May 12-16

"no one knows what is really going on."

--What, according to PD blogger Efe Sevin, is the one thing "practitioners and scholars of public diplomacy have ... in common"; see also; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

U.S. public diplomacy and the Arab uprisings (Saturday, May 14, 2011) - Sandip Kumar Singh, "[T]he burden on U.S. public diplomacy has never been greater. As the role of publics expands, it becomes ever more urgent that the U.S. better understand them and effectively engage with them across a far wider spectrum (it's incomprehensible that Congress wants to slash funding for these functions at precisely the time they are most needed). The rapidly increasing urgency of public diplomacy made particularly interesting yesterday's panel at the Brookings U.S.-Islamic World Forum, where I commented on presentations by four top administration officials with responsibility for engagement with the Muslim communities of the world. ... It's easy to point to the problems with American public diplomacy, and I'll do that at the end of this post. But first, I would point to three areas where the administration can claim some real vindication in its approach to engagement with the Muslim world. First, and largely unrecognized, its focus on building up networks around areas of common interest with Muslim youth, entrepreneurs, and technology (among others) meant that the administration had points of contact with key individuals in those groups outside

the mainstream of political activists and traditional civil society. ... Second, the uprisings demonstrate the wisdom of the administration's efforts to downgrade the 'war of ideas' and to deal with the Muslim communities of the world through a lens not defined by terrorism and al-Qaeda. ... Third, the administration got Libya, Egypt and Tunisia right. ... That's the good. But there's also a lot on the other side of the ledger. While the engagement networks and activities described above offer some pockets of progress, overall U.S. public diplomacy in the region remains distressingly weak. ... The administration is going to have to figure out how to deal with Islamist groups who want to participate in democratic politics. And the administration will constantly struggle to balance between its relationship with Arab regimes and its efforts to align itself with the empowered Arab public. ... Sandip Kumar Singh A student at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi." Image from

Obama Tries Again in the Arab World - Philip Seib, Huffington Post: "President Obama has a steep hill to climb as he tries to 'reset' the U.S.-Arab relationship. Here are some issues he should address forcefully:• Above all else, Israel-Palestine. ... • Propose a Marshall Plan for the underdeveloped nations of the Arab world. ... • Along these lines, ensure that American public diplomacy is less about advertising and more about service. Ever since the initial response to the 9/11 attacks, American public diplomacy strategists have spent too much time on 'Aren't we wonderful?' campaigns. In the Arab world, people simply don't care about such self-serving pronouncements. Anything that does not relate directly to their own lives is wasted effort. The State Department has been emphasizing the importance of educational and cultural exchanges, which are valuable tools. If he emphasizes these three principal topics, President Obama will have a chance to achieve a significant breakthrough in American relations with the Arab world." See also.

Good testimony from Joe Stork - Eric Avebury Blog: "Human Rights in Bahrain Testimony prepared for the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission May 13, 2011 Joe Stork Deputy Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch [.] Stork: Because Bahrain values its military and security relationship with the United States, and seems less concerned with its civilian relations with Washington, it is crucial that US military officials stress to their Bahraini counterparts, including Marshal Khalifa bin Ahmad Al Khalifa, the head of the current martial law government, that continued close military relations, including the presence of the US Fifth Fleet headquarters, require a prompt and comprehensive halt in serious human rights violations. We further urge the Congress and the Obama administration to criticize by name the most flagrant abuses, such as unlawful killings and torture, and the wholesale impunity for serious crimes in violation of international law – and to do so publicly.

Administration officials have told us that they have not done so because they do not think it will be any more effective than private demarches for reversing the deteriorating human rights situation. While we cannot guarantee that public diplomacy will have the desired effect, the time for relying only on 'quiet' diplomacy is long past, given the current state of affairs. It is also important to realize that what is at stake is not only the situation in Bahrain, but US credibility regarding human rights issues throughout the region."  Image from

Religious freedom in Pakistan - Swords into Ploughshare: Reflections from the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations: "[T]he House of Representatives that the United States should ... (5) engage with its international partners to ensure promotion of interreligious dialogue and protection and promotion of religious freedom and related human rights for all people by-- ... (C) using all available tools of public diplomacy to spread positive messages about religious freedom and tolerance; ... (E) recognizing the importance of programs such as the Fulbright Program, the International Visitor Program, and other exchanges for professionals, students, and religious and civil society leaders from diverse communities, including programs that emphasize tolerance for minority groups. ... (6) call on the Government of Pakistan and all other governments to continue the same tradition of leadership and courage as was shown by Minister Bhatti in the fight against violent religious extremism in every form."

Wishful Thinking: Top 10 examples of the most unrealistic expectations in contemporary U.S. foreign policy - Stephen M. Walt, Foreign policy: "7. Anti-Americanism Can Be Cured By Skillful 'Public Diplomacy'[:] Ever since 9/11, there’s been a tendency to assume that anti-Americanism in the world was mostly due to poor marketing, and that it would decline if we just came up with a better sales pitch. So the Bush administration appointed a former advertising executive to work on polishing America’s 'brand' (without success).

This response is understandable, because Americans (and some other countries) don’t want to admit that a lot of the opposition they face isn’t due to a misunderstanding about what they stand for or what they are doing. On the contrary, opposition has arisen because other societies do understand what we are doing, and they don’t like it anymore than we would if someone were doing the same thing to us. To be sure, President Obama is more popular in many parts of the world than President Bush was (admittedly a low bar to clear), but in the areas where opposition to U.S. policy is most apparent (i.e., most of the Middle East), he has had little positive impact. Bottom line: To believe that you can fool people into liking policies that are contrary to their interests is a pernicious form of wishful thinking, because it discourages us from asking whether it is the policies themselves that ought to change." Image from

Remarks at the University of South Africa - Judith A. McHale Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Ethiopian Review:"[C]onstant innovation and reinvention to remain relevant and up-to-date. Governments and private sector enterprises must think differently and take risks on new ideas. They must be willing to throw out entrenched ways of doing business in favor of trying a fresh approach. This is not always easy but that is why partnerships and gatherings like this are so important. In that spirit, I am pleased to announce that we will be expanding the joint educational programs between the United States Government and the South African Department of Higher Education and Training. Under this expanded initiative we will be seeking additional ways to link community colleges across the United States with Further Education and Training centers here in South Africa. Using online conferencing platforms and other connective technologies, we will bring together educational administrators in the U.S. and in South Africa so that they can share their experiences and best ideas. In addition, we will create opportunities for community college administrators and faculty from the United States to visit South African centers under the Fulbright Senior Specialist Program. This will allow them to share their knowledge in person and take ideas from South Africa back to American schools. ... The Office of Electronic Information, Bureau of Public Affairs, manages this site as a portal for information from the U.S. State Department."

Best practices of ranking aid best practices - bdkeller.com: "[S]omeone named Bula: ... I doubt anyone at USAID or State would attempt to say with a straight face that AID is anything other than a public diplomacy tool."

U.S. Embassy to Hold Facebook Chat on Scholarships - press release, Antigua Education: "People looking to further their education and looking for the funds to do it can get assistance and advice during a Facebook chat on scholarships hosted by the United States Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.

With the deadlines for several prestigious and valuable scholarships approaching in the summer, the Embassy will hold a live chat event on the discussion board of its Facebook page. www.facebook.com/USEmbassyBarbados) between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. An officer of the Embassy’s Public Diplomacy office, which administers the scholarships, will participate and answer questions about available scholarships including those for mid-career professionals, educators and for local colleges to bring in U.S. scholars and experts." Image from article

Internet video sessions break down cultural walls - Staff Sgt. Amber Robinson, TF Bronco, troopscoop.typepad.com: "NANGARHAR PROVINCE – The session was part of a series put into action by Anna Mussman, Public Diplomacy Officer for TF Bronco, who said the program is a simple way for Afghan students to communicate with the Soldiers. The goal is to break down cultural barriers, and provide both students and Soldiers insight into each other’s worlds.

'What the State Dept is trying to do is connect as many Afghan people as possible with Americans,' said Mussman. 'What we hope will come of that is a mutual understanding between the Soldiers and students. We've found that Afghans have a very narrow view of American Soldiers. Not necessarily Americans, just the Soldiers. They may not understand fully what U.S. forces are here to do, and we hope to dissolve the preconceptions the Afghan youth may have about our Soldiers.'" Image from article, with caption: Female Afghan students from Jalalabad, skype with female U.S. Soldiers with TF Bronco, 3rd BCT, 25th ID, at FOB Fenty, April 29.

Start with Why - Maj. Robinson, To the Color: "That was the title of the first session at this year’s Army Band Leader Training workshop, or as we like to call it – ABLT (sandwich). ... Dr. Juliana Pilon from the Institute of World Politics spoke to us about the role of military bands in public diplomacy; it was interesting to hear someone so intelligent and articulate speak from the perspective of someone who came to the U.S. from Romania, a former communist country. ... This year, in addition to learning about our role in public diplomacy, we received training on the new audition (or Army Musician Proficiency Assessment) and its standards – pretty important for Army band leaders to know and pretty tough to learn through distance learning."

Meeting of U.S. Advisory Commission on PD: "Things are getting better" - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "On May 12 the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy held a public meeting at the State Department. It featured presentations and remarks by Betsy Whitaker, Strategic Communications Officer at the Office of the Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Jeff Trimble, the Executive Director of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), and Coordinator for International Information Programs (IIP) Dawn McCall. The meeting also marked the debut of the recently appointed Executive Director of the Commission: Public Diplomacy guru Matt Armstrong. ... [A] great highlight of the meeting was the near-discussion of the 'interagency'. The speakers generally seemed to agree that there has been a lot of progress in that regard over the past year, including greater collaboration through the National Security Council." Below image from

Wonk This Way - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "What other word describes the sort of geek who spends her morning at an open government meeting ... for fun? Nothing else could account for my nerdish glee when I learned the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy was holding an open meeting today. ... One of the highlights of the meeting (for me, at least) was Jeff Trimble's presentation on the BBG. Granted, I've questioned the efficacy of some of the BBG's work in the past, but Trimble made a straightforward and persuasive case for the effectiveness of Radio Sawa, al Hurra, RFE/RL and other BBG broadcasting sources. In addition, he neatly anticipated my question about the decision to switch VOA Mandarin to a web-only platform, providing statistics about Chinese audiences and the BBG's 'robust' anti-censorship mechanisms. ... Executive Director Matt Armstrong

kept his comments brief, but I left with the impression that U.S. public diplomacy practitioners are making an effort to coordinate, evaluate effectiveness and streamline their efforts for maximum effectiveness." Amstrong image from

What is PD again? Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy Meeting - efesevin.wordpress.com: "I realized the practitioners and scholars of public diplomacy have one thing in common: no one knows what is really going on. ... Yet, I am quite optimistic about the future of American public diplomacy."

Passport D.C.: PD at its best? - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "Holding Embassy Open Houses has apparently become a tradition in the District: already for the fourth year, embassies in D.C. open up their doors to curious visitors, offering a peek into the best that their countries have got to offer; all without a jet lag, as they say. This all takes place in May, usually opened by the Europeans. This year they kickstarted the events with their Shortcut To Europe on May 7. ... Passport DC: awesome idea.

Indeed, it is - potentially - public diplomacy at its best. A great opportunity to showcase a country's arts, food, history, tourism info, historical connections and current relations with the U.S... All that through direct, unhindered contact with an eager and curious public. An opportunity countries often spend millions on... (Of course, this should be a bigger deal for smaller and less prominent countries, who usually fight for attention.) And yet, I'm afraid, even within Europe - which tends to be seen as having 'mastered' the art of public diplomacy quite well - this potential was not harnessed to its best. But then, I just made it to three EU embassies..." Image from article, with caption: Map of participants in the "Around the World Embassy Tour". From 2011 Passport DC Map.

Passport DC: Around the World from Kazakhstan to Brazil - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "Earlier last week I shared some impressions from last weekend's EU Embassies Open House Day. This weekend, on May 14, many other embassies held similar events too, sharing their culture and traditions with the curious public, who braved the weather to take a peek inside what usually are unaccessible buildings. Given my personal interests and time constraints, I decided to try and visit some of the representations of formerly or currently 'not-so-democratic' countries, and dragged a kindly willing group of friends with me. Why the choice? I was curious to see how these countries will utilize this great opportunity to do public diplomacy and present themselves to a largely American public."

Meet the Bloggers: NATO's Public Diplomacy and Social Media - Sascha Lohmann, atlantic-community.org: "Social media fundamentally transformed the way in which public diplomacy is conducted.

Whereas elected governments can advance their objectives through the use of social media, the prospects for international organizations remain vague as they are accountable solely to its member states." Image from Moscow Top News

The S and ED No-Holds Barred: China's Deplorable Human Rights and the and the Simple American People - Elizabeth C. Economy, Council on Foreign Relation: "So, the title of my post is a bit misleading. The Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S and ED)was actually pretty much what I thought it was going to be, namely pretty tame stuff. Together, the U.S. and China identified a wide range of issues on which the two sides hope to cooperate. The range of issues, in fact, was breathtaking—or some might call it weird—everything from Sudan and North Korea to smart grid to the China garden project. I would guess that the China garden project will break ground before spring comes to North Korea. ... The 'no-holds barred' part of the S and ED came not at the S and ED itself, but rather courtesy of the U.S. media. First, there was a well-timed piece in the Atlantic by Jeffrey Goldberg, in which he interviewed Secretary of State Clinton. Although the bulk of the interview had nothing to do with China, Secretary Clinton’s remarks about China have gotten all the attention. Both Goldberg and fellow Atlantic writer James Fallows appear rather shocked at the Secretary’s comment that China’s human rights record is 'deplorable' and that in holding off reform, the Chinese are on 'a fool’s errand,' by 'trying to stop history.' Goldberg likens Clinton’s remarks to those of the Cold War Reagan era. Fallows, in turn, implies that Clinton is reinforcing Beijing’s belief that the United States is trying to contain China and, in the process, acting outside the realm of traditional U.S. public diplomacy."

China needs more public diplomacy, Zhao says _2963 -ayumu9916001.com: "Internationally, public diplomacy was first used in 1965 by Edmund Gullion, a career American diplomat, according to the United States Information Agency Alumni Association. It refers to the spreading of knowledge about a country’s foreign policy via communication with foreign public audiences. In an exclusive interview with China Daily in the Great Hall of the People, the chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the

National Committee of CPPCC, said governmental diplomacy and public diplomacy are mutually complementary." Image from, with caption: Women members of national committee of CPPCC celebrate Women's Day

China doing all it can in global affairs_787 - dbdlblog.com: "Yang made ... remarks in the context of China’s rising role in world affairs, which has generated expectation of the country playing a bigger role as well as uneasiness about its development. *Innovation on diplomatic theories and institutions has become a major factor driving China’s diplomacy. For instance, in view of the new demands on diplomatic work, new departments including the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs, Center for Consular Assistance and Protection and Public Diplomacy Office have been set up in the foreign ministry."

Makeover for Annual Israel Parade June 5 - "The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) announced that the largest yearly gathering of support for Israel in the world – the annual parade up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan with more than 30,000 marchers and hundreds of thousands of spectators – is now called the Celebrate Israel Parade and will

feature a host of new guests and attractions. ... JCRC-NY and the Israeli Consulate in New York kicked off the Celebrate Israel Project at a Baruch College event on March 6. Israeli Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein joined Israeli Consul General Ido Aharoni, JCRC-NY’s Executive Vice President and CEO Michael Miller and the Israeli hip-hop band Hadag Nahash for a night of celebration and music." Image from article

Panama: Underappreciated Role in Creation of Israel - thenakedfacts.blogspot.com: "In honor of the sixty-third anniversary of Israel’s independence from the proprietors of the land on which it was established, the Israeli embassy in Panama is issuing a four-part magazine series entitled 'Israel: 63 years of constant progress'. The first 30-page installment arrived last week with the morning La Prensa and dealt with typical cultural themes such as hummus, shawarma, and the coexistence in the Israeli democratic 'oasis' of various ethnicities enjoying equal rights. Cultural trivia items included that 'Israelis drink 3.5 cups of coffee per day', 'A cup of coffee costs 4 dollars on average', and 'Because they are adventurous, Israelis love extreme sports'. Higher-caliber trivia—such as the success of an Israeli invention for an electric hair removal device, which according to Israel’s Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs 'makes women happy all over the world'."

Levantine Day of Protest Brings Attacks on Israel from All Sides - Posted by Jeff Emanuel, redstate.com: "[Comment:] Anyone who is fair-minded and willing to consider blooch Sunday, May 15th at 11:08PM EDT (link) Israel’s side has been able to easily find facts supporting Israel’s claims for over sixty years.

Most of those who choose to side with Israel’s enemies will deny those facts no matter how big or sustained the PR campaigns are. Diplomacy is a trickier prospect because their [sic] is no monolithic school of diplomatic thought in a democracy, and aggressive forceful, public diplomacy is not always the best tool. In fact, Israel’s existence today as a larger, stronger state than it was at any time in its past may be due more to targeted, private diplomatic efforts." Image from

100 Terrorists Killed along Gaza Fence in 2010-11‎ - Gil Ronen, Arutz Sheva: "The past month, said [a] source, has been the quietest one in many years . ... The last terror act was the firing of an antitank missile at a school bus near Nahal Oz, in which 16 year old Daniel Viflic was murdered and the bus's driver was injured. The source said that Hamas sees that attack as a PR failure. 'In terms of public diplomacy, firing on a children's bus causes damage (to Hamas),' the source said. 'A yellow bus is sacred the world over. The event caused Hamas serious damage in the matter of the reconciliation agreement (with Fatah) too.'"

Ettinger: Time for new diplomacy - Yoram Ettinger, YNET, israport.org: "The international arena does not respect Israeli prime ministers who seek popularity rather than respect, transforming Red Lines to Pink Lines, in order to avoid confrontation. The world does not appreciate prime ministers who subordinate long-term vision and conviction to short-term diplomatic and political convenience. In contrast to the legacy of Prime Ministers Ben Gurion, Eshkol, Golda Meir, Begin and Shamir, Israel’s current public diplomacy reflects frail conviction, while expressing empathy for claims made by Israel’s enemies. It tolerates simplistic Western assumptions about the Arab-Israeli conflict and downplays Israel’s contribution to the national security of the US. Israel has hardly leveraged the current Arab turmoil that underscores the tenuous/violent nature of the Jewish State’s enemies and the inherent obstacles to intra-Arab peace (let alone to Israel-Arab peace.) Israel has failed to emphasize the uniquely high threshold of security requirements of the Jewish State

in the most dangerous neighborhood in the world and the special role played by Israel as an outpost of Western democracies and a sole beacon of democracy." Image from

“Security Concerns Help the Enemy” - deprogramprogram.com: "Excerpt: …One can only hope the leadership here, which never confronts the reality of our situation – being in a holy war, a jihad, a religious war – and prefers to see it as a political war, learns to confront the reality. My point before the music was the oddity of Israeli public diplomacy never trying to shoot down the enemy’s words as the Iron Dome system can shoot down Grad rockets."

Riders of the Storm - Justin Raimondo, Antiwar.com: "When you’re hungry, and out of a job, familiar humiliations become intolerable. Israel’s propagandists are telling us the Syrian government is behind the protests at the formerly quiet border between Syria and the Golan Heights: the Syrians are supposedly trying to divert attention from the Ba’athists’ domestic atrocities. On the other hand, Damascus sounds a similar note, ascribing anti-government protests in its own streets to the work of the Mossad. These two may fight it out on the field of public diplomacy, and denounce each other as evil incarnate, yet both Tel Aviv and Damascus are basically on the same side – fighting against a human tide that threatens their carefully-constructed prison societies, once thought to be escape-proof and now revealed as rather rickety."

Get to Know the Syria Experts: Ammar Abdulhamid and Joshua Landis - Tik Root, Huffington Post: "Syrians on the ground have little contact with the outside world, and verifiable facts are virtually nonexistent. Consequently, journalists are turning to a small group of experts outside Syria for information. As the polarization of these commentators increases, so does the risk of producing one-sided stories, or worse yet, propaganda. ... Ammar Abdulhamid is a self-identified dissident and opposition organizer. In 2005, due to his public attacks on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, the government essentially gave him the choice of joining them, or leaving the country. He chose exile, and currently lives with his wife and children in Silver Springs, MD. ... Despite his anti-regime views, he takes a lot of heat from within the opposition itself. In response to my inquiry seeking contacts one dissident group wrote, '[Abdulhamid] lives in USA and has strong links with the neo-cons. Please be careful of him.' ... He has met Syrian government members, including Assad's wife, was a fellow at Brookings, briefed President Bush and accepted foreign funding from the U.S. Department of State and the Dutch government . ... Joshua Landis, an associate professor at the University of Oklahoma, is best known as the administrator of the blog Syria Comment. Reactions to Landis are mixed. ... Given this range of opinions, it is worth exploring his background. Critics usually note Landis' personal ties to Syria, in particular his marriage to an Alawite Syrian woman whom he met in 2002, but give few specifics. ... Landis states that his views on the Middle East were 'well established before I married,' and come mostly from his own experience in the region. In addition to many family trips to Syria during his youth, he has been traveling there regularly since 1981, when he spent a year as a Fulbright scholar in Damascus."  Image of national arms of Syria from

Episode 2, Ren’s Micro Diplomacy Podcast: India’s Public Diplomacy - Ren's Micro Diplomacy: "In this episode of Ren’s Micro Diplomacy podcast, I chat with filmmaker Babeeta Dhillon, who went to New Delhi in December 2010 to interview subjects for her documentary on India’s public diplomacy and soft power."

Uganda ‘Kill the Gays’ Bill and the Christian Right Connection - Karen Ocamb, lgbtpov.com: "As reported earlier, the world is watching the Ugandan Parliament Wednesday to see whether they will pass the horrific Anti-Homosexuality bill, despite international condemnation and pressure from the US State Department. ... Late Tuesday, the State Department issued a statement noting that they are closely monitoring the situation in Uganda. Hilary Fuller Renner, Press and Public Affairs Officer from the Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the Bureau of African Affairs, said in the statement (see full statement below):

'The White House, the Department of State, and our Embassy in Kampala have been very active in speaking up, both privately and publicly, against the bill and promoting the protection of human rights for LGBT individuals in Uganda…'" Image from article, with caption: Anti Homosexuality Bill protesters (Screen captured from MSNBC)

I Was Quiet This Afternoon - Live to Learn: "About khoirulamin - a.k.a. Khoi has millions of interests from being a television host to being a researcher. Anyway he’s now been working as a staff at one of Japan’s institutions in Indonesia specialising at Japan’s public diplomacy and has still been looking for his real interest."

Educating Global Citizens? Canadian Foreign Policy and Youth Study/Volunteer Abroad Programs - Creating Global Citizens?: "References to the significance of sending youth abroad as part of Canada’s public diplomacy and global citizenship mandate can be found in Canada’s international policy statements, speeches, and volunteer/intern sending program descriptions. I examine these documents,

as well as information gained during interviews with young Canadians, to uncover the perceived impact of youth abroad programs. I begin this chapter by defining and broadening our understanding of public diplomacy in the context of Canadian foreign policy. I conclude the chapter byhighlighting some concerns for the future of youth abroad and public diplomacy in a time of minimal international development assistance activities on the part of the Canadian government." Image from

Lesson 60 The Power of HED - Larry D. Lauer Blog: "My belief that international higher education is the purest form of public diplomacy has been discussed in previous blogs. This week I have been engaged in conversations about how higher education is also an economic development tool. ... The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is currently exploring higher education as a central component of a new project in economic development. CSIS developed the 'smart power' ideas that recently influenced new diplomatic thinking at the U. S. Department of State. ... The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars is also completing a project to design a business plan for an independent organization that would do public diplomacy for the U.S. This is being proposed as a public-private partnership and would involve higher education in many of its’ [sic] activities. ... [P]rofessional strategic communication and integrated marketing are fundamental ... to public diplomacy."

What is Public Diplomacy? - Leyla, Public and Cultural Diplomacy C: A reflective group blog by students on the Public and Cultural Diplomacy module at London Metropolitan University: "Public diplomacy itself is defined in a variety of ways, but generally, the definition is that of: 'Avenue for activities intended to change people’s perceptions in a way that helps sending states achieve their objectives. ['] (Copeland, 2009b, p162) The very first and the major term that public diplomacy is associated with is propaganda, which is defined as 'the deliberate attempt to influence the opinions

of an audience through the transmission of ideas and values for the specific purpose, consciously designed to serve the interest of the propagandists and their political masters, either directly or indirectly'.(Melissen. 2005: 17) Due to negative connotations that come with propaganda, it was sought to be relabeled to public diplomacy, which is why Berridge for example, argues that public diplomacy is nothing but a 'cosmetic surgery' for propaganda. (Berridge, 2010:181)" Image from

Practicing Public Diplomacy - Diplocracy: "For the aspiring diplomat, it's important to be able to discuss domestic politics to a foreign audience, and to able to convey the importance of foreign policy to a domestic audience."

U.S. Department Of State – Policy Issues, Arms Control and Security, Economics and Energy - posted at Hubsly: The Best Of The Web: "Want to learn more about policy issues, public diplomacy and arms control? Interested in a career as a Civil Service Officer or a Foreign Service Specialist? The ‘Careers’ tab offers information on these and student programs with an A-Z list of links. These topics and many more are found at www.state.gov."

RELATED ITEMS

Osama bin Laden’s reported porn video stash: Propaganda? - Laura Rozen, news.yahoo.com: stash of pornographic videotapes was among the "treasure trove" of computer files, video tapes and documents U.S. forces scooped up from the compound where Osama bin Laden resided in Abbottabad, Pakistan early this month, Reuters reports, citing current and former U.S. officials. "The pornography recovered in bin Laden's compound ... consists of modern, electronically recorded video and is fairly extensive, according to the officials, who discussed the discovery with Reuters on condition of anonymity," Reuters' Mark Hosenball and Tabassum Zakaria write. The officials told Reuters, however, they did not know who at the compound "had acquired or viewed the materials," and weren't sure where in the three-story compound the material was found. The reported discovery has provoked more than a little skepticism among chroniclers of the war against terrorism.

It's not unusual, after all, for U.S. intelligence officials to float claims such as this to sully the image of jihadist piety maintained by bin Laden and his al Qaeda operation. The idea is to demoralize al Qaeda adherents who might otherwise pledge themselves to acts of vengeance such as today's bombing in Pakistan. U.S. officials declined to comment, although one source, who insisted on anonymity, said that the report of the porn stash at the compound is true, and not an intelligence-engineered propaganda claim. Image from

The War Lovers: Why It Feels So Good to Be Embedded with the U.S. Military - Peter Van Buren, TomDispatch: “I’m neither a soldier nor a journalist. I’m a diplomat, just back from 12 months as a Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) leader, embedded with the military in Iraq, and let me tell you that nobody laughed harder at the turgid prose reporters used to describe their lives than the soldiers themselves. They knew they were trading hours of boredom for maybe minutes of craziness that only in retrospect seemed 'exciting,' as opposed to scary, confusing, and chaotic. That said, the laziest private knew from growing up watching TV exactly what flavor to feed a visiting reporter.” Peter Van Buren spent a year in Iraq as a State Department Foreign Service Officer serving as Team Leader for two Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs). Now in Washington, he writes about Iraq and the Middle East at his blog, We Meant Well. His book, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People (The American Empire Project, Metropolitan Books), will be published this September.

Iran's president says US killed bin Laden as "election propaganda"‎ - Yang Lina, Xinhua

Russia Starts Atrocity-Propaganda Against NATO Over Libya - Vladimir Socor, Georgiandaily: NATO leaders seem aware of the imperative to escalate the air campaign for a swift successful end to the Libya war, admittedly at the cost of collateral damage. This has become increasingly noticeable in recent days. Russia, which had helped usher NATO into this trap in the first place, is now skillfully exploiting NATO's predicament. On one hand, using its UN Security Council veto, Moscow blocks an Allied ground operation, forcing NATO to choose either stalemate or escalation of the bombing campaign. At the same time, Moscow is launching an atrocity-propaganda barrage against NATO's operation, incriminating the air strikes.

Taliban boosts propaganda with English tweets‎ - Jm Tuazon, GMANews.TV: In a move seen as an expansion of its propaganda's reach beyond the Afghan world, the Taliban has recently started posting messages in English on its Twitter account several months after tweeting only in pure Pashto, one of the Middle Eastern country's official languages. Despite publicly denouncing the Internet as wrong and unholy in 2001, the Taliban

have maintained a few online presences, including an official website and a YouTube account. While the website is updated very frequently—often on a daily basis—the group's YouTube account contains only two videos uploaded about a year ago. Its Twitter account, as of writing, has more than 2,000 followers, and is following 12 other accounts, some of which belong to foreign troops deployed in Afghanistan and to groups conducting support operations in the country. Image from

China's web spin doctors spread Beijing's message - Pascale Trouillaud, AFP: China, which employs an army of censors to police the Internet, has also deployed legions of "web commentators" to get the government's message out -- in a crafty but effective way. With nearly half a billion people surfing the net in China, more than half of them using microblogs, the Internet has quickly become a vital forum for debate in the world's most populous country -- and a major sounding board. That fact has obviously registered with the country's Communist leaders, who pay careful attention to the conversations that unfold online despite the heavy government restrictions on what can and cannot be discussed in cyberspace. Enter the "web commentators" who, either anonymously or using pseudonyms, spread politically correct arguments -- many of them for money. Who are these high-tech propaganda wizards, infiltrating blogs, news sites and chat rooms? "It is very mysterious... these people don't talk to the media! Everyone is just guessing," Jeremy Goldkorn, editor of the China media website Danwei.org, told AFP. For high-profile independent Chinese blogger Li Ming, the army of pro-government web commentators must number "at least in the tens of thousands". Renaud de Spens, a Beijing-based expert on the Chinese Internet, told AFP that most of them were likely students "doing a basic cut-and-paste job" -- a mindless task, "just like if they took jobs in telemarketing".

China's leading lady deemed too racy to star in Mao movie - Clifford Coonan, Independent: The brief rehabilitation of Chinese actress Tang Wei, who was purged for her steamy role in Ang Lee's erotic thriller Lust, Caution, seems to be over, after Chairman Mao's grandson intervened to have her cut out of the propaganda epic

The Founding of a Party. It appears that the actress has been edited out of the soon-to-be-released film on the wishes of the family of the late Mao, the first leader of the People's Republic of China. Ms Tang played Tao Yi, an early girlfriend of Mao's, in the movie, which was made to mark this year's 90th anniversary of the Communist Party's foundation. The film is due to open in mid-June. Tang Wei image from article

North Korea's Idolization of Kim Jong-un Kicks into High Gear - Arirang New: The name of North Korea's heir-apparent Kim Jong-un has started to appear in political propaganda signaling the start of a process to idolize the younger Kim. In a documentary aired Wednesday by North Korea's Chosun Central TV, which featured footage of celebratory events for Kim Jong-il's birthday back in February, Pyeongyang's efforts to boost Jong-un's public image were evident. A placard urging people to fight to death for their dear leader Kim Jong-il AND Kim Jong-un appeared in a picture taken after a military event. An eulogistic song written specifically for Kim Jong-un titled 'footsteps' was sung and played during performances as well. Analysts expect that the regime's efforts to glorify Jong-un will only intensify from now on as it seeks to legitimize the hereditary succession.

How North Koreans get their laughs: By reinterpreting Party slogans, North Koreans show their sense of humor as well as their growing dislike of the regime - Emily Lodish, globalpost.com: Like any good Communist nation, North Korea is rife with stilted slogans and propaganda involving farm imagery.

A phrase like “What the Party decides, we do” — coined in the mid-1980s — is clearly intended to instill a sense of loyalty in the Workers' Party of Korea. But given the increasingly dire economic situation in North Korea, people are losing faith in Kim Jong Il. And they are expressing their cynicism through reinterpretations of government slogans, reports the Daily NK. A phrase like, "What the Party decides, we do" has come to justify in people's minds the corruption and wrongdoing on the part of the Party. And, as such, has given rise to the sarcastic quip: “If you are doing it, surely it is something anyone can do?” Image from article , with caption: A North Korean child perform in a primary school on April 2, 2011 in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.

United Methodist Church Features Anti-Israel Propaganda in Newsletter… - weaselzippers.us

Filoni to head Propaganda Fide - Vatican Radio: Pope Benedict XVI has appointed Archbishop Fernando Filoni, prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of peoples. He replaces Indian Cardinal Ivan Dias, whose resignation from office on having reached the age limit was accepted by the Holy Father.

The Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples is responsible for missionary work and related Church activities and is often referred to as Propaganda Fide. Archbishop Filoni

will join recently appointed Congregation secretary Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai of Hong Kong. Filoni image from; Cheney image (with no political commentary intended) from

Osama bin Fragged: a review of terrorist propaganda games - Frank Caron, arstechnica.com: We have decided to take the occasion of Bin Laden's death to take a look back at a very different time. In 2008, we ran a story about the different video games that terrorist groups either put together or publicized as recruiting tools.

Frank Caron had to dig deep and explore some really shady parts of the Internet to find and play these games, and who knows what watch lists now feature his name. In honor of the death of Osama Bin Laden, let's take a look at the video game front of the war on terror, as seen by the other side.

IMAGE

Photographer Frederic Chaubin's weird and wonderful Soviet architecture - Liesl Bradner,
latimesblogs.latimes.com: Photographer Frédéric Chaubin likes to believe he uncovered a fourth age of Russian architecture. In his book "CCCP: Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed" (Taschen, $59.99), Chaubin captured 90 unconventional, rarely seen buildings constructed in the 20 years before the collapse of the Soviet Union. These weird, modernistic structures reveal a surprising freedom after the strict controls in 1920s Constructivism, Stalin's so-called Empire (or Gothic) style and Nikita Khrushchev's Modernism initiated in the '50s and '60s. Image from article, with caption: Druzhba sanatorium Yalta, Ukraine, 1985

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"The most ingenious way of becoming foolish, is by a System."

--Lord Shaftesbury