"Barry O’Bama"
--New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, about "[t]he tall, dark stranger" (and president of the United States) who "bewitched an island," Ireland, during his recent visit there, noting that "[f]unnily enough, Obama had to take a foreign trip to seem less foreign to Americans." Image from
"POST MODERNIST" RUSSIAN BLOG OF INTEREST
--from; blog image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
McHale leaving State Department - Al Kamen, Washington Post: "Judith McHale, undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, is expected to ... be leaving her post in June to return to the private sector in New York, sources said. For the past two years, McHale, former general counsel and then president and chief executive of Discovery Communications, has overseen hundreds of employees in the department’s international information programs, in the educational and cultural affairs bureau, and in the public affairs operation at State, as well as in embassies overseas. ... No word yet on a replacement."
Statement on Departure of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale - U.S. Department of State: "The Commission [the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy] would like to express its appreciation to Judith McHale for her public service, her leadership and her contributions over the past two years as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. We recognize and appreciate that she has focused her efforts on raising the profile of her office and on enhancing the capability of the Department of State to effectively engage foreign public audiences across the globe.
In light of the extraordinary events ongoing – and to come –around the world, public diplomacy has never been so vital to the national security interests of the United States. We look forward to having an equally productive relationship with Judith's successor as the Commission continues its mission to appraise the efforts of the United States Government to engage foreign publics." Image from
@grahamlampa - Graham Lampa, Twitter: "The way we do public diplomacy has been fundamentally improved under Judith McHale's tenure. Now to continue the work…"
shimelfarb - Sheldon Himelfarb, Twitter: "Tough but vital public diplomacy portfolio losing leader."
Chuck Norris, and Other Perfectly Reasonable Suggestions - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "Finding a replacement to lead U.S. public diplomacy and public affairs is a challenging task--one to which bloggers everywhere will no doubt feel themselves called. Allow me to start the ball rolling here: Robert Redford ... Oprah Winfrey ... Chuck Norris ... Tai Shan OK, I know he's Chinese, but ... oh, who am I kidding? I'll use the flimsiest pretext to put a panda picture
Obrah - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Years ago, I was at an internet cafe in Amman. As I was waiting for a computer, I was chatting with an old Jordanian man in checkered red-kefiyah and sporting a gnarled cane. As we chatted in Arabic, I told him I was from Al-Wilayat Al-Mutahidah, the US. He replied that he loved 'Obrah.' I scratched my head, not understanding and thinking that it was modest vocab. 'Obrah, Obrah,' he said, 'Obrah Winfri.' OPRAH WINFREY!
I had to pick myself up off the ground, I was laughing so hard. We giggled over Oprah, and I learned the PD value of the Queen of Chicago." Oprah image from
Raizcorp Enterprise Development Model Attracts the Attention of United States Department of State - townshiphub.co.za: "Raizcorp featured on the itinerary of a high-level delegation from the United States Department of State. Led by the Under Secretary of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Judith A McHale, a delegation from Washington DC visited the Raizcorp’s flagship business incubator in Sandton, Johannesburg on Friday [exact date not specified - JB]. They were there to investigate how Raizcorp’s world renowned incubation model works and what impact it has had on job creation."
Obama opens European tour with stop in Ireland - Scott Wilson, Washington Post: "The visit to a blustery Dublin, where empty storefronts and half-finished buildings stand testament to its dire financial condition, served as a mostly ceremonial start
to Obama’s six-day swing through Europe. ... Obama used his stop here to practice some uplifting public diplomacy, emphasizing shared American and Irish heritage and traits, including, most recently, resiliency in the face of economic crisis."
President Obama’s top ten insults against Britain – 2011 edition - Nile Gardiner, telegraph.co.uk: "It is hard to think of a more derogatory message to send to the British people within days of taking office than to fling a bust of Winston Churchill
out of the Oval Office and send it packing back to the British Embassy – not least as it was a loaned gift from Britain to the United States as a powerful display of solidarity in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Obviously, public diplomacy is not a concept that carries much weight in the current White House, and nor apparently is common sense." Image from article, with caption: Why does it always rain on me?
American Foreign Policy - Talita: "If America wants to keep her hegemony in order to defend her interest, she needs to seriously try to reverse the Anti-Americanism sentiment in the world but especially from its most importantly allies. Also, the state Department needs to create programs of public diplomacy in countries where anti-Americanism sentiments are fervent. Humanitarian aid, social projects thru NGOs would help to send the message that Americans really desire to lead the world into prosperity."
Public Diplomacy and Social Media: Social media make it possible to create and maintain connections to communities that were unreachable before - Editorial, Voice of America: Expanding and strengthening people-to-people
relationships is a major pillar of public diplomacy. Image from article
Radio Martí scraps "old history lectures" in favor of "practical and entertaining programming" (updated) - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Successful US international broadcasting to China -- in 12 steps - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Forget politics. Georgians know how to throw a party! - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "Apparently, May 24th marks the 20th Anniversary of Georgian independence from the late Soviet Union: an important date and a great opportunity for public diplomacy. This is especially true in the U.S., particularly given the geopolitical circumstances and the recent historical context. And well, Georgians are making the most out of this great opportunity. ... [T]he Anniversary... was a great reception,
held at the Portrait Gallery in downtown D.C., featuring Georgian art exhibits, live performances by awesome musicians and their national ballet, great food, and of course Georgian wine and Borjomi (the renown mineral water). ... In short, it was indeed a great public diplomacy event - even if the definition of 'public' is somewhat limited in this case - reaching an audience much larger than the American public itself (I heard a lot of Russian there; politics was obviously set aside). The objective was to impress and project an image of grandeur and confidence from a small, albeit strategically important, country." Image from article
The transition and reform in Morocco: The United States is working with the Moroccan government at all levels to support the reforms outlined by King Mohammed VI and encourage their implementation as soon as possible - yacout.info: "We continue to express our support for the reforms implemented in Morocco in the local and foreign media.
We utilize our public diplomacy programs to promote dialogue, forge links with the country's vibrant civil society, encourage responsible journalism and to increase understanding of democratic values. ... The State Department Office of the Spokesman." King Mohammed VI image from article
The Great Israel Hustle - Mark Hackard, alternativeright.com: "U.S. regional strategy is set on harnessing popular unrest in the Arab world, and posing as a fair-minded arbiter between Tel Aviv and the Palestinians is deemed savvy public diplomacy.
Washington faces a wide array of challenges from Egypt and Tunisia to Syria and Bahrain, with each situation shaping how its influence will be projected. A superficial toning-down of the relationship with Israel is necessary for a veneer of credibility with the Arab street." Image from article, with caption: Happier days in U.S.-Israeli relations
The WSJ's Twisted Spin: Obama an "Anti-Israel President" - drjohnrobertson.blogspot.com: "Bret Stephens' piece today is nothing if not over the top in its biased allegations and twisted spin in his assessment of Obama's recent pronouncements on the Arab Spring and the Israel-Palestine issue. To wit: [']it isn't often that this or any other U.S. president welcomes a foreign leader by sandbagging him with an adversarial policy speech a day before the visit.['] ... I'd rather embrace the assessments of a long-time CIA official who has probably forgotten more about the history of US public diplomacy on this issue than Bret Stephens will ever know."
Livni: Palestinian statehood isn't a favor to Obama, it's vital for Israel: Opposition leader tells AIPAC that she had decided to come before to the conference 'not to ask what the U.S. can do for Israel, but what we can do together to confront the challenges' - Natasha Mozgovaya, Ha'aretz: "The real solution to the Middle East conflict is not in public diplomacy, said Livni, but real policy. 'Israel is strong enough to make decisions,' she said."
In praise of national unity - Editorial, Jerusalem Post: "Though important, public diplomacy – even as peerlessly demonstrated by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in his address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday – can never hope to combat all of the caustic bias leveled against Israel in so many corners of the world. The formation of a unity government
that includes the center-left Kadima, however, would send out a powerful message that the Israelis are united in their desire for peace and a two-state solution, would signify that the government speaks for the mainstream consensus and is not the prisoner of radical views, and would enable Israel to present consensual, reasonable demands of its own." Image from
E-diplomacy in action: Interview with the UK's Head of Digital Diplomacy - Fergus Hanson, lowyinterpreter.org: "Jimmy Leach is Head of Digital Diplomacy at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, where he leads one of the world's most dynamic e-diplomacy teams. ... Q: Not every foreign ministry has embraced e-diplomacy in the same way the FCO has. Do you think it is inevitable that other foreign ministries will have to embrace these new digital tools or is e-diplomacy an optional extra? A: I think there'll be a tipping point where this stuff will suddenly seem natural. I'm not talking about a generational shift in diplomatic circles — I expect that a growing awareness that the audiences for public diplomacy are increasingly digital will dovetail with the realisation that an understanding of foreign policy issues on the ground can be improved by placing ourselves in the right networks. The role of social media in the Arab Spring has perhaps been over-stated, but the level of understanding that listening and being involved in those conversations brings will not be an optional extra. Q: How integrated has e-diplomacy become within the FCO? A: We're still a little way from digital by default, but we're integrating digital into the communications work across our networks."
Diplomacy II: Partying, one powerful tool for the trade - Janos Kollar, The Maravi Post: "The great powers of the world can use their military or economic strength to try and influence and change the behavior of nation states. These 'weapons' make up the so called hard power. Nevertheless even these states are compelled to throw in the means of soft power or public diplomacy (social diplomacy) in order to enforce their interests. Soft power means that the influencing is exercised using not force but by convincing, the means of which can be diversified. The argumentation of the influencer or its offer for rendering help in the field of economy or in other fields or for its taking part in the development can be attractive for the targeted international player but the acceptance of the influencer can be also supported by the popularity of its culture and of the way of living of its population. The issue of convincing and credibility also arises more and more frequently in the international allies systems in the case of such grave international conflicts like the involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The allies are unwilling to act commonly and render help in cases when their public opinions don’t accept it completely. ... Putting into action of the means of convincing is indispensable for all international actors in the fight against the new security threats, like the environmental pollution and terrorism. It is reasonable that such countries with small or medium population like Hungary
have to rely more on the implementation of the public diplomacy, and connected to that on their sophisticated diplomacy, diplomatic knowledge, well selected, flexible and rapidly respondent foreign and security policy. For that it is necessary to have very efficient diplomatic activity and a high level diplomatic information activity which serves this activity." Image from, with note: The map contains all the counties that were in the componence of the Kingdom of Hungary around year 1900.
China needs tough but fair hand with Japanese troublemaking - Zhao Hongwei, Global Times: "Before the Sendai earthquake on March 11, the public opinion polls in Japan indicated that over 80 percent of Japanese had a negative impression of China and little trust in the Chinese government. This is the reality of the Sino-Japanese relations, despite our efforts to change the situation
over several decades. ... China's diplomacy to Japan should abide by the Confucian principle, 'return evil with justice and return good with good.' What is the meaning of returning evil with justice? In simple words, we should ... make full use of the public diplomacy, including guiding public opinion through the media. We should also attempt to use international forums to make our version of the facts clear. For example, we can call scholars together to hold regular seminars focusing on territorial issues in East Asia, in order to establish a clear historical consensus." Image from article
Li Zhaoxing attains Hong Kong Baptist University honorary doctorate degree - _7394, 1fnn.com : "The Baptist University introduced in the statement, awarded the honor person literature doctorate Li Zhaoxing, once held the post of China duties and so on permanent UN representative and Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs vice-minister, minister. He in is appointed during 4 years in US ambassador’s, facilitates the Sino-US establishment permanence normal trade relations. He from 2003 to 2007 period is Ministry of Foreign Affairs minister, and the positive development 'the public diplomacy', the related measure becomes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs fine tradition."
Nepal: Pakistan through Karakoram road can link SA nations with China - Tika Jung Thapa, telegraphnepal.com: "Convergence of interests of Nepal and Pakistan in abiding by the recognized principles of inter-state relations namely respects for international law and refrain from the use of force or threat of force in international behaviour has been a hallmark of our relations. ... Pakistan through Karakoram Highway
could link South Asian countries with China and beyond the East. It could play a pivotal role in emerging geo-economics in the region. We need to further deepen bilateral relations in the fields of agriculture, energy, environment, science and technology, IT, education, culture and public diplomacy. Nepal has benefited from skilled human resource educated and trained in Pakistani educational institutions." Image of Karakoram Highway from
The Little Black Duck Fly's Again! - World Festival of Childrens Theatre Australia 2012: "The Yurungai Dancers are busy rehearsing their show 'The Little Black Duck' and preparing to fly north for the winter in two weeks! They have been invited by The Turkish State Theatre Opera and Ballet Members Foundation to represent Australia at the
7th International Ordu Youth and Children’s Theatre Festival that will be held between June 14–21 2011. ... The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Program Public Diplomacy Branch of the Commonwealth Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have awarded the Yurungai Group $13000 to pay half the travel cost." Image from article
How Opinion Polls Shape the International System - Fergus Hanson, ISN: The role of opinion polling in the international realm tends to escape notice despite its utility. In addition to helping foreign ministries shape public diplomacy campaigns
and governments to gauge constituent views on foreign policy, opinion polls can also provide some degree of surety to the international community. Image from article
Theory and Public Diplomacy - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "Whether or not we need a ‘theory of public diplomacy' the study and practice of PD are not theory free zones."
PD2.0: How Much Effort Do You Need? - Public Diplomacy, Networks and influence: "The problem is one of relationship management- building a set of social media relationships requires constant attention."
Is All Syndicated Publicity Good for Your Brand? - Myrna, Syndicated Articles Publicity Blog: Prior to the Internet, there was a belief that all publicity was good publicity since it separated you from the pack and shone a spotlight on your individuality. In 2011, now that everyone can publicize themselves via easily managed free tools like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, this is not necessarily the case.
Witness how Donald Trump’s challenge to the President that he had not provided proof of citizenship and Obama’s retort to him publicly made the Donald look like a loud-mouthed fool ill-suited for public diplomacy. Likewise, Obama gained great prestige with the US citizenry of any party when he hunted down and had put to death Osama Bin Laden on Pakistan territory in eyeshot of a Pakistan president who claimed for the past 10 years to know nothing of this mass murder’s whereabouts. Ranting and lying publicly – even syndicated ranting and lying – will ultimately bite you in the butt. Image from article
RELATED ITEMS
Netanyahu's speech to Congress speech shows America will buy anything - Gideon Levy, Ha'aretz: It was an address with no destination, filled with lies on top of lies and illusions heaped on illusions. Only rarely is a foreign head of state invited to speak before Congress. It's unlikely that any other
has attempted to sell them such a pile of propaganda and prevarication, such hypocrisy and sanctimony as Benjamin Netanyahu did yesterday. The fact that the Congress rose to its feet multiple times to applaud him says more about the ignorance of its members than the quality of their guest's speech. Image from article, with caption: Sara Netanyahu, in green dress, clapping during husband Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before Congress, May 24, 2011
AIPAC Applause-O-Meterby - Pamela Geller, biggovernment.com: AIPAC is generally an orgy of applause and cheering for anyone and everyone who addresses the appreciative audience. It is the one place where Jews can congregate and hear wonderful, exultant praise of Israel (outside of the constant campaign of anti-Israel propaganda). Nevertheless, the response to Obama’s appearance was tempered. Obama was not cheered.
Spokesman Lashes out at Obama's Allegations against Iran in AIPAC Speech - farsnews.com: The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said that the allegations raised by US President Barack Obama at a pro-Israel lobby meeting in Washington in recent days served as a part of the plot hatched by the US and the Zionist regime to spread Iranophobia.
"Barack Obama's remarks about our peaceful nuclear activities aim to serve the premeditated propaganda launched by the US-Zionist front to spread Islamophobia in our region," Mehman-Parast told reporters in his weekly press conference. Image from
Israel, right-wing parties and the anti-Islam campaign - nl-aid.org: Both Israel and the US are about to lose the propaganda war for good, once the UN votes to include Palestine as a member state.
Shortsighted US policy - Adel Safty, pakobserver.net: Nakba day (The Day of Catastrophe) is significant as an appreciation of its place in the Palestinian psyche is essential to a proper understanding of the tragedy that befell the Palestinian people in 1948. An understanding of the Nakba Day is also essential to a clear appreciation of the terrorising and ethnic cleansing context in which Israel was born.
The official methodology promoted by the powerful Israeli propaganda system had people believe that the Palestinians ‘left’ their homes voluntarily at the request of Arab leaders, notwithstanding appeals from Jewish leaders to stay. This edifice of propaganda has been discredited by Israeli scholars but continues to colour much of the influential media’s account of the establishment of Israel. Image from
NATO: Taliban’s false claims are ‘acts of desperation’ -channel6newsonline.com: False claims of responsibility made by the Taliban as part of its propaganda campaign are acts of desperation, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said. The Taliban insurgent group is known to frequently exaggerate and fabricate claims for propaganda purposes, and the group usually publishes dozens of statements daily. Most statements turn out to be either false or highly exaggerated.
Is Wikileaks actually helping US foreign policy? - Starbuck, Wings over Iraq: It was hardly a secret that Pakistan was surreptitiously manipulating both sides of the war in Afghanistan, but it was certainly under-reported.
That was until Wikileaks published the “Afghan War Diary”, in July of 2010, which brought the issue into the limelight. Pakistan’s foreign policy since 9/11 has amounted to little more than a racket, which some believe is a method to extort military aid for use against India. Image: logo from blog
Nets make a killing on foreign shows: Remakes from other territories make it in America - Michael Ventre, Variety: AMC's series "The Killing," based on the Danish show "Forbrydelsen" (The Crime), joins a sturdy collection of American TV product adapted from foreign originals. MTV has "The Inbetweeners" and "Skins," both from the U.K. Showtime has "Shameless." HBO had "In Treatment," now gone. And ABC, which successfully borrowed "Ugly Betty" from Colombia, is said to be developing an American version of British spy drama "MI-5."
Just how easy (or hard) is it to take a show from outside the U.S., Americanize the language, actors and setting, and present it as something new? It depends on the show. "I can tell you that we're seeing more international series coming to the U.S. for adaptation," says Joel Stillerman, AMC's senior VP of original programming. "I think a lot of people in other countries are able to think differently about the world of scripted dramatic TV. There are always bound to be a few sparks that are right for U.S. audiences." Via.Image from article, with caption: Mireille Enos and Joel Kinnaman star in AMC's 'The Killing,' based on a Danish show.
Serbian TV apologises for 1990s propaganda - Aleksandar Vasovic, Daria Sito-Sucic, Reuters AlertNet: The Serbian state-run television station RTS apologised on Tuesday for propaganda that helped to foment the Balkan wars of the 1990s and supported Slobodan Milosevic's autocratic rule for more than a decade. Serbia is working hard to win EU candidate status this year and is under pressure to show that it is moving on from the nationalist impulses that drove those wars. The Serbian Independent Association of Journalists, ostracised by RTB in the 1990s, welcomed the move.
Armenian parliament adopts electoral reforms - news.am: Armenia’s parliament adopted in the second reading package of electoral reforms introduced by the ruling coalition. Draft bill on electoral reforms provides for disclosing of total
number of voters the day before elections. The document also contains a provision under which the Central Election Commission will be obliged to post on its website all information about the electoral process. In addition, it provides for free provision of all state and municipal halls for election propaganda. Image from article
ANNOUNCEMENT (via LB)
From: McHale, Judith A
Sent: Tuesday, May 24, 2011 9:28 AM
To: McHale, Judith A
Subject: An Announcement
Dear PD Colleagues,
Now that the news of my departure has been made public in Washington, I wanted to reach out personally to the PD community. While I am sad to leave behind valued colleagues and friends, I have found the challenge of being Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs a deeply rewarding one. Together, we have achieved an enormous amount over the past two years as we have worked to implement Secretary Clinton’s vision for diplomacy in the 21st century.
In the early days, I sought your counsel on what was working and what was not in public diplomacy, and you shared your candid views. Those ideas became the nucleus of the Strategic Framework for Public Diplomacy, which sought to provide strategic policy focus to public diplomacy activities and to the way we deployed our program and human resources. Many of you joined non-PD colleagues a year ago to flesh out the Framework by suggesting creative ways we could get back in the game and extend our reach to foreign publics, through the tools you had so vigorously endorsed: international media engagement, English teaching, science and technology, alumni outreach, cultural programs, educational advising, American spaces, and innovative technology. You have worked with the Washington PD team to implement many of the working group recommendations, and I am proud that we can report progress on every front.
Your support in implementing other elements of the Framework has been critical. You have built strong working relationships with the six regional PD DASes as well as your PD Office Directors, ensuring that policy discussions in Washington are informed by an understanding of the reality of the publics with whom you engage. You keep PA’s new DAS for International Media Engagement hopping with requests for support and guidance, and she delivers – as all of Washington should. You have gamely and thoughtfully prepared PD goal papers as part of the MSRP – an important first step toward multi-year strategic planning. And you are engaging with us in Washington on how best to use our limited resources globally as you consider complicated choices in local operations and staffing. Collectively, we have pushed a lot of change through all levels of the Department over the past two years and overcome resistance where we have found it because of a shared commitment to completing the integration of public diplomacy into the conduct of foreign affairs. We understand that engaging with foreign publics in ways that are meaningful to them creates a foundation of trust critical to the achievement of any policy objective. As a group, we are getting better at articulating that PD-policy connection to those who don’t yet get it. And we as a group are getting better at connecting resources to policy priorities -- precisely the connection we must make in this time of constrained resources.
There is more to be done in all of these lanes, no matter who is at the helm. Secretary Clinton wrote the principles of the Framework into the QDDR, and I expect she will make that point to my successor: the work continues. This is the institutional repair and construction you told me public diplomacy needed – not just the project of one Under Secretary. As such, I hope you will support the next Under Secretary with the same commitment to and passion for public diplomacy that I have witnessed around the world.
I thank you all for your service, your counsel, and your support. You have my very best wishes in all that you undertake.
Warmly,
Judith
AMERICANA
ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
"Some of them were able to imitate the human voice and one, when asked who Adolf Hitler was, is said to have replied 'Mein Fuhrer'."
--from Nazis tried to train dogs to talk, read and spell to win WW2, it has been revealed, telegraph.co.uk; image from article
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