June 5

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“Peoples of Egypt, you will be told that I have come to destroy your religion; do not believe it! Reply that I have come to restore your rights, to punish the usurpers, and that I respect more than the Mamluks God, His Prophet, and the Quran.”

--Bonaparte

"To the Israeli ear, the president sounded fawning, prefacing each mention of the Koran with 'holy.'"

--Jerusalem Post

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Cairo Appeal: Arab leaders will seek to narrow President Obama's broad agenda to one issue. Guess which – Editorial, Washington Post: "President Obama was the first to say yesterday that one speech cannot erase the accumulated hostility and mistrust between many of the world's Muslims and the United States. But his address in Cairo offered an eloquent

case for American values and global objectives -- and it looked to be a skillful use of public diplomacy in a region where America's efforts to explain itself have often been weak. … Much of the president's speech was aimed at undermining Iranian and other extremist propaganda." Image from

Statement Of U.S. Senator Russ Feingold On President Obama's Speech In Cairo, Egypt - Press Release, Congressional Press Releases: "The president's historic speech was delivered with the kind of honesty and boldness needed to help secure a more peaceful and secure future. Though it emphasized broader themes more than specific steps, it was precisely the kind of public diplomacy that must be a greater part of our national security strategy."

My first take on The Speech – Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy: "[T]he rollout of the speech already stands as one of the most successful public diplomacy and strategic communications campaigns I can ever remember -- and hopefully a harbinger of what is to come. This wasn't a one-off Presidential speech. The succession of statements (al-Arabiya interview, Turkish Parliament, message to the Iranians) and the engagement on the Israeli-Palestinian policy front set the stage. Then the White House unleashed the full spectrum of new media engagement for this speech -- SMS and Twitter updates, online video, and online chatroom environment, and more. This will likely be followed up upon to put substance on the notion of this as a 'conversation' rather than an 'address' -- which along with concrete policy progress will be the key to its long-term impact, if any." See also (1) (2). Image from

No shoes thrown at Obama: In Cairo, the president reaches out to the Muslim world with mild criticism and a gentle defense of the U.S. - Mike Madden, Salon: "The administration encouraged people around the world to sign up for text messages of the address, available in English, Arabic, Urdu or Persian. U.S. cellphones couldn't subscribe, due to a legal prohibition against spending State Department public diplomacy funds on projects that reach a domestic audience, but the White House sent English tidbits out on Twitter and Facebook (where more than 2,000 people gave a virtual thumbs-up to the speech's closing lines), and posted a slick video on its official Web site about American Muslims serving in government. The speech didn't break any new policy ground, and anyone looking for signals that the U.S. was making major shifts would have been disappointed. But its thoughtful tone, and its careful signals of respect for Islam, clearly strove to turn the page from the last eight years."

Mount Everest in Cairo - Mark Dillen, Public Diplomacy: The World Affairs Blog Network: "It may come to be known as the 'new beginnings' speech. The speech that Barack Obama delivered today at Cairo University was probably not his best speech, but it may be his most important and most widely disseminated ever. The U.S. government distributed it immediately in many languages, it was broadcast live in its entirety by Al Jazeera and the other networks of the Arab world, and the White House and State Department used social media such as Facebook to extend its reach and impact." Image from

Parsing Obama's Cairo Speech - Andrew C. Schneider, Washington Matters: "For Muslims, 'crusade' automatically calls up images of the Medieval Christian invasions. Bush quickly backed off use of the 'C' word once he realized its historic significance, and he repeatedly tried to reassure Muslims that the U.S. was not at war with Islam, but the damage was done. It will remain a difficult image to disspell as long as the U.S. has a troops in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere in the Muslim world. But Obama made a good start at changing the region's perceptions of the U.S. That's what public diplomacy is all about."

Friday, June 05, 2009 - Iris And David, We're Just Sayin: "The real difference between this speech and so many other Presidential speeches – here or abroad-- is that this President took on a particularly sensitive issue, and didn’t screw around with diplomatic flourishes. He talked to a population who have felt neglected and ignored and he said, ‘here’s what our policy is going to be.’ He made policy in a speech. That’s not something that happens frequently. Our relationships in the Middle East are very complicated, but in the realm of public diplomacy, (people to people), he thought it was important for about a billion and a half Muslims (many of them in Boonton, N..J.) to hear that the US is aware of the problems."

A New Beginning - Calling a Spade a Spade Rants of a Foreign Service Officer on The Things That Matter to You -- And Matter to You Not At All: "[O]ur interaction with the rest of the world shouldn't be an international pissing contest over values. 'Ours are better! Admit it and fall into line!' In this version of public diplomacy, we take great care to trumpet our accomplishments and make damn sure the other side is reminded of its failures. … Obama's speech worked, because it was empathetic.

It demonstrated an appreciation for the values, the needs, and the aspirations of the Arab world." Image from

Interview: Beyond Cairo: Translating 'Important' Obama Message into Policies – Council on Foreign Relations: "Former U.S. ambassador to Syria and to Israel Edward P. Djerejian sees the speech in Cairo by President Obama to the Muslim world as 'a very powerful public diplomacy statement.' But taking into account the years of frustration by previous administrations, he says Obama made some fundamental framework points that 'will have to be translated into actual and effective policies.'"

In Cairo, a Qualified Success: Obama’s speech makes the isolation of extremists more likely - Rich Lowry, National Review: "Barack Obama’s election had the potential to be the nation’s most consequential act of public diplomacy since the Marshall Plan. The story of his rise highlighted the openness of American society; his personal connection to Islam set him up as a powerful spokesman to a part of the world that bedevils and threatens us; and as a decisive break from the hated George W. Bush, he represented a fresh start when the world yearned for one.Obama realized some of this promise in his flawed, but still worthy, Cairo address." Image from

Obama in Cairo: Nice Start. What's Next? - Anne Applebaum, XX factor: "Without question, this was the first serious foreign policy speech Obama has made as president. … If the speech were the dawn of a new age of public diplomacy then I'm all in favor. Two things worried me about it, however. For my taste, there was too much 'on the one hand, on the other hand' about the language … . [A]lmost no one in Cairo, or anyone almost anywhere in the world, is going to remember the details of what Obama said anyway. …The importance of this speech was in the imagery … . [T]he other thing that bothers me: To date, the Obama administration has shown a striking lack of interest in what we used to call 'democracy promotion.'"

Obama in Cairo - Max Boot, Commentary: "Having just read Obama’s Cairo speech, my reaction is: Not bad. It could have been better. But it also could have been a lot worse. … No question: He is a more effective salesman than his predecessor was. Which doesn’t mean that his audience will buy the message. [reader] Dellis Says: … I agree with Mr. Boot that it was a good speech. I do think the President made a fetish of moral equivalence and straw men, but what else is new? Hopefully this speech will help our public diplomacy efforts with people of the Muslim faith." Image from

Obama in Cairo: a Game Changer – Lisa Curtis, Heritage Foundation: "President Obama’s speech was an attempt to create deeper understanding between America and Muslims throughout the world, but the feel-good impact of the speech is unlikely to last long or change opinions about America among those who object to U.S. policies in the Middle East and South Asia. … Obama is right that we should not equate terrorism with the religion of Islam, but we also need to be ready to engage in the battle of ideas and be clear when political Islam contradicts the ideals of individual freedom and religious liberty. … It was also important that he talked about the founding principles of America. This should happen more often in our public diplomacy. It is much more productive than trying to promote popular American culture as an instrument of public diplomacy, which is a losing proposition."

Obama and the Muslims - Middle East Strategy at Harvard, Olin Institute, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs: Martin Kramer: “'Peoples of Egypt, you will be told that I have come to destroy your religion; do not believe it! Reply that I have come to restore your rights, to punish the usurpers, and that I respect more than the Mamluks God, His Prophet, and the Quran.' So spoke Bonaparte when he arrived in Egypt, in a proclamation of July 2, 1798. Substitute 'Islam' for Egypt, 'we Americans' for I, and 'violent extremists' for the Mamluks, and you’ve got the core message of President Obama’s speech. It’s a very old drill in the annals of 'public diplomacy.' Supplementary gestures help."

President Obama Speaks to the World's Muslims: An Early Assessment - Robert Satloff, Washington Institute for Near East Policy: "[I]n its appeal to 'our common humanity'

-- its recitation of largely discredited population statistics for Muslims in America and strikingly defensive declaration that 'America and Islam are not exclusive' (who, after all, suggests this is the case?) -- the speech conjured up uneasy reminders of the 'I'm OK, you're OK; we're all just moms and dads' speeches of previous failed attempts at public diplomacy. … Cairo marks President Obama's fifth major message to the world's Muslims -- following his inaugural address, early al-Arabiya television interview, Iranian New Year greetings, and speech to the Turkish parliament. Debates about the content of these remarks notwithstanding, no one can contest the fact that he has fulfilled a personal commitment to make 'engagement' with Muslims a high priority." Image from

Obama fi'l-Azhar - Scripsit 孔夫子, the Œcumenical Volgi, The Gormogons: "[W]hile this [Obama’s Cairo speech] may gain the U.S. a temporary uptick in poll results in the Arab world (and some other Muslim countries), it was fundamentally insubstantial and changed nothing about anything. … But overall, don’t count on its doing much. Good P.R., only fair public diplomacy."

Obama takes aim at Osama - WFXL Fox 31: "President Barack Obama's speech to the Muslim world was loaded with phrases and ideas aimed very much at rattling one man he never mentioned: Osama bin Laden.

Senior administration officials say the speech was carefully crafted to rob the Al Qaeda leader and his terrorist network of some of its chief recruiting totems, including fears the United States plans a permanent presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. White House officials say that the tide may be turning on the world’s most wanted man. “For the first time, they’re beginning to lose the propaganda war,” said a top aide traveling with Obama during his six-day mission to Europe and the Middle East. ... It's not the first time the United States has tried to win over hearts and minds in the Muslim world. Bush created a public-diplomacy team in the State Department with that mission, first tapping a former Madison Avenue ad executive to craft message designed to show America in a softer light.The executive quit shortly thereafter and efforts by former State Department officials Margaret Tutwiler and Bush confidant Karen Hughes also failed to bear fruit - in part because of continued animosity toward the United States over Bush's staunch support of Israel, Guantanamo Bay prison and the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison." See also; image from

Great expectations - Jerusalem Post: "This speech was not largely about the Arab-Israel conflict. It was an effort to pursue public diplomacy and suasion - trying to decouple the susceptible Muslim masses from the demagogic extremists who now hold such sway. That is why the president was wise to travel first to Saudi Arabia, 'where Islam began,' and, just before his speech, to be seen deferentially touring a mosque in Cairo - the city from where the theology of worldwide jihad first spread its vicious tentacles. The speech was brilliantly proleptic: first acknowledging Muslim grievances, then stating the American case." Image from

Obama's speech strikes a chord in India - Mangalorean.com: "Democratic senator Russ Feingold said Obama's 'historic speech was delivered with the kind of honesty and boldness needed to help secure a more peaceful and secure future. Though it emphasised broader themes more than specific steps, it was precisely the kind of public diplomacy that must be a greater part of our national security strategy,' he said."

In France, Obama erases the ‘us vs. them’ rhetoric: A Lebanese-French international relations specialist says Obama set a new tone. But there were few specifics on Israeli-Palestinian solutions - Robert Marquand, Christian Science Monitor: "President Obama went 'a long way toward overcoming all the ‘us vs. them’ rhetoric of the previous administration,' says Mr. Bitar, a Lebanese-French international relations specialist and president of the KB Consulting Group in Paris. 'My first reaction is how important it was for Obama to speak of moving past the Muslim nations as ‘proxies,’ as they were thought about during the cold war. 'But while this may have been public diplomacy at its best, one should remember that due to decades of mistrust, even America’s best rhetoric won’t make the Arab world rise to the occasion without consistent concrete initiatives and actions.’” Image from

Our President in Cairo: Muslims Listened. Did America? - Lorelei Kelly, Huffington Post: "As communications strategies go, President Obama's presence and message once again set the stage for hope and change. … 'What we have here is a failure to communicate' This famous line from Cool Hand Luke one the best movies of all time... is the sobering starting point for the US government in how we address the rest of the world. Though all our federal agencies have an international desk, getting non Americans to understand and support US policies is part of the State Department called Public Diplomacy (don't worry, nobody really knows what that means). Judith McHale was confirmed in May to run this program -- she's basically the public relations czar for the USA.... McHale is very smart and has an impressive track record in television."

Regrets Of The Doubters - Spencer Ackerman, Attackerman: "Allow me to revise and extend a remark I made yesterday when I noted that Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale made some 'gestures to treating public diplomacy as a national security issue' in her confirmation-hearing testimony last month. Though a lot of people have been skeptical of McHale framing her new job as a venue for aggressively combatting anti-American messages, the Center for a New American Security just released the itinerary for its annual conference next week, and sure enough, McHale will be delivering the lunchtime keynote speech -- titled 'Public Diplomacy: A National Security Imperative.' Looks like McHale might surprise the doubters." Image from

Poster Children - Liz Losh, Virtualpolitik: “I'm less than crazy about the fact that the administration's new Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy, Judith A. McHale, has had so many ties to the cable television industry during the course of her career, an industry that has such a troubling history of seeking local monopolies on information.”

Questioning the Difference between Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy (Updated) - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner

The Iceberg facing Public Diplomacy: A triangle of arrogance, ignorance, and obnoxious management - Ibrahim Saleh and Oliver Hahn, ResetDOC:: "It is very important to assess how audiences in the region perceive the Arabic TV services of International Satellite Broadcasters such as Deutsche Welle, France 24 and Russia Today. Most of the time, foreign Arabic-speaking channels fail 'to win the hearts and minds' of the Arab public for three reasons: arrogance, impatience, and lack of listening from the communicators' side." Image from

US international broadcasters note "new authoritarians'" international broadcasting - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

It's time to scrap ambassadors and their embassies – Carne Ross, Europe’s World: "So-called (and ill-named) 'public diplomacy' has always been the poorer cousin of the self-regarding hard-core 'real' diplomats who do the important stuff like negotiate treaties and start wars. For some reason, diplomats and governments have believed that somehow the message about the role of governments can be separated in the public’s mind from what they actually do. The Bush administration’s pathetic public diplomacy efforts during its global war on terror illustrates the dangers of believing that you can separate a country’s public messaging from perceptions of its actual behaviour."

Is a fundraiser ambassador an asset? - Ted Johnson, Politico: "Bruce Gelb,

the president of the Council of American Ambassadors, who was director of the United States Information Agency and ambassador to Belgium under President George H.W. Bush, notes that noncareer appointees may have the advantage of a friendship with the president that allows for a more candid line of communication — or the 'absolutely unvarnished truth,' as he calls it. … Andrew F. Cooper, visiting fellow at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy and author of the book 'Celebrity Diplomacy,' says that boldfaced names can capitalize on their fame in ways that careerists do not." Gelb image from

Veteran US diplomat to speak on engaging the new Administration at Caribbean Biz Expo - South Florida Caribbean News: "Ambassador Elam-Thomas holds a BS in International Business from Simmons College and an MA in Public Diplomacy from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy."

Pierre Pahlavi: Chair of security and international affairs, the Canadian Forces College (CFC) – The Mark: "He has authored several studies on the theme of public diplomacy in the age of global information."

RELATED ITEMS

Reactions to Obama's Speech - Juan Cole, Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion

News, notes, and nonsense about Obama's Cairo speech - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy

Your Abbreviated Pundit Round-up - DemFromCT, Daily Kos

More On Obama's Egypt Speech: Reactions from around the "inter-web"... - the united states of wayne

Obama speech gets mixed early reaction at home – World Latest News

Obama's Cairo Speech – The Progressive Realist

Obama Talks the Right Talk – Christa, The Odalisque Project

The Speech (the White House hopes) Heard 'Round the World: a Preview of President Obama's Speech to the Muslim World - Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller, ABC News:

Administration officials stressed repeatedly that the President sees the speech as an opportunity to “continue a dialogue” he’s had since the inauguration with the Muslim world, referencing his first interview as President to Al Arabiya, his video message to Iranians celebrating Nowruz, and his speech in Turkey as proof he wants to “really start a new chapter of engagement between the Unites States and the Muslim world.” The president has been discussing such a plan since August 2007, when during a foreign policy speech he talked about launching a program of public diplomacy. Image from

Three reasons bin Laden’s winning propaganda war – Tom Foreman, CNN: President Obama said plainly: The United States is not at war with the Muslim world. Bin Laden’s counter: That’s what you think. The propaganda war is still raging, and every time a skirmish breaks out on that front, the al-Qaida crowd begins with a kind of home-field advantage.

Obama reneges on change: The first 100 days over, Obama is looking more and more like Bush, writes Hamid Dabashi - Al-Ahram: Publicising the pictures of US soldiers sexually abusing Iraqi inmates, Obama and his aides have argued,

would put them at the disposal of "Islamic militants" (the bugbear of American political culture these days) to use as "propaganda" against Americans. Propaganda? Did these "Islamic militants," whoever they are, fabricate those pictures, in Photoshop, so that they can falsely accuse Americans of things they have never done? What part of these pictures is false, and susceptible to abuse by way of propaganda? They are the pictures of things US soldiers have done and were so proud of doing that they took pictures of themselves doing it. What is this nonsense about "Islamic militants" using them as "propaganda"? Image from