August 19-20

"Peace is more powerful than the bomb."

--Eugene Staples, Deputy General Manager of the American National Exibition in Moscow in 1959, writing in "Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the American National Exhibition in Moscow 1959: Six Weeks in Sokolniki Park" (a publication kindly provided to your PDPBR compiler by Mr. Jack Masey, a key US organizer of the National Exhibition); image: Mr. Masey and spouse Beverly; recent book by Mr. Masey; YouTube interview with Mr. Masey

ANNOUNCEMENT:

"I thought you may be interested to learn that Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs are now accepting applications for The Rhythm Road: American Music Abroad’s 2010-2011 program. Applications are due November 1, 2010, and auditions will follow in January 2010 in New York City at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center and, for the first time in the history of the program, in New Orleans. ... [P]lease find more information at jalc.org/TheRoad." -- e-mail from Ms. Anna Kukowski, anna.kukowski@bm.com

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Great Moments in Public Diplomacy: Is Jim Glassman pulling our leg? - James Taranto, Wall Street Journal: "One of the oddest comments we've seen about the Ground Zero mosque plan comes by way of Slate's David Weigel: '[Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs during the George W. Bush administration and director of the George W. Bush Institute at the Bush Presidential Center] James K. Glassman is a rarity: a Republican who believes, and is willing to say, that President Obama "is the greatest public diplomat we've had in decades.' ... We should declare up front that Obama has never struck us as an especially impressive 'public diplomat.' Our impression is that foreigners like the idea of him--an American president who flatters them by affecting a cosmopolitan attitude of disdain for his own country. But apart from a Nobel Prize for Nada, we're hard-pressed to think of any actual accomplishments his 'public diplomacy' has produced. Maybe we're missing something, or perhaps the wisdom of Obama's approach will be borne out by future events. But one thing is for sure: From the standpoint of public diplomacy, his actions with respect to the Ground Zero mosque have been utterly disastrous and stunningly incompetent. ... He attempted to conduct public diplomacy heedless of public opinion. Then, rather than try to persuade the public, like brave Sir Robin he bravely ran away, away! Mosque? What mosque?

Hey, isn't the Constitution great? Since voting 'present,' the president has absented himself from the debate, which of course rages on. With Obama having seized the initiative and quickly abdicated it, it is left to the professional controversialists of the left to make the case for the mosque scheme. This cackle of rads are the worst public diplomats you could ever hope to find. Their approach has been to try to bully Americans into submission by piling insult upon insult: Bigot! Un-American! Not only is this unlikely to win anyone over, it also perpetuates the lie that most Americans are anti-Muslim bigots. ... When he [James Glassman] praises Obama's skill as a public diplomat, we suspect he's pulling everyone's leg, and that he and his colleagues in Dallas are enjoying a hearty laugh at the expense of Bush's hapless successor." Image from

Karen Hughes: Move the New York City mosque, as a sign of unity - Karen Hughes, Washington Post: "I believe it is in America's strategic interest, and in the interest of defeating terrorism, that we make clear that we view most Muslims as our allies in a common struggle against extremists. At the same time, we cannot ignore the facts. As a Muslim American friend told me recently, 'As much as I hate it, those hijackers called themselves Muslim.' ... Karen Hughes, global vice chair at Burson-Marsteller, served as counselor to President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2002 and as undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs from 2005 to 2007." Karen Hughes: "I cast my first vote for president for Jimmy Carter ... . As President Bush would later say, when I was young and irresponsible, I sometimes acted young and irresponsible." Karen Hughes, Ten Minutes from Normal (2004), p. 61.

Build the Mosque! - Andrew Levine, Huffington Post: "In the world as it is, nothing good can come from treating the Ground Zero neighborhood differently from any other. This is why, the mosque's developers ought to go ahead, even if they conclude that with Fox News and its ilk broadcasting hate filled dispersions and with the Tea Party up in arms while mainstream Democrats cave and Obama equivocates, saying one thing on Friday and something else the next day, it isn't worth the trouble. If we must suffer a house of worship anywhere, it should be a mosque in that location - not because it will enrage all the right people (that's just icing on the cake), but because it will help to normalize Ground Zero. Law, morality and "public diplomacy" demand it; and elementary decency requires no less." See also 1.

America's Wars - iNEWP: "The present quagmire the US finds itself in is a product of America’s phobia with the Islamic world, barring its standoff with China over Taiwan or the Koreas. The war on terror has turned out to be the worst nightmare for USA and is being construed in the Islamic Word as the 'War against Islam'.

The overall confusion of not wanting the Mosque at ground zero but acknowledging the legal right to do so and what the Islamic Public diplomacy has not done to exonerate any portion of Islam from complicity in the Jihad against America." Image from

NY mosque imam in Mideast for outreach tour - AP: "The imam leading plans for an Islamic center near the Manhattan site of the Sept. 11 attacks began a U.S.-funded outreach tour of the Middle East Thursday to talk about religious tolerance in America. The U.S. State Department said Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf arrived in Bahrain for the start of a 15-day tour in which he will discuss Muslim life in America. 'He will be visiting mosques,' said department spokesman P.J. Crowley. 'He will be involved in direct discussions to help people in the countries he'll visit understand the role of religion in our society, how American Muslims celebrate Ramadan, how we emphasize religious tolerance in our society.' The trip — estimated to cost about $16,000 — is funded by the State Department's Bureau of International Information Programs and will include visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates." Via LB

The Imam Has Landed … So When Does He Phone Home? - Claudia Rosett, The Rosett Report: "[L]ate Thursday night, New York time — Thursday morning in the Middle East — I phoned the U.S. Embassy in Bahrain, the first stop on Rauf’s 'public diplomacy' tour. Asked if the imam had arrived in Bahrain, an embassy official told me: 'Yes, that’s correct.'

And that, folks, is the sum total right now of the information available to the American public about the taxpayer-funded public outreach activities these next few days of Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf in Bahrain. I had more questions. But Imam Feisal evidently moves in circles in which inquiries about whom he’s meeting overseas, what he’s telling them, or where he plans to get $100 million for his mosque and Islamic center near Ground Zero are seen by both Rauf and his hosts as an extraordinary intrusion on his public outreach and bridge-building endeavors. The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain would offer nothing further on the record about Ambassador Adam Ereli’s controversial guest." Image from

Bin Laden's Willing Accomplices - Josh Marshall, TPM: "Quite simply, the furor of opposition to the Cordoba House project and the spasm of Islamophobia is the best recruiting tool that bin Laden and his imitators could possibly hope for. ... What is important to recognize is that this opinion is close to universal among people in the counter-terrorism business. And by this I mean, people who actually operationally work in counter-terrorism, people who work in public diplomacy for the US abroad and people who study trends in counter-terrorism and Islamic radicalism both in the US and abroad."

All in a muddle - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "Symbolism is an important element of PD, but can be dangerous because they're so easy to misappropriate. Which is why actions--like domestic and foreign policies--carry so much weight in forming public opinions. The controversy surrounding the proposed cultural center [at Ground Zero] says much more about prevailing national attitudes towards religious tolerance in general and Islam in particular than any symbolic gesture could. Radio Sawa can broadcast as many pop songs as it wants; it won't drown out the clamor of fear and intolerance."

Leaving Iraq – Politics and Society, University of Southern California: "In a move President Obama framed as the fruition of a campaign promise, all U.S. combat troops withdrew from Iraq this week. Remaining in the country are 50,000 soldiers dedicated to peacekeeping and training Iraqi security forces; this last contingent is scheduled to withdraw by the end of 2011.

Will the pullout improve America’s image abroad, particularly in the Middle East? 'The closest comparison is the U.S. withdrawal of combat troops from South Vietnam in January 1973,' observes public diplomacy scholar Nicholas Cull of the USC Annenberg School. 'That gave an immediate boost to U.S. standing in the world and especially in Europe. Of course, the long-term effect on world opinion hinges on what happens next in Iraq,' Cull notes. 'If the country falls apart immediately, it will hardly reflect well on the United States. 'This said, there are plenty of other things that will be critical to U.S. standing in the world,' Cull adds.'" Image: Attention-getting use for "Impeach" bumper sticker at the "U.S. Out of Iraq Now" rally on Sunday, March 18, 2007.

The Guantanamo Paradox - Morris Davis, Huffington Post: "Another military jury will begin hearing evidence in the case of Omar Ahmed Khadr, a Canadian citizen charged with murder for the death of Sergeant First Class Christopher Speer and attempted murder for helping to make and plant improvised explosive devices near a roadway used by U.S. and coalition forces. ... There is a danger that the Obama administration may be in the process of squandering its last best chance to demonstrate to a skeptical world audience that military commissions can be credible. From a public diplomacy perspective, the Khadr case is the pick of the litter among the 30 or so detainee cases that may eventually go to trial."

Trade and Aid for Effective Foreign Assistance - Mark Green, modernizingforeignassistance.org:

"The combination of fragmented authorities and overlapping bureaucracies in our current assistance framework is watering down public diplomacy efforts." Image from

Hasheem Thabet Hosted Basketball Clinic For Tanzanian Youth - Leah Hollar, queenofsports.com: "Hasheen Thabet of the Memphis Grizzlies hosted his first annual 'Hasheem Thabeet Under 18 Basketball Clinic' in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania this past weekend, where the basketball player grew up. In an effort to promote sportsmanship, teamwork, mentorship, and a positive vision for Tanzanian youth under 18, Thabeet approached the Tanzania Basketball Federation in order to get the clinic going. Thabet used the help of Tanzanian coaches who had visited the U.S. under the Sports Visitors Program and observed various basketball programs.

Basketballs were donated on behalf of the U.S., and Thabet was praised by Public Diplomacy Officer Roberto Quiroz for his willingness to serve Tanzanian youth even after his success in the NBA." Image from article

Northeastern grad confirmed to be US ambassador to Iraq -
News@Northeastern: "Following his nomination by President Barack Obama, the U.S. Senate has unanimously voted to confirm Northeastern alumnus James F. Jeffrey, BA ’69, as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq.

Jeffrey, who received his bachelor’s degree in history from Northeastern, most recently served as the U.S. ambassador to Turkey, a post he assumed in October 2008. ... His ... key assignments included the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, where he led the Iran Policy Team and coordinated public diplomacy." Jeffrey image from article

Gallery of tributes for so 'arty' Sanders - Nigerian Compass: "Sanders [Robin Sanders, the outgoing United States of America (USA) Ambassador in Nigeria],

a career member of the United State’s Senior Foreign Service, arrived in Nigeria in December 2007. Before coming, she had served as international adviser and deputy commandant at the industrial college of Armed forces in Washington, D.C. Prior to that position, she had equally served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Congo and as the director of public diplomacy for Africa for the State Department." Sanders image from article

When are you too old to represent the United States abroad? – Domani Spero, diplopundit.blogspot.com: "Dr. Colton received a one year extension beyond her 65th birthday, and she's going to spend it in a marvelous place called Egypt. ... State is sending a seasoned public diplomacy officer to Egypt for one year instead of the normal tour of duty of three years."

Mikhail Shvydkoy: Russia, US share musical past - Natalia Viktorova, The Voice of Russia: "The Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York has held a trial performance of a new Russian-American musical. Mikhail Shvydkoy, Special Presidential Representative for International Culture Cooperation, is the author and producer of the project. 'Vremena ne vybirayut' ('Times cannot be chosen') - this is how the musical is called in Russian. The American version sounds like 'The Thirties forever'. In a phone interview from New York Mr. Shvydkoy explained the meaning of the musical’s title: 'It had been my dream for many years to stage a performance on the music of 1920-1930ss, both Soviet and American, because it turned out that it had always united the two peoples, or if you please, two states.' ... Mr.Shvydkoy, who is also the project’s playwright, told the VOR about the plot: 'The play has two major lines of narration: the one is about modern life, featuring people working for a retro music radio, a story about an American media group merging with the one in Russia. The other line in the plot features an American music-hall star, her memories of how she had come to the Soviet Russia, found her love there and later was parted with her beloved. The performance was created by 10 Russian and 10 American actors.They all are young, some of them have just graduated from drama schools, while others are employed by theatres already. They did not know each other before the project was launched. But two weeks was enough for them to start understand each other perfectly and sing songs both in Russian and in English. This is a good sign because we see that we can do something good together.'

Mr. Shvydkoy's opinion is shared by his colleague, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith McHale, who attended the musical’s trial performance. Mikhail Shvydkoy comments. 'The mere fact that she and her colleagues cut short their vacation to attend the performance, proves that for many U.S. citizens such kind of joint projects with Russia are quite important, and not only for diplomatic reasons,' says Mr. Shvydkoy." Shvydkoy image from article

There’s Already A Parody North Korean Twitter Account - Elizabeth Woyke, Forbes: "When news broke earlier this week that North Korea had started a Twitter account (under the name uriminzok or 'Our People' in Korean), it seemed inevitable a parody version would emerge. One already has. Established on Aug. 17, the joke account is, appropriately enough, named Fake Uriminzok. It has sent out six satirical tweets since its creation, including:•'Please believe our propaganda–it’s all we have left. That, and ginseng.' •'Say ‘dear leader great leader’ ten times fast… See? I told you that you couldn’t.'•'blah blah blah blah US devil monkeys blah blah blah blah[.]' The prankster behind Fake Uriminzok is anonymous, at least for now. The account’s Twitter 'bio' states: 'A satirical twist on North Korea’s laughable attempt at public diplomacy, @uriminzok.'"

South Begins Blocking North Korean Twitter Account - Martyn Williams, IDG News: "South Korea has begun blocking access to a Twitter account operated by a North Korean Web site. The site, Uriminzokkiri, launched the Twitter feed @uriminzok last week and has been providing Korean-language headlines and links to propaganda-heavy news items on its home page. It's launch was widely reported and the publicity has brought it more than 9,000 followers in the week since it launched.

But followers in South Korea trying to access the Twitter feed's page on Friday were greeted with a page from the Korea Communications Standards Commission and National Police Agency advising them that the content was being blocked." Image from

N.Korea joins Facebook after Twitter propaganda - AFP: "North Korea has joined social networking site Facebook after its foray into Twitter sparked a new online tug-of-war with South Korea. The North's Facebook profile, seen Friday at facebook.com/uriminzokkiri, showed that the secretive communist country had opened its account on the website on Thursday night. ... Pyongyang has also posted the full statements from the Uriminzokkiri ('With us Koreans') website on its new Facebook account, which is not blocked in South Korea, so that users there can still read the full content. Facebook is more expansive than Twitter as it allows users to upload a wide variety of multimedia contents and share them with 'friends.'"

Time to Redeem SAARC - Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses: "Bilateral aid is important but if the countries want to revitalize SAARC [South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] - they should have used the organization in helping with flood relief work. At the sixteenth SAARC Summit meeting held in Thimpu, the leaders of the region emphasized the 'need for more efficient, focused, time-bound and people-centric activities…' However the current inaction of SAARC

reflects the fact that it has again failed to rise to the occasion. This summit declaration mentioned public diplomacy as one of the important activities that the organization needs to undertake. The flood situation in Pakistan offered SAARC an opportunity to regain some of the lost ground in connecting with the people and ‘living up to the hopes and aspirations of one fifth of humanity’. The Heads of States’ disillusion and frustration with SAARC was apparent during the Thimpu summit." Image from

China hosts seminar for developing countries on guiding public opinion and building a national brand - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "China is increasingly 'ready to embrace collaboration' with developing countries, especially in Africa. However, it is more important to point out that China is increasingly active in the influence space: Xinhau is moving to Times Square, Radio China International is broadcasting in Galveston, Texas (not sure that was a wise buy, but...), China is expanding television programming in multiple languages, and so on. This expanded partnering with countries they want to expand trade with is a no brainer. It's called public diplomacy. The activity of the broadcasting may be called propaganda, but that's dependent on the content."

Chinese Foreign Minister on China's "core interests" and "public diplomacy" (video in Chinese)

- Charles Burton's Blog: "Very interesting press conference by Chinese foreign minister of last March: 'China's core interests' 'China's public diplomacy.' It is in Mandarin with Chinese subtitles." Image from

China’s Rise and the West Pacific: Prelude to Tragedy? - dptrombly, gwdiscourse.com: "Whatever the status of particular flash-points, the successes or pitfalls of diplomatic summits, or the rhetorical content of each state’s public diplomacy, the US must bear in mind the inherent dangers of the present international structure. The National Security Strategy is just a variation on an old theme – the US acting as a revisionist power to fashion a better world order under American leadership. The rise of China should realign our concerns with our interests as a status quo power – and keep us mindful that we are moving towards a balance of power where tragedy is possible."

Zuma to visit China - Sapa, timeslive.co: "President Jacob Zuma will pay an official visit to China from August 24 to 26, the international relations and co-operation department says. The visit was intended, among other things, to strengthen and broaden economic and commercial interaction between the two countries, the department said in a statement. ... To strengthen South Africa's public diplomacy,

Zuma would also meet non-state players beyond just business." See also. Zuma image from

Indonesian Cultural Center opens in Brussels - wisatadanbudaya2.blogspot.com
London - "The Indonesian ambassador to Belgium, Luxemburg and the European Union, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, opened the first Indonesian Cultural Center in Europe on de la Woluwe boulevard, Brussels, Belgium, on the weekend. The center will promote Indonesian culture, including art, cuisine, films and languages, said P.L.E. Priatna, the minister counsellor for social and cultural affairs and public diplomacy at the Indonesian embassy in Brussels."

David and Goliath – Israel and the Media - Elly Shalev, J-Wire Jewish Australian News Service: "Spokesman for Israel in his military reserve duty, teacher, tour guide and educator in a wide variety of Israeli and Diaspora settings, Scott Copeland ... [said] we need to understand there are tensions between education and 'Hasbara' which he defined as Israel’s external public diplomacy efforts. As Director of Israel Travel Education at Makom, a Jewish Agency organization,

Scott Copeland advocates for education within our 'internal family organization'. Young Jews should be given the tools to deal with the tough questions and not necessarily answer them in short sound bites, he said." Image from

Beyond anti-terrorism: Metaphors as message strategy of post-September-11 U.S. public diplomacy [An article from: Public Relations Review] [HTML] (Digital) -
umarketingu.com

RELATED ITEMS

Graduate-Admissions Offers to Foreign Students Bounce Back - Karin Fischer, The Chronicle of Higher Education: Powered by mushrooming demand from China, applications from international students to American graduate schools

finally rebounded this year to their 2003 levels, after which foreign-student applications plummeted because of tightening visa rules following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Image from

Victory in Iraq: American arms created a republic, if Iraqis can keep it – Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal: The classic lament about the war in Iraq is that it achieved little at a huge cost in American lives, treasure and reputation. That view rests on a kind of amnesia about the nature of Saddam Hussein's regime, his 12-year defiance of binding U.N. resolutions, the threat he posed to its neighbors, the belief—shared by the Clinton and Bush Administrations and intelligence services world-wide—that he was armed with weapons of mass destruction, the complete corruption of the U.N. sanctions regime designed to contain him, and the fact that he intended to restart his WMD programs once the sanctions had collapsed.

Winning the Peace in Iraq: The last American combat troops left Iraq this week. But when 'Operation New Dawn' begins on Sept. 1, the U.S. will still have a vital mission—and interests—there - Max Boot, Wall Street Journal: It would be the height of hubris—the kind once displayed by George W. Bush's prematurely proclaimed

"Mission Accomplished"—to suggest that Iraq, a country of more than 25 million, needs less help in its post-conflict transition than did the micro-states of the former Yugoslavia. Image from

Orwell in charge? Kucinich compares Iraq ‘exit’ to Bush’s ‘Mission Accomplished’ - Ron Brynaert, rawstory.com: Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) today challenged the notion that removing "combat brigades" but leaving 50,000 U.S. troops in Iraq constitutes an end to combat operations, let alone an end to the war," a press release sent to RAW STORY on Thursday stated. The press release continues: "Who is in charge of our operations in Iraq , now? George Orwell? A war based on lies continues to be a war based on lies. Today, we have a war that is not a war, with combat troops who are not combat troops. In 2003, President Bush said ' Mission Accomplished ' . In 2010, the White House says combat operations are over in Iraq , but will leave 50,000 troops, many of whom will inevitably be involved in combat-related activities.”

Wikipedia editing courses launched by Zionist groups: Two Israeli groups set up training courses in Wikipedia editing with aims to 'show the other side' over borders and culture - Rachel Shabi and Jemima Kiss, guardian.co.uk

Zionist Lobby Paid Off U.S. Journalists To Sell Israeli Foreign Policy - Paul Joseph Watson, Prison Planet.com: Newly declassified documents highlighting how the Israeli lobby routinely paid off journalists in the U.S. corporate media to write pro-Zionist propaganda in support of Israeli aggression against Palestine and Iran during the 60’s have taken on new significance after the Atlantic Monthly, which is named in the documents as being complicit in the bribing scandal, recently published a cover story hyping the necessity and inevitability of an Israeli attack on Iran.

An asymmetrical drone war: The United States and Israel see the next generation of armed drones: as a potent reinforcement of their military capacity against insurgents and rogue states. But Iran and Hizbollah too are in the race - Paul Rogers, OpenDemocracy. Image from

Are .gov sites pushing propaganda? – Ed O’Keefe, Washington Post: Are government Web sites providing factual non-biased information or pushing the Obama administration's propaganda? A new investigation by Congressional Republicans suggests the latter and accuses President Obama and Vice President Biden of using their bully pulpits to promote government Web sites that present political spin about the economic stimulus and health-care reform programs.

American Propaganda - Timothy V. Gatto, The People's Voice:

Every day the people of this nation look into their television sets and hear the propaganda of a nation that is hell-bent on empire. Image from

Quotes on War Propaganda - Jeanine Czaja - religion-and-politics.suite101.com