"Experts are now saying that what happened in Egypt proves that countries in the Middle East can move towards democracy without us invading them. Today, George Bush said, 'Oh, now you tell me!'"
--Talk show host Jay Leno, as cited in LLC News Bulletin; image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Public diplomacy in the Facebook age - Paul Adrian Raymond, pauladrianraymond.wordpress.com: "Towards the end of the first term of the American President Franklin Pierce, an editorial appeared in the London Times newspaper, criticising his political style.
'The statesmen of America must recollect that, if they have to make, as they conceive, a certain impression upon us, they have also to set an example for their own people, and there are few examples so catching as those of public diplomacy.' The article was published in 1856, and is widely held to be the first use of the phrase 'public diplomacy.' But the desire to influence, persuade and appeal to the public is as old as statecraft. Governments with a good grasp of how to appeal to foreign publics can build valuable alliances with overseas business communities, civil society and other governments. ... It is clear that governments cannot afford to ignore these changes in the communications sphere. Indeed, social networks offer ample opportunities for public diplomacy. Alert governments have been quick to see the benefits offered by social networks and similar new technologies. Al-Najjar, writing in a blog for the University of Southern California, says Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) provides a good example of 'indirect and productive public diplomacy efforts.' ... The administration of President Obama, too, has been keen to make use of new technologies for public diplomacy. Mr Obama has considerably improved the image of America abroad, particularly in the Muslim world. In terms of image management, he has the considerable advantages of being young, charismatic and eloquent. But he is also good at using social networks to reach out to publics abroad." Pierce image from
Will Twitter Become the New "Voice of America" Propaganda Arm? - Marshall Kirkpatrick, readwriteweb.com: "Sometimes the US government dumps paper pamphlets out of airplanes over places it wants to see people challenge their governments. How 20th century! This weekend the US State Department started something new: Tweeting in Farsi through an account set up to speak to the people resuming protests in Iran. @USAdarFarsi, as the account is named, now has nearly 3,000 people following it. What is it Tweeting? Calls to support public demonstrations, like in Egypt. Referencing Egypt at this point sounds like a call to overthrow the government, does it not? Decades of historical tension between the US and the Middle East, when it comes to communication policies and technology in particular, give reason to pause before assuming the State Department's social media campaigns will be received as benevolent. ... Katie Stanton, former State Department official and now Twitter employee, last night compared this Twitter campaign to the historical Voice of America radio and television propaganda efforts.
--Talk show host Jay Leno, as cited in LLC News Bulletin; image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Public diplomacy in the Facebook age - Paul Adrian Raymond, pauladrianraymond.wordpress.com: "Towards the end of the first term of the American President Franklin Pierce, an editorial appeared in the London Times newspaper, criticising his political style.
'The statesmen of America must recollect that, if they have to make, as they conceive, a certain impression upon us, they have also to set an example for their own people, and there are few examples so catching as those of public diplomacy.' The article was published in 1856, and is widely held to be the first use of the phrase 'public diplomacy.' But the desire to influence, persuade and appeal to the public is as old as statecraft. Governments with a good grasp of how to appeal to foreign publics can build valuable alliances with overseas business communities, civil society and other governments. ... It is clear that governments cannot afford to ignore these changes in the communications sphere. Indeed, social networks offer ample opportunities for public diplomacy. Alert governments have been quick to see the benefits offered by social networks and similar new technologies. Al-Najjar, writing in a blog for the University of Southern California, says Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) provides a good example of 'indirect and productive public diplomacy efforts.' ... The administration of President Obama, too, has been keen to make use of new technologies for public diplomacy. Mr Obama has considerably improved the image of America abroad, particularly in the Muslim world. In terms of image management, he has the considerable advantages of being young, charismatic and eloquent. But he is also good at using social networks to reach out to publics abroad." Pierce image from
Will Twitter Become the New "Voice of America" Propaganda Arm? - Marshall Kirkpatrick, readwriteweb.com: "Sometimes the US government dumps paper pamphlets out of airplanes over places it wants to see people challenge their governments. How 20th century! This weekend the US State Department started something new: Tweeting in Farsi through an account set up to speak to the people resuming protests in Iran. @USAdarFarsi, as the account is named, now has nearly 3,000 people following it. What is it Tweeting? Calls to support public demonstrations, like in Egypt. Referencing Egypt at this point sounds like a call to overthrow the government, does it not? Decades of historical tension between the US and the Middle East, when it comes to communication policies and technology in particular, give reason to pause before assuming the State Department's social media campaigns will be received as benevolent. ... Katie Stanton, former State Department official and now Twitter employee, last night compared this Twitter campaign to the historical Voice of America radio and television propaganda efforts.
Image from article, with caption: Below: Before Twitter, before Wikileaks. A 1953 cable from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad back home to Washington discusses the "anti-communist brainwashing" (their words!) being scheduled for Iraqi participants in the US-sponsored ROTC programs there. Via PK
Slavin: ‘As Talks Stall with Iran, U.S. Steps Up Propaganda War’ - Ali Gharib, lobelog.com: "Barbara Slavin has a piece up about the Obama administration’s tough tone against Iran in the wake of yet another crackdown on protests organized by the Green Movement. Slavin hits on the tenor of administration officials’ comments, as well as the effort to boost Voice of America’s public diplomacy bona fides as a way of talking to Iranians over the heads of their government. ... On the public diplomacy front, Slavin notes an interesting turn at VOA’s Persian News Network, which is illegally beamed into Iran by satellite. Slavin writes that neoconservatives have already attacked a new VOA official, a State Department Foreign Service officer heading up PNN, for comments related to the National Iranian American Council."
Iranian Days of Rage - Helle Dale, Heritage.org: "After the past months’ events in Tunisia and Egypt, the importance of public diplomacy and support for the new media as a foreign policy game-changer is evident.
In Iran, social media has great potential, as demonstrated in 2009, though the road ahead will be much tougher than in Egypt, given the sheer brutality of the Iranian regime and its armed and security forces." Image from article
In France, US advocacy for Muslim rights raises more than a few hackles: The US embassy in France has become a key promoter of Muslim and minority rights as part of a long-term strategy to ease the threat of terrorism. Some in France say the US is overstepping its bounds - Anita Elash, Christian Science Monitor: "After two years of trying, human rights activist Abdelaziz Dahhassi realized his dream late last year of setting up a think tank to find new ways to fight ethnic and religious discrimination in France. But it was the US State Department, and not the French government, that helped Mr. Dahhassi’s Lyon-based Association for the Convergence of Respect and Diversity finally get off the ground. ... American support for Dahhasi’s association is part of a broader program of public diplomacy created across Europe after the 9/11 attacks on the US to diffuse the threat of terrorism. A US embassy official in Paris says it was designed to 'create mutual understanding' and to 'show people there’s no good reason to fly airplanes into skyscrapers.' It has focused on seeking out and building relationships with potential leaders in Muslim and other minority groups. A key component has been the International Visitor Leadership Program, which for decades has sent members of the French elite on educational visits to the US. Its pre-2001 French alumni are nearly exclusively white. Last year, about a third of French participants belonged to minority groups, mostly Muslims. Wafa Dahman, a French journalist of Tunisian background and founder of the French and Arabic broadcaster Radio Salam, spent three weeks with the program traveling across the US in 2008. She says she saw 'America as it was, with all its strengths and faults...' . A series of diplomatic cables revealed by the antisecrecy website WikiLeaks show that the current US ambassador in France, Charles Rivkin, has adopted an even more ambitious agenda meant to 'amplify France's efforts to realize its own egalitarian ideals, thereby advancing US national interests.' ... But critics say Rivkin’s cable and US embassy support for initiatives such as Dahhassi’s Association for the Convergence of Respect and Diversity takes US outreach program in a new and unwelcome direction." See also.
GOP's Proposed Cuts To Africa Aid Criticized - NPR: Ms. GERSON [Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush]: ... You know, we don't have a deficit crisis because we spend too much money on bed nets and AIDS drugs. We have a deficit crisis because we have entitlements, and aging population, and health cost inflation. But there are also important economic and security arguments
here [in Africa]. ... INSKEEP [NPR]: Oh, they're investing big in Africa. Yeah. Mr. GERSON: They are. Well, because this is an emerging market, it's a type of public diplomacy, we gain influence in places that we might not normally. And in Africa in particular it's had a huge effect on the image of America, which I think will serve us well in the long run." Image from
Bread for the World Applauds Administration´s Commitment to Reforming Foreign Policy - press release, Live-PR.com: "[T]he U.S. State Department released the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), 'Leading through Civilian Power.' Aimed at setting a sweeping reform agenda for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the QDDR takes a comprehensive look at the role of U.S. foreign aid and global development initiatives in a world with increased needs, threats, and opportunities. 'The QDDR is an important step in reforming U.S. foreign aid, making U.S. support for development and poverty reduction around the world more effective,' said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. 'This is yet another way the administration is showing its dedication to providing effective assistance to people all over the world who desperately need it.' The QDDR is an extension of the Global Development Policy that President Barack Obama announced in September, with a focus on strengthening and better coordinating U.S. diplomacy and development efforts, as carried out by the State Department and USAID. This review places greater emphasis on interagency collaboration and public diplomacy, focusing U.S. support for more inclusive, sustained economic growth, and elevating and transforming development to deliver results by supporting innovation and measuring results."
Uzbek Independent Media Increasingly Muzzled - Catherine A. Fitzpatrick, EurasiaNet: "[I]ncreasingly, the small but brave independent press corps in Uzbekistan is under fire, as the Uzbek government has launched a string of libel lawsuits against reporters working for non-state Uzbek publications as well as for foreign news media, and also targeted the independent civic organizations providing sources for them. The space for independent questioning is shrinking. Last year Voice of America reporter Abdumalik Boboyev was first intimidated, then indicted with charges that his critical reporting for VOA was 'slandering the Uzbek people' -- a politicized notion that isn't even in the Uzbek criminal code. After some intensive private and public diplomacy on his case from the U.S. government, Boboyev was released, but even after an appeal and a meeting with Blake last November, he still had to pay a heavy fine of about $11,000 -- and of course remains with the threat of another suit always hanging over his head."
U.S. Army sergeant makes real connection with Kyrgyz people - centcom.dodlive.mil: "Our guest blogger this week is U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Zenia D. Boswell. She’s serving in Kyrgyzstan as the non-commissioned officer (NCO) in charge of the Office of Military Cooperation (OMC) assigned to the U.S. Embassy Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Boswell, who is also the deputy chief of the OMC, shares her thoughts on her life overseas: Boswell 'This month, during Black History Month, I was selected to speak to various Kyrgyz people ranging in age from 12 to 50 and beyond.
From political questions, to hip hop music, they were so attentive to every word that I spoke. Their attentiveness and welcoming spirits allowed me to be comfortable and truthful while sharing things that were dear to me. 'I am an American Soldier,' was how I began my interactions with the 12 year old Kyrgyz students during a public diplomacy outing. I wanted to share my pride in serving my country and let them know that Soldiers come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and ethnicities; something that I believe is a contributing factor to our American military’s success.'" Image from article, with caption: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Zenia D. Boswell meets students in the Kyrgyz Republic, where she works for the U.S. Embassy Bishkek’s Office of Military Cooperation.
Highlights from thecable.foreignpolicy.com - Josh Rogin, Washington Post: "Internet censorship policies by China [:] On the same day Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a major speech on protecting freedom of information, especially in cyberspace, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued a report criticizing the U.S. government for failing to confront the Chinese government's Internet censorship policies. 'In the same way that our trade with China is out of balance, it is clear to even the casual observer that when it comes to interacting directly with the other nation's public we are in another lopsided contest,' Sen. Richard G. Lugar (Ind.) wrote in the new report. 'China has a vigorous public diplomacy program, based on a portrayal of an ancient, benign China that is, perhaps, out of touch with modern realities. Nonetheless, we are being overtaken in this area of foreign policy by China, which is able to take advantage of America's open system to spread its message in many different ways, while using its fundamentally closed system to stymie U.S. efforts.'"
Chinese Babies are a Pawn in My War of Public Diplomacy - ryanssupergreatadventure.wordpress.com: "I know that our relations with the People’s Republic of China have been a little rocky over the past sixty years (See the Korean War), but don’t worry I got it covered. On my watch the future of US-Sino Relations can only improve, because I have a plan: Baby Diplomacy. Every time I see a child, I smile, wave, make a funny face or do something to make it like me. If it responds positively, I know that it may spare the American soldier it has in its sniper rifle scope twenty years from now. If it responds negatively, God help us all. The thought process is that if I can make all the Chinese babies like me I can stop WWIII. So I resist the urge to strangle the little racists when they shout, 'FOREIGNER!' at me in Chinese.
I smile and wave. Story: A couple of months ago, as I was lamenting the loss of my best friend in China (Sarah) on the bus with Daisuke on the way to an art market, a little kid came from the front of the bus, climbed over Daisuke (ignored him completely), and gave me a sticker. It made me feel a lot better. I still have the little umbrella sticker on my phone, I don’t know what his gift of an umbrella sticker might represent, but here’s the reassuring thing about the future of US-Chinese relations: If they give us stickers as children, maybe they won’t launch airstrikes as adults. You are welcome America. Sincerely, Ryan" Image from article
Wikileaks: Viewing cable 08BRASILIA469, SCENESETTER FOR POLICY PLANNING DIRECTOR GORDON - /orianomattei.blogspot.co: "APR 08 FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA ... C O N F I D E N T I A L ... Engaging with Brazilians: Public Diplomacy ... ¶27. (U) The total public diplomacy budget for Brazil is roughly four million dollars, excluding salaries. Major programs include our highly successful Youth Ambassador program, English Immersion USA, an active speakers program, and about 50 International Visitors per year. Other exchanges include community college students and administrators, high school administrators, and university student leaders. We are increasing support for English language programs with more money for English Access Micro Scholarships and for student advising through Opportunity Initiative Grants. Both programs are funded by ECA. We work closely with Binational Centers whenever we can to leverage our resources. 28. (U) Brazil,s growing economic development and increasingly affluent population will increase demand for English and overseas study in the U.S. While we are increasing resources in both those areas, we lack the staff to handle the growing demand. Engaging with Brazilians: Expanding Academic Outreach [:] ¶29. (U) Although there is no degree-granting American Studies program in Brazil, several academic centers that focus on US topics are starting to emerge. The eight ECA sponsored Study of the U.S. Summer Institutes for university professors receive many Brazilian applicants, although only three were chosen this year. ECA,s excellent initiative to create a university student leaders seminar on U.S. studies received over a thousand applicants from Brazil for 18 slots. The program was a great success, with many of the participants changing the focus of their academic research to the U.S. as a direct result of the experience. ¶30. (U) The post has a large and active Fulbright program which currently has 183 Brazilians in the U.S. and 57 U.S. students and scholars in Brazil. The program receives approximately $5.1 million form the U.S. side, a figure that includes tuition waivers from U.S. universities. The USG directly supports the program with about $1.5 million. The Brazilian contribution, through CAPES, is approximately $6.3 million in support of Brazilians in U.S. universities and a more limited number of U.S. citizens in Brazil. A separate program, the CAPES-FIPSE annual grant competition, funds ten new academic partnership projects each year. These programs are co-funded by the U.S. and Brazilian governments at the rate of USD 50,000 per year per side for a period of four years."
The Coming Fight Over Foreign Assistance - lavozdelcentro.net:
"Above is my quick and dirty comparison of the coming fight over foreign help. In green is the amount already spent in 2010 on each of the discreet line items (I’ve chosen these four areas because they were frankly comparable linking the innumerable proposed appropriations). ... Now, I know that here’s a exchange to be had about fitting how we spend foreign help and what we should receive back from it. But this is a more basic philosophical disagreement about whether or not America should be a planet leader, or whether we should disengage from the rest of the planet. After all, at its best, foreign help buys soft power, something that has been in relatively small supply of late. In light of that, it’s worth keeping in mind this quote from Joe Nye’s new book, The Future Power: 'In general, the United States has not worked out an integrated plot for combining hard and soft power….Many official instruments of soft power – public diplomacy, broadcasting, exchange programs, development help, disaster relief, air force-to-air force contracts – are scattered around the government, and here is no overarching strategy or budget that even tries to integrate them with hard power into an overarching smart power strategy. The United States spends about five hundred times more on the air force than it does on broadcasting and exchanges.'" Image from article
Putin Slams Russian Customs Officers' 'Racy' New Hip-Hop Video - Curtis M. Wong, The Huffington Post: "Set to a Russian hip-hop soundtrack, the sexy video shows the officers in Vladivostok dancing, swigging champagne and dive-bombing across the floor,
while another scene depicts a lingerie-clad female officer rubbing customs documents against her breasts." Facebook comment by Facebook friend (or should I say real friend) Mitchell Polman: "Definite American cultural influence, but I don't think this is a result of a State Department PD program." Image from entry
The Next 9/11 - Right Side News: "Chavez has been attempting to export chaos to America for years. While the U.S. government was taking a beating in the media for its post-Katrina relief efforts, Chavez attempted to embarrass the Bush administration by providing aid to the Katrina-hit Gulf Coast. Chavez had already been running a 'public diplomacy 'campaign in the U.S. to help bolster American support for his regime. The propaganda effort involved funneling discounted home heating oil to the nonprofit group Citizens Energy Corp., which is run by former Congressman Joe Kennedy II (D-MA)."
Denmark's Facebook page wipes the floor with Sweden's: This week around the embassies - Ally Schweitzer, tbd.com: "Most embassies in Washington do not have Facebook pages. To these recalcitrant foreign missions, I say: Get with the program. A fine Facebook page should be in every foreign government's diplomatic toolkit. The best embassy Facebook pages offer a confluence of current affairs and cultural potpourri, gently finessed for their expatriate, American, and/or young-skewing fans. Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
is positively dynamite at this. ... The Embassy of Denmark also runs a popular and nugget-loaded Facebook page, one I'm told has won them praise within the diplomatic community. ... With nearly 3,500 fans, the Danish embassy is clearly saying something right. They're wiping the floor with House of Sweden, whose Facebook page has only 3,000 fans and hasn't been updated since Jan. 25. Wake up, Sweden! It takes more than a cool-looking embassy to win this game! Other must-follow diplomatic Facebook pages[:] Embassy of Latvia - Worth a look, if only for this photo album of a recent Novuus tournament. Embassy of Poland - Regular events postings and the occasional cultural tchotchke, such as this Flickr album of mid-century Polish design. Embassy of Brazil - Recently launched a video series called the McCormick Villa Chats, a taped interview series with influential Brazilians who visit the ambassador's mansion." Image from article, with caption: The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates runs a bang-up Facebook page."
Israel Launches New PR Campaign on North American Campuses: Faces of Israel - alternativenews.org: "A delegation of young Israelis will embark next week on a singular public relations campaign on North American campuses. Entitled Faces of Israel, the delegation includes Arabs and Jews, representatives of the LGBT community and Ethiopian immigrants who are meant to show the 'real face' of Israeli society. Yuli Edelstein, the Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs and the initiator of Faces of Israel, said that 'We believe this is the appropriate answer to the campaign of delegitimisation occurring against Israel throughout the world. This campaign will bring local students face to face with Israeli students just like them. The delegation will be divided into groups and go to various universities, where they will participate in panels and direct encounters on campus.'” ... Israel’s Foreign Ministry doubled its embassies’ public relations
budgets for 2011 and has been working for several years now on professional public relations campaigns that present Israel as a liberal, innovative and hip society and vacation destination. ... The actual 'representativeness' of this delegation, members of which underwent 40 hours of training through the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, was even questioned by the settler-affiliated Arutz 7 media outlet. Arutz 7 noted that the delegation included no Jewish religious, orthodox or members who live in West Bank settlements." See also (1) (2). Image from article
Peres: Ahmadinejad a shame upon Iranian history -- President tells Conference of Presidents that hi-tech over ‘hasbara’ is needed to fight poverty that has led to regional unrest - Greer Fay Cashman, Jerusalem Post: "Israel has a new war on its hands, according to President Shimon Peres. 'Now we face not a military attack, but a diplomatic attack, because the diplomatic mood in the world is on the side of peace and they expect us to conclude it,' Peres told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, convening at the Inbal hotel in Jerusalem on Wednesday. ... A tireless advocate for hi-tech as a weapon against poverty, and even against violence, Peres opined that the waves of social unrest that are moving across the region would never have happened without Internet and Facebook. 'The greatest weapon of the revolution is the iPhone,' he said. ... Peres also views science and technology as a far more effective tool than public diplomacy. 'When you fight terror, you can’t have hasbara [public diplomacy],' he said, pointing out that extreme fanatics use Israel as an excuse for the problems in their countries 'and they’re gaining ground in the tendency to delegitimize us.' The only way to fight terrorism, according to Peres, is to 'complete the process in peacemaking with the Palestinians,' and while doing that, simultaneously help neighboring countries with hi-tech solutions such as water conservation and water recycling."
Jewish Groups Scramble To Adjust to New Mideast Reality - Nathan Guttman, Jewish Daily Forward: "The Egyptian revolution has kicked open the door to a vast Arab population that, for the first time, is poised to influence the course of its country’s policies directly. For Israel’s supporters, this could mean a new frontier for public diplomacy and a chance to reach out to Arab masses. But the new reality emerging in the Middle East also requires a change in mindset. Israel has only a handful of Arab-language specialists dealing with public diplomacy aimed at the Arab world, a number that pales in comparison with the battalions of foreign service staffers serving in the same role in the United States and Europe. Similarly, Jewish groups, which in the past have led the way to winning hearts and minds across the world, are now grappling with how to address the rise of public opinion as a crucial factor in the Middle East — a matter of pressing importance not only in Egypt as it moves to democratize, but also in Turkey, where democratization has already had a major impact on government policies toward Israel. ... [P]ro-Israel activists are getting used to a new language when communicating with the Arab world. It includes stressing the financial benefits of peace and the shared value of freedom. At the same time, it ignores the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. Israel, in this new public diplomacy reality, is no longer referred to as the 'only democracy' in the Middle East, but rather as the 'most stable democracy' in the region, pro-Israel activists said. ... For The Israel Project,
which focuses on educating journalists about the Jewish state, Egypt represents an opportunity to broaden the scope of public diplomacy to hundreds of millions in the Arab world. The group recently doubled its Arabic language staff and has made Egypt a top priority. TIP already has some 700 Arab journalists that follow its Arabic-language Facebook page, and it conducts regular public opinion polls to gauge feelings in the Arab world toward issues relating to Israel. ... David Pollock ... warned that while the Palestinian issue is not high on most Egyptians’ list of priorities, the conflict should not be ignored. 'It will be difficult [for Israel] to establish a good dialogue without addressing the Palestinian issue,' said Pollock, who previously worked on Middle East public diplomacy efforts at the State Department. He added that there is still a 'widespread negative view of Israel' among Egyptians, and urged a 'gentle and low-key approach' by supporters of Israel when reaching out to the Egyptian public." Image from article, with caption: ‘Children of Liberty’ send a message: Musicians in Israel record a song of support for Egyptians who protested in Cairo. ‘Our hearts beat with you in the square,’ the Israelis sang.
Reality strikes: MKs take on the Big Brother - Rebecca Anna Stoil, Jerusalem Post: Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed hope Wednesday that Israel’s youth would find more appropriate heroes than the stars of the reality show Big Brother, but in the Knesset, legislators have taken a more active approach to curbing what they view as the hit television program’s irresponsible messages. ... Big Brother, now in its third season, enjoys high ratings among the Israeli viewers. Participants with controversial views have consistently been a facet of the programming, although this season has drawn more high-level criticism for recent statements than the previous two. 'The decline in the general culture is reflected in Big Brother, as well as the opposite – Big Brother also encourages that decline,' complained MK Nachman Shai (Kadima). 'The participants understand that if they do not take their opinions and their behavior to extremes they will not survive the selection process.' Shai, who himself served as a judge on the short-lived Ambassador reality show, which made contestants compete in public diplomacy projects, said the problem was made worse by the fact that 'it is not only television – but in Israel of 2011, the country is sometimes run like a reality show. I’ve said in the past that the way that [Defense Minister Ehud] Barak invites the generals into his office for confessionals reminds me of the way Big Brother calls in contestants to pour out their hearts.'”
Spain, Jews and Israel: 25 years after formal relations - Daniel S. Mariaschin, Philosemitism: This blog is dedicated to the many many Europeans who, despite continuous disinformation campaigns, do not believe the worst of the Jews (malign and secret Jewish power); who do not disguise anti-Semitism behind the language of anti-Zionism; and who know that Israel embodies the best in democracy: "To some extent, the Spanish government has acknowledged the problem of anti-Jewish sentiment. In February 2007, Spain launched Casa Sefarad-Israel in Madrid to teach the public about Judaism and Jewish culture. The center also studies the Sephardi culture as 'integral' to Spanish culture, and aims to 'promote the development of the ties of friendship and cooperation between Spanish and Israeli societies.' Upon its launch, Casa Sefarad-Israel was described by Spain’s foreign minister as 'an instrument of public diplomacy.' Such a program is vital in a nation with only 40,000 Jews out of a population of nearly 46 million."
Psychological warfare on the EU's eastern borders - European Voice: "I have just been to a gripping conference on psychological warfare, organised by the Estonian government. It brought together Estonian spooks, politicians, military officers and journalists with experts from the US, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. ... The military analysis outlined at the conference was bleak, urgent and striking. I can see that governments need to undertake offensive information-warfare operations (in the US, it has the anodyne title ‘public diplomacy'). And I can see why defensive measures are necessary too. But it would be a mistake to regard the local media as either an enemy or a partner in this."
“We’re in safe hands with Stephen Harper” and other Conservative lies - aprilreign.breadnroses.ca: "Since Canada’s Conservative Government took power in 2006, significant budget cuts have been made to Canadian gender equality, political justice, social policy and research programs including the virtual elimination of a Canadian government department devoted to Women’s equality and women’s issues ... Foreign Affairs and Public Diplomacy Program – ELIMINATED"
Information Warfare - turnleft.us: "The concept of information warfare is valid in both wartime and peacetime. In wartime, the term encompasses all methods to monitor, deter or cripple an opponent (eg destroying its transmission system or by taking control of its computer systems). ... In all cases, it is to direct the opinion , through actions of psychological warfare, war of the image, staging, disinformation, intended in particular to join international opinion to its cause, to demonize the enemy or demoralize the opponent. Here, information warfare is synonymous with propaganda , manipulation, or, to put it mildly military, strategic influence (also known as: public diplomacy, psychological operations alias psyops, psychological operations , etc..)"
NATO´s Web 2.0 Roundtable: Embedded Blogger? - Boris Barschow,afghanistan-blog.de: "Tony White, Media Operations Center (MOC), Press & Media Section, Public Diplomacy Division 'Die Afghan National Army Anteile in
den sogenannten Partnering Missions der ISAF sind auf 50 % gestiegen – 50 % ANA Soldaten und 50 % ISAF Soldaten – (2009 waren es nur 20%). Die ANA hat jetzt eine Stärke von 171000 Soldaten und die Polizei (ANP) zirka 130000 Polizisten.' So weit – so gut." Image from article
Regional security conference to take place in Bratislava - Zuzana Vilikovská, spectator.sme.sk: "The most important conference on international relations and security in central Europe, GLOBSEC 2011, will take place in Bratislava on March 2-4, the SITA newswire reported. ... The event is being organised by the Slovak Atlantic Commission in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the International Visegrad Fund."
Strategic Communication: Origins, Concepts, and Current Debates (Contemporary Military, Strategic, and Security Issues) - thetop320pre-orderavailable.blogspot.com: "Strategic Communication: Origins, Concepts, and Current Debates is a groundbreaking study, the first book explicitly focused on strategic communication as it is currently used and discussed in the U.S. government. Written specifically for those who are new to strategic communication, this incisive book clarifies the definitional debate, explores the history of the term and its practice, and embraces a broad, practical definition. But that is only the beginning. Moving to the realities of the issue, author Christopher Paul reviews dozens of government reports on strategic communication and public diplomacy released since 2000, examining specific proposals related to improving strategic communication in the U.S. government and explaining the disagreements. Most important, he offers consensus and clarity for the way ahead, discussing how disparate elements of the government can be coordinated to master—and win—the 'war of ideas' through fully integrated and synchronized communications and actions."
Nominations Sent to the Senate, 2/17/11 - whitehouse.gov: "Ryan C. Crocker, of Washington, to be a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy for a term expiring July 1, 2012, vice Penne Percy Korth, term expired."
President Obama Announces Another Key Administration Post, 2/17/11 - favstocks.com: "Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post: "President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post: William J. Hybl, Nominee for Member, United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Department of State. William J. Hybl is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of El Pomar Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the Rocky Mountain west."
Science, Diplomacy and International Cooperation: Panelists discuss how science-based relationships can help transcend political and cultural boundaries that stand in the way of international diplomacy - James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University: "Science diplomacy fosters international collaborations with scientists in nations where official diplomatic relations might be limited or strained. Interactions between scientists occur naturally, whether in times of peace or conflict. These professional relationships can encourage nations to engage in mutually respectful discussions when they would not have otherwise cooperated. By providing a platform for industrial partnerships, educational outreach and global community development, science diplomacy creates opportunities for civic engagement that transcends political and cultural boundaries. Featured speakers include Ambassador James K. Glassman and Norman Neureiter, Ph.D. Glassman was the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs from 2008 to 2009, leading the government-wide international strategic communications effort."
'Afro-Peruvian Culture' event at Embassy of Peru in Washington - swedishscene.com:
Image from article, with caption: Luis Chang, who is Head of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Embassy of Peru, and Dr. M'bare N'gom
Israel Update and Reflections on Current Events in the Middle East - yubeacon.com: "If you feel a little clueless or just want to know more, there is a perfect event for you! Political Science Society and Israel Club present…. ISRAEL UPDATE AND REFLECTIONS ON CURRENT EVENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST Gil Lainer, from the Consul for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate of Israel in New York will be coming to speak about the recent dramatic events in the Middle East."
Most admired Pinoy youth - Harold Geronimo, Manila Standard Today: "It’s amazing to see more young Filipinos in the bandwagon of success even at an early age. ... These young Filipinos also made it to Jollibee’s list of youth role models that the country’s largest fastfood chain calls as their 'Yumbassadors.' ... 5. Miro Francis Capili. ... She is now taking Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in UP Diliman and she hopes to pursue further studies in public diplomacy after graduation."
Three Years Into Kosovo's Independence - Martin Waehlisch & Behar Xharra, New Kosova Report: "Waehlisch, Martin and Behar Xharra (2010): Public Diplomacy of Kosovo. Status, Challenges, Options. Pristina: Friedrich-Ebert Foundation Kosovo. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kosovo/07845.pdf For the last year, both have been lead researchers in the Kosovo Public Diplomacy research project of Friedrich-Ebert Foundation in Pristina."
Most Wanted Attention Please - Reign of Thoughts: Balance and Harmony -- An on-line brainstorm where I dabble in the thought process of day-to-day life and respond to much of what I read and observe around me. Pull up a chair and join me for a cup of brewed ideas: "About Me Rain Girl I am one part Neil Young, two parts Saraswati, and four parts Dionysus today. I adore in-depth conversations with people whom I respect over cups of hot coffee. Ask me, and we can talk. I have worked as a journalist, photographer, and a college English instructor and earned my M.A. in literature and ESL from the American University in Washington, D.C. I'm also a certified high school English teacher. I'm interested in incorporating peace education and sustainable development issues into my teaching, and I consider myself a lapsed Buddhist who continues to read widely on the subject. ... Thursday, February 17, 2011 Most Wanted ATTENTION PLEASE L'ELF travaille avec le Ministère Congolais de la Communication et l'Ambassade Américaine. Elle a été invitée à Brazzaville par le ministre de la communication. Nous vous prions de lui faciliter l’accès pour lui permettre d’enseigner librement. The ELF is working with the Congolese Ministry of Communication and the American Embassy as an English teacher. She was invited to Brazzaville by the Minister of Communication. Please allow her to pass freely so she can teach her courses in the building. [I created this poster after the public diplomacy officer in Brazzaville suggested the idea to me. I posted it today at the guard station at the entrance to the television station where I work, Tele Congo, so the soldiers lounging near the entrance would let me pass freely. They stopped me at least once each week demanding identification and searching through my backpack and purse. I tried to convince them that I had no intention of detonating a bomb disguised as a Reference Guide to English by Alice Maclin, but did not succeed, hence the poster.] The ELF is in the building! (English Language Fellow)."
Qorvis' Matt J. Lauer Named as One of Washington's Most Influential People Under 40 - PRNewswire-USNewswire: "Qorvis' partner-in-charge of international and sovereign strategies and public diplomacy, Matt J. Lauer, was named by Washington Life magazine as one of the most influential people under the age of 40 in the nation's capital. ... Since joining Qorvis in 2004, Matt J. Lauer has worked to bring this spirit to Qorvis by dramatically expanding its public diplomacy operations. ... organizations. ... 'Qorvis is not about bringing in the big names who talk a lot and do little,' said Matt J. Lauer.
'What we have done at Qorvis is develop an agile and nimble force of public diplomacy practitioners to provide demonstratable progress and geopolitical solutions for our clients...' . Prior to joining Qorvis, Matt J. Lauer was the executive director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy at the Department of State. The commission, a bipartisan panel appointed by the president, analyzes and evaluates the U.S. government's international public relations capabilities. Lauer brought some of the most cutting edge tactics of public diplomacy with him to Qorvis. Through Qorvis, Matt J. Lauer has represented the interests of Sri Lanka, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, the Brunei Investment Agency, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Equatorial Guinea, the Dubai International Financial Center, Bahrain, and Mexico among many others." Image from
The Freedom of the Internet - amycommunications.wordpress.com: [Comment:] "7** National&International events and my Public Diplomacy as i’m neutral politically I do support the http://womenthrive.org and the Say No to Violence against Women.org"
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Ask Facebook - Laura McGinnis, MANic: More from the Internet Revolution files: The debate about the influence of the Internet and social media on revolutions continues, and while there is some disagreement about the extent to which these tools have been involved in recent revolutions, there does seem to be some consensus that they function more as facilitators to organization and idea sharing than impetuses to revolt.
Slavin: ‘As Talks Stall with Iran, U.S. Steps Up Propaganda War’ - Ali Gharib, lobelog.com: "Barbara Slavin has a piece up about the Obama administration’s tough tone against Iran in the wake of yet another crackdown on protests organized by the Green Movement. Slavin hits on the tenor of administration officials’ comments, as well as the effort to boost Voice of America’s public diplomacy bona fides as a way of talking to Iranians over the heads of their government. ... On the public diplomacy front, Slavin notes an interesting turn at VOA’s Persian News Network, which is illegally beamed into Iran by satellite. Slavin writes that neoconservatives have already attacked a new VOA official, a State Department Foreign Service officer heading up PNN, for comments related to the National Iranian American Council."
Iranian Days of Rage - Helle Dale, Heritage.org: "After the past months’ events in Tunisia and Egypt, the importance of public diplomacy and support for the new media as a foreign policy game-changer is evident.
In Iran, social media has great potential, as demonstrated in 2009, though the road ahead will be much tougher than in Egypt, given the sheer brutality of the Iranian regime and its armed and security forces." Image from article
In France, US advocacy for Muslim rights raises more than a few hackles: The US embassy in France has become a key promoter of Muslim and minority rights as part of a long-term strategy to ease the threat of terrorism. Some in France say the US is overstepping its bounds - Anita Elash, Christian Science Monitor: "After two years of trying, human rights activist Abdelaziz Dahhassi realized his dream late last year of setting up a think tank to find new ways to fight ethnic and religious discrimination in France. But it was the US State Department, and not the French government, that helped Mr. Dahhassi’s Lyon-based Association for the Convergence of Respect and Diversity finally get off the ground. ... American support for Dahhasi’s association is part of a broader program of public diplomacy created across Europe after the 9/11 attacks on the US to diffuse the threat of terrorism. A US embassy official in Paris says it was designed to 'create mutual understanding' and to 'show people there’s no good reason to fly airplanes into skyscrapers.' It has focused on seeking out and building relationships with potential leaders in Muslim and other minority groups. A key component has been the International Visitor Leadership Program, which for decades has sent members of the French elite on educational visits to the US. Its pre-2001 French alumni are nearly exclusively white. Last year, about a third of French participants belonged to minority groups, mostly Muslims. Wafa Dahman, a French journalist of Tunisian background and founder of the French and Arabic broadcaster Radio Salam, spent three weeks with the program traveling across the US in 2008. She says she saw 'America as it was, with all its strengths and faults...' . A series of diplomatic cables revealed by the antisecrecy website WikiLeaks show that the current US ambassador in France, Charles Rivkin, has adopted an even more ambitious agenda meant to 'amplify France's efforts to realize its own egalitarian ideals, thereby advancing US national interests.' ... But critics say Rivkin’s cable and US embassy support for initiatives such as Dahhassi’s Association for the Convergence of Respect and Diversity takes US outreach program in a new and unwelcome direction." See also.
GOP's Proposed Cuts To Africa Aid Criticized - NPR: Ms. GERSON [Michael Gerson, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush]: ... You know, we don't have a deficit crisis because we spend too much money on bed nets and AIDS drugs. We have a deficit crisis because we have entitlements, and aging population, and health cost inflation. But there are also important economic and security arguments
here [in Africa]. ... INSKEEP [NPR]: Oh, they're investing big in Africa. Yeah. Mr. GERSON: They are. Well, because this is an emerging market, it's a type of public diplomacy, we gain influence in places that we might not normally. And in Africa in particular it's had a huge effect on the image of America, which I think will serve us well in the long run." Image from
Bread for the World Applauds Administration´s Commitment to Reforming Foreign Policy - press release, Live-PR.com: "[T]he U.S. State Department released the first-ever Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR), 'Leading through Civilian Power.' Aimed at setting a sweeping reform agenda for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the QDDR takes a comprehensive look at the role of U.S. foreign aid and global development initiatives in a world with increased needs, threats, and opportunities. 'The QDDR is an important step in reforming U.S. foreign aid, making U.S. support for development and poverty reduction around the world more effective,' said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. 'This is yet another way the administration is showing its dedication to providing effective assistance to people all over the world who desperately need it.' The QDDR is an extension of the Global Development Policy that President Barack Obama announced in September, with a focus on strengthening and better coordinating U.S. diplomacy and development efforts, as carried out by the State Department and USAID. This review places greater emphasis on interagency collaboration and public diplomacy, focusing U.S. support for more inclusive, sustained economic growth, and elevating and transforming development to deliver results by supporting innovation and measuring results."
Uzbek Independent Media Increasingly Muzzled - Catherine A. Fitzpatrick, EurasiaNet: "[I]ncreasingly, the small but brave independent press corps in Uzbekistan is under fire, as the Uzbek government has launched a string of libel lawsuits against reporters working for non-state Uzbek publications as well as for foreign news media, and also targeted the independent civic organizations providing sources for them. The space for independent questioning is shrinking. Last year Voice of America reporter Abdumalik Boboyev was first intimidated, then indicted with charges that his critical reporting for VOA was 'slandering the Uzbek people' -- a politicized notion that isn't even in the Uzbek criminal code. After some intensive private and public diplomacy on his case from the U.S. government, Boboyev was released, but even after an appeal and a meeting with Blake last November, he still had to pay a heavy fine of about $11,000 -- and of course remains with the threat of another suit always hanging over his head."
U.S. Army sergeant makes real connection with Kyrgyz people - centcom.dodlive.mil: "Our guest blogger this week is U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Zenia D. Boswell. She’s serving in Kyrgyzstan as the non-commissioned officer (NCO) in charge of the Office of Military Cooperation (OMC) assigned to the U.S. Embassy Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Boswell, who is also the deputy chief of the OMC, shares her thoughts on her life overseas: Boswell 'This month, during Black History Month, I was selected to speak to various Kyrgyz people ranging in age from 12 to 50 and beyond.
From political questions, to hip hop music, they were so attentive to every word that I spoke. Their attentiveness and welcoming spirits allowed me to be comfortable and truthful while sharing things that were dear to me. 'I am an American Soldier,' was how I began my interactions with the 12 year old Kyrgyz students during a public diplomacy outing. I wanted to share my pride in serving my country and let them know that Soldiers come in all shapes, sizes, genders, and ethnicities; something that I believe is a contributing factor to our American military’s success.'" Image from article, with caption: U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Zenia D. Boswell meets students in the Kyrgyz Republic, where she works for the U.S. Embassy Bishkek’s Office of Military Cooperation.
Highlights from thecable.foreignpolicy.com - Josh Rogin, Washington Post: "Internet censorship policies by China [:] On the same day Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave a major speech on protecting freedom of information, especially in cyberspace, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee issued a report criticizing the U.S. government for failing to confront the Chinese government's Internet censorship policies. 'In the same way that our trade with China is out of balance, it is clear to even the casual observer that when it comes to interacting directly with the other nation's public we are in another lopsided contest,' Sen. Richard G. Lugar (Ind.) wrote in the new report. 'China has a vigorous public diplomacy program, based on a portrayal of an ancient, benign China that is, perhaps, out of touch with modern realities. Nonetheless, we are being overtaken in this area of foreign policy by China, which is able to take advantage of America's open system to spread its message in many different ways, while using its fundamentally closed system to stymie U.S. efforts.'"
Chinese Babies are a Pawn in My War of Public Diplomacy - ryanssupergreatadventure.wordpress.com: "I know that our relations with the People’s Republic of China have been a little rocky over the past sixty years (See the Korean War), but don’t worry I got it covered. On my watch the future of US-Sino Relations can only improve, because I have a plan: Baby Diplomacy. Every time I see a child, I smile, wave, make a funny face or do something to make it like me. If it responds positively, I know that it may spare the American soldier it has in its sniper rifle scope twenty years from now. If it responds negatively, God help us all. The thought process is that if I can make all the Chinese babies like me I can stop WWIII. So I resist the urge to strangle the little racists when they shout, 'FOREIGNER!' at me in Chinese.
I smile and wave. Story: A couple of months ago, as I was lamenting the loss of my best friend in China (Sarah) on the bus with Daisuke on the way to an art market, a little kid came from the front of the bus, climbed over Daisuke (ignored him completely), and gave me a sticker. It made me feel a lot better. I still have the little umbrella sticker on my phone, I don’t know what his gift of an umbrella sticker might represent, but here’s the reassuring thing about the future of US-Chinese relations: If they give us stickers as children, maybe they won’t launch airstrikes as adults. You are welcome America. Sincerely, Ryan" Image from articleWikileaks: Viewing cable 08BRASILIA469, SCENESETTER FOR POLICY PLANNING DIRECTOR GORDON - /orianomattei.blogspot.co: "APR 08 FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA ... C O N F I D E N T I A L ... Engaging with Brazilians: Public Diplomacy ... ¶27. (U) The total public diplomacy budget for Brazil is roughly four million dollars, excluding salaries. Major programs include our highly successful Youth Ambassador program, English Immersion USA, an active speakers program, and about 50 International Visitors per year. Other exchanges include community college students and administrators, high school administrators, and university student leaders. We are increasing support for English language programs with more money for English Access Micro Scholarships and for student advising through Opportunity Initiative Grants. Both programs are funded by ECA. We work closely with Binational Centers whenever we can to leverage our resources. 28. (U) Brazil,s growing economic development and increasingly affluent population will increase demand for English and overseas study in the U.S. While we are increasing resources in both those areas, we lack the staff to handle the growing demand. Engaging with Brazilians: Expanding Academic Outreach [:] ¶29. (U) Although there is no degree-granting American Studies program in Brazil, several academic centers that focus on US topics are starting to emerge. The eight ECA sponsored Study of the U.S. Summer Institutes for university professors receive many Brazilian applicants, although only three were chosen this year. ECA,s excellent initiative to create a university student leaders seminar on U.S. studies received over a thousand applicants from Brazil for 18 slots. The program was a great success, with many of the participants changing the focus of their academic research to the U.S. as a direct result of the experience. ¶30. (U) The post has a large and active Fulbright program which currently has 183 Brazilians in the U.S. and 57 U.S. students and scholars in Brazil. The program receives approximately $5.1 million form the U.S. side, a figure that includes tuition waivers from U.S. universities. The USG directly supports the program with about $1.5 million. The Brazilian contribution, through CAPES, is approximately $6.3 million in support of Brazilians in U.S. universities and a more limited number of U.S. citizens in Brazil. A separate program, the CAPES-FIPSE annual grant competition, funds ten new academic partnership projects each year. These programs are co-funded by the U.S. and Brazilian governments at the rate of USD 50,000 per year per side for a period of four years."
The Coming Fight Over Foreign Assistance - lavozdelcentro.net:
"Above is my quick and dirty comparison of the coming fight over foreign help. In green is the amount already spent in 2010 on each of the discreet line items (I’ve chosen these four areas because they were frankly comparable linking the innumerable proposed appropriations). ... Now, I know that here’s a exchange to be had about fitting how we spend foreign help and what we should receive back from it. But this is a more basic philosophical disagreement about whether or not America should be a planet leader, or whether we should disengage from the rest of the planet. After all, at its best, foreign help buys soft power, something that has been in relatively small supply of late. In light of that, it’s worth keeping in mind this quote from Joe Nye’s new book, The Future Power: 'In general, the United States has not worked out an integrated plot for combining hard and soft power….Many official instruments of soft power – public diplomacy, broadcasting, exchange programs, development help, disaster relief, air force-to-air force contracts – are scattered around the government, and here is no overarching strategy or budget that even tries to integrate them with hard power into an overarching smart power strategy. The United States spends about five hundred times more on the air force than it does on broadcasting and exchanges.'" Image from article
Putin Slams Russian Customs Officers' 'Racy' New Hip-Hop Video - Curtis M. Wong, The Huffington Post: "Set to a Russian hip-hop soundtrack, the sexy video shows the officers in Vladivostok dancing, swigging champagne and dive-bombing across the floor,
while another scene depicts a lingerie-clad female officer rubbing customs documents against her breasts." Facebook comment by Facebook friend (or should I say real friend) Mitchell Polman: "Definite American cultural influence, but I don't think this is a result of a State Department PD program." Image from entry
The Next 9/11 - Right Side News: "Chavez has been attempting to export chaos to America for years. While the U.S. government was taking a beating in the media for its post-Katrina relief efforts, Chavez attempted to embarrass the Bush administration by providing aid to the Katrina-hit Gulf Coast. Chavez had already been running a 'public diplomacy 'campaign in the U.S. to help bolster American support for his regime. The propaganda effort involved funneling discounted home heating oil to the nonprofit group Citizens Energy Corp., which is run by former Congressman Joe Kennedy II (D-MA)."
Denmark's Facebook page wipes the floor with Sweden's: This week around the embassies - Ally Schweitzer, tbd.com: "Most embassies in Washington do not have Facebook pages. To these recalcitrant foreign missions, I say: Get with the program. A fine Facebook page should be in every foreign government's diplomatic toolkit. The best embassy Facebook pages offer a confluence of current affairs and cultural potpourri, gently finessed for their expatriate, American, and/or young-skewing fans. Embassy of the United Arab Emirates
is positively dynamite at this. ... The Embassy of Denmark also runs a popular and nugget-loaded Facebook page, one I'm told has won them praise within the diplomatic community. ... With nearly 3,500 fans, the Danish embassy is clearly saying something right. They're wiping the floor with House of Sweden, whose Facebook page has only 3,000 fans and hasn't been updated since Jan. 25. Wake up, Sweden! It takes more than a cool-looking embassy to win this game! Other must-follow diplomatic Facebook pages[:] Embassy of Latvia - Worth a look, if only for this photo album of a recent Novuus tournament. Embassy of Poland - Regular events postings and the occasional cultural tchotchke, such as this Flickr album of mid-century Polish design. Embassy of Brazil - Recently launched a video series called the McCormick Villa Chats, a taped interview series with influential Brazilians who visit the ambassador's mansion." Image from article, with caption: The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates runs a bang-up Facebook page."Israel Launches New PR Campaign on North American Campuses: Faces of Israel - alternativenews.org: "A delegation of young Israelis will embark next week on a singular public relations campaign on North American campuses. Entitled Faces of Israel, the delegation includes Arabs and Jews, representatives of the LGBT community and Ethiopian immigrants who are meant to show the 'real face' of Israeli society. Yuli Edelstein, the Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs and the initiator of Faces of Israel, said that 'We believe this is the appropriate answer to the campaign of delegitimisation occurring against Israel throughout the world. This campaign will bring local students face to face with Israeli students just like them. The delegation will be divided into groups and go to various universities, where they will participate in panels and direct encounters on campus.'” ... Israel’s Foreign Ministry doubled its embassies’ public relations
budgets for 2011 and has been working for several years now on professional public relations campaigns that present Israel as a liberal, innovative and hip society and vacation destination. ... The actual 'representativeness' of this delegation, members of which underwent 40 hours of training through the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, was even questioned by the settler-affiliated Arutz 7 media outlet. Arutz 7 noted that the delegation included no Jewish religious, orthodox or members who live in West Bank settlements." See also (1) (2). Image from article
Peres: Ahmadinejad a shame upon Iranian history -- President tells Conference of Presidents that hi-tech over ‘hasbara’ is needed to fight poverty that has led to regional unrest - Greer Fay Cashman, Jerusalem Post: "Israel has a new war on its hands, according to President Shimon Peres. 'Now we face not a military attack, but a diplomatic attack, because the diplomatic mood in the world is on the side of peace and they expect us to conclude it,' Peres told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, convening at the Inbal hotel in Jerusalem on Wednesday. ... A tireless advocate for hi-tech as a weapon against poverty, and even against violence, Peres opined that the waves of social unrest that are moving across the region would never have happened without Internet and Facebook. 'The greatest weapon of the revolution is the iPhone,' he said. ... Peres also views science and technology as a far more effective tool than public diplomacy. 'When you fight terror, you can’t have hasbara [public diplomacy],' he said, pointing out that extreme fanatics use Israel as an excuse for the problems in their countries 'and they’re gaining ground in the tendency to delegitimize us.' The only way to fight terrorism, according to Peres, is to 'complete the process in peacemaking with the Palestinians,' and while doing that, simultaneously help neighboring countries with hi-tech solutions such as water conservation and water recycling."
Jewish Groups Scramble To Adjust to New Mideast Reality - Nathan Guttman, Jewish Daily Forward: "The Egyptian revolution has kicked open the door to a vast Arab population that, for the first time, is poised to influence the course of its country’s policies directly. For Israel’s supporters, this could mean a new frontier for public diplomacy and a chance to reach out to Arab masses. But the new reality emerging in the Middle East also requires a change in mindset. Israel has only a handful of Arab-language specialists dealing with public diplomacy aimed at the Arab world, a number that pales in comparison with the battalions of foreign service staffers serving in the same role in the United States and Europe. Similarly, Jewish groups, which in the past have led the way to winning hearts and minds across the world, are now grappling with how to address the rise of public opinion as a crucial factor in the Middle East — a matter of pressing importance not only in Egypt as it moves to democratize, but also in Turkey, where democratization has already had a major impact on government policies toward Israel. ... [P]ro-Israel activists are getting used to a new language when communicating with the Arab world. It includes stressing the financial benefits of peace and the shared value of freedom. At the same time, it ignores the ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. Israel, in this new public diplomacy reality, is no longer referred to as the 'only democracy' in the Middle East, but rather as the 'most stable democracy' in the region, pro-Israel activists said. ... For The Israel Project,
which focuses on educating journalists about the Jewish state, Egypt represents an opportunity to broaden the scope of public diplomacy to hundreds of millions in the Arab world. The group recently doubled its Arabic language staff and has made Egypt a top priority. TIP already has some 700 Arab journalists that follow its Arabic-language Facebook page, and it conducts regular public opinion polls to gauge feelings in the Arab world toward issues relating to Israel. ... David Pollock ... warned that while the Palestinian issue is not high on most Egyptians’ list of priorities, the conflict should not be ignored. 'It will be difficult [for Israel] to establish a good dialogue without addressing the Palestinian issue,' said Pollock, who previously worked on Middle East public diplomacy efforts at the State Department. He added that there is still a 'widespread negative view of Israel' among Egyptians, and urged a 'gentle and low-key approach' by supporters of Israel when reaching out to the Egyptian public." Image from article, with caption: ‘Children of Liberty’ send a message: Musicians in Israel record a song of support for Egyptians who protested in Cairo. ‘Our hearts beat with you in the square,’ the Israelis sang.
Reality strikes: MKs take on the Big Brother - Rebecca Anna Stoil, Jerusalem Post: Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar expressed hope Wednesday that Israel’s youth would find more appropriate heroes than the stars of the reality show Big Brother, but in the Knesset, legislators have taken a more active approach to curbing what they view as the hit television program’s irresponsible messages. ... Big Brother, now in its third season, enjoys high ratings among the Israeli viewers. Participants with controversial views have consistently been a facet of the programming, although this season has drawn more high-level criticism for recent statements than the previous two. 'The decline in the general culture is reflected in Big Brother, as well as the opposite – Big Brother also encourages that decline,' complained MK Nachman Shai (Kadima). 'The participants understand that if they do not take their opinions and their behavior to extremes they will not survive the selection process.' Shai, who himself served as a judge on the short-lived Ambassador reality show, which made contestants compete in public diplomacy projects, said the problem was made worse by the fact that 'it is not only television – but in Israel of 2011, the country is sometimes run like a reality show. I’ve said in the past that the way that [Defense Minister Ehud] Barak invites the generals into his office for confessionals reminds me of the way Big Brother calls in contestants to pour out their hearts.'”
Spain, Jews and Israel: 25 years after formal relations - Daniel S. Mariaschin, Philosemitism: This blog is dedicated to the many many Europeans who, despite continuous disinformation campaigns, do not believe the worst of the Jews (malign and secret Jewish power); who do not disguise anti-Semitism behind the language of anti-Zionism; and who know that Israel embodies the best in democracy: "To some extent, the Spanish government has acknowledged the problem of anti-Jewish sentiment. In February 2007, Spain launched Casa Sefarad-Israel in Madrid to teach the public about Judaism and Jewish culture. The center also studies the Sephardi culture as 'integral' to Spanish culture, and aims to 'promote the development of the ties of friendship and cooperation between Spanish and Israeli societies.' Upon its launch, Casa Sefarad-Israel was described by Spain’s foreign minister as 'an instrument of public diplomacy.' Such a program is vital in a nation with only 40,000 Jews out of a population of nearly 46 million."
Psychological warfare on the EU's eastern borders - European Voice: "I have just been to a gripping conference on psychological warfare, organised by the Estonian government. It brought together Estonian spooks, politicians, military officers and journalists with experts from the US, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. ... The military analysis outlined at the conference was bleak, urgent and striking. I can see that governments need to undertake offensive information-warfare operations (in the US, it has the anodyne title ‘public diplomacy'). And I can see why defensive measures are necessary too. But it would be a mistake to regard the local media as either an enemy or a partner in this."
“We’re in safe hands with Stephen Harper” and other Conservative lies - aprilreign.breadnroses.ca: "Since Canada’s Conservative Government took power in 2006, significant budget cuts have been made to Canadian gender equality, political justice, social policy and research programs including the virtual elimination of a Canadian government department devoted to Women’s equality and women’s issues ... Foreign Affairs and Public Diplomacy Program – ELIMINATED"
Information Warfare - turnleft.us: "The concept of information warfare is valid in both wartime and peacetime. In wartime, the term encompasses all methods to monitor, deter or cripple an opponent (eg destroying its transmission system or by taking control of its computer systems). ... In all cases, it is to direct the opinion , through actions of psychological warfare, war of the image, staging, disinformation, intended in particular to join international opinion to its cause, to demonize the enemy or demoralize the opponent. Here, information warfare is synonymous with propaganda , manipulation, or, to put it mildly military, strategic influence (also known as: public diplomacy, psychological operations alias psyops, psychological operations , etc..)"
NATO´s Web 2.0 Roundtable: Embedded Blogger? - Boris Barschow,afghanistan-blog.de: "Tony White, Media Operations Center (MOC), Press & Media Section, Public Diplomacy Division 'Die Afghan National Army Anteile in
den sogenannten Partnering Missions der ISAF sind auf 50 % gestiegen – 50 % ANA Soldaten und 50 % ISAF Soldaten – (2009 waren es nur 20%). Die ANA hat jetzt eine Stärke von 171000 Soldaten und die Polizei (ANP) zirka 130000 Polizisten.' So weit – so gut." Image from article
Regional security conference to take place in Bratislava - Zuzana Vilikovská, spectator.sme.sk: "The most important conference on international relations and security in central Europe, GLOBSEC 2011, will take place in Bratislava on March 2-4, the SITA newswire reported. ... The event is being organised by the Slovak Atlantic Commission in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission in Slovakia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, the NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the International Visegrad Fund."
Strategic Communication: Origins, Concepts, and Current Debates (Contemporary Military, Strategic, and Security Issues) - thetop320pre-orderavailable.blogspot.com: "Strategic Communication: Origins, Concepts, and Current Debates is a groundbreaking study, the first book explicitly focused on strategic communication as it is currently used and discussed in the U.S. government. Written specifically for those who are new to strategic communication, this incisive book clarifies the definitional debate, explores the history of the term and its practice, and embraces a broad, practical definition. But that is only the beginning. Moving to the realities of the issue, author Christopher Paul reviews dozens of government reports on strategic communication and public diplomacy released since 2000, examining specific proposals related to improving strategic communication in the U.S. government and explaining the disagreements. Most important, he offers consensus and clarity for the way ahead, discussing how disparate elements of the government can be coordinated to master—and win—the 'war of ideas' through fully integrated and synchronized communications and actions."
Nominations Sent to the Senate, 2/17/11 - whitehouse.gov: "Ryan C. Crocker, of Washington, to be a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy for a term expiring July 1, 2012, vice Penne Percy Korth, term expired."
President Obama Announces Another Key Administration Post, 2/17/11 - favstocks.com: "Today, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post: "President Obama announced his intent to nominate the following individual to a key administration post: William J. Hybl, Nominee for Member, United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, Department of State. William J. Hybl is currently Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of El Pomar Foundation, one of the largest private foundations in the Rocky Mountain west."
Science, Diplomacy and International Cooperation: Panelists discuss how science-based relationships can help transcend political and cultural boundaries that stand in the way of international diplomacy - James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, Rice University: "Science diplomacy fosters international collaborations with scientists in nations where official diplomatic relations might be limited or strained. Interactions between scientists occur naturally, whether in times of peace or conflict. These professional relationships can encourage nations to engage in mutually respectful discussions when they would not have otherwise cooperated. By providing a platform for industrial partnerships, educational outreach and global community development, science diplomacy creates opportunities for civic engagement that transcends political and cultural boundaries. Featured speakers include Ambassador James K. Glassman and Norman Neureiter, Ph.D. Glassman was the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs from 2008 to 2009, leading the government-wide international strategic communications effort."
'Afro-Peruvian Culture' event at Embassy of Peru in Washington - swedishscene.com:
Image from article, with caption: Luis Chang, who is Head of the Public Diplomacy Department at the Embassy of Peru, and Dr. M'bare N'gom
Israel Update and Reflections on Current Events in the Middle East - yubeacon.com: "If you feel a little clueless or just want to know more, there is a perfect event for you! Political Science Society and Israel Club present…. ISRAEL UPDATE AND REFLECTIONS ON CURRENT EVENTS IN THE MIDDLE EAST Gil Lainer, from the Consul for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate of Israel in New York will be coming to speak about the recent dramatic events in the Middle East."
Most admired Pinoy youth - Harold Geronimo, Manila Standard Today: "It’s amazing to see more young Filipinos in the bandwagon of success even at an early age. ... These young Filipinos also made it to Jollibee’s list of youth role models that the country’s largest fastfood chain calls as their 'Yumbassadors.' ... 5. Miro Francis Capili. ... She is now taking Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in UP Diliman and she hopes to pursue further studies in public diplomacy after graduation."
Three Years Into Kosovo's Independence - Martin Waehlisch & Behar Xharra, New Kosova Report: "Waehlisch, Martin and Behar Xharra (2010): Public Diplomacy of Kosovo. Status, Challenges, Options. Pristina: Friedrich-Ebert Foundation Kosovo. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/kosovo/07845.pdf For the last year, both have been lead researchers in the Kosovo Public Diplomacy research project of Friedrich-Ebert Foundation in Pristina."
Most Wanted Attention Please - Reign of Thoughts: Balance and Harmony -- An on-line brainstorm where I dabble in the thought process of day-to-day life and respond to much of what I read and observe around me. Pull up a chair and join me for a cup of brewed ideas: "About Me Rain Girl I am one part Neil Young, two parts Saraswati, and four parts Dionysus today. I adore in-depth conversations with people whom I respect over cups of hot coffee. Ask me, and we can talk. I have worked as a journalist, photographer, and a college English instructor and earned my M.A. in literature and ESL from the American University in Washington, D.C. I'm also a certified high school English teacher. I'm interested in incorporating peace education and sustainable development issues into my teaching, and I consider myself a lapsed Buddhist who continues to read widely on the subject. ... Thursday, February 17, 2011 Most Wanted ATTENTION PLEASE L'ELF travaille avec le Ministère Congolais de la Communication et l'Ambassade Américaine. Elle a été invitée à Brazzaville par le ministre de la communication. Nous vous prions de lui faciliter l’accès pour lui permettre d’enseigner librement. The ELF is working with the Congolese Ministry of Communication and the American Embassy as an English teacher. She was invited to Brazzaville by the Minister of Communication. Please allow her to pass freely so she can teach her courses in the building. [I created this poster after the public diplomacy officer in Brazzaville suggested the idea to me. I posted it today at the guard station at the entrance to the television station where I work, Tele Congo, so the soldiers lounging near the entrance would let me pass freely. They stopped me at least once each week demanding identification and searching through my backpack and purse. I tried to convince them that I had no intention of detonating a bomb disguised as a Reference Guide to English by Alice Maclin, but did not succeed, hence the poster.] The ELF is in the building! (English Language Fellow)."
Qorvis' Matt J. Lauer Named as One of Washington's Most Influential People Under 40 - PRNewswire-USNewswire: "Qorvis' partner-in-charge of international and sovereign strategies and public diplomacy, Matt J. Lauer, was named by Washington Life magazine as one of the most influential people under the age of 40 in the nation's capital. ... Since joining Qorvis in 2004, Matt J. Lauer has worked to bring this spirit to Qorvis by dramatically expanding its public diplomacy operations. ... organizations. ... 'Qorvis is not about bringing in the big names who talk a lot and do little,' said Matt J. Lauer.
'What we have done at Qorvis is develop an agile and nimble force of public diplomacy practitioners to provide demonstratable progress and geopolitical solutions for our clients...' . Prior to joining Qorvis, Matt J. Lauer was the executive director of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy at the Department of State. The commission, a bipartisan panel appointed by the president, analyzes and evaluates the U.S. government's international public relations capabilities. Lauer brought some of the most cutting edge tactics of public diplomacy with him to Qorvis. Through Qorvis, Matt J. Lauer has represented the interests of Sri Lanka, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, the Brunei Investment Agency, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Equatorial Guinea, the Dubai International Financial Center, Bahrain, and Mexico among many others." Image from
The Freedom of the Internet - amycommunications.wordpress.com: [Comment:] "7** National&International events and my Public Diplomacy as i’m neutral politically I do support the http://womenthrive.org and the Say No to Violence against Women.org"
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Ask Facebook - Laura McGinnis, MANic: More from the Internet Revolution files: The debate about the influence of the Internet and social media on revolutions continues, and while there is some disagreement about the extent to which these tools have been involved in recent revolutions, there does seem to be some consensus that they function more as facilitators to organization and idea sharing than impetuses to revolt.
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