May 11

"I am willing to love all mankind, except an American."

--Samuel Johnson; Johnson image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Need to confront ‘ideological foes of democracy’ emerging from Arab spring, says Clinton - demdigest.net: "In recent testimony on Capitol Hill, [secretary of State] Clinton complained that short-sighted cuts in U.S. spending on foreign assistance and public diplomacy have hindered efforts to promote democratic ideas. 'We are losing the war of ideas

because we are not in the arena the way we were in the Cold War…. just at the moment when there’s this ferment for democracy breaking out,' Clinton said." Image from

Militarizing Foreign Policy - Michael Brenner, Huffington Post: "We recently created an Africa Command. The Command's design and strategic mandate had no specific military missions in mind, and no definable threat. There is just a comprehensive, loosely drawn mandate that went well beyond that normally associated with a military Command. It seems that Africa Command was set up because there was one piece of the globe uncovered by existing Commands; 'terrorism' was the excuse to plant a Pentagon insignia on the map of Africa. This Command is now in charge of all activity in regards to Libya, but in the past that would have fallen to other, preexisting arrangements for the Mediterranean. Its assigned mandate to win friends and influence people; build military-to-military ties; monitor socio-politico-economic trends; engage in intelligence acquisition; compile data bases on would be/could be terrorists -- and their possible enablers, and do some public diplomacy. Ambassadors may as well be designated as 'diplomatic attaches.' That is what has happened in Pakistan -- with less than brilliant results."

Under Secretary Otero: Transforming Public Security in the Americas - humanrights.gov: "Disclaimer: The Office of Policy Planning and Public Diplomacy, in the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, of the U.S. Department of State

manages this site as a portal for international human rights related information from the United States Government. External links to other internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein." Image from

POMED Notes: USIP Conference on Arab Spring - Ali, peacelogs.com: "Stork [Joe Stork of Human Rights Watch] said while there was a 'fair degree of coherency and consistency' in the administration’s human rights policy, with its focus on orderly transition and emphasis on order, he said the administration’s discourse on human rights was 'extremely general' and that its policies reflect a double standard. He said the failure to speak out publically [sic] on Bahrain is a failure of public diplomacy. He said a major step would be for US military representatives to make a statement, but that would require the administration to brief them on talking points."

Wikileaks: Embassy/Damascus: 'Focus on Shiaa'/Sunni divide to "destroy Assad's image"...' - friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com: "08DAMASCUS348 May15,2008 '... Without crossing the sectarian redlines, the Embassy strongly urges more focus on Syria's strong relationship with Iran and Hezbollah, while focusing on the Shiites attacks on the Arab world. We believe that it should emphasize the financial support provided by the Iranian government to Hezbollah's violent attacks on the Arabs. The message that

'Syria simply carried out the wishes of the Shiites in Iran' should destroy Bashar's local [and] regional image and complicate his attempts to present himself as a 'Sunni' Arab leader... Syria's refusal to participate constructively in the Arab League mission in Lebanon (though Syria is the honorary president of the League this year) also provides a point of weakness for exploitation of public diplomacy. These atmospherics will strengthen the messages of Egypt and Saudi Arabia ...'" Image from

On Radio Day, praise for RFE/RL's Գլխավոր էջ from Armenia's prime minister - Kim Andrew elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Get to Know… David Archibald - Bilateralist: Tracking Canada-U.S. Relations by Luiza Ch. Savage: "David Archibald is the executive director of the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States. ... What do you actually do in your job? I work with academic, government, and policy communities to advance greater awareness of Canada, its policies and culture, in the US. This is accomplished through a range of public diplomacy and

advocacy programs and initiatives. Our efforts are greatly facilitated through our relationships with the Canadian and US Embassies in Washington, and Ottawa, Government agencies in both capitals, provincial and federal consulates and delegations in the US, and an extensive network of academic institutions and think thanks throughout North America." Archibald image from article

Beyond OBL, Public Diplomacy in Afghanistan - M. Ashraf Haidari, zunia.org: "Over the past ten years since 9/11, event after event in and outside Afghanistan has overshadowed the

need to connect with the Afghan people and to deliver on their basic expectations for peace, justice, and prosperity. Even though NATO member-states increasingly appreciate the importance of public diplomacy at home and abroad, they have largely faltered to engage and listen to the Afghan people on how to secure Afghanistan."  Image from

Expanding the Afghan War: The West’s insatiable appetite for Global Military Domination - dailynews-videek.blogspot.com: "A week ago Nicola de Santis, NATO’s head of the Mediterranean Dialogue and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Countries Section in the NATO Public Diplomacy Division, visited the United Arab Emirates and met with the nation’s foreign minister, Anwar Mohammed Gargash. 'Prospects of UAE-NATO cooperation' and 'NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative' were the main topics of discussion."

The Truthful Truth, when? - Nurit Greenger, irarankin.blogspot.com: "The truth is lodged inside Israel, in Sderot and Ashkelon and the northern Negev, all are bombarded, day and night, with rockets and mortars coming at them from Gaza. And all that after the State of Israel already gave up, without any agreement? no agreement because the Arabs never adhere to any agreement – all of the Jewish villages of Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip. The Government of Israel, uprooted families from their land, and broke human beings’ life, in the hope that maybe, just maybe, with such extreme act, she will finally make the world understand that peace is the only will of the State of Israel; that is the truth.

But this truth without the proper Hasbarah, propaganda – public diplomacy? falls on deaf ears and then it appears as if the world understands that Israelis are motivated by materialistic and financial interest only, but certainly not the need for peace The Arabs did not win and will not win their wars against the Israelis, but they already achieved victory against the state of Israel with their public diplomacy and the media." Image from

Israel: Propaganda, public diplomacy and soft power - Harriet Straughen, The Palestine Telegraph: "The power of image is important to anyone who is concerned about how others view them. The way one is perceived, especially on first impression, is integral to the opinion of the outside world and their reaction/action towards them. ... In order to disseminate such an image, a government can employ what was originally labeled as propaganda. Following the harmful yet effective propaganda that was in circulation throughout the Second World War and the following Cold War, such image-shaping efforts have now been renamed in order to avoid the negative connotations. Governments now talk about ‘public diplomacy.' Public diplomacy can affect the foreign policy of another country and thus influence their treatment towards one’s own country. While this can be done through diplomatic, economic and military means, it can also be achieved through ‘soft power’. Therefore governments target civilian audiences whose opinion has a bearing on the government’s policy. ... Public diplomacy and hasbara are employed as tactics of ‘soft power’."

Rudd gets $10.5m to lobby for place at UN‎ - Mark Dodd, The Australian: "The fight goes on to secure a temporary seat for Australia at the UN Security Council, helped by a nifty $10.5 million in promotional funding in the budget. ... According to budget papers, the funds will also be used to support additional diplomatic positions in New York and Canberra and for small posts, special envoys and public diplomacy."

RELATED ITEMS

Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out on Rape - Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times: A growing group of former Peace Corps volunteers are speaking out about their sexual assaults, prompting scrutiny

from Congress and a pledge from the agency for reform. In going public, they are exposing an ugly sliver of life in the Peace Corps: the dangers that volunteers face in far-flung corners of the world and the inconsistent — and, some say, callous — treatment they receive when they become crime victims. From 2000 to 2009, on average, 22 Peace Corps women each year reported being the victims of rape or attempted rape. Image from

Poll: With bin Laden dead, is it time to end war? - Susan Page, usatoday.com: So with bin Laden finally gone, is it time for America's longest war to end? Nearly six in 10 Americans think so, according to a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend.

Old Man With Clicker - Maureen Dowd, New York Times: The C.I.A. is playing mind games — both with Al Qaeda, trying to show its slain leader as a pitiable figure, and with Pakistan, sending a message that we may have even more information than we do, and that double-dealing Pakistanis had best cooperate because they could be embarrassed, too. The C.I.A.’s

propaganda message is a bit mixed. On the one hand, Osama seems risible, an old man with a clicker trapped in a dorm room. On the other, intelligence sources have said that the cloistered, swaddled Bin Laden was still a threat, plotting more transportation cataclysms here. Pitiable or potent? Make up your minds. Image from

Bad Bargains - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: We are surely safer with Bin Laden dead, but no one will be safe — certainly not the many moderate Muslims in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan who deserve a decent future — without different ruling bargains in Islamabad and Riyadh.

After Bin Laden, U.S. Reassesses Afghan Strategy - Thom Shanker and Charlie Savage, New York Times: The killing of Osama bin Laden has set off a reassessment of the war in Afghanistan and the broader effort to combat terrorism, with Congress,

the military and the Obama administration weighing the goals, strategies, costs and underlying authority for a conflict that is now almost a decade old. Image from article, with caption: Last month, American soldiers put on rain gear at the end of the first day of an operation with Afghan forces in Paktika Province.

Managing Pakistan After bin Laden: Removing troops from Afghanistan will be seen in Islamabad as weakness - John Bolton, Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Britain Goes Wobbly on Terror: The foul outpouring of sneering anti-Americanism and concern for bin Laden's human rights has left me deeply ashamed - Andrew Roberts, et Journal (subscription): "The foul outpouring of sneering anti-Americanism, legalistic quibbling, and concern for the supposed human rights of our modern Hitler have left me squirming in embarrassment and apology before my American friends."

Propaganda against Pakistan mounts - The News International: The propaganda against Pakistan and its national security institutions is mounting following the Osama issue in Abbottabad. While the Western and Indian media never let go of any chance to malign Pakistan, the viciousness of the foreign media is alarming this time. The knives are already out that Pakistan is a supporter of al-Qaeda and other terrorist outfits and provides sanctuaries to its leaders.

Mobile phones soon required to receive, display White House propaganda messages - Mike Adams, naturalnews.com: If you're tired of all the half-truths, the propaganda and the complete disinformation that has been spewing from the White House for at least the last twelve years, you can

always turn off your television. Switch off the radio. Or just like everybody else, stop reading printed newspapers. But the U.S. government has decided it must reach you with its official propaganda one way or another, so now it is mandating that all mobile phones sold in the United States automatically receive and display "terror messages" from the White House. Image from article

U.S. Press Wants its Al Jazeera English! American media celebrate Qatar-based channel for its activism, bias - Matt Philbin, Culture and Media Institute: The supposedly neutral mainstream western media is celebrating Al Jazeera for its activism, not its journalism.

AMERICANA

"Tennessee Republicans May Outlaw Straight Marriage... For Muslims

Now this is really interesting: Tennessee is one of the many places trying to outlaw the observance of Sharia laws and customs. What makes the Tennessee attempt really interesting is how they define it. From Think Progress:

So abiding privately by Sharia (ie, being an observant Muslim) is fine. But when a Muslim starts practicing Islam with partners or in a group, they are forming a 'Sharia organization':

'Sharia organization' means any two (2) or more persons conspiring to support of acting in convert in support of, Sharia or in furtherance of the imposition of sharia…

That means, in Tennessee, a Muslim could not form a non-profit that operated a mosque, a religious charity, or any other organization that goes beyond practicing religion in solitude.

Think Progress doesn't mention this, but it occurs to me that what's hilarious about this is that devout Muslims are generally wed following the customs of Sharia. So, in other words, if this Tennessee law passes, which it undoubtedly will, it will also be technically illegal for Muslims to marry each other."

From: Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog; image from article

MORE AMERICANA

Best college sex ed class ever canceled after sex toy demonstration with naked lady - Xeni Jardin, Boing Boing: Northwestern University has canceled the rest of Prof. John Michael Bailey's popular Human Sexuality course and placed the teacher under investigation following a scandal over an after-class, optional sex toy demonstration in February. The toy involved was an "adult power tool" called a Fucksaw (NSFW link) and was demonstrated with a live naked lady and her boyfriend, neither of whom were students at the college.

Bailey's course will not be offered during the next academic year, said Northwestern U spokesman Al Cubbage on Monday. Bailey has also apologized.  Image from article