August 6

“What is occurring in the Arab and Muslim world is a kind of schizophrenia: In private, one regularly consumes the cultural profane (via television, videos, the internet, and popular literature, or in carefully segmented semi-public spaces); in public, one proclaims one’s Muslim identity, avoids going to a movie theatre, and perhaps makes a show of religiosity by attending the mosque, sporting a beard or a veil."

--Hicham Ben Abdallah El Alaoui, Middle East on Line; via; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

White House Party for Africa Leaves Out Leaders - Adam Nossiter, New York Times: "President Obama convened a forum this week to celebrate the 50th anniversaries of 17 African nations, but he did not invite a single African leader

to help him do so. ... [H]e summoned 115 under-35s from civil society, journalism and business to a 'President’s Forum With Young African Leaders' this week to help him in 'looking forward,' as a State Department official put it. 'We’ve got to look for the next generation of leaders,' said Bruce Wharton, deputy assistant secretary for public diplomacy.'” Image from

African Youth Leaders Leave US with New Hope - Nico Colombant: "More than 100 youth leaders from across Africa have wrapped up three days of high-profile, high-level meetings in Washington, with hopes for new action and plans to network for positive change on the Internet and at future gatherings. ... Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale closed the proceedings by promising another Africa youth leadership event, this time in Africa in early 2011. She said she hoped many more African youth leaders would take part by having simultaneous events in many countries. McHale promised there would be more U.S. grants to support youth-driven projects in Africa. She also urged participants to stay in touch and continue to inspire and motivate each other in their respective endeavors." See also (1) (2)

US to spend $4.4b on development - The Express Tribune: "The United States of America on Thursday announced it would spend $4.4 billion on the development of war torn Afghanistan with special emphasis on boosting

agriculture sector before the start of the planned troop withdrawal. The civil infrastructure of the country is either in bad shape or entirely non-existent and needs to be developed to serve as a sound footing for the economic revival and to avoid any further damage, said Director of Communication and Public Diplomacy US Embassy Kabul David Ensor while briefing a group of newsmen from Pakistan." Image from

Nomination of International Broadcasting Bureau director moves forward – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Foreign Policy, The Cable, 3 August 2010, Josh Rogin: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved by unanimous voice vote the nomination of Richard M. Lobo to be director of the International Broadcasting Bureau. [Elliott comment]: The IBB was set up by the International Broadcasting Act of 1994 as the administrative umbrella for the entities of U.S. international broadcasting that are, or are part of, government agencies. They are VOA, Radio/TV Martí, and (since folded into VOA) Worldnet TV. Other than the members of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the IBB director is the only presidentially-nominated, Senate-confirmed official of U.S. international broadcasting. For implications, see previous post."

"How Technology Is Making Censorship Irrelevant." Maybe - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

An Internationalism Republicans and Democrats Can Agree On - Steve Clemons,
Huffington Post: "[T]here are Democrats and Republicans -- lots of them -- committed to robust international engagement,


to smart foreign aid, and to coherent and sensible U.S. international public diplomacy." Image from

Why We Fight -- Countering the Conservative Foreign Policy Critique - David Shorr, DemocracyArsenal.org: "I take the point about the importance of pressing issues of human rights and democracy not only in China and Russia, but also Zimbabwe, Sudan, and Egypt. Heck, I've even (slightly) tempered my security mono-focus with regard to Iran. ... I'd only add that the Obama administration probably doesn't get credit for the things it is doing, owing not only to the conservative critique, but also the overloaded bandwidth of public diplomacy."

12th Annual Women Ambassadors Conference Washington DC – The Top Star Blog: "Bob Blume, Executive Director of The Drama Desk Awards, attended last Thursday and spoke on the panel 'The Role of the Arts in Public Diplomacy'

Also Speaking were New York Times bestselling author, Linda Grover, founder GlobalMothers.org and panel moderator Bunny Dubin, documentary producer 'Answering the Call; Ground Zeros Volunteers' A New York Times acclaimed, moving film tribute to volunteerism in the face of the terrorism of 9/11/01." Image from

An opportunity to de-militarize public diplomacy - Matt Armstrong, Mountainrunner.us: "The State Department lacks both the money, the headcount, and the skills to create and manage sites like www.Magharebia.com and www.SETimes.com. The Defense Department, specifically the Combatant Commands, has a valid requirement the State Department cannot support at this time resulting in the continued militarization of America’s engagement with global audiences. The State Department, specifically the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, must be empowered and equipped (money and personnel) to take over these activities that support the requirements of the U.S. Government’s engagement around the world."

A Tale Of Two Pavilions - Paul Rockower, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Expo diplomacy is successful public diplomacy because it helps fill in unknown or misperceived conceptions of the 'other'. Both the Taiwan and Taipei Pavilions are positive instruments of public diplomacy because visitors to Taiwan’s respective pavilions, who are overwhelmingly Chinese, are able to gain a more personal, more substantial view of the island just across the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwanese friendliness and hospitality as communicated values on display at the respective pavilions indicate a clear desire on Taiwan’s part to take advantage of its thaw with the mainland to reach out directly to the people of China and expose the overwhelmingly Chinese audience to a more positive and personal face of Taiwan." Expo image from

China’s Suddenly Poor Public Diplomacy - Pejman Yousefzadeh, newledger.com: "For years, the Chinese were praised for their ability to win friends in the international community through clever diplomacy and public relations. Recently, however, as the Chinese have perceived their own power to be growing, they have taken quite the belligerent approach to other countries in diplomatic gatherings. ... We will see if the Obama Administration is smart enough to take advantage of China’s sudden propensity to lose friends and terrify other nation-states; the Administration’s outreach to Asia has left a lot to be desired. ... All China seems to be doing now is creating a balancing coalition against it, one that will surely circumscribe its power."

In Brief: Friday 6th August - The Spy Report: "The ABC‘s managing director Mark Scott has continued his defence of the organisation’s offering in the Asia-Pacific region at a regional lunch this week, while continuing to push back against Sky News, albeit indirectly. Australia Network, the free-to-air satellite service broadcasting to the Asia-Pacific region, is currently operated by the ABC,

but Sky News argues that the Commonwealth should put the network’s contract to tender. According to The Australian, Scott told the lunch that a study of ten international broadcasting services found that none were outsourced by their governments, and that the service was an important part of Australia’s public diplomacy strategy." Image from

The Story of Turkey and Public Diplomacy – Efe, Reaching the Public Personal Reflections on Public Diplomacy and Place/Nation Branding: "[I]t is very difficult and problematic to promote Turkey, to launch Turkish PD project, and to brand Turkey. Our history includes several conflicts with our neighbors. Recent political developments exacerbated the situation. If Turkey wants to use soft power, we need to define Turkey’s role/identity, establish credibility in the eyes of the audience, and create long-term non-partisan PD strategies."

Did Lebanon Use American Weapons to Attack Israel? - "Whether they’re pushing public diplomacy apology tours to the to the Muslim world to 'spread the truth about American values' or pimping concessions to Iran to split Khamenei from the hardliners, never are repeated failures allowed to get in the way of insisting that we need more of the same. Never is the possibility entertained that maybe Muslims are hostile because they understand American values all too well, or that maybe hardliners have Khamenei’s ear because he’s ideologically aligned with them.

America’s ever-lower popularity in the Arab world and Khamenei’s ever-closer personal links to institutionalized extremism always seem to call for doubling down, never for reevaluation. But our public diplomacy evangelists and Iranian engagement apostles are steely captains helming the ship of state – partaking equally of Horatio Nelson, Otto von Bismarck, and Sherlock Holmes – compared to our 'let’s pour weapons into fragile Arab regimes' security assistance advocates. The idea here is that if we find a group of seething Arab nationalists slightly to the left of openly genocidal jihadists, we should arm and train them. They’ll turn their new American weapons and skills against the jihadists with whom they somewhat agree, the thinking goes, as opposed to the Israelis whom they pathologically hate." Image from

The blogger returns – Laura McGinnis, manIC: "Tourism can effect perceptions of culture, power and diplomacy. ... [T]ourism is one of the Mexican government's most effective PD tools."

South Africa recalls ambassador to Rwanda - RFI: ‎ "South Africa’s top diplomat Ayanda Nstaluba

said the presence of Rwandan political fugitives in his country is complicating bilateral relations on Thursday. In the latest sign of worsening ties between the two countries South African High Commissioner to Rwanda Gladstone Dumisani Gwadiso was summoned back to Pretoria amid growing concerns about Kigali's repressive policies as the country prepares for presidential elections. ... Ntsaluba said South Africa is avoiding practicing public diplomacy with Rwanda and admits the 'temperature has been raised by Rwandan dissidents seeking refuge in South Africa." Image from article: Ayanda Ntsaluba, South Africa's top diplomat

Leading Regional Push to Promote Citizen Diplomacy, Encouraging All to Help Improve International Relations "One Handshake at a Time" - GlobalPittsburghNews: "What is the difference between Citizen Diplomacy and Public Diplomacy? Citizen Diplomacy is the engagement of individual American citizens in primarily voluntary, private sector programs and activities that increase cross-cultural understanding and knowledge between Americans and people from other countries, leading to greater mutual understanding and respect. Public Diplomacy is conducted through specific activities and programs carried out under the auspices of the federal government that promote positive and credible perceptions of the U.S. generally, and of U.S. foreign policy specifically. In today's global society, the two are interconnected."

Cultural & Program Coordinator, Pro-telligent International - workforcongress (subscription): [Entry from Google blogs] "Advise the Director, Deputy Director, and staff on public diplomacy programs and resources."

Short takes: Bloomberg on the Ground Zero mosque, the Celtics, and Iran - Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy: Comment by Peter N W: "As Prof Walt has eloquently stated before, public diplomacy is a crucial element to the war against Al-Qaeda."

RELATED ITEMS

Arab confidence in Obama collapsing - Marc Lynch, Foreign Policy: Public opinion surveys are only one part of the story --- the goals of engagement are always broader than "moving the numbers" in opinion surveys, even if any administration would happily trumpet positive numbers, and deny the significance of bad numbers.

If the administration begins to deliver -- on Israeli-Palestinian peace, on the withdrawal from Iraq, on engagement with Iran -- then the numbers will change. Image from

State Department report: Al Qaeda still top threat to U.S. - Elise Labott, CNN: Despite some setbacks, al Qaeda's core leadership in Pakistan remains the biggest threat to the United States, and the group continues to expand and strengthen worldwide, according to a new State Department report. Last year, al Qaeda's "core in Pakistan remained the most formidable terrorist organization targeting the U.S. homeland," says the report, "Country Reports on Terrorism." Terrorists have been increasingly interested in using the Internet to target the United States, but to date have been able only to transfer funds and spread propaganda. However, the report says, al Qaeda "continued its efforts to encourage key regional affiliates and jihadist networks to pursue a global agenda, using both the Internet as a means to distribute propaganda and telecommunications infrastructure to plan attacks and coordinate movements. Going forward, this will be an area of continued focus for the United States."

Al Qaeda In Iraq Continues With Propaganda Attacks - Musings On Iraq

Taliban Propaganda Watch – 050010UTC Aug 10 - MILNEWS.ca Blog

Iran Propaganda Debunked in Under Seven Minutes [video] - Thomas Woods, lewrockwell.com: Featured on a panel at the University of California, Riverside, Scott Horton of Antiwar Radio calmly and confidently debunks the accusations against Iran. This video gives excerpts of his comments.

Countdown to Zero: Propaganda for War on Iran - Rady Ananda, The Intelligence Daily: Seductive, fascinating and frightening, Countdown to Zero motivates the public to support complete nuclear disarmament and to fear Iran, which is conveniently the next country the US wants to invade. Framed in no-nuke rhetoric, Countdown to Zero is not-so-subtle agitprop. The film relies on conventional geopolitics to whip up conventional audiences into another conventional state of panic.

Islamo-terrorists just can’t acquire this technology! This is painfully similar to what we were told prior to the invasion of Iraq. Zero also does not condemn Israel for its nuclear program, despite its refusal to sign the NPT. Let us also recognize war propaganda when it surfaces. The film’s sincerity in promoting complete nuclear disarmament is undermined by its transparent promotion of war on Iran and by its failure to condemn nuclear energy. By not condemning all nuclear power, Countdown to Zero misses a golden opportunity to unite peace activists with safe-energy ones to rid the world of such a dangerous, destructive technology. Nuclear fallout is deadly – whether from weapons or energy plants. Image from

The Fine Line Between Truth and Propaganda – Dr. Zhao Xiao – Liveblogging the Global Leadership Summit 2010 (#wcagls) - Michael Krahn : The Ascent to Truth: China will become the new America? Prosperity and blessings for all? Don’t worry world, China is a nice gentle giant.

Senate to define who is a journalist? – Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: Charlie Savage reports at The New York Times that Democratic Senators proposed legislation to legislatively define who is a "journalist." The challenge of Wikileaks is more than its outing of documents and propaganda of paranoia. It is about the convergence of mediums, online and offline, challenging "traditional" media as a trusted source of information, and the blurring of data and information and the importance of providing context for valid interpretation.

Nazi and Israeli propaganda - Hans Kundnani: "Tarif Khalidi, a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the American University in Beirut, is scathing about my recent review in the TLS [Times Literary Supplement] of Jeffrey Herf’s book Nazi Propaganda for the Arab World. ... What really baffles me, however, is the accusation that my review echoes 'Israeli propaganda'. Is it 'Israeli propaganda' even to discuss the Nazis’ attempts to spread their ideology to the Middle East during World War II and to ask whether this may have had longer-term consquences in the Arab world?"

Vintage Soviet Propaganda USSR: Magazinecommunist.1985 - $12.50 Image from entry