June 1

"We were saying only three were killed, when it was 90, and we finally admitted that yeah, OK, it was 33. Those were the bad old days, when we were not getting in there and checking stuff out.''

--U.S. Brig.-Gen. Michael Ryan, the new director of strategic effects for all coalition forces in Afghanistan; image from

"You've all heard of strategic communications … it used to be called 'psyops,' and before that, 'propaganda.' Well, the United States is about to unroll a major stratcom initiative. We cannot let men on motorcycles and flatbed trucks win the information war."

--A high-ranking U.S. official, holding an off-the-record briefing for journalists in Kabul last month.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

VOA in Iran – Joan Mower, VOA Public Relations:

"VOA is not in the image-building business -- we're in the news and information business!" Mower image from her blog

GAO Report on Public Diplomacy Creates Opportunity for Nonprofits to Show Benefits of International Programs - Suraj Sazawal, OMB Watch: "The report … notes lack of engagement with the U.S. private sector. 'In 2003 and 2005, we recommended the Secretary of State develop a strategy to engage with the private sector in pursuit of common public diplomacy objectives to help ensure private sector resources, talents and ideas are effectively utilized in support of U.S. strategic communications.' [p.22] It continues that these efforts have "not yielded significant results' and then poses related oversight questions for Congress, including, 'What are State's plans for future engagement with the private sector? When will State develop a strategy for engagement as recommended by GAO?'"

Reading the Fine Print – John Brown, Notes and Essays: "Recent news reports that the Obama administration had announced the establishment of a new 'Global Engagement Directorate' caused something of a stir among public diplomacy bloggers. … One small detail, however, which the … commenters seem to have overlooked. The White House announcement, in fact, says nothing about public diplomacy as such. Here's the pertinent text from the announcement: 'Creating a new Global Engagement Directorate to drive comprehensive engagement policies that leverage diplomacy, communications, international development and assistance, and domestic engagement and outreach in pursuit of a host of national security objectives, including those related to homeland security.' Comment by Nick Cull: "I suspect the reason that the administration is not using the term 'public diplomacy' is because they see that term as 'too Bush'.” Image from

Beacons - missmartha, Peut-Etre: "As I work in International Exchange administering programs under the auspice of the Department of State, Hillary Clinton's actions and global experience will greatly impact my day to day. Here is an snippet from a speach [sic] that she gave recently that excited me and really put into perspective the public diplomacy part of my job that I cherish most: Speaking at the New York University commencement ceremony on Wednesday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urged the 2009 graduating class to become citizen diplomats and to open themselves up to 'this increasingly complex and interconnected world.' Clinton spent a significant portion of her speech emphasizing that 'lay[ing] the groundwork…for global cooperation' begins with international exchange. Her remarks included such specific proposals as increasing funding for Gilman scholarships by more than 40 per cent, streamlining the visa process for international students, and creating Virtual Student Foreign Service Internships at the State Department 'to harness the energy of a rising generation of citizen diplomats.'” Image from

TYO applauds new Undersec McHale for Public Diplomacy emphasis - Tomorrow's Youth Organization [TYO]: "Judith McHale addressed the Senate Foreign Relations committee following her appointment as Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs [Undersecretary McHale was confirmed on May 26, 2009.]. Given the recent arrival of TYO’s summer interns from the US, we wanted to share her comments, which so eloquently presented the philosophy behind TYO’s internship program." McHale image from

Danish Akhtar awarded U.S. exchange and study programme - AMU [Aligarh Muslim University]: "A fourteen years old student of Aligarh Muslim University City High School, named Danish Akhtar has been selected for academic trip to the United States under the US Embassy Access Programme.

This Program is a high profile, public diplomacy initiative that contributes to education and mutual understanding with host countries." Image from

Diplomats told to take offensive in PR war against Iran - Barak Ravid, Haaretz, posted on Iran Quest: “'We decided to move from defense to offense,' a senior Foreign Ministry official said, explaining the decision to broaden Israel’s public diplomacy campaign against Iran to showcase other issues, such as human rights violations, instead of focusing solely on Iran’s nuclear program. 'We need to show the world who the real Iran is and make sure that the presidential election does not create the illusion that it is a Jeffersonian democracy.'” Image from

Fact: 75-90% of war deaths in the 1990s were civilian victims - Vox Nova: "Comment by Gerald L. Campbell … It is important to note that the Grand Strategy adopted by Eisenhower during the first month or so of his Administration relegated military power to a defensive posture (containment). The offensive arm of U.S. Grand Strategy was to be an aggressive information program (public diplomacy) aimed at engaging the Soviet Union in a 'contest of ideas', not a 'war of machines.' … To institutionalize this effort, Eisenhower asked Congress to create the United States Information Agency.

This Congress did in August 1953, four months after Eisenhower assumed office. I was Senior Advisor to the Director of USIA through the Reagan/Bush years until the final collapse of the Soviet Union and shortly thereafter. USIA, armed with programs as diverse as the Voice of America, the Fulbright Scholarship program, the International Visitors Program, a global network of American libraries and cultural centers, and so forth (155 initiatives in all), the United States set about to influence ‘hearts and minds.’ In the interval since 1990, the United States has had neither a Grand Strategy nor a foreign policy worthy of a great power. Public diplomacy has deteriorated and made to languish as an advertising agency whose hapless task is to promote corrupt policies." Image from

"Is this British or American?! Where's the word 'color'?" - Andrew Kaczmarek, Becky's blog: "Hey Friends, … Anyway, the Embassy was great. I was very much not looking forward to it because I felt I had just done it a few months ago in Kenya, but this one was much more geared to PR which was awesome and the security was only half as intense (I am sure no one in my program here would believe that, but seriously). We met with a few guys worked in Public Diplomacy which was great. Including a man who used to work in Detroit (!!!) as a newscaster for CBS."

Kingdom of Compton, PD UCLA & Beach BBQ - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "A band from the crosstown rivals from UCLA asked the USC revelers if they could partake in Prometheus' gift, to which Don Pablo Quijote pushed for good public diplomacy gesture and peace offer to the foes, and demanded that the elements be shared, but not before proper tribute was paid in the form of pallets and marshmallow smores. Good public diplomacy indeed to rivals in need." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Afghan hearts and minds: Is the U.S. military all talk? - Jean MacKenzie, MinnPost.com: Welcome to the Battle for Afghan Hearts and Minds, where — using the language of strategic communications, or "stratcom" — combat becomes "kinetics," an accidental shooting becomes an "escalation of force" and assassination squads are known as "counterinsurgency operations." In this world, the message is king, and reality is fungible. Clearly discernible in every briefing, interview or conversation with a military official is the stated policy of the U.S. administration.

Army Deploys Old Tactic in PR War - Michael M. Phillips, Wall Street Journal: In recent months, the U.S. command in Afghanistan has begun publicizing every single enemy fighter killed in combat, the most detailed body counts the military has released since the practice fell into disrepute during the Vietnam War.

"Recording an ongoing body count is hardly going to endear us to the people of Afghanistan," says British Royal Navy Capt. Mark Durkin, spokesman for the 42-nation, NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, or ISAF. U.S. Army public-affairs officers routinely release body counts for fights involving the 17,000 special-operations troops, Air Force crew members and U.S. trainers in Afghanistan, a force led by an American general. Image from

NATO moves to counter Taliban propaganda machine - Brian Hutchinson, Canwest News Service

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