March 31

"HILLARY CLINTON: Who painted it?

MONSIGNOR MONROY: God."

--Reported exchange in Mexico in front of La Guadalupana, the archetypal icon of Latin American Catholicism; above images from and from


PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama team drops "war on terror" rhetoric – admin, World News: “U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Monday the Obama administration had dropped 'war on terror' from its lexicon, rhetoric former President George W. Bush used to justify many of his actions. … Clinton has said one of her main roles as top U.S. diplomat is to improve the U.S. image abroad, particularly after the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. She has embarked on aggressive public diplomacy during her visits to Europe, the Middle East and Asia, seeking to reach out to ordinary people."

Free Swat Valley - Douglas J. Feith and Justin Polin, New York Times: "On March 5, in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, forces believed to be affiliated with the Taliban bombed the shrine of Rahman Baba (born around 1650), the most revered Pashtun poet. … If it had the equipment and personnel for the job, the United States could broadcast radio programs for the Pashtuns commemorating Rahman Baba’s life and poetry, thus helping to revive the collective memory of Sufism and inspiring opposition to the Taliban. Other programs could highlight the cultural and physical devastation wrought by the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The United States conducted impressive strategic communications during the cold war. Radio Free Europe, Voice of America and other programs conveyed information and ideas that contributed to the discrediting and ultimate defeat of Soviet communism. Pakistan’s Islamist extremists apparently know the value of strategic communications. They preach and broadcast, understanding that every non-extremist school they close, every artist they force to move, every moderate tribal leader they kill and every Sufi shrine they destroy can increase their powers of intimidation and persuasion.“ Feith Image from

The Education of Doug Feith - Patrick Barry, Democracy Arsenal: "Strategic communications directed at the Muslim World, patterned after Radio Free Europe? Sorry Doug, maybe you should have gotten involved with al-Hurra, the Bush administration's attempt to replicate the success of Cold-War era public diplomacy, but which has been widely regarded as a sham by the Muslim world. There is unquestionably a need for the U.S. to update its public diplomacy infrastructure. But to do it via analogies that show no appreciation for the complexities of the audience we're trying to reach, such as how a conservative, sometimes violent strand of Islam reacts with longstanding political and juridical grievances (see Joshua White discuss the current state of affairs in Swat), is just not the way to go."

Should this station broadcast news, or inadequately researched opinion? - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "VOA's Deewa Radio already broadcasts in Pashto to that very part of Pakistan. So apparently the United States does have 'the equipment and personnel for the job.' Deewa's output includes programs about poetry, but, as part of VOA, its mainstay is reliable news and information. If Messrs. Feith and Polin prefer a station that is more partisanly anti-Taliban, such a station may not want to be identified with the United States. (And see previous post about Radio Khyber.) This op-ed could inspire an amendment to some future legislation to create an RFE/RL Pashto service to Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province, to do what Deewa is already doing (and, for that matter, what RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan is already doing), resulting in even more duplication in US international broadcasting. As for Alhurra, it's not up there with Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya, but it has too many viewers to be dismissed as a 'sham.'"

VOL. V NO. 7, March 13-March 26, 2009 - The Layalina Review on Public Diplomacy and Arab Media

Shhh! Don't talk about "freedom" and "tolerance" in front of Muslims! You might offend them! – GS Don Morris, Doc’s Talk: "Apparently promoting sustainable environments for religious freedom worldwide involves tiptoeing around the volatile and easily offended, and ignoring and denying unpleasant truths. Great idea! Why didn't anyone think of it before? '10 terms not to use with Muslims,' by Chris Seiple in the Christian Science Monitor, March 28 [...] 'As President Obama considers his first speech in a Muslim majority country (he visits Turkey April 6-7), and as the US national security establishment reviews its foreign policy and public diplomacy, I want to share the advice given to me from dear Muslim friends worldwide regarding words and concepts that are not useful in building relationships with them. Obviously, we are not going to throw out all of these terms, nor should we. But we do need to be very careful about how we use them, and in what context.'”

The Icon and the Battle-Axe - Joseph P. Duggan, American Spectator: “Color photographs and loud captions atop page one of the daily El Universal captured the Mexican public's sense of outraged bewilderment at Mrs. Clinton's visit March 26 to the Basilica of Guadalupe, Catholicism's second most visited shrine after St. Peter's in Rome. The Basilica rector, Monsignor Diego Monroy, stands with Mrs. Clinton and shows her the mestiza Madonna whose story is known to every Catholic schoolchild, an image believed to have been imposed miraculously on an Indian's cloak five centuries ago. HILLARY CLINTON: Who painted it? MONSIGNOR MONROY: God. La Guadalupana is the archetypal icon of Latin American Catholicism. Catholics in the United States as well as in the Latin countries today invoke the Virgin of Guadalupe as the special patron of the pro-life movement. Was Hillary's public diplomacy fiasco a calculated insult addressed to something she regards as a superstition, or simply the unrehearsed utterance of a person so soulless that she cannot fathom believers' sense of mystery?“ Image from

Isolated Overseas: Diplomatic Security Creates Challenges for American Public Diplomacy – Mitchell Polman, Mountain Runner: “Senator Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) in February submitted a resolution (S. Res. 49) that calls for a reassessment of safety concerns surrounding American Centers in major foreign cities, and urges the State Department to ‘consider placing United States public diplomacy facilities at locations conducive to maximizing their use.’ … Reinvigorating America's cultural presence overseas is going to require increased funding and a re-thinking of security issues that have plagued America's ability to conduct public diplomacy in recent decades. Senator Lugar seems committed to keeping a spotlight on this issue, and Secretary of State Clinton has made her views fairly clear. But overcoming security concerns requires creativity, flexibility, and new ideas. The fate of Senate Resolution 49 may be an important signal as to whether America is serious about reshaping its public diplomacy strategy.”

US 'committed' to flexible approach to aid programs - Nicholas Kimbrell, Daily Star: “The United States is committed to a flexible and responsive approach to Lebanese and regional aid programs, a senior State Department official said Monday. ‘There are issues, challenges that are too great to be faced by one country all by itself,’ Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Near East Affairs Madelyn Spirnak told reporters gathered at the US Embassy in Awkar. Among other responsibilities, Spirnak, who is visiting Beirut for the first time, oversees the State Department's Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the Near East Bureau's Press and Public Diplomacy Office.”

NATO invades the web - IrishLibertarian: “My God there is only so much imperialism I can handle. NATO have decided there is not enough of a pro-NATO stance been taken by the media nor our politicians, so they decided to marketing themselves towards a younger audience. So http://www.60yearsnato.info/ has been launched. Jean-Francois Bureau, NATO’s assistant secretary-general for public diplomacy said 'After 60 years, NATO is changing its communication strategy. It is the first time that we run a web-only campaign, with three videos aimed at reaching a wider audience, especially the younger generation.' Now I am not saying NATO are evil, I just do not want to join them.” See also.

And now, to work - Jerusalem Post: “Israel now has a semblance of a 'unity government' and can move forward. Indeed, there are several laudable cabinet appointments. … Yuli Edelstein can contribute as hasbara minister - not by seeking to create an empire, but by working with the premier's new communications director, Ron Dermer, to maximize existing public diplomacy resources while avoiding ruffling bureaucratic feathers.”

One On One: Rehab for an 'all-consuming peace addiction' - Ruthie Blum Leibowitz , Jerusalem Post: "[Question]: But is Israel really at liberty to do what it wants without international approval? [Answer by Daniel Gordis, author of Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War that May Never End]: I believe we're much more at liberty to do what we want than we allow ourselves to think - though we do need to do a better job of hasbara [public diplomacy], and engage in much more effective efforts to explain our actions to heads of state and communities abroad." Image from

The Changing Climate For Cultural Relations - John Worne, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: “[A]lthough cultural relations has a job to do in the current economic crisis, it also has to equip the next generation of leaders with the internationalism, networks, skills and openness to meet their challenges. The British Council has been equipping future world leaders for 75 years, but the scale of the cultural relations challenge by our 100th year – 2034 – is bigger even than the rising unemployment and extremism of the 1930s when we began.”

Branding Bangladesh - Mamun Rashid, Daily Star: “The brand building initiative has to be a coherent approach driven by various sectors -- the government, political parties, civil society, media, professionals, private sector, cultural world, workers and farmers, urban and rural people, etc. When all of us can share a common identity, we shall be able to establish Bangladesh with a rejuvenated brand that the world will respect. “

Networking dinner for delegates at Friends of Pakistan expert meeting – Associated Press of Pakistan:

“Pakistan’s Ambassador at Large, Javed Malik, would be hosting a Networking Dinner for the International delegates attending the Expert-Level meeting of Friends of Democratic Pakistan being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). High-ranking officials and experts from all the member-states of the Friends of Pakistan including UK, USA, UAE, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Japan, China, Saudi Arabia, World Bank, European Union, United Nations, Asian Development Bank and others will take part in the dinner. … Presentations will be made on Security, Development, Institution building, Energy, Public diplomacy and other aspects covering the Friends of Democratic Pakistan initiative.” Image from

Call for Papers - Reframing the Nation: Media Publics and Strategic Narratives – John Postill, Media/Anthropology: "Several English-language transnational television channels recently launched, including Al Jazeera English, Press TV (Iran), CCTV9 (China), France 24, and Russia Today ... pose ... questions about strategic narratives and public diplomacy in the new media ecology. Diasporic groups, increasingly connected via digital media, are being recognised as exploitable for diplomacy purposes. States can mobilize citizens both at home and abroad in diplomatic media initiatives via internet chat rooms and news discussion sites.”

RELATED ITEMS

On European trip, rock-star Obama faces skeptical allies: While he is popular, American policies are not. He will be hard-pressed towin concessions on his plans for the economy or Afghanistan - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor: President Obama and first lady Michelle waved as they departed the White House to attend the G-20 Summit in the UK.

Europe spurns the beloved Obama - Gideon Rachman, Financial Times:

Europeans have long worshipped Barack Obama from afar. Now the beloved one is paying his first visit as US president to the old continent. Yet there is every indication that Europe’s leaders are about to stiff him. Image from

Obama's foreign-policy credo: listen and lead - Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor: In this century, American presidents will have to listen more than they’re Listen-and-lead comes down to a more multilateral approach on the part of the US. If you ask the Europeans, that's what they want from American leadership. Apparently, so does Obama. It's a convenient convergence. Will it pass the test of this presidency? Of this century?

The Big Embrace: Obama moves to give developing nations—and some developed ones—more influence in global decision-making - Emily Lowe, Slate: Change is brewing abroad, where Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced an overhaul of the U.S. aid program in Afghanistan and President Obama is expected to give major shoutouts to some important developing nations at the G20 summit.

Let’s Not Read the Obama Foreign Policy Tea Leaves Yet - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View

A Rookie President:We can lose some very big games with this rookie - Thomas Sowell, National Review: There is no sign that President Obama has impressed the Russians, the Iranians, or the North Koreans, except by his rookie mistakes -- and that is a dangerous way to impress dangerous people.

G-20, Obama, And His New Brand Foreign Policy - Omid Memarian, Huffington Post:

Obama's package diplomacy, or effectively incorporating regional power as a specific resolution to end current stalemates, seems to be the best way to go. Obama might have to apologize for the damage Washington has made throughout the world and will need to be ready to compromise and show respect to sovereign states. Image from

Obama Administration to Release Bin Laden Associate from Gitmo - Thomas Joscelyn, Weekly Standard: The U.S. Justice Department has decided to release another detainee from Guantanamo, a Yemeni named Ayman Saeed Abdullah Batarfi. It is not entirely clear why Batarfi has been cleared for release.

Iran to the U.S.: Where we go now: Offering a response to President Obama's Persian New Year speech, an Iranian official says the offer to talk is promising but that there are old wounds that must be dealt with - Ali Akbar Javanfekr, Los Angeles Times. Image from

Twelve Steps To Improve Relations with Iran - Robert Naiman, Huffington Post: Among them: Authorize routine contact between U.S. and Iranian diplomats; Establish a US interests section in Tehran; Guarantee multiple entry or expedited re-entry visas for Iranian students and scholars; Abolish U.S. "Democracy Promotion" programs in Iran.

Bibi and Barack Can Unite on Iran: Israel's new government is an 'obstacle' only to unrealistic goals - Yossi Klein Halevi, Wall Street Journal

The Return of Weakness : President Obama means well. Iran doesn't - Reuel Marc Gerecht, Weekly Standard

Stop Arming Israel - Philip Giraldi, Antiwar.com: “That Obama gave his first interview with a foreign broadcaster to al-Arabiya, a Saudi Arabian-owned satellite service, is significant. It demonstrates that the president truly understands how low the U.S. has fallen in the view of the rest of the world. … It would convince much of the world that change and sanity have finally arrived in Washington if Obama were to look seriously at the issue of U.S. weapons sales to Israel.”

Staying the course: If the U.S. perseveres long enough, we can leave behind an 'Iraq good enough'- Anthony H. Cordesman, Baltimore Sun: There are good reasons to support President Barack Obama and U.S. military commanders in keeping U.S. forces strong enough to help secure Iraq for the coming national election, and phasing down U.S. forces at the rate the president has planned for. There are good reasons to leave a strong residual force in Iraq that can train the Iraqi security forces, and provide assistance in areas such as intelligence and air support as the Iraqi forces take over.

Turkey Awaits Its Hero Obama - Stephen Schlesinger, Huffington Post: Barack Obama is now considered in Turkey to be the virtual president of our planet.

Westernizing Afghanistan - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe: In a society so steeped in a contrary tradition, is it up to us to tell Afghans what customs they can or can't keep? Is the goal of westernizing Afghanistan sustainable? Is it realistic? Is it worth dying for? As it has always been, the clash between idealism and practicality in American foreign policy never ceases. Image from

Afghanistan: Third Time's The Charm? William Bradley – Huffington Post: America has actually won two wars in Afghanistan in the past quarter-century. But each time, eminently distractable America has taken its eye off the ball, and the victories have proved evanescent.

Yes, We Have No Bananastan - Jeff Huber, Antiwar.com: President Barack Obama’s March 27 announcement of a "new strategy for Pakistan and Afghanistan" makes it official. He has no clue what he’s doing.

While Obama Escalates War in Afghanistan, Iraq Could Blow Up in His Face - Jeremy Scahill, Huffington Post: There is great reason to suspect that the timeline for withdrawal -- all troops out by 2011 -- announced in February by the Obama administration will prove to be a fallacy.

Afghanistan: Might As Well Talk Now - Robert Dreyfuss, Nation: Like Iran, which is watching the United States exit Iraq right on schedule, our adversaries in Afghanistan know that we're leaving, too. We might as well make it public, and start talking.

Obama Administration Digs Its Own Grave in Afghanistan: Another Lost War – William S. Lind, CounterPunch

No Place to Hide: The new Obama Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy redefines counter-terrorism--but it doesn't go far enough - Andrew Exum, New Republic: In a counter-insurgency campaign -- especially when waged against an enemy like the Taliban who pursues a strategy of exhaustion -- if you're not winning, you are losing. If momentum has not demonstrably shifted 12 months from now, then, it will be time to question again our position in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Putting a New Coat on a Failed Strategy: Obama's Pakistan Gambit - Ron Jacobs, CounterPunch: "Could it be that the goals Mr. Obama explicitly denied (and I quote)--'We are not in Afghanistan to control that country or to dictate its future.'-- are the true ones? Only then does his escalation of the battle there begin to make sense.

The Budget's Foreign Policy Handcuffs - Stephen Zunes, Huffington Post:

As Americans are losing their jobs due to a lack of public funding, the Democrats' appropriation bill pours billions of dollars into sophisticated weapons for both Israel and neighboring Arab states. Image from

Crossing the border? Take your passport - Thomas Frank, USA TODAY: This summer, Americans will be required for the first time to show a passport or a special ID card to drive home from Canada or Mexico.

AMERICANA

A Nation of Narcissists – Truthdig:

Is American exceptionalism just a euphemism for nationalized narcissism? Are narcissists to blame for the cataclysm on Wall Street? Stephen Colbert takes a read on the national zeitgeist and brings in Slate columnist Emily Yoffe to declare that certain public figures might suffer from narcissistic personality disorder.

March 30

"The [New and Revised Copywriter's Manual’s] 7 Words You Can't Say in Advertising are: Luxurious, Decadent, Sugary, Sexy, Exquisite, Bitchin', I.

The 7 Approved Replacement Words: Solid, Nourishing, Brown, Well-molded, Sustainable, Post-consumer, We."

-- Steve Simpson, Adweek; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama Heads Back to Europe, Challenges in Tow – John Harwood, New York Times: “Some foreign leaders, along with ordinary Americans, blame today’s [economic] predicament largely on Wall Street excesses. … Yet Mr. Obama’s status as the first black president may deflect some of that criticism. It will also place him at the center of the international spotlight. 'What Obama has that Clinton did not is the delicious elements of biography that make him a walking public diplomacy program for America, Mr. McCurry [Mike McCurry, former State Department spokesman and later Mr. Clinton’s White House press secretary] said. 'The other leaders will have to contend with the enormous interest in this new, young, popular president.'” Image from

America the Tarnished - Paul Krugman, New York Times: "These days foreign leaders are in no mood to be lectured by American officials, even when -- as in this case -- the Americans are right. The financial crisis has had many costs. And one of those costs is the damage to America’s reputation, an asset we’ve lost just when we, and the world, need it most."

Economy causes a double hit to PD – Aly Jiwani, Perspectives on Public Diplomacy: “The downfall of the US market has ripple effects everywhere and it has become a global economic downturn. Given the strong and leading role that America's financial and banking sectors had in leading the world down this path and the global perceptions about what has happened in the economy, how the US cleans up the financial and banking mess will matter a lot in re-shaping America's public image. … The stereotypical views about Americans being greedy and materialistic are accentuated. This again demonstrates how apart from the actions of the American government, the American private sector and corporations just like American tourists and businessmen speak volumes in shaping America's image.”

Mapping a New Strategy: Democracy in Former Soviet Areas Needs a Friend - Ludmila Alexeeva and Gregory Shvedov, Washington Post: "What can the Obama administration do now … [includes to] recognize the importance of the media and make sure that your commitment to the free flow of ideas never falters. Continue to support international broadcasting via Radio Liberty and Voice of America and step in to help independent media, especially Internet outlets. … [Also,] consider forming a single agency to direct democracy and human rights activities, and find new, effective leaders to run it. Now, too many cooks are spoiling the soup; we could accomplish more with less if there were one reliable forum for us to work together." Image from

Washington Diarist: In Which We Engage - Leon Wieseltier, New Republic: "Democratization, since it proposes to replace one political culture with another, is a policy of destabilization, and so it is an evolutionary enterprise, and takes time, and can be achieved only indigenously, by the people themselves. But often they need help, which, in the real world so beloved of Democrats, means American help. This help can take many forms."

A Mexican Standoff with Reality - zenpundit.com: “Thursday, in a statement that was issued in part for public diplomacy purposes, DNI Adm. Dennis Blair, dismissed any strategic implications regarding the strength of Mexico’s drug cartels that the Mexican government is struggling to suppress: ‘Mexico is in no danger of becoming a failed state.’”

Conspiracy and Propaganda Centers: Illegal US Consulates in Venezuela By Eva Golinger: Translated for Axis of Logic by Iris Buehler and revised by Les Blough, members of Tlaxcala - posted by Macu, Milfuegos: “Officially, the American Corners are partnership programs between the Embassy of the United States and certain local institutions that create small spaces, or 'corners', with access to information about the United States through the Internet, and books and documentaries produced by the Department of the State (DOS). Its goal is to create a kind of 'virtual consulate' that would not be sponsored formally by the government of the United States but by a local organization, association, school, library or institution. Actually, the American Corners constitute another propaganda instrument of Washington which works not only as launching pad for psychological warfare, but also subverts and violates the diplomatic regulations by establishing places for 'consular' access in a nation without the authorization of the host country's government.” Image from

Mideast: US Overtures to Iran Must Wait - Analysts - Meena Janardhan, IPS: "Referring to U.S. President Barack Obama’s video message on the occasion of the Iranian New Year last week, Christian Koch of the Gulf Research Centre (GRC) said Washington’s opening to Iran is a step in the right direction, but Tehran is likely to once again miss the opportunity. ‘Obama’s gesture introduced the critical element of public diplomacy by addressing the people and leaders of Iran jointly, finally acknowledging that trying to drive a wedge between Iran’s leaders and people is unproductive,’ Koch, director of international studies at the Dubai-based think tank, told IPS. 'Unfortunately,' he added, 'given the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei’s dismissal of the message means the likely result is the further isolation of Iran to the detriment of regional security.'’’

Israel and Peace in the Middle East: Shlomo Ben Ami - Aldo Civico, Huffington Post: “In past peace processes,

the parties were able to reduce the ocean to a river, but they remained incapable of crossing the river. The leadership of the United States, together with a broad international coalition, should propose to the parties bridging and binding proposals. If Obama inaugurates an era of new public diplomacy, we have a chance to make peace in the Middle East.” Image from

Annual Report on Human Rights 2008 – Pakistan: Publisher United Kingdom: Foreign and Commonwealth Office - posted at UNHCR Refworld: “U.K. action … . Our High Commission in Islamabad is funding and implementing 26 human rights-related projects in addition to funding support through donor organisations. Through the Public Diplomacy Fund, we are supporting projects on women's rights, training and creation of a lawyers' network of human rights advocates and on improving investigative journalism in Pakistan to encourage impartial reporting on political, electoral and human rights issues.”

Blogging the OAH: Day Three - Christopher Capozzola, Legal History Blog: “The third and final day of the annual meeting of the Organization of American Historians featured a bonanza of sessions and events for legal historians. Among the day's offerings: … At a session on 'Sex, Race, and Empire across the West and the Pacific' chaired by Paul Kramer (Iowa), the audience heard a fascinating set of papers. Mary Lui (Yale) used the story of the 1950s goodwill tour of Korean-American Olympic diver Sammy Lee to explore gender, race, and nation in the reception of Cold War public diplomacy.” Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Propaganda.com - Evgeny Morozov, New York Times: This year’s report on “enemies of the Internet” prepared by Reporters Without Borders, the international press advocacy group, paints a very gloomy picture for the freedom of expression on the Web. But identifying “Internet enemies” only on the basis of censorship and intimidation, as Reporters Without Borders has done, obfuscates the fact that these are only two components of a more comprehensive and multi-pronged approach that authoritarian governments have developed to diffuse the subversive potential of online communications.

Air Force Takes Aim at Higher Recruiting Goal With Web Series: 'The Circuit' Targets Tech-Savvy Audience, Combats Idea That Service Is 'Just About Pilots' - Claude Brodesser-Akner, Advertising Age. Image from

Holbrooke Calls for "Complete Rethink" of Drugs in Afghanistan - David Corn, Mother Jones

Success and security in Afghanistan - Scott Payne and Peter O'Brien, Boston Globe:


Succeeding in Afghanistan will be hard, but that does not mean success cannot be achieved. With Obama's new strategy, we can secure America's interests in Afghanistan. Image from

Hedging on Afghanistan - Editors, National Review: To defeat this enemy, Obama argued, we need the “comprehensive” approach of a full-scale counter-insurgency -- encompassing security, governance, and economics -- rather the narrow counter-terrorism strategy some of his advisers favored. That minimalist strategy would have risked making all of Afghanistan into the equivalent of the tribal areas of Pakistan, where al-Qaeda operatives go unmolested except by the occasional Predator strike.

Obama's 'stronger, smarter' war: The President now owns Afghanistan – Editorial, Washington Times: The Afghan war is now Obama’s to lose. Governments in the region, as well as our NATO allies, will be watching closely for signs that the president lacks the fortitude to press the matter to a successful conclusion. In this respect Mr. Obama may fancy himself a smarter president than Mr. Bush, but it remains to be seen if he is stronger.

What to do about Afghanistan – Martin Peretz, New Republic:


The real question is whether Democrats have the gumption to support a battle that will not be easy, will be laden with inevitable error and cause many civilians casualties (like Israel in Gaza, and much more because we will be flying unmanned drones) and will put the country, with blood and gore, at odds with many many millions of Muslims not only in the two target states but elsewhere... and let's not say where. Image from

Obama’s strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan: The President's plan for the increasingly troubled region is ambitious, although his goals are more limited than Bush's - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor

Obama's Afghan plan: Leave Al Qaeda to others: Despite the surge, he wants others to take over and to ease the US out - Editorial Board, Christian Science Monitor

The Real Afghan Issue Is Pakistan: The president has his priorities reversed - Graham Allison and John Deutch, Wall Street Journal: For Afghanistan to become a unitary state ruled from Kabul, and to develop into a modern, prosperous, poppy-free and democratic country would be a worthy and desirable outcome. But it is not vital for American interests. The problem in Pakistan is more pressing and direct.

Welcome to Vietnam, Mr. President - Ray McGovern, Common Dreams: It is wooden-headedness, in my view, that permeates the "comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan" that the president announced yesterday.

Obama's domino theory: The president sounds like he's channeling Cheney or McCain -- or a Cold War hawk afraid of international communism -- when he talks about the war in Afghanistan - Juan Cole, Salon: The Kabul government is not on the verge of falling to the Taliban.

The Great Afghan Bailout: It's Time to Change Names, Switch Analogies - Tom Engelhardt, TomDispatch: Unfortunately, the end result is likely to be that, as with A.I.G., we, the American people, could end up "owning" 80% of the Af-Pak project without ever "nationalizing" it -- without ever, that is, being in actual control. In fact, if things go as badly as they could in the Af-Pak War, A.I.G. might end up looking like a good deal by comparison.


Af-Pak Fever: The Obamaites go to war – Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com: What Obama is proposing for Afghanistatn is more than a mere "surge" – it is a rising tsunami of unimaginable proportions, one that will make the Iraq war seem like a minor swell. Image from

US general: American forces may not leave key Iraqi cities: The top commander of ground forces in Iraq says that US troops may stay longer than the June deadline in Baquba and Mosul - Jane Arraf, Christian Science Monitor

U.S. Out How?: 50 experts on the moral dilemma of leaving Iraq – Mother Jones. SEE ALL

"Ready to be Traitors": The Israeli Resistance - Hannah Safran, CounterPunch: "On January 8, 2009, 13 days into the war on Gaza, 45 people, Jews and Arabs, came together in Haifa to discuss how to proceed with our anti-war activities. Each one of those present in the room had already participated in more than one action against this war in Gaza. We belong to a growing public that does not buy into the Israeli propaganda of ‘there is nobody to talk with’ – the idea that we, Israelis, are eager to make peace but they, the Palestinians, are not interested. We have come of age during the past eight years of activism against all odds.”

Inversion of Reality: Where the victims are labeled [aggressors] + the Great Lie Theory – Sagazone: Inversion of Reality is the basic principle of anti-Israeli propaganda. This propaganda method is a product of Nazi Germany.

Mexico's war must be our war: Helping Mexico take on the drug cartels helps us, but the effort will require unprecedented cooperation between our two countries - John Kerry, Los Angeles Times

Biden: No plans to scrap Cuba embargo – LJWorld.com: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said Saturday that the United States is not planning to lift its trade embargo on Cuba. Biden, who was in the Chilean resort city of Vina del Mar for a summit of center-left leaders from Latin America and Europe, replied “no” when asked by reporters if Washington plans to scrap the decades-old embargo.

Momentum Grows for Relaxing Cuba Policy: Senate Measure Would Eliminate Travel Ban - Shailagh Murray and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

Russia's Reset: Mr. Obama isn't contemplating change solely on the part of the United States – Editorial, Washington Post:

The administration believes that it can develop constructive relations with Russia without sacrificing the interests of Russia's neighbors. Whether such a reset will be acceptable to Mr. Medvedev or to Russia's de facto top ruler, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, remains to be seen. Image from

Lost in translation: Listening to what Moscow says is instructive - John M. McHugh, Washington Times: To be sure, engaging Russia should be a priority of any administration; it is, after all, a once-great and now-re-emerging power. It should not be the first priority beyond all others, however. What the United States should do - and what we must do as a moral authority for human freedom around the world - is reaffirm our support for emerging democratic states seeking to exercise sovereignty and represent their peoples' interests.

Kremlin Should Seize This Obama Moment - Vladimir Frolov, Moscow Times: In Moscow, the desire to work with Obama's team is growing even as fears of being "duped" fuel suspicion. Moscow's priority seems to be to hold out for substantive changes in the U.S. position as proof of a genuine U.S. desire to take Russia's concerns into account. This stance could squander a strategic opportunity.

Kim's Latest Hostages: North Korea is trying to do to Obama what it did to Bush - Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Having succeeded in extracting concessions from President Bush in exchange for promises to give up its nuclear program, Pyongyang is looking to get the new Administration to repay for the same phony terms.

AMERICANA

"The film opens with Colonel Samuel Trautman (Richard Crenna) returning to Thailand (where the second film took place)


to once again enlist the help of Vietnam veteran John J. Rambo (Sylvester Stallone). After witnessing Rambo's victory in a stick-fighting match, Trautman visits the construction site of the temple Rambo is helping to build and asks Rambo to join him on a mission to Afghanistan. The mission is meant to supply weapons, including FIM-92 Stinger missiles, to Afghan freedom fighters, the Mujahideen, who are fighting the Soviets in the Soviet-Afghan War."

--Wikipedia, on Rambo III

March 29

“Aren't we allowed to call it propaganda anymore?

Or schmoozing?”

--Journalist Sheila Toomey, Anchorage Daily News, regarding "a field called public diplomacy"; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Still Blacklisting Countries - Karin Esposito, Religion and Politics The World Affairs Blog Network, Foreign Policy Association: "The State Department has released the blacklist of religious freedom violators established by the Bush administration. … The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom pushed the State Department to get the list published and claims that listing a country will help U.S. public diplomacy efforts to improve the human rights records of violators. I thought after eight years the rhetoric of blacklisting was shown to be ineffective. In either case, the fact that the State Department is still blacklisting exactly the same countries shows just how little policy has actually changed."

Calling Doktor “Haus” - Mark Dillen, Public Diplomacy -- The World Affairs Blog Network, Foreign Policy Association: “The Amerika Haus in Berlin, a symbol of U.S.-government public diplomacy throughout the Cold War, has been quietly resurrected by a German-American not-for-profit to serve as a venue for America-related events in the German capital. … [T]he State Department during the 1990s abandoned nearly all cultural centers, libraries and high visibility cultural events as forms of cultural or public diplomacy. Motives and rationales ranged from security concerns to austerity budgets to a conviction that new Internet media should be the focus of government-funded outreach to foreign publics. The merits of such a wholesale abandonment of the most 'public' part of public diplomacy have been discussed (and properly criticized) elsewhere. Other governments (e.g., Germany’s) have also cut back their own foreign cultural work, so this is not just an American phenomenon. But the success — at long odds — of NGO efforts to fill part of the void in American overseas cultural programming should cause policy makers to re-examine certain assumptions. Foreign TV broadcasters and cinemas may be avid consumers of commercial U.S. cultural products, but they are no substitute for the positive impact that directed cultural programs can have.”

Before she douses any flames, she should douse any misinformation about US international broadcasting - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: Re the presentation of Foreign Service officer Dana Shell Smith on public diplomacy at the University of Delaware: “I hope that Shell Smith has been sufficiently briefed to know that Radio Sawa and Alhurra are not State Department public diplomacy ‘tools,’ but autonomous news organizations under a separate entity, the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The Secretary of State has one seat on the BBG, but is not its CEO.”

The audacity of VOA to report the news - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy:
“VOA is not chartered to help America's image, but to provide news to places where that news is, domestically, deficient.” Image from

VOA reaches North Korea via new South Korean medium wave rebroadcast - Kim Andrew Elliott Discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Salah ad-Din Medical Press Conference - Video by Senior Airman Lucas Morrow, Joint Combat Camera Center IraqTikrit, IQ: “B-roll of Public Diplomacy for the Salah ad-Din Provincial Reconstruction Team holding a press conference over past, present, and future Iraqi medical issues and solutions on Mar. 17, 2009 at Contingency Operating Base Speicher in Tikrit, Iraq. … The first speaker is Brett Bruen, Provincial Reconstruction Team, Public Diplomacy Team Lead for Salah ad-Din.”

Contrary to Popular Belief, I Am Not Dead… - dtearl, Softer Power:

“Anyway, I’ve been spending the last few days pondering Softer Power, and there are a few posts due in the pipeline. I’ve got some things to share RE: social media, public diplomacy (including the imminent nomination of Judith McHale and the delay in nominating her), and the possible end of newspapers.” Image from

Cart-Horse, Chicken-Egg, ? – Jameson, Perspectives on Public Diplomacy: "Who are the publics U.S. PD needs to address? What are the means of addressing the public(s) effectively? … According to Internet usage statistics compiled by some likewise reputable institutions, you can take a different slant on Internet penetration. … [B]logs matter, and revisit the point of the short paragraph above, anything that anyone can do with a computer matters.”

The most important aspect of New Diplomacy following the seminars 5 & 7. – Celda, The New Diplomacy: The Reflective Blogs of the Students on the New Diplomacy Module at London Metropolitan University: “In my opinion the most important aspects of the new diplomacy is multilateral diplomacy, where more than two states are involved in negotiations, and the public diplomacy-soft power the citizens as well as the media play a greater role.”

Push to sell French culture – Straight Times: “France … launched a drive to sell its culture abroad with a new French Institute modeled after Germany's Goethe Institute or the British Council. The 'Institut Francais' will showcase French cultural products and promote the French language in cities worldwide, replacing the myriad of cultural centres that have mushroomed over the years. The Alliance Francaise, which offers language courses, will remain, but Culture France, which promotes cultural events, will be scrapped. The new institute will have a budget of S$81 million (40 million euros) and a study group is to present a report in the coming months detailing its mission.” Image from

Le pari culturel de la diplomatie française: Bernard Kouchner présente mercredi une réforme de l'action culturelle extérieure dont les moyens seront regroupés au sein d'un seul organisme - Alain Barluet, Figaro (3/25): «Tous les intervenants de la diplomatie culturelle bénéficieront en effet d'une appellation unique, celle de la nouvelle agence baptisée Institut français , souligne Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, un des principaux artisans du projet d'Institut français. Les 220 Alliances françaises dans le monde, organismes de droit local, n'en feront pas partie. De même que l'Agence de l'enseignement français à l'étranger (AEFE) qui gère les lycées français. À Paris néanmoins, tous les de la diplomatie culturelle seront installés en un même lieu, qui reste à trouver. … [L]a France, pionnière pour 'exporter' sa culture, est désormais soumise à rude concurrence. … L'influence, la (diplomatie de l'intelligence), est devenue l'un des nerfs vitaux des Affaires étrangères. À la tête du département d'État américain, Hillary Clinton l'a érigée d'emblée en priorité. Dès lors, il devient nécessaire, pour Paris, de rester dans la course. … Les lignes qui seront présentées aujourd'hui par Bernard Kouchner sont susceptibles de bouger. Car d'importantes zones de flou demeurent sur l'avenir de notre diplomatie culturelle, résultantes de résistances de fond et de rivalités de personnes.» Image from; caption of image: Washington: President Kennedy chats with French Minister of Culture André Malraux as they pose with their wives for photographers prior to a dinner in honor of Malraux at the White House tonight.

Shen Wei in Syracuse: Olympic choreographer's residency will be a template - Nancy Keefe Rhodes, cny.link: “[Shen Wei’s] September Landmark performances will be accompanied by an event related to cultural diplomacy, in collaboration with SU’s Maxwell School. "

Rebirth of Cultural Diplomacy: Vietnam pushes forward with Cultural Diplomacy Renaissance - Jeremy Faulkner, Cultural Diplomacy News: “Vietnam has begun a renaissance in cultural diplomacy events, guided by the Vietnamese government’s proclamation of 2009 as 'The Year of Cultural Diplomacy.' Vietnam has a calendar filled with cultural diplomacy events, and lots of energy has been devoted to examining what cultural diplomacy is. Vietnam does not wield the powerful cultural-promotion machines that France and the United States do, but Vietnam is surely taking note of these examples and is trying to promote its own cultural resources abroad.”

Theatre for all - Alejandro R. Roces, The Philippine Star: “We are pleased that Tourism, Education and Social Welfare concerns with cultural diplomacy have been synergized by the NCCA [National Commission for Culture and the Arts] under the leadership of its Chairman Dr. Vilma Labrador and Executive Director Cecile Guidote-Alvarez in pursuing the President’s directive to harness culture in an agenda for employment enhancement, human rights education and moral reform. It is also laudable that World Theatre Day in March now serves as an appropriate occasion in giving recognition to culture-friendly local government officials, media organizations as well as outstanding artists who have exemplified golden years of service to the nation through their art manifesting compassion and concern for the advancement of the welfare of the cultural community.” Iamge from

Painter pays tribute to years in Paris - Viet Nam News: “HA NOI — An exhibition entitled Paris – Athens, by the well-known Greek artist Pavlos Samios, has opened at the French Cultural Centre, L’Espace, on Trang Tien Street in Ha Noi to mark Greek National Day in the year of Cultural Diplomacy 2009.”

On the Move - Sheila Toomey, Anchorage Daily News: “Bernholz and Graham, a well-known local PR agency, is being bought by Jennifer Thompson, who currently handles the firm's day-to-day operations for Mike Porcaro, who bought it in 2001 from co-founder Robbie Graham. The sale is effective April 1. Graham is going to stick around a while, says a press release, but has already moved into a field called ‘public diplomacy,’ which appears to be soft-sell international messaging. (Aren't we allowed to call it propaganda anymore? Or schmoozing?).” Image from

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World Reactions to Obama Plan for Afghanistan - Juan Cole, Informed Comment Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion. Image from

Obama Will Face a Defiant World on Foreign Visit - Helene Cooper, New York Times: Despite his immense popularity around the world, Mr. Obama will confront resentment over American-style capitalism and resistance to his economic prescriptions when he lands in London on Tuesday for the Group of 20 summit meeting of industrial and emerging market nations plus the European Union.

Obama's uphill climb at the G-20 summit: The president was once Europe's darling. Now he'll find that the global economic crisis has changed everything - Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times

No Givens As Obama Steps Onto World Stage - Michael D. Shear, Washington Post: After 69 days in which international issues have taken a back seat to attempts to rescue the economy at home, President Obama takes the world stage this week as a wildly popular figure among the people of Europe, but one who faces a difficult task in selling his plans to the continent's leaders.

America's Way on Trial - Jim Hoagland, Washington Post: Today's global economic collapse is convincing European and Asian nations that management of the dollar is too important to be left to the Americans.

Spanish Court Weighs Inquiry on Torture for 6 Bush-Era Officials - Marlise Simons, New York Times: A Spanish court has taken the first steps toward opening a criminal investigation into allegations that six former high-level Bush administration officials violated international law by providing the legal framework to justify the torture of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, an official close to the case said.

Exorcising the torture demon – Editorial, Boston Globe: The use of torture authorized by President Bush left a stain on America's reputation, produced dubious intelligence, and may have played into the hands of Osama bin Laden and like-minded fanatics. The purpose of an inquiry into these issues should not be to criminally indict CIA officers or mid-level government officials; they were acting under authority granted them by a commander in chief. The purpose should be to demonstrate that American democracy is capable of correcting its worst errors. Image from

The Big Idea: Want to Fight Terrorists? Try Mocking Them - Carlos Lozada, Washington Post: Make al-Qaeda boring

A new season in Iran relations - Pirouz Mojtahedzadeh and Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, Boston Globe: With the right mix of policies by both sides, the spell of hostility can be broken.

Syria Calling: The Obama Administration’s chance to engage in a Middle East peace - Seymour M. Hersh, New Yorker: American and foreign government officials, intelligence officers, diplomats, and politicians said in interviews that renewed Israeli-Syrian negotiations over the Golan Heights are now highly likely. Those talks would depend largely on America’s willingness to act as the mediator, a role that could offer Barack Obama his first—and perhaps best—chance for engagement in the Middle East peace process. Image from

War comes closer to home: Security issues to our south more pressing than Afghanistan - Georgie Anne Geyer, Washington Times: We remain painfully and wholly unnecessarily committed in Iraq and even Afghanistan, which should have been a police/intelligence action instead of an all-out war against a shadowy and imprecise enemy. Right on our border, we are in a war that is no longer either shadowy or imprecise.

The Southern Colony [Review of In The Shadow of a Giant: The Americanization Of Modern Mexico by Joseph Contreras] - Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post

Look to Beijing - Zachary Karabell, Washington Post: Continued prosperity requires the United States to share the global stage with China.

Olympius Inferno: Movie on war in South Ossetia hits Russian screen – Russia Today: The ‘Olympius Inferno’ movie tells a story of a young scientist searching for a unique butterfly he hopes to film. Instead, he ends up shooting pictures of a very different kind – the first scenes of Georgia’s military action against South Ossetia. Even before hitting the big screen, ‘Olympius Inferno’ has been criticised and labeled as propaganda. But the movie's director is untroubled.

Religion News: Former North Korean Propaganda Officer Now Spreads Message of Christ - christiansunite.com: Kim Sung Min, a former propaganda officer for the North Korean Army, is now fighting for the freedom and faith of his home country.

The Voice of the Martyrs invites you to attend a special conference in Mississauga, Ontario on March 28 and Edmonton, Alberta on April 4 to hear Mr. Kim's harrowing story of escape from North Korea. Image from