June 1

"- Некоторые говорят, что и со стороны Запада идет пропаганда...
- В США это называется общественной дипломатией (public diplomacy). Мы не делаем ее в достаточном количестве, честно говоря."

"- Some say that [from] the West is propaganda ...
- In the U.S. it is called public diplomacy (public diplomacy). We do not do it in sufficient quantities, to be honest."

--David Kramer, head of the international non-governmental organization Freedom House (quotation translation from link); image from

SYMPOSIA

"Applied Cultural Diplomacy: An Interdisciplinary Analysis of Best Practices and Future Strategies" (Washington DC, Baltimore, NYC, Cetinje, Madrid, Berlin, London) (May - September 2014) - rabble.ca: "The International Symposia on Cultural Diplomacy is now 7 years old and has become the world's largest event series in the field of Cultural Diplomacy. The seventh Symposia will take place in 2014 and will include large-scale events that will take place in different major capital cities around the world in cooperation with governments, leading academic institutions and civil society organizations throughout the months of April - September 2014. The 2014 symposia will focus on and explore best practices and future strategies for applied cultural diplomacy; and thus strengthen relations between states and communities and contribute to more just and harmonic relations between societies."

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

China Trades Barbs With U.S., Japan on Island Tensions at Forum - Sharon Chen, businessweek.com: "Rebuffing criticism from the U.S. and Japan, China sent a clear message at an international security meeting that it will press ahead with territorial claims that have caused friction with Japan and smaller neighbors.After U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described China’s actions in the South China Sea as destabilizing and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan did not welcome dangerous encounters by jets or warships, Chinese Lieutenant General Wang Guanzhong broke from prepared remarks to call their speeches 'unacceptable.' The leaders were at the annual Shangri-La security dialogue in Singapore last weekend. ... 'China will seek to spin both Hagel’s and Abe’s remarks in a negative, provocative way,' said Rory Medcalf, Director of the International Security Program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney. 'The public diplomacy of all the key stakeholders in Asian security has become starker in the past two years. In some instances, it is descending to the level of a propaganda war.' ... Amid the tension, Hagel echoed President Barack Obama in calling for the U.S. and China to 'develop a new model

of relations – a model that builds cooperation, manages competition, and avoids rivalry.' The U.S. is increasing its military-to-military engagement with China, he said." Image from

Guest: Vladimir Putin may have overplayed his hand in Ukraine: Russian leader Vladimir Putin failed to adequately consider the long-term implications of his strategy, writes guest columnist Jack Devine - seattletimes.com: "America’s ability to outmaneuver the Russians in ... subtler ways, from covert action against their forces in Afghanistan in the 1980s to winning the war of ideas through influence campaigns and public diplomacy, has proved effective in the past.

If Putin wants to put Russia back on the wrong side of history, the U.S. and Europe have all the tools to push him back, if we have the will to do so. Jack Devine, former head of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations and president of the Arkin Group in New York, is author of the new book 'Good Hunting: An American Spymaster’s Story,' published by Sarah Crichton Books/FSG in June." Image from entry

The Growing Power of Putin’s Propaganda Machine - David Francis, thefiscaltimes.com: "During the Cold War, the United States used Radio Free Europe to provide objective news to those behind the Iron Curtain. But the importance of RFE has dwindled since the Berlin Wall fell, leaving the U.S. with few avenues to combat Putin’s propaganda. USAID has attempted to combat Russia’s constant stream of biased information with a $1.25 million grant to Ukrainian news organizations. George Soros’ International Renaissance Foundation has also worked to get objective news to Ukrainians. For its part, RT and Ruptly are unapologetic. They both contend that their news provides an alternative to news with a western bias. 'There's large demand for media that doesn't just parrot the uniform pulp from the Western press,' Margarita Simonyan, editor in chief of RT, told German media. 'We're something along the lines of Russia's Information Defense Ministry.'"

Russian Understanding Of Color Revolutions And The Arab Spring -- Analysis - Selcuk Colakoglu, Eurasia Review: "The Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS-2014) which was held for the third time on May 23, 2014 by the Russian Ministry of Defense, provided its participants with the opportunity to listen to and assess up-to-date policy briefs first hand from Russian authorities on matters concerning the foreign and security policy of Russia. While both the participants and the content of the previous two conferences indicated an improvement in security cooperation between Russia and the West, the fact that neither military nor civilian officers from any NATO countries participated in MCIS-2014 can be seen as a sign of the escalated tensions in relations. Despite the fact that there were NATO members among the 45 countries from which people came to participate in the conference; all participants from member countries of NATO were experts from independent think-tanks. Nevertheless, both Western countries and Russia apparently have cognizance of the necessity to carry out public diplomacy in an effort to make their theses heard against the backdrop of escalating tensions due to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, which could have interrupted all channels for dialogue. Therefore, allowing civil society to maintain dialogue regardless of the problems between the West and Russia is a step in the right direction for the establishment of healthy channels of mutual communication."

Artists as Ambassadors of Cultural Diplomacy - Jonathan Hollander,

worldpolicy.org: "The Cultural Diplomacy Toolkit is now live, embedded with the stories and details of

specific projects that took place in 61 countries. ... Jonathan Hollander has been a Fulbright Senior Scholar in India, a Fulbright Specialist in Malaysia, a U.S. Department of State Cultural Envoy in Portugal and is the Founder and Artistic Director, Battery Dance Company." Image from entry, with caption: Battery Dance Company Teaching Artists Bafana Matea and Robin Cantrell teaching a master class in Baku, Azerbaijan

Diaspora Artists and their Potential within a National Public Diplomacy Strategy - Jonathan Chait, uscpublidiplomacy.org: "While it is true that national artists have been instrumental in this approach towards the rest of the world, we see more and more artists from countries with a large population living outside its borders – as is the case of Mexicans in the United States – who become agents of change for that other image, promoters of a new dialogue that goes back and forth between the

country of origin and the host country, as well as between the society they come from and represent and the one that has received them. ... In terms of public diplomacy, considering the current context in which they are working, these artists show huge potential. Who better than them to speak about the idea of a supranational identity? Or serve as liaisons between their home country and their adoptive community abroad, or spokesmen for new ideas, values and traditions that emerge from their new geographic areas, or any other aspect of their cultural identity of their origins, now part of the everyday life of the society to which they belong?" Uncaptioned image from entry

The new state is still a state by Ahmet Erdi Öztürk* - todayszaman.com: "Turkey is suffering from a busy agenda which peaked with the Gezi Park protests, continued with the investigations of Dec. 17 and Dec. 25, the local elections and the extreme negative propaganda against the Hizmet movement and intensified with the unfortunate disaster in Soma. ... [A] proposition, purported by the pro-government intellectuals, suggests that there is a post-Kemalist grouping against the ruling party. That is, they maintain, a new group that emerged in the post-Kemalist era that is blocking

the ruling party's practices and undermining the ruling party's prestige in the international arena. This, they argue, hinders the ruling party's implementation of democratic reforms at a greater pace and makes the ruling party face a public diplomacy problem at an unprecedented level." Image from entry

Bayelsa State To Join Force With Israel For Rapid Development - "The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Rear Admiral Gboribiogha John Jonah (rtd), has said that

the State Government was ready to collaborate with the Israeli Government in order to achieve rapid development in the State. He said this at the King Koko Square, Nembe when the Israeli Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Uriel Palti paid a one-day visit to

Nembe City, in Nembe Local Govermment Area of the State. ... On the entourage of the Israeli ambassador were; Mr. Tony Obiechina, Senior Media/Political Officer, Mr. Chika Ajaegbu, Culture and Public Diplomacy Officer, both of the Embassy of Israel while top State Government functionaries include; Commissioners of Information and Orientation, Deacon Markson Fefegha." Above and below image from entry

Thinking about the state of PD research - Craig Hayden, Intermap: "In case you missed it back in December 2013, I wanted to direct attention back to a presentation given to the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy on Capitol Hill. There, the incisive Emily Metzgar and myself presented some preliminary observations about the state of public diplomacy research based on an expansive, meta-review of over 700 articles

related to public diplomacy research over the past few decades. We are currently nearing completion of the project, along with the help of rising public diplomacy scholar Efe Sevin, and will ideally present our findings to the International Studies Association next year. This preliminary testimony shouldn’t be surprising. Much of the research on public diplomacy is focused on the United States. Public diplomacy research is remarkably thin on theory. The dominant theory is soft power (which Nye himself argues is not really a theory, but an ‘analytical concept’). It is also largely normative or framed as policy prescription. What is clear to me at least is that there needs to be greater cross-disciplinary attention to public diplomacy research, where fields like political communication, cultural studies, social psychology, cyber-culture studies (to name a few) can and should see public diplomacy as a rich site of inquiry. Be Sociable, Share!” Image from

Scholars, politicians call for Asian trust - pakobserver.net: "Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and other high-profile figures made opening addresses at the ninth Jeju Forum for Peace and Prosperity, expressing concerns over escalating territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the unpredictable regime in Pyongyang. Under the theme 'Designing New Asia', the three-day conference brought together some 3,600 experts, government officials and politicians from more than 50 countries to discuss security, education, culture, the environment and other issues. ... The annual forum consists of some 60 sessions on an array of issues including the future role of women, regional security cooperation, education, the environment and public diplomacy."

RELATED ITEMS

Yes We Can Still Market: Why U.S. Brands Remain World’s Most Valuable - the dailybeast.com: American brands dominate the ranks of global consumers’ favorites.

Why? Because no one has our competition. In the long run, brands’ ultimate value lies in their ability to appeal to consumers outside their home market. Giants like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft derive anywhere from 70 to 80 percent of total revenue from outside the U.S. And that’s the true marker of the power of a brand—and of a country’s economy. Can you make it in a wide-open market in which consumers have loads of options? And, yes, America still can. Image from

Obama ‘doesn’t give himself enough credit’ on foreign policy: State Dept. - Ceryl K. Chumley, The Washington Times: The State Department’s spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, provided a bit of comic relief from reporters at a recent press conference after she quipped that the president ought really to give himself more back-pats for his successes with foreign policy. Her exact words, The Washington Free Beacon first reported: President Obama “doesn’t’ give himself enough credit for what he’s done around the world.” Some reporters laughed, The Blaze reported. Others followed up with questions aimed at drawing out some specific examples. Associated Press reporter Matt Lee asked: “Jen, you would argue the president doesn’t give himself enough credit? How much credit would you give him? What, like, 200 percent credit?” Ms. Psaki’s reported response: “I would give him more than he has given himself. That’s what I just said.” Another reporter at the conference asked Ms. Psaki to name off some success stories. She said, The Blaze reported, “engagement initiatives like Iran, what we’ve done on Ukraine, efforts to dive in and engage around the world.” And one more followup from a third reporter: “Russia has still annexed Crimea,” the reporter said, adding that Iran diplomatic dealings have brought nothing in terms of U.S. gain, The Blaze said.

Obama's Foreign Policy Book - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: Obama has been on duty when the world has come unstuck in more ways than any recent president. George H.W. Bush dealt deftly with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Bill Clinton was the first president who had to fire cruise missiles at a person — Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan — in the first battle ever between a superpower and a superempowered angry man. When that superempowered angry man struck our homeland on 9/11, George W. Bush responded with two invasions.

Obama has had to confront the culmination of all these trends, and more: the blowback from both invasions; a weak, humiliated but still dangerous Russia; a drone war against many more superempowered angry men from Yemen to Pakistan; the simultaneous disintegration of traditional Arab states and the nuclearization of Iran; plus the decline of “spheres of influence” dictated by traditional powers from above and the rise of “people of influence” emerging from the squares and social networks below. These Square People have challenged everything from Russia’s sphere of influence in Ukraine to the right of the pro-U.S. Egyptian military to keep ruling Egypt. Dealing with all these at once has been a doctrinal and tactical challenge, especially when combined with an exhausted U.S. public and an economic recession sapping defense spending. There is no military solution to Syria — and Iran and Russia have to be part of any diplomatic one. Those are the kind of unpleasant, unromantic, totally long-shot foreign policy choices the real world throws up these days. A little humility, please. Image from

Confronting Who We Are - Serge Schmemann, New York Times: In the United States, President Obama went to West Point to respond to critics who accused him of eroding American leadership in the world and thereby encouraging evildoers like Bashar al-Assad. “Some of our most costly mistakes came not from our restraint, but from our willingness to rush into military adventures without thinking through the consequences,” he argued before graduating cadets. Mr. Obama’s attempt to draw a balance between isolationism and unilateralism seemed in sync with the sentiments of much of the American public, but critics on the right and on the left found more frustration than vision in the speech about what the United States should be doing with challenges like Syria, Ukraine or the South China Sea. But then the question arises whether a unifying rationale for muscular American action is simply no longer possible.

Egypt’s Latest Military Strongman - Editorial, New York Times: President Obama’s acquiescence in the Egyptian military coup and the subsequent crackdown has only given Mr. Sisi comfort. Mr. Obama has said America’s interests are rooted mainly in ensuring that Egypt adheres to the peace treaty with Israel and cooperates against terrorists.

How to keep Afghanistan on the right track - Rajiv Shah, Washington Post: "Rajiv Shah is the administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). ... Like any responsible investor, the United States demands accountability from Afghanistan for its investment. The agency that I oversee, the U.S. Agency for International Development, has created an incentive

fund meant to hold the Afghan government accountable for meeting certain standards, such as advancing support for women and girls, fighting corruption and holding free and fair elections. While half of the targets were met in the first year, we have withheld at least $30 million in development assistance as a result of unmet commitments in governance and women’s rights." Image from

Was Hillary Clinton a good secretary of state? - -Walter Russell Mead, Washington Post: For some realists, “global meliorism” — the belief that U.S. foreign policy can and should try to make a better world — is a dirty word. For Clinton, it is a bedrock conviction. This combination makes Clinton an American exceptionalist: She believes that the United States has been called to a unique role in leading the world, and that the American state and the American people, at home and abroad, can be powerful instruments for good. Historians will probably consider Clinton significantly more successful than run-of-the-mill secretaries of state such as James G. Blaine or the long-serving Cordell Hull, but don’t expect to see her on a pedestal with Dean Acheson or John Quincy Adams anytime soon.

Clinton brought a clear vision of U.S. interests and power to the job, and future presidents and secretaries of state will find many of her ideas essential. Yet she struggled to bring together the different elements of her vision into a coherent set of policies. The tension between America’s role as a revolutionary power and its role as a status quo power predates Clinton; the struggle to reconcile those two opposed but equally indispensable aspects of American foreign policy has survived her tenure at the State Department. Image from entry; see also John Brown, "Hillary Clinton and Propaganda," Huffington Post (October 19, 2009)

Hillary Clinton's Legacy at State Dept.: A Hawk With Clipped Wings: As secretary of state, Clinton was more hawkish than the White House, and at key moments was ineffectual at swinging policy her way - Peter Nicholas, Adam Entous, Carol E. Lee, Wall Street Journal: Mrs. Clinton, if she runs for president, likely will lean heavily on her experience as the nation's top diplomat. Her memo, written in January 2013, illustrates two striking features of her four years in the post: She was often more hawkish than the White House she served, and at some key moments was ineffectual at swinging policy her way.