April 28

"We tended to do it privately."

--Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, noting that her former colleague Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld "was never in the room with the president and me"; see also, and also John Brown, "10 Percent Intellectual: The Mind of Condoleezza Rice," PR Watch (2008); image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Exchange 2.0 Summit - Remarks Judith A. McHale Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs U.S. Institute of Peace Washington, DC April 27, 2011: "[F]ace-to-face interactions are the bread and butter of our public diplomacy exchanges. But connective technologies allow us to butter our bread on both sides. Exchange 2.0 is not a replacement for the tried and true methods of international exchange. There is no virtual equivalent for the face-to-face impact of interactions between Americans and people of other cultures. Exchange 2.0 is a complement rather than a competitor – one we cannot afford to ignore. ... First, connective technologies allow us to scale up and adapt our exchanges to reach a wider, more diverse audience. ... Second, social media provide a platform to sustain our meaningful engagement with alumni once they have completed an international exchange program. ... Third,

social media allow us to engage with youth where they live – whether online or on their mobile phone. ... And finally, social media allow us to keep up with the speed at which our world happens. ... Added to these assets is a bonus advantage: Exchanges using social media technology cost relatively little to implement but can return large benefits."  Image from

A K Antony gains sainthood - M K Bhadrakumar, Rediff: "Whether the sudden exit of US Ambassador Timothy Roemer from his assignment in Delhi and the government’’s decision to reject the two American bids for the MMRCA [Multi-role combat aircraft] tender are related developments is a moot point. ... MMRCA is a bloody serious affair for the Indians and the IAF and Delhi cannot go emotional about it when arriving at a decision. But then, it is a characteristic feature of US (and Israeli) public diplomacy to keep puffing up hot air balloons and foisting then above the playground and make the spectators feel they are the real thing. Whereas, any close observer of the Indian policies - unless one were hopelessly marooned at the extreme wing of the ideological left or the ideologically vacuous Indian right - would have estimated all along that at the end of the day, Delhi would have no option but to assess the operational and strategic needs of its air force with clinical detachment."

4/27/2011: USCIRF: Easter Detentions Show Need for Religious Freedom Priority in U.S.-China Relations - chinaaid.org: "The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urges the State Department during this week’s Human Rights dialogue and the upcoming Strategic and Economic dialogue with China to raise religious freedom issues prominently and demonstrate it is a critical U.S. interest. ... In its Annual Report, USCIRF recommends that in the planning and structure of the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, the U.S. government should [inter alia] ... ensure that

religious freedom priorities raised in the Strategic Dialogue are implemented through appropriate U.S. government foreign assistance programs on such issues as legal reform, civil society capacity-building, public diplomacy, and cultural and religious preservation and exchanges." Image from

Latvia - Foreign Ministry to host NATO Summit simulation game Afghanistan 2014: NATO's further role in stabilisation of region - isria.com: "The NATO Summit Simulation game, is being organised for the third time by the Foreign Ministry in association with the Transatlantic Organisation of Latvia (LATO), and also with assistance from the Ministry of Defence, NATO's Public Diplomacy Department, and Konrad Adenauer Foundation. This year, the game is also supported by the People’s Party group of the European Parliament."

Report: PA Unity Deal is Cosmetic, Bogus - Gil Ronen, Arutz Sheva: "Reports of a unity agreement between the twin terror movements occupying parts of the Land of Israel are deceptive, according to a report Thursday in Maariv. The newspaper's Arab affairs expert, Amit Cohen, wrote that the disagreements that have been dividing Fatah and Hamas have not been resolved and that 'unity' between the two is unlikely to hold up for very long.

The announcement about a unity deal is a cosmetic public diplomacy move, he estimated, designed to make the threat of a unilateral declaration of statehood by the Palestinian Authority in September more credible."  Image from

Help us help you: It’s time for a hasbara rethink, says the director of British Muslims for Israel - Hasan Afzal, Jerusalem Post: "In Europe, hasbara is nothing more than a theory that friends of Israel allude to at interfaith events, and the occasional objection to a boycott motion through the student union. Yet among the countless threats with which the Jewish state must deal, it is indisputable that one of them is perpetual delegitimization, to the point where the state’s very existence is now up for debate. ... No rational observer doubts that Israel has an excellent army, but now the Jewish state must beef up its public diplomacy to defend its image. Israel must hold those to account who, in the Western media, academia and political sphere, attempt to rationalize the terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas by calling them 'strikes' – painting them as somehow morally acceptable. We must challenge those who consistently demonize Israel, and expose their visceral hatred and double standards."

Reflections of Domestic Issues: Islam in France - nlemar, whenthenextdaycomes.wordpress.com: "France’s reality is that they are strongly pro-French and want to preserve their historical culture, contrary to the anti-Islamic image they project. France has long been a society of that values liberty and democracy. While it is unfortunate that they are perceived by many as anti-Islamic in the short term, in the long term, the French culture will be preserved with very little influence.

French culture is one that is rich in history and while it is understandable that the French would like to preserve it for as long as possible, they must realize that there will be a point when they have to be open to allowing it to be mixed in with other cultures, especially if they value the idea of a strong and united European Union. It must almost learn to better handle its domestic affairs so that their objectives are not misinterpreted by millions across the globe as one that is inspired by hate. It should take a lesson from its EU neighbor Denmark that if it is going to stir controversy domestically regarding a faith that has a base of over one and a half billion, a little Public Diplomacy is going to go a long way." Image from article

China-Indonesia ties: More than just money - Jakarta Post: "These are two selling points that Indonesia is pushing and experiences which it wants to share with other developing countries. But on our relationship with China, however, the emphasis is not on the merits of democratization but on the benefits of economic cooperation. Since the signing of a strategic partnership with China, trade between the two nations has jumped from US$12.5 billion in 2005 to $42.8 billion in 2010. By 2015, this figure is expected to reach $80 billion. ... China is keenly sensitive to some of the lingering and latent sensibilities and insecurities

of Indonesians. Through its public diplomacy efforts, it is careful to appear not too aggressive, playing on the fact that both Indonesia and China are facing enormous challenges in their attempt to create 'well-off' societies through reform and development."  Image from

Counterfeit Drugs: Africa's Silent Public Health Crisis - Modern Ghana: At the country level, Nigeria has been a pioneer in Africa in fighting counterfeits. According to a 2006 study, Nigeria was able to cut the proportion of fake drugs in the Nigerian market, from 48% in 2004 to 16.7%, at least over the period under observation. Mr. Linus Awute, Permanent Secretary of Nigeria's Ministry of Health, ... attributed this success to Nigeria's multi-faceted anti-counterfeit strategy which includes stronger regulation as well as better enforcement of existing laws. Most importantly though is the support that the entire Nigerian government has provided, in terms of resources and public diplomacy, to demonstrate the seriousness with which the country views this problem. ... Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/201104271107.html"

No UN panel in Iraq where over a million had died: Prof. Rohan Gunaratna - Shakutala Perera, dailymirror.lk [interview with Gunaratna]: "Q: The UN claims the panel of experts set up to advise Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on accountability issues with respect to the final stages of the conflict in Sri Lanka has found ‘credible reports of war crimes’ committed by both the Government and Tamil rebels. How valid are these assertions in your opinion? [A:] The Sri Lankan government should respond, not react, to the panel report. ... The UN panel report is largely based on reporting by human rights, media, and international organizations heavily lobbied by the LTTE

as well as front, cover and sympathetic organizations of the LTTE. ... While the Sri Lankan government lacking in public diplomacy failed to reflect the ground reality of the fight in the terminal phase (October 2008-May 2009), LTTE’s aggressive and selective reporting influenced human rights, media and international organizations."  Image: LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) Gold Token

Forum on Public and Citizen Diplomacy  - conferencealerts.com:" 6 to 7 June 2011 Canberra, ACT, Australia  Website: http://www.aiia.asn.au/ Contact name: Gale Wilkinson The Forum will focus on public diplomacy (activities aimed at influencing the views of foreign publics) and citizen diplomacy (people-to- people contact and exchange) as key tools in building international understanding. Organized by: Australian Institute of International Affairs Deadline for abstracts/proposals: Not available."

UCR Cancels Sabbatical, Franklin Fellowship Blocked - Chris Levister, blackvoicenews.com: "April 7, 2011 State Department letter to Chancellor Timothy White: 'Dr. Rodgers will make a valuable contribution to the United States through his work in public diplomacy,' wrote Joanne M. Martin, Franklin Fellows Program. 'We are grateful to the University and the School of Business Administration for your commitment to public service, which makes his participation possible,' said Martin. ... April 25, 2011 Rodgers receives forwarded copy of Stewart letter to State Department cancelling sabbatical. 'I regret to inform you that the University of California Riverside must withdraw permission for Professor Rodgers to take sabbatical leave during the 11-12 academic year. He will therefore not be able to participate in the Franklin Fellowship during the next year.' ... The Franklin Fellows Program named in honor of Benjamin Franklin was established in 2006 by the United States Department of State to bring in professionals from universities, the private sector and non-profit organizations to work on global issues of vital importance to the U.S. A fellowship enables academic institutions such as UCR to foster a culture of public service by their professionals."

Indian diplomat turned artist presents his work on planetary consciousness - dailywebday.com: "Marking his debut in painting, Abhay Kumar, an Indian diplomat turned poet and artist, exhibited his collection in national capital New Delhi recently to mark the establishment of Indo-Russian diplomatic ties. ... Kumar

joined the Indian Foreign Service in 2003 and studied the Russian language, history and literature at the Centre of International Education, Moscow State University. ... He is presently posted at Public Diplomacy (PD) division of the Ministry of External Affairs, India in New Delhi."  Kumar image from

Honorary degree recipients, speaker announced for USCB commencement ceremony: The University of South Carolina Beaufort announced thursday, April 7 the names of the men and women to be honored at their graduation ceremony - beaufort.thedigitel.com: "Paula and William Bethea will receive honorary degrees from the school for their work in local non-profit organizations, while author and former Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs for the first Bush administration, Karen Hughes, will deliver the keynote address."

RELATED ITEMS

Obama’s Pentagon and C.I.A. Picks Show Shift in How U.S. Fights - Mark Mazzetti And Eric Schmitt, New York Times: President Obama’s decision to send an intelligence chief to the Pentagon and a four-star general to the Central Intelligence Agency is the latest evidence of a significant shift over the past decade in how the United States fights its battles — the blurring of lines between soldiers and spies in secret American missions abroad. The American spy and military agencies

operate in such secrecy now that it is often hard to come by specific information about the American role in major missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and now Libya and Yemen. A succession of wars has strained the ranks of both the Pentagon and the C.I.A., and the United States has come to believe that many of its current enemies are best fought with timely intelligence rather than overwhelming military firepower. Image from

Ten reasons why the U.S. war in Libya is a CIA operation - finalcall.com: The U.S.-led attack on Libya is an American operation of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), planned and initiated long before any “protests” started in Libya this February. Under the guise of “protecting innocent civilians,” the U.S. military, Africom, NATO, and the United Nations are now bombing Libya, raining destruction upon the Libyan economic and military infrastructure and killing untold numbers of innocent Africans. Here are just 10 of the many obvious reasons why this so-called “spontaneous” protest was from beginning to end another CIA operation.Just as with the U.S. debacle in Iraq and Afghanistan, the New York Times leads a coordinated campaign of propaganda, rumor-mongering, and the demonization of Muammar Gadhafi. Some articles appear to be written in advance and closely follow the prescription of the Washington consulting firm Wirthlin Group, which determined that “the message most likely to motivate public support for war on Iraq was the perception of Saddam Hussein as an evil madman who even committed atrocities against his own people and had to be stopped.” The major media's appetite for this “killing-his-own-people” line is textbook CIA propaganda and belies the fact that they are at this very hour operating from a swank hotel that is under Gadhafi's total control in Tripoli.

Honoring Those Who Said No - Jameel Jaffer and Larry Siems, New York Times (subscription): To address the damage from the Bush administration’s interrogation and detention policies,

the Obama administration should recognize the public servants who rejected torture. Image from 

Iran under virus attack (or the West under Propaganda Propagation): Iran military official who threatened Stuxnet retaliation announces second virus attack - Kevin Fogarty, itworld.com: Iran has intercepted and stopped a second large-scale cyber attack by intercepting a virus no one has ever heard of and of which Iran has offered no evidence. The attack comes from a virus called "Stars," according to Gholamreza Jalali, an Iranian military official who leads the civil defense organization Passive Defense, which is responsible for defending against sabotage. Jalali is the same official who called a week ago for legal reprisals against Siemens, the United States and Israel for the Stuxnet attack.

A mysterious photo - revolutionsincommunication.wordpress.com: This mysterious propaganda photo [below] was taken in the Ukraine during the early period of Soviet control, probably around 1925. The photo was collected in WWII by the Farm Security Administration and was found at the Library of Congress. The photo raises questions. Would journalists really set type on the back of a truck in the middle of a wheat field? Was it staged, or faked, or part of a serious effort to get journalists close to the people? Do the shadows in the truck line up with the shadows on the field? Were two photos cut in together? We do know a few things about the photo. The banner at the side of the truck reads: “Mobile news room of the … newspaper Kolhoznik …at the harvest in the cooperative Leninist Village of (unknown).” The banner behind the typesetters reads: “Let us secure the financial basis, For socialist way of life…”

The title of the newspaper means “Agricultural cooperative member,” according to Ivanka Knezevic of the University of Toronto. The Kolkhozi were peasants’ cooperatives, as distinct from state-owned agricultural enterprises (sovkhozi). The photograph seems to be from about the 1920s, she said. The journalists are dressed in the usual urban-working-class clothing (most were recruited from the working class). They would start looking better dressed in the 1930s, after the NEP. This is not the kind of Soviet propaganda photo usually seen the west, which is another reason that it’s interesting. For example, the Newseum’s display of Russian communist photos emphasizes the constant erasure of politically inconvenient figures from the pages of history. Those erasures were only a small reflection of the horror of the Soviet rule, and an inspiration for the protagonist in George Orwell’s 1984, who was employed by the Ministry of Truth to revise history. On the other hand, this particular photo asks us to use a different frame of reference. It reflects the strange optimism of the early communist state, and it’s valuable because it gives an idea why many Americans like John Reed (author), Dalton Trumbo (screen writer), Walter Duranty (journalist), and Paul Robeson (actor) were initially attracted to the communist cause. It’s worth remembering what George F. Kennan said about these idealists. Speaking of John Reed, Kennan said that his “blazing honesty and a purity of idealism .. did unintended credit to the American society that produced him, the merits of which he himself understood so poorly.”

Propaganda Posters for the Office - geekosystem.com: Artist Steve Thomas has made a series of propaganda posters for office use,

covering such Glorious Management-disapproved activities as water cooler gossip and social media during company time. Strip the propaganda trappings and a lot of these are good advice. Image from article

AMERICANA

Superman renounces his US citizenship - Mark Frauenfelder, Boing Boing