eastbook.eu: "The OSCE Minsk Group, specifically charged with moderating the [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict and finding a basis for resolution, has a newly appointed US Co-Chair, James Warlick. Warlick was received on Friday of last week by the President of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan. President Sahakyan reportedly congratulated co-chair Warlick on assuming a new post and wished him success. While Warlick’s new to the post, many are hoping that this new appointment will bring a fresh impetus to the conflict-resolution effort. Broers [ Dr Laurence Broers, the Caucasus Projects Manager of UK based Conciliation Resources], however, takes the Minsk Group’s current actions with a grain of salt: 'Unfortunately, the Minsk Group does not engage in public diplomacy except for occasional statements (usually expressing frustration), so what is there to report on? People just don’t hear about the Karabakh conflict, especially next to what is happening in the Middle East.'” Image from
Russia’s Regional Militarism and the Case for Public Diplomacy - Philip Seib, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Those wishing to wield soft power through public diplomacy
can find plenty of venues for doing so. ... [P]ublic diplomacy efforts could help bring some much-needed balance to the politically tense Baltic-Russian relationship." Image from
How Al-Shabaab uses the internet to recruit Americans: The terrorist organization, responsible for attacking a kenyan mall, has a sophisticated social media presence - Neal Ungerleider, fastcompany.com: "Before being removed from Twitter, Al-Shabaab used an English-language feed to both manage its public diplomacy and taunt regional enemies. The group regularly taunts the Kenyan military and other actors; Twitter is also used as a platform by the group--much like conventional nation-states and nonstate actors like Hezbollah--to enhance its prestige and reputation."
Culture and Understanding in China-Europe Relations: International Conference 19-21 September 2013 - cultureinexternalrelations.eu: "Clingendael – "Netherlands Institute of International Relations presents: Most people are conscious of existing cultural differences between China and Europe. In the meantime, relations between both sides are becoming more and more important and diverse. This closed conference centers on the cultural dimension of soft power in China-Europe relations. It assumes that further rapprochement between China and Europe is fundamental to support policy agendas on global issues in international economics and in the field of security.
About forty cultural relations experts and practitioners from China, Europe and the United States aim to deepen our understanding of Europe-China exchanges; to explain, share and understand each other’s world views and ways of thought. The meeting will compare Chinese and European approaches in cultural relations and public diplomacy, and the roles played by various levels government, non-state actors and civil society. Changing patterns of governance and public participation can be observed in Europe as well as China, and this conference will reflect on their importance in the context of cultural relations." Image from
Professor discusses celebrities’ influence on public diplomacy - Selena Ng, Daily Trojan: "The USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism hosted Professor Ira Wagman of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada to discuss the origins and historical context of celebrity diplomacy. Wagman, who teaches communication studies at the School of Journalism at Carleton University and is the Fulbright research chair for Canada, discussed how celebrity involvement in humanitarian issues has changed the practice of diplomacy. Wagman opened the discussion with an introduction of the first celebrity diplomat Danny Kaye, an entertainer in the 1950s who visited Southeast Asia for children’s charities and became the first ambassador for UNICEF. He spoke about how Hollywood in the post-war era was feeling the tumultuous effects of the House Un-American Activities Committee, the anti-communist sentiments of the public and the suspicions of the American government aimed towards the film industry. Wagman said this drove the establishment of celebrity involvement in diplomatic affairs, enhancing the reputations of both the charity organizations and the celebrities. Wagman then discussed the public perception of celebrity diplomacy. ... Center of Public Diplomacy alumna Leah Rousseau, who now works at the Canadian Consulate of Los Angeles, attended the event and commented on the lasting effects of celebrity diplomacy. 'Do [celebrities] have any set goals for when they show up to these events? Bono can throw a charity concert, but that doesn’t have a lasting effect on the people attending it,' Rousseau said. ... Jocelyn Coffin, a first-year graduate student studying public diplomacy, had a positive viewpoint on celebrities’ involvement in charities and other causes. ... Danielle Saroyan, a graduate student of public diplomacy, also appreciates the use of celebrity diplomacy as a way of publicizing charitable causes."
LBJ – The Right Man, in the Right Place, at the Right Time: Interview with Sylvia Ellis author of Freedom’s Pragmatist: Lyndon Johnson and Civil Rights - floridabookshelf.wordpress.com: "UPF [University Press of Florida]: What are you working on next? SE [Sylvia Ellis]: I’m working on a number of smaller articles on LBJ and JFK –mostly related to their presidential records – but my next big project is on public diplomacy and Anglo-Americans relations."
His Excellency Minister Dr. Tamás László Fellegi, LL.D., Ph.D. - newwestminstercollege.ca: "Minister Dr. Tamás László Fellegi is former Minister of National Development of Hungary and a Distinguished Fellow of New Westminster College. ... Minister Fellegi's skills and expertise includes [sic]: ... Public Diplomacy."
Jobs In U.S Consulate Karachi Sindh Pakistan - findpakistanjobs.com: "U.S Consulate has Published jobs Vacancies Political Assistant.The demanded Education for Career Opportunities is Bachelors Degree in Political science, history, journalism, public diplomacy, sociology & law with related 2 years Professional exposure."
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Asked whether his country keeps records of civilian casualties, Said Jawad, the former Afghan ambassador to the United States, sighs. “In Afghanistan, you know, we don’t even have birth certificates,” he says. “Do you know we don’t even have a list of Afghan soldiers and police, members of the security forces, who are killed?"
Iraqi interpreters feel frightened and ‘fooled’ as U.S. visa program ends - Kristina Wong, Washington Times: Thousands of Iraqis have applied and have waited for years as the State Department has run applicants and their relatives through a complicated series of background and security checks that involve several agencies. An ostensible six-week process routinely is stretched into a more than two-year ordeal, say attorneys at the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project. The visa program was designed to grant 5,000 travel permits a year to Iraqi interpreters. Of the 25,000 visas available, the State Department had issued 4,839 as of June 30 — almost 20 percent. The program ends Monday.
Obama to World: Bad News. The American Empire Is Dead - Colum Lynch, Ty McCormick, Foreign Policy: U.S. President Barack Obama presented world leaders at the United Nations with an image of America as a reluctant superpower, ready to confront Iran's nukes and kill its enemies with targeted drone strikes, but unprepared to embark on open-ended military missions
in Syria and other troubled countries. That, he hinted, should give the world cause for anxiety. "The United States has a hard-earned humility when it comes to our ability to determine events inside other countries," he said in his address before the 193-member General Assembly. "The notion of American empire may be useful propaganda, but it isn't borne out by America's current policy or public opinion." Via MC; image from article
A Small President on the World Stage At the U.N., leaders hope for a return of American greatness - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal: Barack Obama's reputation among his fellow international players has deflated, his stature almost collapsed. World leaders do not understand what his higher strategic aims are, have doubts about his seriousness and judgment, and read him as unsure and covering up his unsureness with ringing words.
Obama’s myopic worldview - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post: Obama warned the General Assembly on Tuesday that “the danger for the world is that the United States, after a decade of war . . . may disengage, creating a vacuum of leadership that no other nation can fill.” Sadly, it is not just a danger. It was the message of his speech — and the tangible result of his presidency.
Eugene Robinson: Obama’s reality check - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: If President Obama ever was a foreign-policy idealist, he’s not one now. The address he delivered Tuesday at the United Nations amounted to a realist manifesto for defending U.S. “core interests” — using force, when necessary — without trying to impose American values on unready or unwilling societies. The speech laid out an Obama Doctrine for confronting a rapidly changing world full of dangers new and old. “I believe
Some Progress on Syria - Editorial, New York Times: The resolution to rid Syria of its chemical weapons, agreed to by the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, is a useful, if imperfect, step toward a credible international response to a bloody war that has killed more than 100,000 Syrians.
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: Obama noted that mistrust between the United States and Iran has "deep roots." The difficulty of forging a better relationship was symbolized by the fact that the U.S. officials were unable to arrange even a casual meeting between Obama and Rouhani at the United Nations. But the absence of a presidential photo-op will be forgotten if lower-level officials are able to make progress on the nuclear issue.
Dealing with Iran: Get ready for a wild ride: The Obama administration's effort to negotiate a deal on the nuclear issue is going to be an unpredictable ride - Aaron David Miller, latimes.com: The Iranian charm offensive has focused new attention on the nuclear issue and accelerated the clock. Whether zero hour turns out to be a negotiated deal or a military strike remains to be seen.
The Iranian ‘moderate’ - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post: Detente is difficult with a regime whose favorite refrain, fed to frenzied mass rallies, is “Death to America.” Detente is difficult with a regime officially committed, as a matter of both national policy and religious duty, to the eradication of a U.N. member state, namely Israel. It doesn’t get more zero-sum than that.
Former Soviet states stand up to Russia. Will the U.S.? - Carl Gershman, Washington Post: Russia’s post-communist neighbors prefer the relative dynamism of Europe — with all its debt and growth problems — to Russia’s stagnant economy, and they have no interest in sharply raising tariffs, which joining the protectionist Eurasian Customs Union would require. The process playing out in Europe has attracted little attention in the U.S. media or from the Obama administration, which has been mostly preoccupied with the Middle East and its pivot to Asia. But the opportunities are considerable, and there are important ways Washington could help.
Mass Slaughter and Obama's Mystifying Indifference: In 2007, as a presidential candidate, Barack Obama said ignoring Darfur would be 'a stain on our souls.' Now: nothing - Mia Farrow and Daniel Jonah Goldhagen, Wall Street Journal: President Obama's critics have denounced his foreign-policy choices, which they believe have weakened the global credibility of the U.S. But Mr. Obama has managed to avoid scrutiny about his most tragic foreign-policy failure: standing by as Sudan's Islamic regime perpetrates a slaughter against its own citizens who belong to non-Arab ethnic groups.
CIA’s Deadly Cultural Ignorance: Fear of officers "going native" keeps our intelligence agencies ill-informed about Somalia, Syria, and other hotspots - Philip Giraldi, American Conservative: So where are the American counterparts of the British Colonial Service expatriates who, convinced of the superiority of their imperial mission, dedicated their lives to the colonies they administered? They do indeed exist in the form of U.S. born employees of charities, religious groups, and other transnational organizations committed to working in the world’s forgotten regions, but they are largely absent from government. Organizations like the Foreign Service and the Central Intelligence Agency have a deep institutional prejudice against their employees “going native,” rotating officers every two or three years to avoid someone’s becoming too identified with local interests and cultures. CIA has long had an endemic problem in training its officers in foreign languages up to basic proficiency levels, partly due to the not unreasonable perception that in 18 months to two years, one might well find oneself in another country confronting yet another foreign language.
Propaganda, little else, unites Africa's jihadist groups - Michel Moutot, foxnews.com:
African Islamist groups claiming links to Al-Qaeda spout the same propaganda and sometimes collaborate in minor ways, but they are chiefly focused on their own localised goals, experts say.
General Carter Ham, Commander of the Untied States Africa Command, which monitors the region from Germany, was more alarmist. "Al Shebab, AQIM, Boko Haram, each of this organisations is by itself a dangerous and worrisome threat. "What really concerns me are the indications that these three organisations are seeking to coordinate and synchronise their efforts." Image from entry
Special Report | Syria: Deciphering the Propaganda War over the Ghouta Massacre - Nafeez Ahmed, ceasefiremagazine.co.uk: The politicised debate over the realities of last month's chemical attack in Ghouta is a further manifestation of a propaganda war - being fought on all sides and for competing national and geopolitical interests - that shows scant regard for the human cost of the conflict.
3 Ways Bashar al-Assad Uses Female Sex Appeal in Propaganda - policymic.com: There is an old dictum that says sex is a weapon of war. The Syrian Civil War is ongoing proof of this dictum. Very little is written about sexual and gender politics in
As the Syrian regime attempts to disguise these crimes, the media has become a central battlefield for the regime. Syrian TV and social media are attempting to spread the message that the regime is an adamant protector of women's rights. Much media attention has been paid to the president's wife Asma al-Assad as a "beautiful, modern, westernized, liberated and uncovered" woman. The Syrian media consistently showcases "attractive, liberated, and uncovered" women arguing on behalf of the regime. Sex in
Terrorists Wage War on Each Other in Syria; New Round Of Propaganda Begins - thedailysheeple.com: Brandon Turbeville, As the deranged coterie of extremists, religious fanatics, terrorists, and mercenaries known as the Syrian “rebels” begins to disintegrate both from the constant assault by the Syrian military and their own inability to cooperate even amongst themselves, a new attempt at propaganda regarding the nature of the “rebels” is beginning to take shape within Western media outlets. Indeed, the death squad fratricide now taking place within Syria is slowly but surely being turned into a false narrative of “moderate” versus “extremist” in the death squad camp which will possibly be used to bring the propaganda full circle and provide a representation of some of the death squads as democracy-loving freedom fighters who only want freedom from an oppressive government – a representation which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Hitler understood propaganda, so do the Palestinians: Faking news has become a Palestinian cottage industry. The most diabolic aspect of Palestinian propaganda is the use of children as stage props. Much Western media is happy to play ball - Michael Curtis, thecommentator.com: The use of propaganda has a long history, going back to the Persians in the 6th century B.C. Arguably, the use of propaganda by Palestinians to gain compassion and political support has been their one great success.
The Palestinian narrative of victimhood, with its falsifications of history and politics, its portrayal of themselves as not only innocent but the most compelling victims in the world, its staging of events to blame Israel for atrocities they themselves have committed, its deliberate concentration on alleged injuries or deaths of children, and its achievement in persuading much of the media to accept and advance its manipulation of language and action, have all been part of its success in the propaganda war. That success is shown by the fact that a considerable proportion of the European population accepts the Palestinian propaganda that Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians, in spite of the reiteration by Palestinian leaders of their determination to eliminate the State of Israel. Image from entry
Israeli Students Push Propaganda; Iraq/Iran Déjà Vu; USS Liberty Survivors - Victor Thorn, americanfreepress.net: Don’t believe everything you read on the Internet, especially since its been confirmed that the Israeli government—working in unison with the National Union of Israeli Students (NUIS)—pays Jewish college students upwards of $2,000 per year to disseminate state propaganda online. Concealing their identity under an assortment of generic-sounding corporate names, NUIS teaches recruits how to smear opponents of Israel, photo-shop images, alter news reports, and muddy the water of chat room conversations with ridiculous claims. The NUIS approach is so complex that participants are provided with specific scripts to use on enemies, complete with details involving sensationalized accusations against enemies, divide-and-conquer strategies where one individual is pitted against another, plus a variety of distraction techniques and the marginalization of opinions that differ from the official Jewish party line. Other tactics include denying inconvenient facts, refusing dialogue by sending conversations off into absurd directions, or dishonestly manipulating sources to entrap a foe.
Erdogan to use Twitter as propaganda tool: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to have 6,000 volunteers tweeting on behalf of his ruling AKP party in an attempt to revamp the government's negative image. He once called Twitter "the worst menace to society" - dw.de: Despite dismissing Twitter as "the worst menace to society" in June, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has now decided to use the social media site as a tool to revamp his government's public image. According to Turkish media reports, Erdogan's AKP party plans to have 6,000 volunteers tweeting its political messages. As Turkish newspaper Hürriyet reports, the party wants to install "representatives for social networks" in about 900 districts in Turkey - with about 1,000 of the 6,000 volunteers based in Istanbul, 600 in the capital Ankara, and 400 in Izmir.
"Social media has been so successful during the protest movement that it has made independent media redundant. That was very frustrating for the Turkish government," said sociologist Yasar Adanali. It became clear during the recent protests that mass media was controlled by the government. "Over the past years, the influence of business on media has grown significantly. But social media and micro-blogging on Facebook and Twitter aren't easy to control," he said. Because social media has been so successful, Adanali thinks the AKP has now realized that its dominance could be destroyed by a decentralized opposition and its social media power. But banning Twitter or Facebook isn't really an option, since the government is already being criticized as anti-democratic. "It is well aware of the fact that the only solution is to become more active itself," he said. Image from article, with caption: Erdogan wants to use social media to improve his image
Propaganda chief takes swipe at 'ant' - Tony Cheung, scmp.com: British foreign office minister Hugo Swire overestimated his ability to stir up trouble when he joined the debate over universal suffrage, Beijing's Hong Kong propaganda chief suggested. Hao Tiechuan, publicity director of the central government's liaison office, compared him with an ant trying to move a tree in an article in the Hong Kong Daily News - his third piece in moderate Chinese-language newspapers in five days. In an opinion piece in the South China Morning Post on September 13, Swire said it was important for voters to have a real choice, and "Britain stands ready to support in any way we can." Hao said Swire's words came as "no surprise at all … because everyone knows the British make trouble whenever they withdraw from a colony."
AMERICANA
--Man Entering Movie Theatre by Colored Entrance. Belzoni, Mississippi, in the delta area. October 1939, 1939. Via DP on Facebook
MORE AMERICANA
--Image from, with caption: "Would you buy an insurance policy from this woman?"
AND MORE AMERICANA
Image from, with caption: Detroit, Michigan. This hulking Beaux-Arts train station was the tallest train station in the world at the time of its construction in 1912. It was designed by Warren and Wetmore and Reed and Stem—the same architects behind New York's Grand Central Terminal—but has been abandoned since 1988
SOVIETICA
HAIL BRITANNIA
Image from, with caption: During the Second World War, the British Royal Navy constructed a series of sea forts for an advanced line of defense against inbound air raids and potential sea invasions from the Axis powers. The Maunsell Sea Forts still stand today, silent and abandoned a few meters above the North Sea. One, however, remains inhabited, now a nation of its own referred to as the Principality of Sealand. These sea forts are a favorite of maritime explorers, a lonely collection of stilted fortresses not far off the coast of eastern England.
ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
“an op is an op is an op.”
--Words of senior [CIA] Agency officers, who are disproportionately minimally language capable, generally excusing themselves by meaning that spying is not culture specific.
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