
--From: "The portrait of Vladimir Putin as a woman which got artist arrested by secret service" by Will Stewart, Daily Mail; courtesy MP
"Sometimes it really ain't about us."
--Matt Welch, writing about the US role in events in the Middle East
"We don't engage in soft power or smart power because we're humanitarian, but because of cold calculation of our national security."
--Richard Armitage, former U.S. deputy secretary of state
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
New Middle East Events Prove it

H.R. 2410: A New Multilateral

06/17/09 - Committee on Foreign Affairs (Washington, DC) - TV Marti: An Idea Whose Time Has Come and Gone Statement of Philip Peters Vice President, Lexington Institute Before the Subcommittee on International Organizations, Human Rights and Oversight Committee on Foreign Affairs U.S. House of Representatives - Cuba - L Direct News Service - "Mr. Chairman, members of the Subcommittee: I appreciate the opportunity to join you today to discuss TV Marti

VOL. V NO. 13, June 05-June 18, 2009 – The Layalina Review on Public Diplomacy and Arab Media:
"McHale Addresses Security Issues: After two weeks in office, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith McHale, speaks for students from the YES program and receives mixed reviews from the blog world.
Obama Establishes New Boundaries: Many consider Obama’s speech in Cairo to be a victory in public diplomacy since Obama laid the foundation for an ongoing dialogue between the US and the Muslim world. The White House employed new media to further continue the conversation initiated by the speech.
Satellite TV Expands in the Mideast: Pan Arab free to air satellite television continues to rapidly expand in the Middle East, facilitating better information and a freer environment.
Iraqi Media Struggles with Propaganda: Despite an environment free of the restrictions imposed under the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the media in Iraq still faces major challenges hindering freedom of expression and often bordering with propaganda.
Religious TV Spurs Tensions: As religious channels are enjoying some popularity in the Middle East, they often tend to reflect political tensions when they do not actually encourage sectarian conflicts.
Iran Bans Media Coverage: Since the elections the Iranian government has increased its efforts to curb the flow of information. The government has slowed the speed of the Internet, limited access to websites and has banned foreign media from reporting in the streets.
Obama Establishes New Boundaries: Many consider Obama’s speech in Cairo to be a victory in public diplomacy since Obama laid the foundation for an ongoing dialogue between the US and the Muslim world. The White House employed new media to further continue the conversation initiated by the speech.
Satellite TV Expands in the Mideast: Pan Arab free to air satellite television continues to rapidly expand in the Middle East, facilitating better information and a freer environment.
Iraqi Media Struggles with Propaganda: Despite an environment free of the restrictions imposed under the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, the media in Iraq still faces major challenges hindering freedom of expression and often bordering with propaganda.
Religious TV Spurs Tensions: As religious channels are enjoying some popularity in the Middle East, they often tend to reflect political tensions when they do not actually encourage sectarian conflicts.
Iran Bans Media Coverage: Since the elections the Iranian government has increased its efforts to curb the flow of information. The government has slowed the speed of the Internet, limited access to websites and has banned foreign media from reporting in the streets.

Cinema Re-opens in Saudi Arabia after Three Decades: Saudi cinema re-opened for the first time in three decades as the Saudi film, 'Menahi' screened in theaters. Although there were minor protests at the premiere by religious conservatives, many Saudis see the re-opening of the cinema as an important in the progress of Saudi society and culture.
Arab Press Skeptical of Obama’s Speech: As President Obama delivered a speech in Cairo addressing Arab populations and reiterating a new engagement with the Muslim world, the Arab press welcomes his words with a mix of skepticism and enthusiasm.
Obama’s Speech in Cairo Reflects a New Direction of US Foreign Policy: President Obama’s speech in Cairo reflects current aims of the new administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East and suggests that US policy will take a new direction."
Image from
Twittering; or, where are the Emily Dickinsons at the State Department? - John Brown, Huffington Post: "The State Department is (at least officially) gung-ho about using Twitter to help ensure that its 'public diplomacy' (engaging, informing, and influencing key international audiences) can communicate in the 21st century. ... Foggy Bottom does need a few good Emily Dickinsons. Maybe then its twittering might work."
Re-branding America As A World Destination - Nellie Day, NuWire Investor: "While America still represents some of the world’s most loved brands,

Both Japan, U.S. must improve their 'soft power': experts - Mariko Kato, Japan Times: "'I'm afraid that the U.S., and sometimes rightly so, is accused of confusing public diplomacy with loud speech,' Armitage [Richard Armitage, former U.S. deputy secretary of state] said, explaining that Japan has the opposite problem. 'For far too long, Japan has spoken too softly,' for example in lauding its humanitarian efforts," he said.
Tsvangirai newsletter:

An International Economic Forum under the Hanse days- 29 in Novgorod - Russia IC: "An International Economic forum begins today in Novgorod under the Hanse days, an annual complex of the different measures, which happens for the 29th time now. More than 250 mayors of Russian and North-European cities, businessmen and diplomatic officials have come to participate. The source of information is the administration of the Novgorod region. … The ideology of the contemporary Hanse is maintaining tolerance, developing of the international co-operation through the education, tourism and public diplomacy."
Vladivostok is the First Sister Town of Wonsan, North Korea - Vostok-Media:

Commission out of Azerbaijani and Armenian intelligentsia offered to form - Trend News Agency: "The Union of Azerbaijani Intelligentsia considers it possible to create a joint commission out of Azerbaijani and Armenian intelligentsia or the Union of Elders for implementation of public diplomacy in the solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem."
Filmmaker Jennifer Taylor: “There are so many things that surprised me” – altmuslim comment: "Filmmaker Jennifer Taylor gives some insight into the people at the heart of her documentary film 'New Muslim Cool',

Hilary Scott creates the stuff an imaginary museum curator would collect - Wicked Local Somerville: “'Beyond Belief: The Curious Collection of Professor Rufus Excalibur Bell …' [is] a new exhibition opening Saturday, June 20 . … Although Bell is an imaginary character, the dragons, gargoyles and myriad of fantastic creatures he’s 'discovered' come alive through the talents of Somerville artist Hilary Scott. … An academic by training, he [Scott] taught international relations for Tufts University. He has a doctorate in international law and is the recipient of several postgraduate fellowships in public diplomacy and security studies."
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Iran Leader's Top Aide Warns U.S. on Meddling
- Thomas Erdbrink, Washington Post
A Different

Fragile at the Core – David Brooks, New York Times: There is no formula for undermining a decrepit regime. And there are no circumstances in which the United States has been able to peacefully play a leading role in another nation’s revolution. But there are many tools this nation has used to support indigenous democrats: independent media, technical advice, economic and cultural sanctions, presidential visits for key dissidents, the unapologetic embrace of democratic values, the unapologetic condemnation of the regime’s barbarities.
'No Comment' Is Not an Option - Paul Wolfowitz, Washington Post: Like the rest of the world, President Obama must have been surprised by the magnitude of the protests in Iran.

Hope and Change -- but Not for Iran - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post: And where is our president? Afraid of "meddling." Afraid to take sides between the head-breaking, women-shackling exporters of terror -- and the people in the street yearning to breathe free. This from a president who fancies himself the restorer of America's moral standing in the world.
Whose Side Are We On? You Have to Ask? With Twitter's help, the youth of Iran take on the ayatollahs – Peggy Nooman, Wall Street Journal: Iranians on the street made sure they got their Twitter reports and videos here. They trust us to spread the word through our technology. A lot of the signs they held were in English. They trust us to be for change and to advance their cause, and they're right to trust us.
This Is for Real

U.S. Pursues a New Way To Rebuild in Afghanistan - Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post: Members of Obama’s national security team have concluded that the country requires not just more money and personnel for reconstruction but also a fundamental overhaul of the U.S. approach to development. They want to implement broad-based initiatives aimed at improving the lives of as many Afghans as possible, shifting away from an approach employed during the Bush presidency that focused on generating discrete "success stories" and creating long-term economic sustainability through free-market reform.
In Afghanistan, halting civilian deaths in strikes is a tough mission: The U.S. has made the goal a top priority. But the nature of the war calls for split-second life-or-death decisions, almost guaranteeing more accidental casualties - David Zucchino, Los Angeles Times: Air Force commanders and pilots say they have not been given new procedures as a result of the renewed focus on civilian deaths. But they have received a clear message that finding ways to reduce such mistakes is paramount, particularly because the Taliban uses such incidents for propaganda purposes.
The language that absolves Israel: A special political vocabulary

Militants, 'hacktivists' exploit Web, eye recruits - Lolita C. Baldor, AP: Terrorist groups that have long used the Internet to spread propaganda are increasingly tapping the Web to teach Islamic extremists how to be hackers, recruit techies for cyberwarfare and raise money through online fraud, U.S. officials say.
On A Potential War With And Propaganda About Iran - Vahab, Countercurrents.org: Many people, other than whatever they gained through deliberate propaganda, don't know much about Iranians.
American Propaganda, Terrorism, and Jihad - Savo Heleta, gather.com: The New York Times published a front-page story on May 21 claiming that 1 in 7 prisoners released from Guantanamo had returned to waging "jihad." Quoting an unreleased Pentagon report, the NY Times wrote that many of the former Guantanamo detainees had "returned to terrorism or militant activity" as soon as they were released. What exactly do the Pentagon and the New York Times mean by the "return to terrorism and militant activity"?
Russian Cinema: Propaganda or Just Good Business? - Dmitri Travin, ISN: Today's propaganda teaches audiences that Russia is surrounded on all sides by perfidious enemies.

AMERICANA
Florida town orders employees to wear underwear and cover wounds – Boing Boing: City workers in Brooksville, Florida have been handed a new set of workplace rules. Now, they must wear underwear, use deodorant, and cover their open wounds. There's your new tourism slogan: "Come to Brooksville: We've Covered Our Wounds!"

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