August 18

"Take off your sunglasses."

-- The new commander in Afghanistan, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, in guidelines he issued instructing troops to mingle with locals whenever possible; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

'New era of cooperation': details of US-funded projects released - Mushtaq Ghumman, pakistantalk.com: "ISLAMABAD (August 17 2010): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has released the details of dozens of projects to be funded by the United States as new era of co-operation recently launched by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. ... The projects are as follows: COMMUNICATIONS and PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: The projects include: (i) Information Systems Data Centre: The US will work in partnership with the Ministry of Information Technology to deploy tier IV data storage and information systems service delivery platform for the Government of Pakistan - enabling common e-mail, word processing, standard data exchange and other business process applications. ... ii) Electronic Citizen Services: The US will work in partnership with the Ministry of Information Technology to launch a set of electronic citizen services to enable Pakistani citizens to engage their government for common public services using broadband and mobile phones messages. ... iii) Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation - Historic Archives Preservation: In partnership with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,

the US will support the digitisation and professional archiving of Radio Pakistan's music library. ... iv) Historic Preservation - Sheikhupura Fort, Southern Punjab: The US ambassador's Fund for Cultural Preservation has agreed to support a three-year project with the Ministry of Culture to restore, conserve and protect the Sheikhupura Fort in Punjab. ... Foreign Service Scholarship Program: In partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the US will contribute to strengthen mutual understanding between diplomats and provide advanced professional training for Pakistan's Foreign Service officers in the United States." Image: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, right, is greeted by Pakistani Chief of Protocol Ghalib upon her arrival at Pakistan Airforce Base, Chakala in Islamabad, Sunday, July 18, 2010. (AP Photo/Paul J. Richards, Pool)

Wishful thinking on Pakistan - Laura Freschi, aidwatchers.com: "From last weekend’s New York Times: ... 'LeFever [the senior US officer in Pakistan] clearly understands the P.R. value of flood assistance, but he also knows that absent other high-profile public diplomacy efforts, the half-life of any improvement to Pakistani impressions of the U.S. will be short,' said John K. Wood, a retired Army colonel….' This article raises several questions related to recent Aid Watch blog posts.

First, has anyone quoted in the article examined the evidence for or against the hypothesis that giving disaster relief will improve the US’s image in Pakistan? ... [T]here is startlingly little evidence at all on whether aid can 'win hearts and minds,' but one of the few studies that exists looked specifically at the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. It found that even though US relief efforts were effective from a humanitarian perspective, they had no lasting impact on Pakistani perceptions. Second, the Army official quoted above warns that flood assistance from the US may not be enough to create lasting change. ... But from which studies did he get his evidence that 'high-profile public diplomacy efforts' have a huge payoff for making Pakistanis love us? Third, could the love affair between US aid and Pakistan be suffering because Pakistan remembers that US aid jilted them several previous times? ... And because the aid to Pakistan was driven by our own strategic interests?" Image from article

Pakistani-American group urges Obama to vist flood-hit Pakistan in expression of support - APP: "Pakistani-American Leadership Center, an advocacy group working on the Capitol Hill, has urged President Barack Obama to visit Pakistan during his trip to Asia in November, arguing that the U.S. leader’s expression of support for flood-hit ally this way would greatly help ties between the two nations. As an organization representing Pakistani-Americans and dedicated to fostering positive relations between the U.S. and Pakistan, we strongly feel that such a visit would strengthen U.S. public diplomacy efforts and engagement in Pakistan, the PAL-C said."

Why Aren’t We Doing More for Pakistan? – mervdiddy, newmillenial.wordpress.com: "As Islamophobia runs rampant in the US (e.g. the New York City Mosque Controversy), Pakistan is not near and dear in the minds of most Americans. To me, this is highly unfortunate. Not only does this represent an opportunity to do the right thing and help millions of people survive and regain their livelihoods, but it marks an incredible public diplomacy opportunity. One of the reasons that Pakistanis are skeptical of US military involvement in the region is the perception that the US pursues its own national interest exclusively, often to the detriment of the local well-being. The United States has worked hard to reverse this sentiment in Afghanistan, with the military spear-heading infrastructure, development, and community-outreach projects nation-wide. We don’t have that kind of logistical capacity in Pakistan, where according to Pew, public support for the United States is only 17% (the lowest national support metric measured by Pew in 2010). The United States is in desperate need of a bolstered image in Pakistan – especially given the impact its location and political instability may have on the War in Afghanistan. This is a win-win situation – the American capacity for goodwill and technical support can and should be employed to help Pakistan recover from this major disaster."

Obama’s communication problem - Issandr El Amrani, almasryalyoum.com: "Over a year ago, when US President Barack Obama addressed the Muslim world from Cairo, the response from the region was generally optimistic. Many appreciated the American president’s gesture of respect towards Islam, as well as his recognition of the injustice done to the Palestinian people. Hope existed that he would show a markedly different approach to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The disappointment that followed was not just the natural lapsing of a honeymoon, but also a reflection of the Obama administration’s failure to follow through on its promises. While the postponement of the closure of Guantanamo Bay and a drawn-out exit from Iraq were undoubtedly a factor, it was on the Palestinian issue that the disillusionment was most bitterly felt, particularly after the administration softened its stance on Israel’s settlements.


This adjustment of attitudes was reflected in the recent Zogby poll, which showed that 'hopeful' sentiment about US policy in the Middle East dropped from 51 percent in 2009 to 16 percent in 2010, with a large majority--63 percent, rather than 15 percent in 2009--of respondents feeling 'discouraged' by Obama’s tenure. This is bad news for the administration, considering Obama had made America’s public diplomacy and its image in the Muslim world an American strategic interest its own right. This logic, adopted by Bush and Obama alike, posited that it was essential to convince the Muslim world that the 'war on terror' was not a 'war on Islam'--which would be falling into the trap set by al-Qaeda and other fundamentalists who seek to ignite civilisational wars."

Key Messages: Sec. Clinton on Global Health - Devi Sridhar, globalhealthpolicy.net: "This past Monday, Secretary Clinton gave a speech on the U.S. Global Health Initiative at the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins. ... [T]he examples that Sec Clinton expanded on were AIDS, SARS, and H1N1. The other issues (maternal health, etc) were relegated to ‘expression of our compassion’. I completely agree with her and found it interesting that she tied compassion to foreign policy through public diplomacy."

Obama Administration Spending $63 Billion on ‘Woman-Centered’ Global Health Care Program - Matt Cover, cnsnews.com:

"Clinton said improving health care in developing countries also fulfills other foreign policy goals – such as promoting social and economic progress in countries that may be able to help the U.S. solve regional and global problems. Investments in global health protect U.S. national security, including the threat posed by disease outbreaks; and those investments also serve as a tool of public diplomacy, boosting the U.S. image in the eyes of people who receive health care they might otherwise go without." See also (1) (2). Image from

U.S. Public Diplomacy Funds Were Needed Here - O'Dwyer's PR Blog - "In the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq, the State Dept. spent millions in public diplomacy dollars throughout the Muslim World to promote this country as a beacon of freedom and a home of tolerance toward people of all religions. As furor builds over the proposed World Trade Center mosque, it’s obvious that a big chunk of the money would have been better spent here. The proposed mosque is fronted by the same guy whom the State Dept. held up as its 'model moderate Muslim.' He could be successor to America's Muslim, Muhammad Ali. The feds dispatched Feisal Abdul Rauf overseas to preach the message of American tolerance. Former propaganda czar Karen Hughes enlisted FAR to participate in the U.S.-Islamic World Forum in Doha, Qatar. The FBI turned to him to host a New York forum designed to ease tensions with the Arab-American community upset with the increased crackdown in the war on terror. An irony: the FBI's New York headquarters is located near the WTC site, a stone’s throw from where FAR's Park51 Muslim center will probably never be built. The August political silly season has got to do with much of the heat focused on the mosque. Supported by Fox TV, the GOP is stirring the pot and hoping to cook Democrats with cheap shots about the mosque. It’s 2010’s version of last year’s 'death panel' fun."

State Department Briefing by Mark C. Toner, August 17, 2010 - enewspf.com: "QUESTION: P.J. [Crowley, State Department spokesperson] said last week he was going to gather more information on the itinerary of Imam Rauf. Has his State Department sponsorship – has it begun, when does it end, and what dates will he be – MR. TONER: I do. I don’t know if I have it in my book. I may. Hold on one second. QUESTION: Okay. MR. TONER: It’s – I have the dates. I apologize to leaf through, but I believe they’re in here somewhere. And of course, I can’t find them.

I’ll get them for you afterwards. I can get you the dates. It’s – I just don’t know it off the top of my head. QUESTION: And also being raised about this trip, he is going not to the countries where you need to develop a relationship, but to the countries where it is – there is money. So how are you going to stop him from collecting money? MR. TONER: Well, we’ve said that speakers are prohibited from raising money and using this program to raise money. He is aware of the prohibitions. He is going to engage in a public diplomacy program in countries that are believed by the United States to be areas where we need to focus. And during the Holy Muslim Month of Ramadan, it’s the perfect opportunity to engage some of these populations." Image from the State Department's Dipnote

A Mosque You Can’t Believe In? Republicans don’t oppose the Islamic community center near ground zero so much as they oppose Obama’s support of it - David Weig, Pointer’s Weekly: "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.' Glassman, who served as undersecretary for public diplomacy under George W. Bush, also believes that the controversy over the planned Islamic community center will hurt the U.S. image among Muslims abroad. And he believes that Obama’s task, like his predecessor’s, is to replace the conspiratorial narrative about a United States as an enemy of Islam with one in which a tolerant, freedom-loving country does right by Muslims. The problem—for the White House, for mosque supporters, for basically everyone—is that so few people believe this is possible." See also (1) (2). Below image from



The Confusion over the Ground Zero Mosque - EidosAndEkonomia: "The overall confusion of not wanting the Mosque 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."

Non-mainstream press notes VOA report on US Iraq withdrawal "ignored by mainstream press" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on Public Diplomacy

PD Magazine Tackles Human Rights Advocacy - Tala Mohebi, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The articles in this issue raise many questions and open doors for debate. The challenges for effecting change on human rights issues are great, but finding all available tools and drawing lessons from past efforts is critical. Please visit http://www.publicdiplomacymagazine.org to read the issue in its entirety, and to interact and exchange comments with other public diplomacy enthusiasts sharing their own experiences."

Formosa Betrayed – Paul Rockower, Levantine: "On monday, I went to see the movie Formosa Betrayed ... I give it credit as a means of public diplomacy in relating the Taiwanese struggle for democracy and independence to a non-Taiwanese audience. ... This film critic give the movie a solid 'B'.

It won't win any awards, but it is entertaining and moderately riveting, plus I respect its PD value and how it conveys the history of the Taiwanese democracy movement and its quest for independence through a Hollywood medium. PS: Perhaps more interesting was a bit of domestic Taiwanese PD that came with the previews before the movie. When I was interviewing Prof. Chyungly Lee on Taiwanese Soft Power, she asked if I was focusing on domestic public diplomacy or external public diplomacy. Confused, I said that we in the PD field usually just consider PD to be external. She replied that she considered domestic public diplomacy to be how a government gains support for its foreign policies domestically." Image from

Eleven million leaflets lofted over the Iron Curtain – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Historytimes.com, 16 August 2010, Richard Cummings: 'In August 1951, the National Committee for a Free Europe abolished its Research and Publications Service and created the Free Europe Press (FEP), which was used not only for the printing of various publications in the USA and Europe but also for the printing of leaflets and launching of balloons to carry them to the countries [of] Czechoslovakia, Poland and Hungary. Permanent launching sites were constructed set up in Fronau, Freying, and Hohenhard, West Germany. This test operation, known as the 'Winds of Freedom,' was on an experimental stand-alone basis, i.e., the launching of the balloons was not fully part of a coordinated programming effort with Radio Free Europe broadcasts. ... In total, over 11,000,000 leaflets were dropped behind the Iron Curtain during the two weeks of the 'Winds for Freedom' operation at a cost of $233,041.89.' -- Richard Cummings, retired RFE/RL director of security, is author of Cold War Radio: The Dangerous History of American Broadcasting in Europe, 1950-1989 and the soon-to-be published Radio Free Europe's 'Crusade for Freedom': Rallying Americans Behind Cold War Broadcasting, 1950-1960."

VOA history in the news – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "MountainRunner.us, 16 August 2010, Matt Armstrong: 'On March 30, 1949, in its first semi-annual report by the US Advisory Commission on Information, the predecessor to today's Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, recommended an 'immediate and broad expansion of the world-wide information program being conducted by the State Department, including the activities of the Voice of America.' ... 'It is in the information field that we meet the rival forces head on. The Soviet Union places by all odds its heaviest reliance on 'propaganda' spending enormous sums, and using its best and most imaginative brains. Other governments are acutely conscious of the importance of information programs and are spending more in proportion to their capacities than is the United States in telling its story abroad. ... The dissemination of American private media abroad is primarily and essentially an informational activity and the responsibility and funds for this activity should be placed with the Department of State, and the activities should not be limited to the countries receiving aid under the European Recovery Act.' ' [Elliott comment:] This recommendation by the Commission might have something to do with the discussion at the time about whether US international radio broadcasting should remain a government-funded activity, or revert to the private sector. By 1949, private US broadcasting had set its sights on television, and was no longer very interested in shortwave radio. Other elements of US private media, such as the 21 language editions of Reader's Digest, maintained their international activities with no financial help from the US government. Audience research showing how Radio Moscow, for all the rubles spent on it, was unsuccessful in attracting an audience, would have deflated the Advisory Commission's mantra calling for more funds for US information efforts."

Biography of "Axis Sally" will be published in October – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on Public Diplomacy: "Casemate Publishing press release, 16 August 2010: 'Axis Sally: The American Voice of Nazi Germany' by Richard Lucas, the first fully-documented biography of the notorious World War II broadcaster, will be published on October 19, 2010. One of the most notorious Americans of the twentieth century was a failed Broadway actress turned radio announcer named Mildred Gillars (1900–1988), better known to American GIs as 'Axis Sally.' Despite the richness of her life story, there has never been a full-length biography of the ambitious, star-struck Ohio girl

who evolved into a reviled disseminator of Nazi propaganda. Her 1949 trial for treason captured the attention and raw emotion of a nation fresh from the horrors of the Second World War. Her 12-year imprisonment and life on parole is a remarkable story of a woman who attempts to rebuild her life in the country she betrayed. Author Richard Lucas is a graduate of Hamilton College, Clinton, NY and Binghamton University, Binghamton NY. He is a freelance writer and lifelong shortwave radio enthusiast.' See also blurb at Casemate Publishing website. An excellent book on the subject is John Carver Edwards, Berling Calling: American Broadcasters in Service to the Third Reich, Praeger 1991." Axis Sally image from

RELATED ITEMS

'Three cups of tea' a byword for U.S. effort to win Afghan hearts and minds: 'Three cups of tea' has entered the U.S. troop lexicon as shorthand for a trust-building chat with locals. It is drawn from the bestseller by Greg Mortenson, who sets up girls schools in the region - Laura King, Los Angeles Times

Pakistan: An Urgent Call for Aid – Editorial, New York Times: In some areas, radical Islamic charities have provided shelter and hot meals well before the beleaguered authorities could bring in supplies. This is a battle for hearts and minds. It is one that Pakistan’s government, and the United States, must not lose.

Why Not to Bomb Iran - Robert Wright, New York Times

Military sees it's time for a change in camouflage - Oren Dorell, USA TODAY:

Soon, when soldiers stalk the enemy in Afghanistan, they may be harder to see. The Army this month began issuing new uniforms printed with a camouflage pattern called MultiCam, which is designed to blend in better with the varied landscapes of the country's mountainous terrain. Image from article

How to Win the Clash of Civilizations: The key advantage of Huntington's famous model is that it describes the world as it is—not as we wish it to be - Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Wall Street Journal: The West's universalist pretensions are increasingly bringing it into conflict with the other civilizations, most seriously with Islam and China. Thus the survival of the West depends on Americans, Europeans and other Westerners reaffirming their shared civilization as unique—and uniting to defend it against challenges from non-Western civilizations. We need to recognize the extent to which the advance of radical Islam is the result of an active propaganda campaign. According to a CIA report written in 2003, the Saudis invested at least $2 billion a year over a 30-year period to spread their brand of fundamentalist Islam. The Western response in promoting our own civilization was negligible.

Terrorists Capitalize on Pakistan's Floods: Weak government aid efforts are an opening for local extremists - Marisa Porges, Wall Street Journal: The Pakistani people need help, even if it is coming from extremists. As such, it's no surprise that U.S. officials have thus far not condemned these groups' relief efforts. Washington has committed over $70 million in aid and is sending food, helicopters and a special "Disaster Assistance Team" to the region—all to address the humanitarian crisis and to improve Pakistani opinion of America. Still, militant extremists may well emerge from the floods as Pakistan's saviors.

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY


“it’s not the Chinese. It’s not the Iranians. It’s not other countries. It’s not the E.U. It’s the U.S. that always leads.”

--State Department envoy Richard Holbrooke; image from

“You can ask the question, was the whole bloody thing a mistake? I don’t spend a lot of time on that.”

--Former US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker

AMERICANA

In Ground Zero mosque controversy, conservative writers have growing influence - Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post: The most colorful -- and perhaps most visible activist at the moment -- is Pam Geller, a former New York Observer publisher who has appeared in a bikini (see video) and a super-tight Superman costume challenging Islam.