
--Bertrand Russell; Russell image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
The Revolution Will Be Twittered - Marc Ambinder, Atlantic: "In some ways, the public attention (and activist attention) being given to the Iranian opposition may complicate the administration's public diplomacy efforts.

Hey Obama, send ACORN to Iran and steal another one - Obambi.com: "[S]ome analysts said it is clear that Obama’s approach to the Middle East and the larger Islamic world is having an impact – or will in time. But that belief is not universal. Other analysts say Obama’s effect on the elections in Iran and Lebanon, if there was one, was minor given the waves of domestic dissatisfaction in those countries. … 'It will be a blow for Obama if Ahmadinejad wins, because it will make it much more difficult, just as a matter of public diplomacy, to be sitting beside a Holocaust denier and semi-lunatic,' said Abbas Milani, director of the Iranian studies program at Stanford. 'But I think Iranians are going to want whoever (wins) to negotiate with Obama.'”
Obama’s Iran Puzzle - Ramzy Baroud, Khaleej Times:

People power in Iran - Calgary Herald: "It is widely alleged that the outcome of Friday's presidential election in Iran was swayed by polling irregularities and while there is precious little that the outside world can do directly, there is plenty of scope for focused public diplomacy to let aggrieved Iranians know that the apparent injustice has not gone unnoticed."
H.R. 2410: Public Diplomacy Takes Center Stage – Diplopundit: "TITLE II Subtitle B—Authorizes the Secretary of State (Secretary) to establish in the Foreign Service a Public Diplomacy Reserve Corps consisting of mid- and senior-level former Foreign Service officers and other individuals to serve for a period of six months to two years abroad. It provides for the enhancement of U.S. diplomatic outreach, including:

Texas veterans denounce Texas Monthly’s attack on Rep. Flores for fighting for disabled war heroes - Edinburg Politics: "The Foreign Relations Authorization Act (HR 2410) passed the House late June 11 by a vote of 298-119 and supports a wide range of U.S. national security goals. It authorizes resources necessary to diplomacy efforts abroad and supports the President’s request to close a 'diplomacy gap' in overseas posts. It also provides a significant number of resources for public diplomacy officers, arms control experts and counterterrorism specialists."
What Do Iranians Want? - Jeffrey Gedmin, Washington Post: "What are the preferences of most Iranians? It's hard to know. We [RFE/RL] subcontract to a polling group in a neighboring country to find out how many people listen to Radio Farda. In one recent survey, we determined our audience size to be 2.5 percent of an estimated 50 million adult listeners in Iran.

House bill includes permanent authority for RFA - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: "Radio Free Asia is a very good international radio station, with dedicated employees.

A (R)Evolution in Public Affairs at the Defense Department? - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "As I wrote over a week ago, Price Floyd, formerly of (wait for it) the Center for a New American Security (surprise!), is the new Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (P-DASD) for Public Affairs. Price has a deep appreciation for proactive public diplomacy."
Let the “War on Terror” RIP Please - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "The Bush administration’s War on Terror? [Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs] James Glassman’s War of Ideas? These paranoid, fear-evoking words are gone: quietly tossed out the back door of the White House like yesterday’s paper napkins."
Middle East Update - Hadassah Southern California Blog:

KMT plans to purge democracy out of TDF – Editorial, Taiwan News: "The exposure of plans by President Ma Ying-jeou's right-wing Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) government to purge the Taiwan Democracy Foundation starkly confirms the accelerating 'convergence' of Taiwan's human rights standards with the authoritarian People's Republic of China under restored KMT rule. During its six years, the TDF has built an enviable reputation in public diplomacy by engaging wide range of research and educational activities to promote Asian democracy and human rights awareness and by participating actively in the global promotion of democracy and improvement of human rights."
A startling reality – Volunteering in the slums of Buenos Aires - Megan’s Buenos Aires Blog:

Former U.S. Ambassador Training as Backup for Space Tourism Flight - Doug Messier, Parabolic Arc: "Today, Space Adventures, Ltd., the only company that provides human space missions to the world marketplace, announced that Barbara Barrett is currently training as the back-up crew member alongside orbital spaceflight candidate Guy Laliberte, who is preparing for the Soyuz TMA-16 flight to the International Space Station (ISS). … Barrett was … Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy."
RELATED ITEMS
Obama's Message to Iran - David Ignatius, Washington Post:

Obama's choice is not to choose on Iran: The president has an opportunity to stand up for democracy - Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times: Do it, President Obama, please. Take the side of democracy.
What now on Iran? Though the validity of its presidential election is in doubt, a hard-line stance by the U.S. seems counterproductive – Editorial, Los Angeles Times
Iranian election uprising: Twitter tracks it real-time, Iranian bloggers evade 'Net Censorship – Boing Boing
The Revolution Will Be Twittered - benyehudah08, A Thousand Words, The Virtual Medinat Yehudah:

Social Networks Spread Iranian Defiance Online – Brad Stone and Noam Cohen, New York Times
Iranian political strife sparks limited cyber-warfare - Kevin Spiess, Neoseeker: internet mass-communication tools have empowered the Iranian protesters means of organization, and counter-propaganda efforts. It'll be interesting to see how the hard line, right-wing government of President Ahmadinejad will attempt to stymie this advantage if it manages to retain power.
Drop iPods, not bombs! – Evgeny Morozov, Foreign Affairs
DDOS attacks on Iran's web-sites: what a stupid idea! - Evgeny Morozov, Foreign Affairs: If you want to help Iran, go organize a protest near the Iranian consulate in your city or send money to some independent online news agency - this, at least, will do no harm, unlike DDOS.
Iran state TV using Fox News footage for propaganda - Scarce, Daily Kos
Afghan Tragedy: Obama’s Afghan war, the U.S. media, and the United Nations: the new metric of civilian casualties - Marc W. Herold, Frontline:

A Home for the Uighurs: America's allies help Muslims from China emerge from an injust imprisonment. Why isn't the U.S. stepping up? – Editorial, Washington Post
1 comment:
Iran Council certifies the victory and UN congratulates Ahmadinejad, despite massive opposition protests. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad keeps power but loses legitimacy. For the Iranian people, Keep hope alive, Hope begins in the Dark.
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