April 1-3

“A Facebook Page is a distinct presence used solely for business or promotional purposes."

---Facebook statement

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Remarks to Nova University - Judith A. McHale, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs FCT/Caparica, Lisbon, Portugal, April 1, 2011 - U.S.Department of State: "At the State Department, promoting entrepreneurship has always been part of our development assistance. Now we have made it a central plank of our foreign

economic policy as well. And we want to work with you – not just you the government of Portugal, you the students and teachers and innovators of Portugal – to support opportunities for people everywhere to unleash their natural entrepreneurship." Image from

Schools join state's global effort - thetimesnews.com: "The Alamance-Burlington School System will be part of a statewide effort to increase an emphasis on global knowledge and interaction in public education. The local school system is one of 13 in the state chosen to be part of the North Carolina Global Schools Network. School systems were chosen to be part of the effort based partly on their current commitment to international education. ... Information from the Global Schools Network says it will include an emphasis on students learning other languages, along with other efforts to 'raise a workforce that is adept at collaborating and communicating with the rest of the world.' Educational efforts as part of the network will also include 'internationally themed schools.' ... School systems that participate in the network agree to incorporate study of language, “global awareness” and other aspects of the program into plans for the system and its schools. The network says those efforts will be funded as part of existing programs to train teachers and offer programs to students, rather than requiring another source of money. A school system press release says that plan 'will serve as a model for the rest of the nation in supporting the U.S. State Department’s combined goals for public diplomacy, public education and economic development.'”

Lies in the air of Libya’s spring – The return of “unintended consequences” - mike, Citizens news online: "After the offensive war against Libya sharply deepens

Muslim hatred for the United States and its allies, Washington will be bemoan this fact as an unintended consequence and Secretary Clinton will blame it on bad public diplomacy." Image from

March 20, 2011, 02:58:21 AM - Lee der Chef, psywar.org: "[I]nitial PSYOP objectives in Libya will ... [include a] continuation of overt public diplomacy to explain the reasons behind the Coalition’s military operations, i.e. with the backing of the international community through the UN, including the Arab League and, most importantly of all, with the urging by the Libyan people themselves, operations are being directed purely against Gaddafi’s corrupt regime. Gaddafi will be doing his best to block outside media from reaching the Libyan people. PSYOPs will be used to reach the people with this message."

Raymond Davis Saga and Bold Judgment - Muhammad Aslam Khan, Dr.Makni: "Raymond Davis has been acquitted by a lower court in Pakistan from the alleged charges of committing a felony in broad day light on a busy road in the provincial metropolis, Lahore. The shock decision has left the nation floundering in the deep sea of turmoil and anguish. The frenzy of debate about pros and cons has touched a new crescendo but is destined to die off. The tragic murders of Faheem, Faizan and Ebad were also ominous that swept our foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, off his portfolio for his reticence in not yielding to the official stance and later lobbing a leading statement that Raymond did not enjoy diplomatic immunity. The statement was embarrassment for the U.S. as well as Pakistan. His post resignation discrete bitterness was palpable as he embarked on yet another imprudent phase of public discourse. Foreign policy is not a mob politics, a fact he utterly failed to reckon. The visiting U.S. emissaries paid him visits too to afford him a chance of rescuing his image and heal the dent caused to his vanity. However the damage had been done. Within hours, we stood thoroughly polarized as a nation when government lost entire maneuver space for public diplomacy though it made several

overtures that Raymond case was within the ambit of mutual diplomatic protocols. By implication, Pakistan pursued double track diplomacy. On one hand, it assured U.S. that the margin for return of the accused could be explored, even after allowing the law of the country to take its course. On the other hand, our Prime Minister led the campaign to dampen public angst, assuring that we would behave like a proud sovereign state and stand by the grieved families. It was a statement of several dimensions. Concept of sovereignty in globalized politics has under gone a tremendous adjustment but our masses were never educated about it at any stage." Image from

Drive to get China's views across globally - english.eastday.com: "China is not getting its message across effectively to the rest of the world, said Zhao Qizheng, chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. 'We may have first-tier Internet technologies, but a number of in-depth articles on China's policies are written in Chinese, which makes them inaccessible to a broader foreign readership,' Zhao told China Daily on Friday. Zhao called for high-quality bilingual literature to be posted online and the immediate integration of useful resources. With increased people-to-people interaction and the proliferation of new media, experts have been looking at diversifying a nation's public image in the interests of better public diplomacy.  Gordon Johndroe, deputy press secretary and deputy assistant to former United States president George W. Bush, said on Thursday that Washington has embarked on the ambitious target of focusing on a much younger audience to form a pro-China attitude. Ideally the goal is that 50 percent of the audience are high school students or aged under their mid-20s, Johndroe said in a speech at the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. 'Countless measurements and evaluations have shown the best way for public diplomacy is through people-to-people exchanges,' Johndroe told China Daily. The United States has long sought to influence people from other countries through public diplomacy, according to Tang Xiaosong, a specialist on public diplomacy at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. Ideally the goal is that 50 percent of the audience are high school students or aged under their mid-20s, Johndroe said in a speech at the Center for American Studies at Fudan University. ... For the administration of US President Barack Obama, student exchange programs have become the 'baton' that conducts the whole public diplomacy orchestra. The 100,000 Initiative,

among other plans, has pledged to send 100,000 US students to China over the next four years to learn Mandarin and familiarize themselves with Chinese culture. Despite the efforts, US Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana argued in a February report that the US was languishing behind as China increasingly molds public opinion through its cultural institutions and media. 'The fact is, the US is unnerved by China's moves on promoting public diplomacy. Once China puts it on the agenda, it will offset the effects of endeavors by the US to spread its democratic values,' Tang said." Image from

Democracy and Society >> Human Rights and Sino - sino.best-enterprise.info: "If military intervention isn’t an option (as it certainly should not be in China) and the threat of that intervention isn’t enough to influence a nation’s leadership, typically a nation falls back on economic influence, support of domestic opposition, public diplomacy or international pressure. We seem nationally neither capable nor deeply interested in economic action against China and the nation is relatively impervious to international pressures for a number of reasons. Thus we find the spheres of public diplomacy and support of domestic opposition remain. The US has long made its stance clear regarding the state of human rights in China through official and public statements. Further human rights and opposition groups are supported within China as much as might be expected given our non-hostile position with the nation."

Global Tamil Forum rapport with Robert Blake: Public Diplomacy helps U.S. to understand issues - "The United States Department of State’s South and Central Asian Affairs Bureau officials headed by assistant secretary Robert Blake, Members of the U.S. Senate and House, President Obama’s point person at the National Security Council Samantha Power and US ambassador to the UN Dr. Susan Rice have many reasons to engage in dialogues with members of the Sri Lanka Tamil Diaspora in the U.S. and elsewhere. ... The

basic practice of public affairs, public diplomacy and strategic communication is that a unit like the state department investigates, hears, researches and collects information as an initial step to arrive at the second step of formulating policies. It looks like representatives of the Global Tamil Forum maintain an uninterrupted dialogue with United States government agencies and their officials followed by mixed signals of Sri Lanka." Image from article

Filtering the Mideast Web And Shuttering One Channel of American Public Diplomacy - blogs.voanews.com: "[T]he governments of Bahrain, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, among others, have been acquiring web-filtering software made by firms such as McAfee and Blue Coat Systems, both of California. ... [S]oftware designed for parents to filter the web for their children is apparently being used by officials to block local access to a variety of websites – including political opposition and human rights groups. ... [I]n the battle between opening up and shutting off the Internet, the role played by software made by U.S.-based firms may become much more contentious. In a related item we also noted, via Kim Andrew Elliott’s blog, news that the U.S. State Department’s 'America.gov' website will be shutting down at the end of the month. Begun as an project to 'engage the world' with news about the U.S. and public diplomacy, the site reports it will be '…decommissioned on March 31, 2011, and will be available only as an archive site.'"

US Centcom targets online violent propaganda:  A new online initiative from US Central Command seeks to counter terrorist rhetoric in multiple languages - Aljazeera.net: "Since 2006, the Digital Outreach Team, a 10-person operation within the department of state's Bureau of International Information Programs, has engaged on blogs within the Arabic, Persian, and Urdu blogospheres, leaving comments on various sites while overtly identifying themselves as US government employees. In late 2010,

a paper released by the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) opined that the state department's efforts in this space have been ineffective in combating extremism in the Palestinian territories and that future efforts should include both a lack of disclosure and an increase in personnel. The FDD's paper also recommended the team become a source of intelligence. Though there is no evidence that the FDD's paper effectively influenced the department of state's strategy, a more chilling approach is taking root. The United States military has contracted with California-based company Ntrepid to develop software that would allow users to secretly manipulate conversations on social media sites. The operation, led by United States Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US armed operations in the Middle East and Central Asia, would allow a US military officer to control up to ten separate, realistic personas 'based' anywhere in the world. In a piece by the Guardian, Centcom spokesman Commander Bill Speaks stated that the operation would not target sites in English--rather, the target languages will be Arabic, Urdu, and Persian--nor sites hosted in the United States. The stated purpose of the mission is to counter speech and violent propaganda online." Image from article, with caption: The US military has a contract with Ntrepid to develop software that would allow an army officer to control separate personas, with the aim of secretly manipulating conversations on social media websites  

"Waging Peace" - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "There was an interesting piece on PRI a couple of days ago. Telling a story of a former Marine-turned humanitarian, I think it is a great example of the public diplomacy work that development assistance

(government, but also private) can do, as well as an example of what the human intelligence and military programs, such as the 'Human Terrain System', cannot achieve." Image from article, with caption: Image courtesy of DavidSawyer.org.

Reuters, in widely circulated story, cites VOA on "possible secret operations" in Libya (updated) - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Note that the Reuters story describes VOA as 'the U.S. government's broadcasting service.' This might imply that the US government was, via VOA, sending a message about the possibility of covert actions in Libya (even though that wouldn't make sense). VOA is more accurately described as 'US government funded but autonomous,' but we probably will have to settle for 'US government funded.'"

VOA Portuguese to Africa: new FM outlet in Maputo, new call-in program for Angola - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Complaints from commentators and listeners about plans to take VOA Mandarin off shortwave - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

PM to ministries: Take steps to 'cancel' Goldstone Report - "Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday instructed the Justice, Defense and Foreign Ministries to examine steps that can be taken in order to cancel the Goldstone Report. The move came in light of a Washington Post op-ed published Friday by Judge Richard Goldstone refuting allegations that Israel had a policy of targeted civilians during Operation Cast Lead, Israel Radio reported. Speaking at the opening of the weekly cabinet meeting, Netanyahu said he had asked the various ministries to 'formulate practical and public diplomacy measures, in order to reverse and minimize the great damage that has been done by this campaign of denigration against the State of Israel.'" See also. Below image from

Goldstone Rubs Off Tarnish, and Israel Basks - Karl Vick, Time: "Israeli media termed it a 'retraction,' the opinion column in which Richard Goldstone backed away from the most severe charges of the infamous Goldstone Report, the U.N. inquiry that accused both Israel and Hamas of targeting civilians -- a war crime -- in the three weeks of fighting that bridged 2008 and 2009. It's hard to say quite what it was, except a clear win for what the Jewish State calls hasbara, a Hebrew word that translates sometimes as 'propaganda,' but more often as 'public diplomacy.' The morning papers brimmed with celebration, reflection and no small satisfaction, but also warnings in the wake of what even the liberal daily Haaretz termed a public relations coup."

Facebook yanks intifada page, but others pop up - "Before the page was removed, Yuli Edelstein, Israel’s Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, wrote a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg noting that the page included calls to kill Jews and for 'liberating' Jerusalem through violence. Part of the page read: 'Judgment Day will be brought upon us only once the Muslims have killed all of the Jews. ... To join the cause against the third intifada postings on Facebook, visit http://www.bit.ly/h70QbA.'"

Facebook cuts 'Palestinian uprising' page after Israel protest - arabamericannews.com: "Attempts by Facebook to shut down a 'Third Intifada' page backfired on Tuesday, with more than 7,000 Palestinians immediately signing up for three new copycat pages. The original 'Third Intifada' page, which had acquired almost half a million 'fans', was closed down earlier on Tuesday just days after Israel contacted Facebook to complain over comments on it which it said called for 'the killing of Israelis and Jews'. The page began as a call for peaceful protests. Shortly afterwards, a replacement Facebook page was set up, which quickly racked up over 6,000 fans, but by Tuesday evening, it too had disappeared, an AFP correspondent said. The original page, created on March 6, called for a third intifada, or uprising against the Israeli occupation, to begin on May 15 -- the date marked by Israel as its official independence anniversary but marked by Palestinians as the 'Nakba' -- or catastrophe. By March 23, the page had won some 230,000 fans and caught the attention of Israel, with Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein penning a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to shut down the page over its 'wild incitement.'"

Israel Flexes Its Online Diplomacy -  "Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon will visit Facebook offices in San Francisco this morning to meet with the social networking firm’s senior staff, FrumForum has learned. The visit comes just two days after Facebook shut down a controversial group advocating for a Third Intifada and a march to 'liberate' Palestine on May 15. The Third Intifada group had become an issue of serious concern amongst pro-Israel activists over the last week. On March 23, Minister of Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein sent a letter to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg requesting for the group to be taken down. Over at Commentary magazine’s ‘Contentions’ blog, Alana Goodman argued that the Facebook group could be “a dangerous organizing tool. ... 'We believe in an open society, and Facebook is a great tool that allows the interaction of people… we see Facebook today as a major tool for our public diplomacy,' Noam Katz, Israel’s Minister of Public Diplomacy told FrumForum. “We feel that they [Facebook] created a positive environment in the culture of the world. It has great potential and opportunity.'” Image from

IDF Holds Large-Scale Staff Drill‎ - Gil Ronen, Arutz Sheva:  "The Israel Defense Force's General Staff completed on Thursday a large-scale staff exercise that tested the readiness of the miltary's commands, branches and departments. The exercise is the first large-scale drill to be held under the command of Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz. The exercise

included soldiers in mandatory service as well as reservists, and simulated various possible war scenarios. It tested methods of combat and cooperation between land, air and navy forces. The exercise simulated a multi-front war and included logistics, intelligence, public diplomacy, care for the home front and communication with the political tier." Image from site

Sarah Netanyahu Asks Press to Stop Hounding Her‎ - israelnationalnews.com: "Sarah, wife of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, granted a rare interview to Channel 2 television in which she asks the press to stop trying to hurt her husband through allegations against her. The interview will be aired Thursday evening. ... This is not the first time that the media has made similar assaults on Binyamin and Sarah Netanyahu. In the past, the media has accused Sarah of being cruel to her domestic cleaning staff, and claimed that the Netanyahus received extravagant accommodations when on a public diplomacy tour for Israel during the Second Lebanon War." Image from article

Dispatch: Uprisings in Syria - news.az: 'While protests in Syria

are increasing in size and scope, the Syrian regime does not appear to be taking chances by parsing out political reforms that could further embolden the opposition. Instead, the Syrian regime is more likely to resort to more forceful crackdowns, which is likely to highlight the growing contradictions in U.S. public diplomacy in the region." Syrian strongman Assad image from article

Turkey has to focus on its 'nation brand,' advisor says - Cansu Ceran, Hurriyet Daily News: "Turkey ranks 33rd among 50 countries in an annual 'nation brand' index. Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review, Simon Anholt, a British independent policy advisor specializing in the field of nation branding, said the Turkish government must develop policies to improve the 'brand' of the nation. ... The term 'nation branding' covers a range of policy areas including economic development, public diplomacy, international relations, trade and tourism, foreign direct investment and cultural policy."

Image from article, with caption: Simon Anholt, who coined the term 'nation branding' in 1998, advises governments around the world on how a country can engage more productively with other countries.

Dr. Al Shamsi underlines public diplomacy for national goals - WAM - Emirates News Agency: "Dr. Maitha Salem Al Shamsi, Minister of State has underlined the role of public diplomacy in globalizing world of interdependence. 'National Public diplomacy should engage not only the government and its different institutions but also NGO's and other organizations in the process of communicating with foreign populations to achieve better understanding and perception for its nation's culture and ideals as well as national goals and interests', she said while addressing the second Think Tanks Forum 'Public Diplomacy' held in Istanbul recently. The forum was organized by Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in cooperation with the Turkish Asian Centre for Strategic Studies (TASAM). ... Dr. Maitha also confirmed that the role of Education and Scientific Diplomacy as a tool of Public Diplomacy since one measure of success in higher education is the extent to which its different institutions can reorient their curriculum toward greater interdisciplinary instruction and research associated with key themes."

Crises open doors for Sino-Japan cooperation - english.peopledaily.com.cn: "China and Japan should explore opportunities for cooperation in the massive reconstruction job Japan faces in the aftermath of its triple disasters, political and opinion leaders from both countries said on Friday. ... 'The reconstruction will be unprecedented in Japan's history We hope we will get proper suggestions from the Chinese people,' Matsumoto

[Kenichi Matsumoto, special adviser to Japan's cabinet] said on Friday after a preparatory conference for the Beijing-Tokyo Forum. The forum, organized by China Daily and Genron NPO, a Japanese nonprofit think tank, is a major public diplomacy platform for the candid exchange of ideas between Chinese and Japanese political and opinion leaders. Started in 2005, the forum convenes its seventh session in late August in Beijing." Image from

Su proposes 'smart power' diplomacy‎ - Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times: "Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential primary candidate Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) has proposed using 'smart power' combined with 'pragmatic diplomacy' as the way to handle Taiwan’s diplomatic plight. According to Su’s office spokesperson Lee Hou-ching (李厚慶), Su felt that for the nation’s diplomacy to change for the better, there must be three strategies — smart power that surpasses hard power, a soft power pragmatic management approach and clear-cut diplomatic strategic guiding principles. ... According to Su, Taiwan’s diplomacy should be practical and establish 'grassroots-like' diplomacy that applies resources to work relating to public diplomacy and international non-governmental organizations. These approaches allow pragmatic progress without being seen as ramming and maintain the nation’s interests without provoking others, Su said."

Does China's PD Have a PD Problem, or a China Problem? - Laura McGinnis, manIC: '[Despite] the repeated assurances of many ... writers that China's rise

is peaceful and beneficial for all, I can't help but wonder if some of them may protest too much. A common theme in many ... writings seems to be disconnect -- between China's goals and its actions, between its actions and its explanations, between its intentions and foreign understandings of them, between global values and Chinese values, and on and on.. and it seems to me that the field for resolving the conflicts may not be Public Diplomacy, but Cross-Cultural Communication and traditional Realist Political Science."  Image from

INDIA Future of Change: Engaging with the World - Amit Shahi, brandchannel.com: "The first instance of Indian nation-branding, one that displayed India’s extraordinary side, was the 'Incredible India' campaign. The campaign, conducted by the Indian Ministry of Tourism, helped to introduce global audiences to the mystical, magical side of India’s culture and heritage. This campaign is widely recognized as one of the most successful tourism branding campaigns, and a masterful work of public and cultural diplomacy. ... Today, Brand India is entering a new and distinct phase. Through a coordinated campaign of nation-branding that brings together various stakeholders in Indian civil and cultural society, India is revitalizing its national brand on the international stage. One such platform for this discussion is found in the INDIA Future of Change initiative. The INDIA Future of Change initiative is a dynamic exercise in nation-branding and public diplomacy—one that seeks to emphasize India’s role as a catalyst for change. It works to create awareness amongst audiences worldwide about the emergent reality of India to foster a better understanding of the modern Indian landscape. To do so, the initiative promotes India

through its culture, diversity and democracy, as well as through its innovation and entrepreneurship. This unique initiative is a public-private partnership that brings together multiple stakeholders within Indian society. It has been conceptualized and developed by theIdeaWorks, and with the support of the Public Diplomacy Division of India’s Ministry of External Affairs. Other actors in this venture include the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), the Industrial Design Centre, IIT Bombay, Design in India and the Financial Times, which all serve on the board as knowledge partners. As the world’s powerful gathered in Davos, INDIA Future of Change held two unique public diplomacy events that focused on corporate diplomacy and nation-branding on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting 2011." Via. Image from

The Korean Wave in India - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I was having brunch with my friend Madhur (the publicdiplomacy blog), when he told me about a fascinating story of Korean cultural adoption in Nagaland, India. Korean movies, style and culture is uberpopular, people have adopted the dress and hairstyles." Includes video.

Mohali diplomacy: Building a bridge not a wall - Muhammad Nawaz Khan, pkarticleshub.com: "Cricket diplomacy at best is part of public diplomacy, or Track-two as it is called in the subcontinent, shod of pomp and officialdom. It should be just an opportunity to share something that is common to the two nations, the mania of cricket. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s invitation to President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to watch the Cricket World Cup semi-final between the two countries is not quite a googly — cricket diplomacy has been used in the past — but can something come of the gesture?"

Cricket for Peace in South Asia - Asm Belal, Culturicus: "Since the time of partition of Indian subcontinent, peace remains a billion dollar question. It has been the frequently asked buzzword but rarely found a moment. The partition which territorially divided India-Pakistan also fractured them mentally. A region of partitions is bound to convey the seeds of disunity among them. The historic trauma and the permanent crevice characterized by four wars, many low-intensity conflicts, hatred, and

mistrust between India-Pakistan made peace impossible. Despite that, efforts to garner peace continue, sometimes in diplomatic channels and sometimes in public diplomatic channels. Moreover, sport like cricket has become one of the successful and effective medium to break the ice between the countries. The world cup cricket 2011 too, has brought such a historic momentum and opportunity before South Asia." Image from article

Netherlands wants to expand agricultural sales in Southern Germany - editor, branchennews-garten.de: "The missions of the Dutch government have been instructed to work towards the improvement of export opportunities. Wie die Botschaft in Berlin kürzlich weiter mitteilte, stehen die Anstrengungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Projekt 'Chancen für das niederländische Agribusiness in Süddeutschland', das auf der diesjährigen BioFach in Nürnberg gestartet wurde. As the Embassy in Berlin recently further said, the efforts are associated with the project 'Opportunities for the Dutch agribusiness in southern Germany, which was launched at this year's BioFach in Nuremberg. Diese Initiative richtet den Fokus auf die wichtigsten Sektoren für die Ausfuhr nach Deutschland, allen voran Obst, Gemüse und Zierpflanzen. This initiative plans to focus on key sectors for export to Germany, especially fruits, vegetables and ornamental plants. Besonderes Augenmerk soll dabei den Bioprodukten gelten. Special attention should be paid to organic products.

'Gerade in Süddeutschland ist Öko angesagt, und das bietet niederländischen Anbietern viele Möglichkeiten', so die Diplomaten. 'Especially in Southern Green is called for, and the Dutch party offers many opportunities,' said the diplomat. Ein weiterer Bestandteil des Projekts sei die 'Public Diplomacy', mit der man die Vertreter von Behörden, Wissenschaft, gesellschaftlichen Organisationen und Unternehmen aus der gesamten Agrarkette miteinander ins Gespräch bringen wolle – über die Themen Nachhaltigkeit und verantwortungsvolles unternehmerisches Handeln. Another component of the project was the 'public diplomacy' with which they wanted to bring representatives from governments, science, social organizations and companies from across the agricultural chain, talking to each other - on the corporate sustainability and good governance." Image from article

Interview with The Australian Consul General - Kelly's Econ Blog: "Here is an interview I had with Christopher Rees, the Australian Consul General of Osaka and trade comissioner in the company Austrade. ... K: You’re also the Australian Consul General in Osaka, what does that job include? C: Well that involves first and foremost providing to Australian citizens when they need it, being mindful of their welfare and providing consular services to Australians as they might need it. That includes assistance if they should be arrested, what we call notarial services which is witnessing of signatures and other legal documents, which is hard to do when you’re out of the country, letting people know about developments that might affect them, such as the recent earthquake and tsunami, and also public diplomacy, maintaining relationships with key government representatives, business and social leaders in the Kansai area, to understand about the Kansai area and also to promote the individual Australian businesses."

Best of Russia - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "The Best of Russia 2010 photography contest is showing at the Winzavod Center for Contemporary Art. A domestic contest showing at a domestic venue, the Best of Russia sneaks its

way into my IC blog by dint of its having been lauded in Russia Beyond the Headlines, a print-based tool of Russian propaganda public diplomacy and PD body Russky Mir. But perhaps it's not fair to equate it with straight-up propaganda, since it's trying so hard to be fair and balanced. As the RBtH article boasts: 'The exhibit is far from an endorsement of the official view of 'the Russian way of life.' There are plenty of pictures among the winning photos that do not reflect mainstream views.'" Image from article

Anholt: Genius or Phony - SIS Public Diplomacy: The Group Five Blog: "Even though there are many proponents of nation branding , there are also those that are in opposition of this growing trend. Even Simon Anholt, who coined the phrase “nation branding” does not like the impact of the term. Anholt states is his newest book, Places: Identity, Image and Reputation, 'there is no such thing as ‘nation branding.’ ... In Public Diplomacy: Place Branding Week, Anholt also notes how hard it can be to not conform to the national stereotype. ... I find Anholt confusing and contradicting. He seems to be afraid to make specific claims and state specific definitions, and instead keeps everything very broad."

Fulbright Scholarships for Laos in Master’s Degree Program 2011-2013 - online-degree-reviews.org

Global Security Summer Program for Students and Young Professionals - The Window on America Center in Dnipropetrovsk: The Window on America Center in Dnipropetrovsk is designed to provide up-to date information on the United States. The mission of our Center is to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Ukraine: "Apply: Global Security Summer Program for Students and Young Professionals in Slovakia and Uzhgorod (June 25-July 3)"

Model NATO Serbia – preparatory meeting - transconflict.com: "TransConflict Serbia, as part of its ‘Model Security’ initiative, organized a preparatory meeting for participants in the inaugural Model NATO Serbia simulation, which will

take place in May 2011. ... The final simulation – which is supported by NATO’s Public Diplomacy Department, the U.S. Embassy and the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Serbia – will take place in May 2011, during which the participants will endeavour to reach consensus in the face of a variety of crisis scenarios." Image from article

Third forum of Islamic Conference’s public diplomacy to take place in Azerbaijan - abc.az: "II Forum 'Public diplomacy' of the member states of the Islamic Conference (OIC)

[was] held at the initiative of the Turkish-Asian Centre for Strategic Studies (TASAM) on 30-31 March in Istanbul." Image from article

CIGI appoints two VPs, announces new strategic plan - exchangemagazine.com: "The Centre for International Governance Innovation is pleased to announce the appointments of David B. Dewitt as vice president of programs, and J. Fred Kuntz as vice president of public affairs. These appointments follow the adoption of a new strategic plan for the Waterloo-based think tank on governance issues. ... 'Dr. Dewitt brings tremendous expertise to CIGI as a specialist in international affairs, including in the areas of security and conflict, the Middle East and Asia Pacific and comparative public diplomacy,' said Thomas  A. Bernes, executive director of CIGI. 'His intellectual leadership will be a significant asset to CIGI as we develop our programs of research and policy analysis.'"

RELATED ITEMS

By merely bolstering the weaker side, we are prolonging Libya's civil war. The interventionists lack the courage of their convictions. If they really want Gaddafi gone, they should just get on with it - Simon Jenkins, Guardian

Will Libya become Obama’s Iraq? - Meghan O’Sullivan, Washington Post: Engaging in military action and claiming a desire for regime change, yet expressing unwillingness to use force to achieve that aim, even while providing support to those seeking to oust Gaddafi — this is a recipe for confusion, both within the administration and among the public. The president’s lack of clarity could erode domestic support for the operation, particularly if it grows lengthy and messy. It could also slide the administration into a more ambitious mission than is in U.S. interests or lead to Arab disappointment over a more limited American role. Image from

Is It Better to Save No One? - Nicholas Kristof: Critics from left and right are jumping all over President Obama for his Libyan intervention, arguing that we don’t have an exit plan, that he hasn’t articulated a grand strategy, that our objectives are fuzzy, that Islamists could gain strength. And those critics are all right. But let’s back up a moment and recognize a larger point: Mr. Obama and other world leaders did something truly extraordinary, wonderful and rare: they ordered a humanitarian intervention that saved thousands of lives and that even Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s closest aides seem to think will lead to his ouster.

How to do 21st Century propaganda: Share all your pics and vids on the web - Paul Quigley, newswhip.ie: The UK and US military are releasing cool pictures and video of their attacks on Libya online and on Youtube – is this propaganda, 2011 style? The US navy have created galleries of images of their cruisers launching Tomahawk missiles at Libya. Here’s an image of a missile taking off from the robust deck of the USS Barry, a guided missile destroyer.

Thanks to omnipresent media and more sophisticated modern audiences, there’s not much need for a modern military to produce or distribute high quality propaganda. Instead, they send out images and video that give their perspectives, and let the media take care of the rest. Image from article

USAF Commando Solo psyop broadcasts to Libya confirmed -- again - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on Internattional Broadcasting

Leaderless in Libya: The Propaganda Behind It - Daniel, conservativedailynews.com: Saturday a NATO air-strike designed to protect the Rebels against Gadhafi’s use of military might ended up killing 13 rebels. Once again we see just what happens when a leaderless group of Rebels tries to wage a war with the help of an undefined and leaderless coalition

Libyan opposition stations Ahrar TV (aka Libya TV), Libya Al Hurra, Ahfad al-Mukhtar all reported on satellite - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on Inernational Broadcasting

Russian Propaganda Posters Are Back With A Vengeance; They also have the exact same design - Alex Shifrin, The Exile: The thing that strikes me most about this campaign is how much it resembles the old communist propaganda in both visual stylistics and message. Similar to what's out on the streets now, old propaganda posters were focused on promoting a line of

work, either through highlighting the profession itself or by showcasing regular proles who embodied the Soviet ideal of the strong and selfless worker. It was always strange that this message should come from a country that truly never cared for an individual's worth, and still doesn't. Russians have the almost unique trait of loving Russia but hating Russians.

The Insanity Of Israel Apartheid Propaganda - Editor, The Propagandist

Zionists and The Propaganda War - Kourosh Ziabari, opinion-maker.org: Interview by Kourosh Ziabari with Stuart Littlewood,a British writer and photographer

The Organization of the Islamic Conference Propaganda Machine - rightwingnewswatch.com: Pavlov had a dog. The Organization of the Islamic Conference has the United Nations and President Obama.

Two books on the future of power and diplomacy - Ian Morris, Washington Post: Parag Khanna, a 30-something journalist and rising star in the world of think tanks, makes the case in “How to Run the World” for what he calls “Generation Y geopolitics.” He describes the 21st century as “neo-medieval,” because now, as in the Middle Ages, “rising powers, multinational corporations, powerful families, humanitarians, religious radicals, universities and mercenaries are all part of the diplomatic landscape.” Because states no longer matter much, he says, we should dump old-style diplomacy, with its “stiff waltz of rituals and protocols among states alone,” for “mega-diplomacy . . . a jazzy dance among coalitions of ministries, companies, churches, foundations, universities, activists, and other willful, enterprising individuals who cooperate to achieve specific goals.” “Generation Y,” he promises, “will own mega-diplomacy.” The result will be a new renaissance, like the one that ended the original Middle Ages. Joseph S. Nye, by contrast, is a 70-something professor at Harvard and former dean of its Kennedy School of Government. As he sees it in “The Future of Power,” the old, stiff waltz is not over yet. “Today,” he suggests, “power in the world . . . resembles a complex three-dimensional chess game.” On the top of the board is military power, where states still reign supreme; in the middle is economic power, where states and non-state actors share the play; and only on the bottom do we find something like Khanna’s Generation Y geopolitics.

Pristine propaganda posters revive rally cry of WWII - usatoday.com: Most of the 346 posters owned by Vernon Rader -- the 86-year-old retired Procter & Gamble art director -- were produced by the Office of War Information.

All of them were printed from 1942 to 1945. "The office commissioned many of the most famous commercial artists of the day," says Carol Leadenham, an archivist at anfordd Universsity's Hoover Institution. Names on the posters have lost much cachet, except for Norman Rockwell. The Office of War Information placed its posters into five categories — the five N's: • The nature of our Allies. • The nature of our enemy. • The need to work. • The need to sacrifice. • The need to fight. Image from