February 24

"Personas must be able to appear to originate in nearly any part of the world and can interact through conventional online services and social media platforms."

--Persona Management Software. Solicitation Number: RTB220610 Agency: Department of the Air Force Office: Air Mobility Command Location: 6th Contracting Squadron; cited in Anthony D Poerio, "US Gov. received bid from intelligence firm for software to create ‘virtual armies’ on social networking sites," scallywagandvagabond.com; image from


PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

A New Kind of "Static" for All Media - Alan Heil, Jr., MountainRunner.us: "Parazit ... [t]hat virtual Comedy Central to Iran airs a half hour every Friday evening ... features a pair of comedian-satirists named Kambiz Hosseini and Saman Arbabi. Parazit means 'static' in Persian,


and VOA audiences can't seem to get enough of it because its targeted treatment of Iranian political figures and political practice are a welcome relief from the tiresome monotony of state television in Iran. Last month, about 19 million people visited Parazit's Facebook page to get a taste of its irreverent humor." Image from article

The US and the Revolutions - Grim, blackfive.net: "The US government should reach out to every US military officer and NCO who has worked with Egypt in a substantial way, and find out if they are still in contact with any friends. Those who are should be built into an ad hoc public diplomacy/IO task force (which, since most of it would be done by telecom, need not require most of them to leave their current positions). This would give us sign[i]ficant insight and influence into the process between now and the formation of the new Egyptian government. I have heard the State Department has made use of military officers with ties to Egypt on a more limited scale, but this is a place where a distributed public diplomacy effort directed at the whole of the Egyptian military would pay large and long-term dividends at a low cost."

Sovereignty Through Decentralization - Yossef Ben-Meir, centerforstrategicdevelopment.org: "Morocco’s broad support of decentralization of development in the Western Sahara would affect the results of a referendum in Western Sahara to help decide its future. Individuals and organizations in support of community-created projects can also in the process advance their public diplomacy. I first discovered this as a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco in the mid-90s where I assisted a community fruit tree project. A local elderly man observed the distribution and planting of trees and responded with happy tears knowing the opportunities they bring. For those communities, the kinds of projects and efforts of U.S.-based volunteers reflect positively on the United States; and pursuing the projects these communities wanted – i.e., ones that met their self-described needs – won hearts and minds. By doing the same in the Western Sahara, Morocco will help create new and lasting ties between formally opposed groups. It will be interesting to see how the implementation of the new Millennium Challenge Account accord between the United States and Morocco – which grants Morocco almost $700 million in development assistance over the next five years, including nearly $300 million for fruit trees and irrigation projects – will affect the image of the United States in that country.


The way in which it does this will reflect MCA’s efficiency and level of commitment, as demonstrated by tangible efforts. As stated by Ambassador Richard Holbrooke: 'Actions speak louder than words – and public diplomacy that appears to be mere window dressing for the projection of power is unlikely to succeed.' Public trust is generated in response to the work of those enabling a community’s self-determination. It is this kind of action that should form the basis of United States public diplomacy in the Arab-Muslim world. I believe there are many U.S. officials, in either the current administration or past administrations, who are very sympathetic to this kind of international development and public diplomacy approach. Former Ambassador to Morocco Margaret Tutwiler stated in her confirmation hearing prior to her tenure as Under Secretary of State that planting a tree in this context has enormous public diplomacy value. During her ambassadorship I observed her great efforts to support local initiatives." Image from

Faking the News: The Vital Elements of Media Exercises - CB3: "Exercising of media handling and management is a little discussed aspect of preparing any organisation in crisis management. From James Snyder of NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, here is a great snapshot portraying its value, based upon NATO’s experience, in which CB3 has played a humble part: Management of the media during a crisis is critically important — a lesson relearned from painful experience. What is less a matter of fact and practice is how to train in crisis media management, particularly in an exercise environment, for a large organization. NATO’s Crisis Management Exercise (CMX)



is a regular high-level exercise devised by member nations to test the organization’s crisis decision-making processes. It plays for a week and involves many players at NATO Headquarters, Allied Command Operations, Allied Command Transformation and national capitals. NATO has recently invited additional 'partner' countries and other international organizations. As part of the overall exercise, the planners have incorporated a vehicle to train NATO International Staff, international military staff and national personnel in crisis media management." Image from article, with caption: Media simulation inceasingly has to reflect the reality of today's social, networked, mobile media

Pakistan appreciates China's support for economic development; Khar - Associated Press of Pakistan: "ISLAMABAD, ... : Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ms. Hina Rabbani Khar on Thursday said Pakistan considers relations with China of utmost importance and appreciates its support for economic development. She was talking to Minister of the International Department, Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) here at the Foreign Office. ... The Vice Minister stated that Pakistan and China were close and all weather friends and remarked that the two countries may enhance this unique relationship through frequent people to people interactions and public diplomacy. He mentioned his interaction with various political parties and mentioned opening ceremony of Chinese language classes in a private school system. ... The two countries have declared 2011 as the Friendship Year. A comprehensive Action Plan to celebrate the Friendship year has been chalked out, focusing on wider interaction between the two countries’ leadership and the people through joint activities and exchanges."

Speech by H.E.Mr.Liu Huanxing, Chinese Ambassador to Botswana, at Botswana Defence Command & Staff College - fmprc.gov.cn: Liu Huanxing: "We have made good use of the hosting of the Beijing Olympic Games, the 60th anniversary of the founding of new China, the Expo 2010 Shanghai China, the Guangzhou Asian Games and other major events to strengthen public diplomacy and people-to-people and cultural exchanges


and build up China's image as a culturally-advanced, democratic, open, progressive and responsible major country, make more friends among countries in the world and deepen our friendship with them, actively guide international public opinion and help deepen the building of state soft power." Image from

Announcement: Empowering Women in International Relations - home - Heinrich Böll Stiftung - federal-fellows.blogspot.com: "FYI – Op-ed award competition sponsored by Atlantic Community, the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, the Gunda Werner Institute, et al. in honor of the tenth anniversary of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (.pdf of s/res/1325 of October 31 2000): http://www.atlantic-community.org/index/articles/view/Empowering_Women_in_International_Relations"

Former city couple stunned as Christchurch crumbled: Diplomat, wife frantically tried to find each other - Justine Griffin, St. Augustine Record: "Adrian Pratt, a former managing editor of The St. Augustine Record in the 1990s, and his wife, Amy Pratt, a former advertising assistant at The Record and a Flagler College graduate, told their survival tales of that devastating day in one of New Zealand's largest cities to the world through their individual blogs. ... After working as an editor and publisher in the newspaper business for many years, Adrian Pratt became a U.S. diplomat two years ago and lives in New Zealand with his wife and two sons, where he works in the U.S. Embassy as a public diplomacy officer and media liaison.


On Feb. 22, Adrian Pratt left his home and family on the north end of the island to work with a group of Fulbright scholars at a conference in Christchurch. Adrian and Amy Pratt planned to meet that night in Christchurch to celebrate a belated Valentine's Day. Their plans, however, took a drastic twist when an earthquake shook the city to ruins just an hour after Amy Pratt's plane landed in Christchurch. Adrian and Amy met while working together at the St. Augustine Record. They've been married for 17 years. Upon finding each other in the aftermath of the earthquake, Amy Pratt was taken by airplane with many other political officials back to Wellington, New Zealand." Image, with caption: Dust rises from the damaged cathedral in Christchurch, New Zealand. By Adrian Platt, Special to The Record

Sirleaf’s Press Freedom Commitment Is No-Lip Service - Keith Neville A. Best, liberianobserver.com: "For ‘staying alive’ over the past 30 or more years---perhaps the most turbulent in the history of this country---the Daily Observer newspaper over the weekend swept top honors from a trail blazer in her own rights: President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.


The presidential award---which summed up Mrs. Sirleaf’s appreciation for the commitment to excellence and service that the Observer has exemplified (shown) over the past three decades, even as the paper led this nation’s struggle for freedom of speech and of the press---took the form 'A big thank you to the Observer family to have been able to do all that it has over the years.' ... Those that showed up to help celebrate 30 years of existence included ... Ms. Dehab Ghereab, Public Affairs Officer of the Public Diplomacy Section of the U. S. Embassy." Sirleaf/Clinton image from

Suite Talk, Feb. 23, 2011 - politico.com: "Cari Guittard, former executive director of Business for Diplomatic Action, is the new vice president of global affairs for the Howard Consulting Group, a bipartisan public affairs firm. Earlier, Guittard held senior positions at the State Department, where she handled public diplomacy and public affairs matters, among other issues."

Who duped Hu? (An artifact of a pre-revolutionary moment) - Daniel Wattenberg: Just another WordPress weblog: "Daniel Wattenberg was engaged in the international public diplomacy game in assorted capacities abroad and at home for the United States Information Agency and the Department of State during the Reagan years."

RELATED ITEMS

In the Middle East protests, a seismic shift - Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post: Over the past few years, two major American shifts have opened up the Middle East. The first was Washington's recognition that American support for the region's dictators has bred a vicious strain of Islamic opposition - violent and deeply anti-American.


Since then, Washington has been publicly and privately more ambivalent in its support for Middle East rulers, pushing them toward reform. (This is well documented by the WikiLeaks cables from the Middle East.) The second has been the waning of American power itself. The Iraq war and its bloody aftermath, a still-chaotic Afghanistan, and an Israeli-Palestinian deal that seems as far away as ever all highlight the limits of American power. Image from

Why was President Obama last to speak up on Libya - Editorial, Washington Post: Mr. Obama appeared eager to make the point that the United States was not taking the lead in opposing Mr. Gaddafi's crimes. "It is imperative that the nations and the peoples of the world speak with one voice," he said. "That has been our focus." Shouldn't the president of the United States be first to oppose the depravities of a tyrant such as Mr. Gaddafi? Apparently this one doesn't think so.

Democracy's price: Waning U.S. influence - Sebastian Rosato, USA Today: By sticking firmly to its principles and promoting democracy, the Obama administration stands to enhance America's reputation and douse the flames of anti-Americanism not only in Egypt but throughout the region.

Al Jazeera "quietly preferred" among State Department Arabic speakers - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Another Runaway General: Army Deploys Psy-Ops on U.S. Senators - Michael Hastings, Rolling Stone: The U.S. Army illegally ordered a team of soldiers specializing in "psychological operations" to manipulate visiting American senators into providing more troops and funding for the war, Rolling Stone has learned – and when an officer tried to stop the operation, he was railroaded by military investigators.

US Gov. received bid from intelligence firm for software to create ‘virtual armies’ on social networking sites - Anthony D Poerio, scallywagandvagabond.com: "It certainly seems an oddity, considering the current push for information freedom, the Middle East’s unfolding revolutionary fervor, and all this talk of social media marketing strategy (the sole topic of innumerable blogs), that few media outlets anywhere have addressed how the US Government may be using our favorite tools to advertise itself and its own brand; how, specifically, it leverages social media to disseminate propaganda. But now details of even this are allegedly leaking directly into the internet’s truthy underbelly. And though it’s just as likely a diversion in part of some much larger strategy, I should like to discuss what so far we know about the US Government’s reported plans to use thousands of fake social media profiles as a kind of ‘virtual army’


capable of influencing — at moment’s notice — the perpetual flow of online information. As Darlene Storm at the Computerworld blogs reported early this morning, “the U.S. government contracted HBGary Federal for the development of software which could create multiple fake social media profiles to manipulate and sway public opinion on controversial issues by promoting propaganda. (What is reportedly the contract in question can be found here, if you’re brave enough to download it.) Technically called an “Online Personal Management Service,” with the software, as the blog Redacted News asserted, “one person could…create an army of fake profiles.” Something to think about next time you see 1,000 dissidents Tweeting about this week’s revolution. Which should cause any earnest critic to at least question whether such tactics were employed by either the US or some other entity in the recent string of Middle Eastern uprisings." Image from

Gaming Social Networks for Influence and Propaganda - David Betz, kingsofwar.org.uk: the recent revelation that the United States Government is investing in software to ‘Create Fake People on Social Networks to Promote Propaganda‘ should not surprise.

Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South) – 240130utc Feb 11 - Milnews.CA Blog

Russia remembers Lincoln as it marks the freeing of the serfs - Will Englund, Washington Post: In the building of the Russian federal archives [in Moscow], an exhibit opened Tuesday that looks at Lincoln's life, and [Emperor]Alexander's. "We are here to celebrate two remarkable men and their time," said James Symington, the 83-year-old former congressman from Missouri - but not before he had sung, in Russian, the line from an Alexander Pushkin poem that goes, "I remember a wonderful moment ... " A military band played Russian and American marches at the opening of the exhibit,


while an honor guard in old-timey uniforms stood at attention by large oil portraits of the two national leaders. A Russian-American venture, the exhibit includes busts, maps, letters, lithographs, a Smith & Wesson revolver, a bugle, some swords, the pens that each leader used to sign his respective proclamation and the tunic Alexander was wearing when he was blown up by a bomb in 1881. The United States and Russia had better relations in the mid-19th century than they did even during World War II, Kurilla [Ivan Kurilla, head of the Center for American Studies at Volgograd State University] said. Image from

Propaganda of Henry VIII - thiswritelife.wordpress.com: What did Henry VIII look like? We can Google a number of images, but in answer we see the defiant, bull like, assertive paintings created by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543). This was the King as he wanted to be seen and Holbein’s success in meeting his patron’s requirements makes him one of the great propagandists of all time. The life-like studies of Henry, his wives and attendants, reflect the glittering, refined court of a Renaissance monarch. What we miss is the high drama of an artist and patrons caught up in one of the most turbulent periods of history. In 1527 when Henry wished to be rid of


his wife, Katherine of Aragon, in order to marry Anne Boleyn; all for the sake of a male heir; he demanded an annulment from the Pope but was refused. One thing led to another, the English breaking away from Rome, Henry dissolving monasteries and the church of England becoming Protestant. To persuade the English people to accept these changes the monarchy relied on all kinds of propaganda including painted and printed images. Holbein, a Swiss immigrant of German origin, rose high in royal favor because he provided many of these tools.

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"My job in psy-ops is to play with people’s heads. I’m prohibited from doing that to our own people.”

--Lt. Colonel Michael Holmes, the leader of an IO unit in Afghanistan

"I've worked with IO and PSYOPS folks before and just returned from working in General Caldwell's AO. For the PSYOPS guys to come out on this is soooo hypocritical. They claim that IO/PSYOPS are only to be used on enemy forces? B.S., we used it against the civilian populace of Iraq and Afghanistan THOUSANDS of times. They are just a bunch of lazy punks that didn't want to do their job. Was it wrong? Heck yeah it was wrong but their motives in this were more self-serving than altruistic, you can believe that. Oh, General Caldwell should be immediately retired."

--Chris Russell, in a comment to the above statement

"I was wrong."

--Former Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs James Glassman,


about his predictions in his 1999 book, "Dow 36,000"; image from

"Condi is clearly channeling her inner Gaddafi with that outfit."

--Comment to "Condi Now Just Doing Matching Armchairs Photo-Ops With Any Old Bedazzled Society Matron," Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog; Rice image from article; Gaddafi image from





BLAST FROM THE PAST

Rice, Gaddafi hold talks in Libya: US secretary of state makes first visit to former "pariah state" in 55 years - english.aljazeera.net, 05 Sep 2008

"Condoleezza Rice has met Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, in the first such contact in more than half a century.

Rice said her visit proved that Washington had 'no permanent enemies' after she arrived in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, on Friday.

The trip to the north African nation is the first by a US secretary of state in 55 years.

'Quite frankly I never thought I would be visiting Libya, so it is quite something,' Rice said ahead of her arrival.

'It is a beginning, it is an opening, it is not, I think, the end of the story.'

Rice met Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, and is expected to sign a trade and investment deal during her visit.

'Cheap energy'

Guma al-Gamaty, a writer on Libyan affairs, told Al Jazeera: 'The Americans are in [this relationship] for the long term just for their strategic interests.

'This has all been done at the expense of human rights ... there are no rights in Libya and no democracy - the Americans are doing business with a dictator and it discredits them.

'Gaddafi is a ruthless, totalitarian ruler ... and he is preparing to pass his power on to his son.

'This visit says to other countries, especially in the Middle East, the US is only interested in oil and nothing else.'

Miloud Lemhadabi, a professor of international law in Tripoli, told Al Jazeera: 'Good cheap and easily accessible energy is a main target for the West and Libya is an ideal choice to reach that target.'

'Libya wanted to jump over the Lockerbie reprisals to build a modern state after long years of sanctions. The West also saw a big opportunity in business and trade partnership with a rich nation.[']

Mistrust and violence

Experts say the main thrust of the visit is to signal a new era in US-Libyan relations that had been marked by decades of mistrust and violence. ..."

See also John Brown, "'10 Percent Intellectual': The Mind of Condoleezza Rice," prwatch.org

WORLD WAR I

The German propagandists [in WWI] were the first to use the term "Weltkrieg" (world war), and it was soon picked up by both sides - propaganda-cards.com. Below image from item