November 5

"Originally Posted by Milkyway Thank you, but I mean the usage as passives.
For example, which one is correct?
1. They are not welcome abroad. This means that the people who live in other countries do not want them to visit or have hostile feelings toward them.
2. They are not welcomed abroad. This means that no one does anything to welcome them."

--wordreference.com; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Under Secretary of State Judith A. McHale Travel to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the Czech Republic - Office of the Spokesman, U.S. Department of State: "Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale will travel to Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and the Czech Republic November 5-12. During her visit to Bahrain, Under Secretary McHale will meet with government officials, representatives from non-governmental organizations, and Bahraini youth. She will speak at a youth town hall at the University of Bahrain about continued cooperation on public diplomacy initiatives, the importance of civil society development, and entrepreneurship and academic opportunities for the country’s young people. In the United Arab Emirates, Under Secretary McHale will speak at and participate in the Celebration of Entrepreneurship (http://abraaj.com/celebration/). During the event, she will be joined by Pradeep Ramamurthy, Senior Director for Global Engagement at the National Security Council, for a presentation.


In addition, she will participate in a panel discussion, organized by the Dubai School of Government, on Women and Entrepreneurship. While in the UAE, she will also meet with government officials and media leaders. In the Czech Republic, Under Secretary McHale will participate and speak at the final day of the week-long Young Leaders Dialogue with America (YLDA) Conference in Prague. YLDA offers influential young leaders from twelve Central European and Baltic countries a forum to foster transatlantic ties and identify common interests and shared themes with their U.S. peers, with a conference focus on security, environmental, and tolerance issues." Image from

An Obama defeat not bad news for India - Pakistan Observer: "Over the past month, a troupe of Obama backers have descended on India, seeking to soften opinion in the country ahead of President Obama’s visit. The English-language media in India, both print as well as television, have given continuous coverage of such non-events as former Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott discussing issues centering around the braid theme of 'what India can do for the US'. Apart from a few retired diplomats and civil servants, as well as the participants themselves, there has been no viewer interest in such fare. Then why air on television or print so many such 'debates and discussions' featuring an army of retired (but hoping for re-employment) Clinton-era officials and their Indian clones? In large part, such coverage is a tribute to the public diplomacy skills of the huge US embassy in New Delhi, that networks intensively with not only the journalists working in these media outlets but (much more crucially) the proprietors. ... This columnist visits the Information Technology (IT) hubs of Bangalore and Hyderabad often, and in both there is anger at the shabby way in which Indian IT professionals are being treated in matters of visa and entry into the US. These days, visa interviews for software professionals has turned nasty, with the (normally polite) consular officials clearly under instructions from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discourage Indians from going on work assignments to the US."

India will do well to learn the US vocational education model‎ - Prashant K. Nanda, Livemint: "India is a developing country with a developed talent— that’s what Jack Welch, then chief executive of General Electric Co. (GE), said a decade ago. That sentiment is behind education emerging as one of the key areas of collaboration between the US and India.


Sample this: Human resource development minister Kapil Sibal has travelled to the US twice in the last six months along with top bureaucrats and academics. Several US officials, including secretary of state Hillary Clinton and under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs Judith McHale, have reiterated the need for better educational tie-ups. In October alone, three top universities—those of Yale, Illinois and Cincinnati—have toured India to further academic collaboration." Image from

The JET Program is a 'triumph of soft power' - James Gannon, asahi.com: "In its 23 years, the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program has brought more than 50,000 young foreigners to Japan, including over 25,000 Americans, to teach in the school system as well as to support international exchange activities. Each of us grew to know Japan through our participation in the JET Program, and this experience has changed the direction of our careers and enriched our lives. In fact, the JET Program has touched the lives of so many people who might otherwise not be exposed to Japanese society that it is regarded by many outside of Japan as the most successful public diplomacy initiative in the world over the last several decades. Therefore, we were especially dismayed to learn that it has been criticized in the last round of the budget screening process. ... The JET Program's least recognized contribution ... may be its most important. This is the remarkable success it has had as a public diplomacy program. By exposing thousands of young professionals to Japanese society, it has built up deep person-to-person ties between Japanese people and an entire generation of non-Japanese from around the world."

Cloud Computing Powers up Cyberwar Threat - Eric Ehrmann, Huffington Post:


"Davos democrat, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton, supported by a social network of fat cat contributors on Wall Street and in Silicon Valley, are not at all enthusiastic about entertaining calls for a cyberwar treaty. The White House and new national security council director Thomas Donilon prefer to use the tactic as a public diplomacy vehicle, and, when needed, as a hard power tool to achieve their notion of virtual digital democracy driven by American-style business-to-business values." Image from

Understanding Influence: A Matter of National Security - John Koval III, MountainRunner.us: "[W]e're failing as a country to understand influence, not as a subjective skill, but as a system, or, perhaps more accurately,


as a weapons system. ... [O]ur influence warfighters - particularly in the State Department - are forced to play with one hand tied behind their back due to anachronistic laws like Smith-Mundt. But we don't have to compound the problem. We must adopt standards." Koval III image from article

U.S. ballet company performs in Cuba - Jeff Franks, Reuters: "Members of the American Ballet Theater danced in Cuba for the first time in 50 years on Wednesday in a tribute to the troupe's former prima ballerina, Cuban ballet legend Alicia Alonso. The dancers performed in Havana's Karl Marx Theater before an enthusiastic audience that included Alonso, who turns 90 on December 21. The ballet troupe made several previous appearances in Cuba but the last was in 1960 as relations between the United States and Cuba worsened after the 1959 Cuban revolution that put Fidel Castro in power. This visit is the latest attempt at cultural diplomacy between the two ideological foes as they search for common ground after five decades of hostility."


Image from article: Alicia Alonso, Cuba's prima ballerina assoluta and director of the Cuban National Ballet, is interviewed by reporters at an event in Havana October 31, 2010. The 22nd International Ballet Festival is taking place in Havana till November 7. See also "A Time to Dance," Laura McGinnis, manIC.

VOL. VI NO. 22, October 22 - November 4, 2010 - The Layalina Review

"WikiLeaks' Latest Disclosure: No Surprise to Iraqis The latest release of 400,000 classified documents on the Iraq War by the whistle-blowing organization WikiLeaks sparked mixed reactions from journalists and officials worldwide. While most Iraqis claimed to be already familiar with the information detailed in the documents, journalists believe that the release may further damage US credibility in the Middle East.
Islamist Channels Silenced during Egyptian Elections In anticipation of the elections, the Egyptian government is attempting to stifle political opposition parties by shutting down private television networks that are sympathetic to these movements, particularly of the Muslim Brotherhood.
StratComm on the Afghan Airwaves Free radios are being dispensed amongst the Afghan people in order to counter Taliban propaganda. However, the campaign to win hearts and minds faces some major obstacles, as cooperation between the civilian population and the military often involves vexing local Afghans.
Al-Jazeera Seen as Renegade The Qatar-based Arabic television channel, Al-Jazeera, had its bureau in Morocco shut down due to alleged unfair representation of the regime. Far from being the only one, the channel’s detractors claim that Al-Jazeera faces growing criticism across the Arab world and now in Europe, further fueling tensions through its investigative reporting.


Toeing the Line between Freedom and Terror The boundary that separates freedom of expression from security can be a tricky path to navigate in a complex world where authorities have to exercise caution between defining what can represent a danger to national security.
The Face(lift) of American Diplomacy The State Department’s Middle East Partnership Initiative launched a revamped website this past month to promote American efforts in the Middle East. While critics argue that substantive change to current US policy is essential, highlighting initiatives and boots-on-the-ground efforts may help improve America’s image.
The Internet: A Gateway to Public Opinion Authoritarian governments in the Middle East are clamping down on bloggers and internet communities they perceive as a challenge to their authority. In the meantime, the US government struggles to figure out how to encourage freedom of speech without offending key allies such as Egypt and China.
Pressed for Freedom in the Middle East Countries in the Middle East did not fare well in the 2010 World Press Freedom Index, an annual survey conducted by Reporters Without Borders assessing the strength of press freedom. Several scholars blamed repressive governments for being the primary sources of tension. The Reel Middle East: Arabic Film Festivals The Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF) opened last week in Qatar to promote a successful base for developing cinema projects in the Middle East. In addition to the DTFF, Arabic film festivals around the world provide an opportunity to experience the rich diversity of Arabic life and culture through art.
Bahrain's Elections Highlights Sectarian Tensions Tensions ran high between the Shia majority and the ruling Sunni minority in Bahrain during the elections, highlighting the sectarian tensions in the Kingdom." Image from

Deputy FM Ayalon Calls on Non-Jews to Join the Diplomacy War - Gil Ronen, Yoni Kempinski, Arutz Sheva: "Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon hosted a one-day seminar Tuesday with top public diplomacy organizations and implored them to continue working hand in hand with the government in fighting for Israel. He mentioned the first time that the Foreign Ministry turned to a private blog -- the immensely popular Instapundit -- as a milestone in the history of the ministry's approach to public diplomacy, and noted that the most effective disseminators of pro-Israel information are non-Jews."

Editor's Notes: Danny Seaman’s farewell voyage: The departing head of the Government Press Office lets it all out - David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post: "Winding up a torrid decade as director of the Government Press Office, Danny Seaman has plainly decided to give vent to years of pent-up frustration. ... [Q] What was the main responsibility? Handling the foreign press. Assisting with all their technical needs. Giving the government’s message.


Getting them contacts. Showing them around the country. I was ready to leave two years ago, with the creation of the new Ministry of Public Diplomacy. There were certain things that I had wanted to do [and haven’t been able to]. I wanted to take the GPO into the 21st century. The demise of the GPO began immediately after its peak." Seaman image from article

Intelligence and Terrorism‎ - Intelligence & Terrorism Information Center: "Apparently, as far as Hamas was concerned, the policy of hiding the actual number of Hamas operatives killed outlived its usefulness after the Goldstone Report was issued, which Hamas regarded as a significant achievement. The considerations behind formulating the policy changed, because Hamas recently needed public diplomacy to prove that its forces had played a major role in the fighting in Operation Cast Lead and that it was Hamas which had borne the burden of casualties (thereby rebutting the claim of its opponents that the 'people in Gaza' and not Hamas had borne the burden of the fighting)."

Congratulations Melanie Ciolek! - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "Congratulations to Melanie Ciolek on winning the USC Center on Public Diplomacy’s Prize for Best Student Paper for 2010. Melanie’s paper, How Social Media Contributes to Public Diplomacy: Why Embassy Jakarta’s Facebook Outreach Improves Understanding of the Limitations and Potential for the State Department’s Use of Social Media,


was published on this blog back in June. Melanie wrote 'How Social Media Contributes to Public Diplomacy' as a student in my Public Diplomacy and Technology (PUBD510) last semester." Ciolek image from article

Change of Plans - Shirah.Eden.Foy, the space between: "By the end of my phone interview, back in August, it was clear that I was being recommended to the St. Petersburg Consulate, to work at the Political-Economic and Public Diplomacy desks. ... My


pre-employment security package finally arrived in late September, and I eagerly opened the manila envelope, fully expecting to learn the details of my new position in St. Petersburg. Much to my surprise, the cover letter read, 'Dear Shirah E. Foy, Congratulations! You have been chosen as a PRIMARY and have been assigned to the U.S. EMBASSY IN MOSCOW.'" Image from blog

RELATED ITEMS

Post-midterms, Obama to focus on foreign policy in four-nation Asian trip - Scott Wilson, Washington Post: Thomas E. Donilon, Obama's national security adviser: Obama "is a person of the Pacific ... These countries, these cultures, are of deep interest to him. He understands these places in a way I don't know if any American president has." Below image from


Goals for Mr. Obama's trip to Asia - Editorial, Washington Post: Obama's tour of India, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea is important - and in the case of the first two countries, overdue.

For Obama, Foreign Policy May Offer Avenues for Success - Helene Cooper, New York Times: The elections on Tuesday gutted the Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee, paved the way for a pro-Israel Cuban-American to preside over the House Foreign Affairs Committee and removed the most antiwar Democrat from the leading Senate foreign policy committee. But for President Obama, a truism holds: While his domestic agenda may end up being stalled for the next two years, national security remains his domain, no matter how unfriendly Congress may be. And the United States’ relations abroad, political and foreign policy observers say, may be the broadest avenue left for Mr. Obama to accomplish anything during the remainder of his current term.

American Dreamland - Roger Cohen, New York Times: "Somewhere in the past two years — and I’d place that moment in the midst of the agonizing passage of health care reform — the conviction gelled in wide swathes of an underemployed, over-indebted, war-sapped, anxious, aggrieved nation


that Obama’s United States was crossing the bridge from American self-reliance to the 'big government” of the European nanny state.'" Image from

Looking For God At The Shanghai Expo: Religion, Nation Branding And The Soft Power Showdown In China - Nicholas J. Cull, Newswire – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: The desire/necessity to avoid offending the host government created an image of the West at Expo of being much more culturally and politically compatible with China than may actually be the case.

U.S. gets some love, and hate, in Tehran: Officials praise the U.S. for placing an Iranian insurgent group on its terrorism list even as crowds commemorate the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage-taking with chants of "Death to America" - Borzou Daragahi and Ramin Mostaghim, latimes.com.

Image from article

Yemen: the new breeding ground for terror: The explosive devices intercepted en route to the US started their journey in the Arabian Peninsula, al-Qaeda’s latest stronghold, reports Con Coughlin - telegraph.co.uk: Acknowledging the emergence of terror groups based in Yemen as a major threat to Western security, Sir John Sawers, the head of Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence-gathering operation, last week singled out Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born terrorist who is believed to be the head of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), as posing a grave threat to British security. He described him as a key al-Qaeda leader operating “from his remote base in Yemen”, who “broadcasts propaganda and terrorist instruction in fluent English, over the internet”. Since the group formed in Yemen in January 2009, it has been responsible for a number of high-profile terror plots, the majority involving the use of the powerful high explosive pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN). British security officials are also particularly concerned about the impact al-Awlaki’s radicalisation techniques might have on the estimated 8,000 British Muslims who travel each year to Yemen in pursuit of Islamic studies. “The overwhelming majority of British Muslims who travel to Yemen do so purely for peaceful, religious purposes,” said a senior British security official. “But there is always the risk that, while they are there, they might be susceptible to this kind of jihadist propaganda.”

Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South - 050255UTC Nov 10 - MILNEWS.ca Blog

BBC propaganda temporarily silenced - Broaden your mind:


The leading lights of the BBC deserve no pensions following their contribution to the destruction of our democracy, they should spend the next two days researching the reality of their EU enslaved employer's past activities and make a vow that in future they will first free their own minds to subsequently stick to only broadcasting facts while hosting others to pursue proper debates. Image
from

Propaganda Techniques - Jessica, socialvoice.blogspot.com: So if we know the propaganda techniques and we know the way that they fool people, why do we continue to be fooled? Why do we continue to buy things we don't need or believe things that are not true? Why do we give propaganda power?


Image from article, with comment: Bandwagon: It's popular so you should try it
Bandwagon: An example of a bandwagon is selling Pedi Paws because its popular. So, in the commercial when they say, "discover what millions of people . . ." they are trying to convince you to join the bandwagon.

Pavlovian Propaganda and the Midterm Election - Oughtism: Attacks on President Obama were taken directly from Joseph Goebbel’s propaganda manual from 1933. Goebbels was "Reich Minister of Propaganda and Public Enlightenment" for Hitler’s Nazi Party. http://www.psywarrior.com/Goebbels.html Goebbels wrote: “The receptive powers of the masses are very restricted, and their understanding is feeble. On the other hand, they quickly forget. Such being the case, all effective propaganda must be confined to a few bare essentials and those must be expressed as far as possible in stereotyped formulas…..If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it…. These slogans should be persistently repeated until the very last individual has come to grasp the idea that has been put forward….Propaganda must reinforce anxiety…. (and) must facilitate the displacement of aggression by specifying the targets for hatred.”

Art museum curator helps design propaganda exhibit - Mary Shinn, statepress.com: Nazi propaganda will be touring the country in 2013 to educate the country about biased political messages in the media. Heather Sealy Lineberry, senior curator and associate director of the ASU Art Museum on the Tempe campus, was invited to a panel at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., last month to help design the traveling exhibit.


The traveling exhibit will come out of the Holocaust museum’s permanent collection titled 'The State of Deception, The Power of Nazi Propaganda.' Image from article, with caption: Heather Sealy Lineberry traveled to Washington D.C. to help design an exhibit of propaganda from World War II.

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"'Transformational' leadership engages followers in the risky and often exhilarating work of changing the world, work that often changes the activists themselves. Its sources are shared values that become wellsprings of the courage, creativity and hope needed to open new pathways to success. 'Transactional' leadership, on the other hand, is about horse-trading, operating within the routine, and it is practiced to maintain, rather than change, the status quo."

--Marshall Ganz, lecturer in public policy at Harvard University