April 24-26

"I wouldn't pretend to tell you that everybody who writes to the State Department gets an answer."

--U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy and Human Rights Michael Posner; image from

BLOG OF INTEREST

Arab Media: A look at what's going on in the Arab media, what American and other media outlets are saying about the Arab media, and other thoughts stemming from my work on cyberactivism, citizen journalism and international relations. Blogging, Al Jazeera, politics and critical readings of the media are also high on the list.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Learning from Mullen’s message - Syed Talat Hussain, dawn.com: "When even a seemingly good cop like Adm Mullen, the highest ranking military official, begins to use the language of the bad cops in the Pentagon and the CIA in justifying the policy of drone attacks, it is a clear signal: Pakistan and the US stand in opposite corners of the arena facing each other rather than having common strategic objectives. ... Those who doubt this should recall the oozing euphoria of the PPP government over the passage of the Kerry Lugar Berman bill. The aid bill promised $1.5bn a year with strict preconditions and under one of the most intrusive scrutiny regimes for disbursement that any bureaucracy could devise. This was projected as a heavenly gift from a benevolent friend. The `aha` sentiment in government circles was so intense that the limitations and pitfalls of this friendship were completely overlooked. No one bothered to raise the flag on the central point of the promised aid, that this was just a promise of advance payment for Pakistan`s total endorsement of the US policy in Afghanistan, leaving no room for Pakistan to make its own policy choices in the great game being played right under its soft underbelly. Cementing this fake imagery of a `total alignment of interests` has been the US public diplomacy initiative in Pakistan. The sole purpose of this heavily funded plan — which includes among one hundred other things buying propaganda airtime on different media outlets — is to promote bilateral bonhomie. The elaborate attempt to implement this plan has come at the cost of a more level-headed analysis of the causes of friction both sides had to deal with. By sweeping pressure points in Pakistan`s relations with the US under the carpet, the PR campaign killed the space for rational discourse on these relations, besides inflating expectations on both sides about the great things the two countries could accomplish together.

However, the most misleading image of `sharing, caring and togetherness` has come from the military high command`s primarily secret but flourishing interaction with US counterparts. The mantra of being allies in the war against terror has been stretched to cover harsh facts, now the predominant theme of discussion between the two sides. While there is no denying the fact that staying engaged with a superpower breathing down hard on its borders is a compulsion for a small state, to claim to have built a strategic alliance on the basis of this compulsion is self-deception. Pakistan`s military leadership has been wrongly thinking that it can make Washington change its policy course by using the logic that `good friends` are always open. Adm Mullen`s unbending insistence on the ISI severing links with the Haqqani network and the continuation of drone attacks is the strongest rebuttal of this assumption." Image from

International Visitors: Citizen Diplomacy as Public Diplomacy - James Ketterer, Global Engagement: The World Affairs Blog Nework: "Last month BBC New Magazine ran a curious story (here) about the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), calling it 'a little-known scheme run by the US State Department [that] has demonstrated an uncanny capacity to pinpoint these leaders-in-waiting.' Despite the BBC’s assertion, the IVLP is quite well-known and highly regarded. The State Department says the following about the program: The International Visitor Leadership Program annually brings to the United States approximately 5,000 foreign nationals from all over the world to meet and confer with their professional counterparts and to experience America firsthand. The visitors, who are selected by American Foreign Service Officers overseas, are current or potential leaders in government, politics, the media, education, the arts, business and other fields. Among the thousands of distinguished individuals who have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program since its inception almost seven decades ago are more than 290 current and former Chiefs of State and Heads of Government, 2,000 cabinet-level ministers, and many, many other distinguished leaders from the public and private sectors. But the article notes that some see something sinister at play here. Specifically, there are those who claim that the IVLP is used by the US Government to jump start the careers of those selected to participate: [']Conspiracy theorists warn the scheme is all about an imperial power meddling in the affairs of sovereign regimes, seducing their future political leaders and moulding them into Washington-approved candidates.['] And this: [']Not everyone views the programme so benignly, however. Intelligence expert Robin Ramsay, editor of Lobster magazine, accepts it is likely that all the beneficiaries of the project’s largesse would have risen to the top anyway. But he argues that the notion of a major power courting the future elite of another nation state offers

cause for alarm. 'I’m concerned because I think Britain should be independent,' he says. 'I think the idea of a foreign country interfering in our politics is worrying.' While being selected to be part of an IVLP delegation to visit the US is a nice perk it is hardly a make-or-break career move for an aspiring leader. Rather, it is an attempt by US embassies to identify important leaders (and leaders in the making) in a wide variety of fields (arts, libraries, politics, environment, education, museums and others) and find a way to connect with them. Is it good for the US? Yes, in most cases, but the benefits are not immediate or certain. But it is worth doing for many reasons." Image from article

Public diplomacy shifts to social media - Posted by Byron Tau, Politico: "America.gov -- a global public diplomacy portal by the State Department launched during the Bush years -- has been shut down, as State recalibrates its efforts towards social media: A message on the front page of America.gov informs visitors that, as of March 31, the site is not being updated and will be archived. A notice directs visitors seeking information on U.S. foreign policy to the U.S. embassy and consulate websites or to State.gov. The manpower once devoted to the site, provided through the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), is being redirected toward the department’s 'social media assets,' which use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. IIP Deputy Assistant Secretary Duncan MacInnes called it a shift to a 'more proactive' Web engagement strategy. Although MacInnes said the department’s official site of record, State.gov, would still serve as a resource, a 'static website' like America.gov is no longer the best way to promote understanding of policy."

They're Coming to America.gov No More - Nancy Scola, techpresident.com: "This is at least a little interesting. So, America.gov was a site launched in 2008 by then-Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to serve as a multi-language online home for the State Department's public diplomacy efforts. The Hill's Alicia M. Cohn reports that it has been shuttered, and State is explaining that their refocusing their work on 'push'

efforts like Twitter and Facebook: The manpower once devoted to the site, provided through the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), is being redirected toward the department’s 'social media assets,' which use Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. IIP Deputy Assistant Secretary Duncan MacInnes called it a shift to a 'more proactive' Web engagement strategy. The State Department spokesperson suggested that the shift to third-party sites was validated by the role social media played in Egypt. In her recent 'Internet Freedom' speech, Clinton talked about State's plans to have Twitter feed in Arabic, Farsi, Chinese, Russian, and Hindi."

Already Embattled Team Obama Hit with New Shots - Chippshots: Comments and Analysis from John Robertson on the Middle East, Central Asia, and U.S. Policy: "This is a dark day indeed for the US foreign-policy establishment, as well as for US public diplomacy in general, courtesy of Wikileaks in an immediate sense, but in the longer view, courtesy of American self-righteous high-handedness in the wake of 9-11. We already knew that Guantanamo was a black stain on America's self-promoted image as a beacon of human rights and fair treatment, but the revelations emerging from the new release by Wikileaks has blown up completely whatever was left of that image. The NY Times has extensive coverage (you can start here, with links to other NYT stories), but as one commentator has noted already, the NYT's perspective seems overly geared toward the issue of US security. The Guardian, on the other hand, as can be expected, is much more up-front with the human-rights issues. To wit: •Innocent people interrogated for years on slimmest pretexts •Children, elderly and mentally ill among those wrongfully held •172 prisoners remain, some with no prospect of trial or release Add to that the evidence that many of those who were detained - for very long times - were detained not as 'bad guys,' but because they might provide intelligence about the Taliban (like the al-Jazeera reporter who, it was determined early on, did nothing wrong, but might be otherwise useful)."

Gitmo–A Kidnapping/Torture Operation for Intel - thepaltrysapien.com: "Honestly, the US government does every single thing in its powers to embody the worst propaganda caricatures

of it in the Muslim world. And no, I don’t think public diplomacy will help ... at all until Misters Cheney and Bush are sitting in the Hague (and yes, I’d like to see Mr. Obama there as an accessory after the fact)." Image from article

Revolutions aren’t made in 140 characters - Iain Akerman, campaignme.com: “'Don Quixote in his imaginary adventure encounters a group of merchants, and cries out: 'Let the whole world stand, if the whole world does not confess that there is not, in the whole world, a damsel more beautiful than the Empress of Mancha'. The Arab Uprising has shaken the way we understand politics, communications and public diplomacy. Social media may have played a role in the unrest, but pretending that the uprising is a social media revolution is as imaginary as the existence of the Empress of Mancha. ... With or without social media, political change was likely to come. Social media might have hastened that change, but it was satellite television that set it on supersonic speed. ... When social media is used to create debate and discussion, it is making a positive contribution. When it is used to create a revolution, especially without an endgame, it only causes chaos and disruption."

NPR news blog describes VOA as "official broadcasting service," but BBC as just BBC- Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "VOA is funded by the US government, but is under the bipartisan Broadcasting Board of Governors. BBC, and soon BBC World Service as well, are funded by a UK-government sanctioned, non-voluntary license fee on television sets. Its board is the BBC Trust.

So why is VOA an 'official broadcasting service,' and BBC is not? (This is not a rhetorical question.)" Image from

Whiff of Desperation: Michael Oren's unconvincing argument for the U.S.-Israel special relationship - Stephen M. Walt, Foreign Policy: It is an ambassador's job to burnish his government's image; fidelity to the usual canons of logic and evidence are neither required nor expected. It is therefore unsurprising that Michael Oren's portrait of Israel as America's "ultimate ally" is a one-sided distortion of reality. The main targets of Oren's hasbara -- Hebrew for public diplomacy -- are some unnamed 'realists,' meaning anyone who questions the net benefits of America's so-called 'special relationship' with Israel. All of the realists I know support Israel's existence and do not deny that the United States derives some modest benefits from its ties with the Jewish state. However, they point out that many of these benefits (e.g., trade, scientific exchange, etc.) do not require a 'special relationship' -- one in which Israel gets extensive and unconditional economic, military, and diplomatic support -- and they maintain that the costs of the current "special relationship" outweigh the benefits. Unconditional U.S. support has also facilitated policies -- most notably settlement building -- that have undermined Israel's global standing and placed its long-term future in jeopardy. Accordingly, realists believe that a more normal relationship would be better for the United States and Israel alike

facilitated policies -- most notably settlement building -- that have undermined Israel's global standing and placed its long-term future in jeopardy. Accordingly, realists believe that a more normal relationship would be better for the United States and Israel alike. ... It is true that both states are formally democratic, but there are also fundamental differences between the two countries. The United States is a liberal democracy, where people of any race, religion, or ethnicity are supposed to enjoy equal rights. Israel, by contrast, was explicitly founded as a Jewish state, and non-Jews in Israel are second-class citizens both de jure and de facto. To take but one example, Palestinians who marry Israeli Jews are not permitted to become citizens of Israel themselves. This may make sense given Israel's self-definition, but it is wholly at odds with deep-rooted American values."  Image from article

Justin Bieber and Israel's missed opportunity‎: The teen mega-idol’s visit to this country could have been a major PR victory -  Dan Diker, Jerusalem Post:  "Justin Bieber, the hottest pop music sensation on the planet, just spent a week in Israel. It could have been a public diplomacy bonanza for the Jewish nation-state. This was a no-brainer. The mega teen idol commands a bigger following on Twitter alone (six million followers) than Fox News commands for its top-rated prime time shows. Add to that the hundreds of millions of people, perhaps far more, whom Bieber reaches through the Web, print, television, live performances, online downloads and discs, licensing and merchandising sales. And he just spent seven days in Israel. It was not the usual 'in and out' visit made by most visiting performers. Bieber prayed at the Western Wall and worshiped at Christian Holy sites in Jerusalem, Tiberias and the Galilee. Bieber tweeted his fans that he 'wanted the chance to walk where Jesus walked in Israel.' He stayed so long that he had time to go bowling at a mall in Jerusalem three days after his concert in Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park, where he performed for more than 22,000 ecstatic fans.

My teenage daughter showed me Bieber’s Twitter account, where he described the experience as 'AMAZING FANS, AMAZING CONCERT, AMAZING PLACE.' Despite the perfect setup for a major Israeli public diplomacy victory, official Israel did not reach out to the teen icon. And to be frank, from an international media standpoint, Israel needs Bieber more than Bieber needs Israel. According to news reports, a last-minute approach by the teen idol to the Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu failed to generate a meeting, despite sincere and determined efforts by the prime minister’s advisers to make it happen. Some news reports indicated that the singer’s team opposed the political overtones of the prime minister’s request that children from the South who suffered incessant Hamas rocket attacks should also take part in the meeting. Curiously Bieber’s manager publicly denied requesting a meeting, while Bieber tweeted his fans online that 'I want to see this country and all the places I’ve dreamed of and whether it’s the paps [paparazzi] or being pulled into politics it’s been frustrating.' ... Bieber’s overall experience ended up rebounding from a negative to a positive one, as he noted in his post-concert exuberance. However, it might better serve Israel’s overall public diplomacy interests if government leaders were to reach out to high-profile visitors, and especially mega-stars like Bieber, well in advance of their planned visits to increase the prospects of Israel’s receiving the positive, accurate and critically important exposure it desperately deserves. The writer is secretary-general-designate of the World Jewish Congress." See also. Image from

China's international media expansion: a model for what the United States should *not* do - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Public policy might fascinate bureaucrats in Washington, but it bores the living daylights out of most global audiences. CNN International, at no cost to the US taxpayers, trounces (in terms of audience size) CCTV-9 (now CCTV News), which costs the Chinese taxpayers plenty. ... And as for the world welcoming 'a diversity of voices ... but not one which is distorted, censored and sanitized,' members of Congress and think tank fellows should heed this wisdom as the battle for the soul of US international broadcasting intensifies."

An unconstrained China - Shen Dingli, khaleejtimes.com: "China’s foreign relations in East Asia have experienced turmoil over the past year. For instance, with Japan, Beijing demanded last September that Tokyo immediately release a Chinese captain whose fishing boat collided with a Japanese government vessel near Diaoyu/Senkaku islands. China has long claimed sovereignty over the territory, but the fast, stern approach, combined with a temporary hold on exports of rare-earth materials, could have added strain to its public diplomacy with Japanese at large." Image from

(Yonhap Interview) Raise Korea enthusiasts in Europe: public diplomacy chief - Sam Kim, yonhapnews.co: "South Korea should do more to win the hearts of opinion leaders in Europe, a region increasingly important to this Asian nation, which is on track to embracing a free trade deal with the European Union (EU), Seoul's point man on public diplomacy said Tuesday. In an interview with Yonhap News Agency, Kim Byung-kook, head of the state-funded Korea Foundation (KF), said one way to enhance South Korea's profile among Europeans is to expand the scope of exchanges between the scholars and culture leaders of the two sides. 'The task is no simple one. It will take time and persistency to carve a favorable national brand in Europeans' hearts,' said Kim, who served as the first senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs and national security under the Lee Myung-bak administration.

Kim said public diplomacy, when carried out objectively, persistently and entertainingly, helps drastically reduce transaction costs between people on two different sides. ... Affiliated with the foreign ministry, the KF was set up in 1992 and is South Korea's soft-power arm for the world, serving as a source of content on Korean issues, people and culture for universities, think tanks and embassies abroad." Kim Byung-kook image from article

"India needed patience, perseverance, long term engagement" - ibnlive.in.com: "Terming cross border terrorism as a 'catastrophe' for the region and the world, Special Secretary (Public Diplomacy) of External Affairs Jayant Prasad said India 'needed patience, perseverance and a long-term engagement.' Prasad who had served in Afghanistan, said the rise of militia in Afghanistan may become a catastrophe to not just the region but the world."

India seeks incresed [sic] engagement with African youth - inewsone.com: "India is seeking the help of young parliamentarians from Africa to increase the outreach of a unique private-public partnership to increase collaboration between the youth in India and the world, especially from the continent. After a successful first year of operation, the second edition of 'India - Future of Change', organised by the Delhi-based Idea Works, is set to roll out a second round of contests which aims to involve young people to think about solutions to challenges facing India

and other emerging economies. 'We want you to take this forward and help us to bring the information about this initiative to the youth of Africa,' said Amit Shahi, CEO, The Idea Works in a presentation to a group of 26 young African parliamentarians from 11 countries. As part of the initiative, five global contests are conducted for business plan, product design, essay writing, poster design and photography. The winners of the first year will soon be announced in the next few weeks. ... The initiative is supported by the external affairs ministry's public diplomacy division."  Image from

Pakistan plants seeds for potential prospects - Yoav Cerralbo, koreaherald.com: "Traditional diplomatic interactions used to be the norm when building ties, but now a new paradigm has emerged where cultural and public diplomacy have become increasingly important. To change popular conceptions of Pakistan, the embassy organized an event for primary school-age children and their parents. Held at the National Library for Children and Young Adults in Gangnam district, the ambassador and his team left the confines of the chancery and went straight into the hearts of the future.

'They are the future leaders and in 20-25 years they will be in a position to make important decisions so I thought it’s a great idea to meet the children and talk about Pakistan and show them our cultural places,' said Pakistan Ambassador Shaukat Ali Mukadam. Within moments of the PowerPoint presentation and information session, they were giving rows of wide-eyed children a new image of an exotic foreign land. 'I want to project our culture and talk about our friendship and show the Korean people the tourism locations, about how our children live, our schools and universities,' he said. Image from article, with caption: entary school children line up to sample Pakistani food.

News Bits - What's new in the world of public diplomacy? I'm so glad you asked! - Maura McGinnis, manIC: [News items pertaining to public diplomacy]

PD problems may not have PD solutions - Robin, Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence

Critical Review: Public Diplomacy: Strengthening U.S. Engagement with the World - Mario, Public and Cultural Diplomacy C: A reflective group blog by students on the Public and Cultural Diplomacy module at London Metropolitan University

Episode 1, Ren’s Micro Diplomacy Podcast! - Ren's Micro Diplomacy: "There are still some kinks to work out for future episodes ... but here is the first Ren’s Micro Diplomacy podcast. I talk with Mark Preston about corporate social responsibility in Vietnam and how CSR relates to public diplomacy. Mark (also a 2011 MPD grad) was a participant on my March 2011 research trip to Ho Chi Minh City,

and his comments are based on what he learned while in country." Image from

Welcome to 140Confin London by Jeff and Jeff, Nov. 17th - realtimeinternet.net: "140 Character Conference Interview with @rachael and @sarahprevette. Whatdoes it mean to be a character @ #140conf at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood, LA? Panman Productions is here to investigate on behalf of Roger Smith Hotel. www.twitter.com www.rogersmithlife.com From Jeff Pulver 'The original scope of #140conf was to explore the effects of twitter on: Celebrity, The Media, Advertising and (maybe) Politics. Over time the scope expanded to look at the effects of twitter on topics ranging from public safety to public diplomacy. The first #140conf in New York City brought together people with many diverse backgrounds but the one thing which everyone had in common was twitter. The schedule for the event was unique and fast paced. It was my intention to provide a platform for as many people as possible to share their thoughts and engage in conversation with the attending delegates."

U.S. ambassador gives students advice on foreign service careers - Lottie Staggs, northern-iowan.org: "Ambassador Ronald McMullen, a Cedar Falls native, spoke to University of Iowa students on Wednesday, April 20 about foreign service careers, experiences and internships. The event was sponsored by UNI Career Services. ... McMullen is currently a diplomat-in-residence at the University of Texas in Austin. He went to Drake University and majored in political science, then got his doctorate from the University of Iowa. He has 28 years of experience and has worked, lived or traveled in more than 89 different countries. Some of his experiences over the years include surviving a voodoo curse in the Dominican Republic, training mongooses to detect heroin in Sri Lanka and taking Hillary Clinton to tour

Robben Island in South Africa with Nelson Mandela. ... Along with his experiences, McMullen discussed the series of steps necessary in becoming a foreign diplomat. First, he said to take the Foreign Services Officer Test, which tests your knowledge of U.S. and world affairs. The next step is the QEP, which stands for Qualification Educational Panel. At this step, a panel of three foreign service examiners looks over your previous work and education. The final step is an oral assessment. After you have passed the other two steps, you are brought to Washington, D.C. to do test runs of real-life situations. McMullen also left the students with a few tips to make themselves more appealing when applying to be foreign diplomats. 'If you pick public diplomacy or political (as your major), you just cut your chances in half because we have so many people sign up for those career paths that they are oversubscribed … So if there's some way you can see yourself as an economic, management or consular officer, I'd opt for those,' said McMullen." McMullen image from article

Lead International Economist Visits Creighton - Chris Beecham, wpmu.creighton.edu: "Stephan S. Thurman’s present position is as lead International Macroeconomist for the Economic Policy and Public Diplomacy office of the Economic, Energy and Business Bureau of the U.S. Department of State. Dr. Thurman

analyzes economic situations and trends in international trade and finance for the Secretary and the Bureau’s officers to assist them in the formulation of U.S. international economic policy." Thurman image from article

RELATED ITEMS

Pakistan accuses U.S. of 'negative propaganda' - Dean Nelson, tehrantimes.com:
During a visit to Pakistan on Wednesday, Admiral Mullen said continuing links between the ISI and the Haqqani network, which attacks Nato troops in Afghanistan from safe havens in North Waziristan, are a cause of ""continuing strain"" in relations between the two countries.

""Haqqani is supporting, funding, training fighters that are killing Americans and killing coalition partners. And I have a sacred obligation to do all I can to make sure that doesn't happen,"" he told a television interviewer. Relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly earlier this year following the arrest of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who shot dead two men he believed were trying to rob him as he drove his car through a Lahore suburb. There has been disagreement too over an increase in missile attacks in North Waziristan by American Predator drones. Mullen image from article

The Arab Spring and The Palestine Distraction: Arab peoples aren't obsessed with anti-Americanism and anti-Zionism. It's their rulers who are - Josef Joffe, Wall Street Journal: This is how our good friends have stayed in power: Divert attention and energy from oppression and misery at home by rousing the masses against the enemy abroad. How can we have free elections, runs a classic line, as long as they despoil our sacred Islamic lands? This is why anti-Americanism and anti-Semitism are as rampant among our Saudi and Egyptian allies as among the hostile leaders of Iran and Syria.

Opinion Writer Obama’s serial indecision on the Middle East - Michael Gerson, Washington Post: The administration’s national security team does little to challenge Obama’s predisposition toward vacillation.

WikiLeaks: leaked files accuse BBC of being part of a 'possible propaganda media network': The BBC is accused of being part of a “possible propaganda media network” for Al Qaeda, according to the leaked US files on the Guantanamo detainees - Christopher Hope, telegraph.co.uk:

The possible link between extremism and staff at the BBC will anger the national broadcaster, which prides itself on its impartiality.

Anti-Israel propaganda a concern - Becky Yeh, OneNewsNow California: A pro-Israel organization says an initiative at some California universities is encouraging propaganda that paints Israel in a negative light. The Olive Tree Initiative (OTI) was created to encourage discussion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to address tensions between Muslim and Jewish students at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). The group organizes trips for university students to the Middle East, and has chapters at UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and UC Santa Cruz. Dr. Roberta Seid, education/research director for Stand With Us, says OTI was launched by UCI chancellor Michael Drake to address anti-Israel events being held by the Muslim Students Union, but has not done much to calm tensions. According to Seid, anti-Israeli activism on university campuses is "thinly veiled anti-Semitism." She says OTI invites radical speakers on campus -- speakers such as George S. Rishmawi, a co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement who is known for his anti-Israel rhetoric.

Pro-Israel Ads to Run in Seattle to Counter Jew Hating Propaganda Billboards -

Atlas Shrugs, favstocks.com: "The Jew hating group, Seattle Mideast Awareness Campaign, have moved their incitement to hate campaign to billboards which Clear Channel happily accepted. Good for free speech. Free Speech for everyone. We have submiited our pro-Israel human rights ad to Clear Channel our pro-Israel campaign and expect no difficulty considering the evil propaganda they have run. They cannot pick their hate and they cannot pick their politics. Atlas will keep you posted."

The World's Biggest Propaganda Agency 'Xinhua' Lies Again - Cornelius Lundsgaard, The Tibet Post International: media briefing was held at the Main Tibetan Temple in Dharamshala on April 25, regarding China's continuing crackdown on the monks of Kirti Monastery and Tibetans living in Ngaba, Amdo in Eastern Tibet. "The Chinese authorities have launched a series of false and groundless allegations about the circumstances of the death of the young monk

named Phuntsok, who self immolated on March 16, as well as on the state of affairs at the Kirti monastery in general," said Ven. Lobsang Yeshi, one of two media coordinators of the Kirti monastery in exile who has responded to the recent reports made by the state controlled Chinese media 'Xinhua'. Image (without caption) from article

COD -- Conversations on Diplomacy  - Laura McGinnis, manIC: According to the State Department's website, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is holding a series of mediated "Conversations on Diplomacy" with Former Secretary Henry Kissinger, the man who literally wrote the book on diplomacy. The first of these conversations was held on April 20 and was "open to a limited number of invited press." So, short of calling up the Salahis, how exactly does one finagle an invitation to this event? Fear not! For those of us whose wonkish bona fides didn't merit an invitation, Reuters provides a little teaser and the welcome news that PBS will broadcast the event on Wednesday. Plus, the transcript is available online. Highlights in article.

MINISTRY OF CULTURE DEPT.

Topless teen terpsichore in Thailand turns into truly terrible "Taliban!" Twitter taunts -

Xeni Jardin, Boing Boing: Authorities in Thailand are freaking out over viral videos and photos of young women dancing without shirts at a traditional festival honoring Thai goddesses who are often depicted dancing without shirts. Image from article