"Hollywood and MTV have done more to promote the idea of America as a desirable and admirable society

--Former United Nations Under-Secretary-General Shashi Tharoor; image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
The Academy vs. the Ayatollahs - Mike Medavoy & Nathan Gardels, The Wrap: "[T]raditional public and cultural diplomacy, which is aimed at persuading foreign publics of America's merits, should be inverted.

World to US: The more we know, the less we like you - Shawn Powers, Intermap: “Last week, Gallup released its findings from a 2008 survey of 4349 adults around the world and reported that there was an inverse relationship between the level of access people have to communications infrastructures and their approval of U.S. leadership.

Iran Issue No. 1: It Should be Human Rights, Not Nuclear Weapons - Mariam Memarsadeghi and Akbar Atri, Washington Post: “The administration should be clear in any discussions and its public diplomacy that it expects Iran to hold free and fair elections, with no candidate disqualified.”
Asia-Pacific Strategy - Ralph A. Cossa and Brad Glosserman, Korea Times:

METROPOLIS NOW! A Selection of Chinese Contemporary Art Opens at Meridian International Center March 25 - PRNewswire-USNewswire: "The following is being released by Meridian International Center: Meridian International Center, in partnership with the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing, and the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Washington, DC will open METROPOLIS NOW! A Selection of Chinese Contemporary Art at Meridian International Center on March 25, 2009. … The journey of METROPOLIS NOW! began when the Embassy of China reached out to Meridian as a project partner for the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations because of its distinguished Art for Cultural Diplomacy program, as well as its history of collaboration with China on artistic, professional, and cultural exchanges.“
Bellas Artes: Chelsea Art Galleries visit Havana – Jeremy Faulkner, Cultural Diplomacy News:

Legendary regional and international artists, collectors, curators and filmmakers unite for Art Dubais Global Art Forum_3 – Press release, Eye of Dubai: “Day three, 19th March, is hosted by ADACH (Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage). The programme will focus on key issues that are driving the projects of the Authority forward starting with Contemporary Culture and Living Tradition. The mission of ADACH is Cultural Diplomacy from the Perspective of the Arab World as a Constructive Conversation with the West.”

Vietnam House in Germany marks 1st anniversary: VIETHaus, a center in Berlin designed to promote Vietnam’s trade, investment, culture and tourism in Germany, celebrated a year of operations on March 7 - SGGP: “The chairman of the VIETHaus - AG Company, Nguyen Xuan Hung, highlighted the centre’s achievements over the past year. … He added that the centre is planning to host a wide range of activities in the coming time, particularly when Vietnam focuses on cultural diplomacy this year, and marks 35 years of diplomatic ties with Germany and the 1,000th founding anniversary of Hanoi in 2010. Vietnam House in Berlin." (Photo: Tuong Thuy)
Terrorism: How we should be handling the situation - David Cios, Research Papers: “Our total defense budget is about 515.4 billion dollars, and of that fortune, only 1.3 billion is dedicated to public diplomacy costs, and of that, only about 150 million dollars were spent in the past on Muslim majority countries. This is certainly no way to wage a war of ideas, and it is the main reason we have remained unsuccessful in that area so far. If we have any hope to reach a long term success in this war on terror, we must shift our focus from short term solutions to long term ones; we must change our main method of fighting from using aggression to battling peacefully.”
Taxpayers will fund W's asinine "policy institute"? - TPM: “Very offensively, Bush and SMU plan for their loser establishment to be a living policy ‘institute.’ …

Philly OA Study Group 1 - Mutedstep: “Just had my first study session with other Foreign Service Officer candidates. It was my first time organizing one, so I didn't know what to expect. Fortunately, everything went well and it was very productive! The four of us (randyloafer, chellabella, athicks, and me) all come very different backgrounds and walks of life. Two of us are management cones, one is political, and one is public diplomacy. We met online through the FSOA Yahoo Group, and all of us are taking the Oral Assessment for the first time.”
RELATED ITEMS
All You Need Is Diplomacy: Hillary Clinton's world tour - James Rosen, Weekly Standard:

America's Imperial Foreign Policy - Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post: The problem with American foreign policy goes beyond George Bush. It includes a Washington establishment that has gotten comfortable with theexercise of American hegemony and treats compromise as treason andnegotiations as appeasement.
Clean Up Time at Foggy Bottom? - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: Akin to the deregulation of American’s financial institutions, the antiquated, opaque, and overly hierarchical system which governs this country’s diplomatic corps has more than run its course. The problems are now widespread. The U.S. deserves better. An impartial outside investigation is where to start. The time is now.
Obama starts well with Muslims but must do more: He has to follow up with real engagement - Lawrence Pintak, Christian Science Monitor:

Where are Africa's Obamas? The president's fairness and honesty should serve as a powerful example to the continent's leaders - Wangari Maathai, Los Angeles Times
The Kremlin's Propaganda Ministry - Yevgeny Gontmakher, Moscow Times: Officially, Russia doesn't have an propaganda ministry. Nonetheless, we are still seeing a Soviet-like government propaganda machine that manipulates people's consciousness and public opinion.
Poll: Iraqis feel upbeat about their future, say they are less concerned about violence - Meera Selva, Associated Press, Baltimore Sun: Iraqis are more upbeat about their future and less concerned about violence and insecurity, according to a poll released Monday. The survey conducted by broadcasters ABC, BBC and NHK shows that 21 percent of Iraqis feel their life is very good compared with 13 percent in March 2008. Iraqis are also still unhappy with the way the U.S. and coalition forces have carried out their responsibilities in Iraq, with 69 percent saying they have done quite a bad job or a very bad job -- similar to the 70 percent last year.
Pakistan in Turmoil - Barbara Crossette, Nation: The political confrontation in Pakistan poses multiple problems for the United States.
The Israeli-Arab War Online - Ethan Pack, Antiwar.com: Alongside the digitally reinforced hostilities, traces of common interest are breaking through Arab and Israeli new media.

Freeman and the Coming War on Iran - Juan Cole, Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion: The Israel lobbies and the Neoconservative element among them in particular want the US to do to Iran what it did to Iraq, i.e. attack it, put it to the flames, and break its legs for decades to come.
Obama's "new" enemy combatant policy disappoints - Glenn Greenwald, Salon: So far

US Torture: Voices from the Black Sites - Mark Danner, New York Review of Books: Guided by the President and his closest advisers, the United States transformed itself from a country that, officially at least, condemned torture to a country that practiced it.
Europe’s Hedging on Inmates Clouds Guantánamo Plans - William Glaberson and Steven Erlanger, New York Times: Some countries have begun raising questions about the risks and requirements if they accept prisoners.
Obama's missile test – Editorial, Boston Globe: Only in direct, give-and-take negotiations can North Korea be persuaded to close down its missile and nuclear programs.
The world's great genocide test - Nat Hentoff, Washington Times: George W. Bush was the first head of state to call the Sudan holocaust genocide. But it continued, and grew. Barack Obama's administration is "urgently" reviewing what should be done. We'll see.
Condoleezza Rice, This is Your Life! - Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog I STILL keep track of Condoleezza's hairdo so you don't have to: PHOTO: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, left, who is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, greets former Secretary of State George Shultz, right, before her talk to an economic summit at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday, March 13, 2009.

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