September 10

"I never thought I would live to see a day in which we actually had more casualties from suicides than from the Taliban."

--Ken Allard, a retired Army colonel and military analyst; image, under the headline:  "Military suicides increase as U.S. soldiers struggle with torment of war," nj.com (November 22, 2009)

VIDEOS

(a) Joseph S. Nye: ‘Protect the Homeland’: Joseph S. Nye reflects on his Op-Ed from Sept. 25, 2001, about the strategies needed to defeat terrorism.

(b) Rock n’ Roll na propaganda da Coca-Cola Zero

STATISTICS (FROM TWITTER)

mountainrunner Matt Armstrong
During the Obama Administration, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy (and PA) office has been vacant 20.4% of the time
33 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

mountainrunner Matt Armstrong
During the Bush Administrations, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy ( and PA) office was vacant 37.2% of the time
33 minutes ago Favorite Retweet Reply

NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

Steven A. Grant and John H. Brown, The Russian Empire and Soviet Union: A Guide to Manuscripts and Archival Materials in the United States (1981). With a preface by S. Frederick Starr, Secretary, Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies, The Wilson Center, whose Institute kindly sponsored the volume.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Arab World and The 9/11 Decade‎ - Marc Ginsberg, Huffington Post: "If malignant extremist-recruiting rage and resentment against the U.S. has largely dissipated among Arabs, it has been replaced by sullen disappointment and disillusionment with America and its president . ... [T]he President did launch a series of innovative entrepreneurial initiatives for the Middle East to help young Arabs develop the skills they need to lead their countries out of their economic doldrums.

So perhaps the problem his administration faces in the opinion polls lies less in the depth and breadth of the effort and more in his administration's chronic public diplomacy shortcomings to inform the Arab world about them including the time it would take to make them widely visible across the region."  Image from

Progress made on 9/11 commission's recommendations  - mycentraljersey.com: "The U.S. has made steady progress in implementing recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission, creating a stronger security apparatus that has helped to thwart terrorist attacks, experts say. But the country has not been as successful in defining its message and improving its outreach to the Muslim community and the Arab world, according to researchers who study homeland security and the Middle East. ... Danny W. Davis, director of the graduate certificate program in Homeland Security at Texas A and M University, said the U.S. must pursue relations with Islamic countries that support America’s international objectives, including strong support for Israel. 'The most effective diplomatic actions the U.S. can engage in are straight up diplomacy, supported from a position of power,' said Davis, who spent 20 years in the Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. 'We must be consistent, however. Our support of rebel forces in Libya contrasted with a lack of action toward the Syrian regime’s must more violent actions against protestors sends a confused message.' Joseph Morrison Skelly, a history professor at the College of Mount Saint Vincent in New York, said he believes the United States has made strides to implement the 9/11 Commission’s recommendation that America define its values on the world stage. 'The United States has made significant strides in its public outreach,' said Skelly, an Iraq war veteran whose most recent book is 'Political Islam from Muhamman to Ahmadinejad,' published last year. 'First, we have recognized the importance of this dimension of our relations with the Muslim world, which previously was not necessarily the case.... Second, we are in the process of institutionalizing ‘public diplomacy’ across the government, from the Department of State to the Pentagon to the Department of Homeland Security and beyond.' An example of public diplomacy, Skelly said, is the Obama Administration’s recent call for Syrian President Bashar al Assad to leave office."

Executive Order–Developing an Integrated Strategic Counterterrorism Communications Initiative - politicaldigestonline.com: "The purpose of this Executive Order is to reinforce, integrate, and complement public communications efforts across the executive branch that are (1) focused on countering the actions and ideology of al-Qa'ida, its affiliates and adherents, and other international terrorist organizations and violent extremists overseas, and (2) directed to audiences outside the United States. This collaborative work among executive departments and agencies (agencies) brings together expertise, capabilities, and resources to realize efficiencies and better coordination of U.S. Government communications investments to combat terrorism and extremism. ... (c) The Secretary shall establish a Steering Committee composed of senior representatives of agencies relevant to the Center's mission to provide advice to the Secretary on the operations and strategic orientation of the Center and to ensure adequate support for the Center. The Steering Committee shall meet not less than every 6 months. The Steering Committee shall be chaired by the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy. The Coordinator for Counterterrorism of the Department of State shall serve as Vice Chair. The Coordinator of the Center shall serve as Executive Secretary.

The Steering Committee shall include one senior representative designated by the head of each of the following agencies: the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of the Treasury, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Counterterrorism Center of the Central Intelligence Agency, the Broadcast Board of Governors, and the Agency for International Development. Other agencies may be invited to participate in the Steering Committee at the discretion of the Chair." Image from

How to undermine Nigeria's growing Islamist threat‎ - John Campbell, CNN: "On August 26, a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden Honda into the United Nations headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria, killing 23 people and injuring 81 more. Boko Haram, a shadowy radical Islamic movement that has been waging daily attacks in the north of the country, claimed responsibility. ... Since his election to the Nigerian presidency in April 2011, Goodluck Jonathan has undertaken an exclusively security-driven strategy for dealing with Boko Haram . ... [T]he United States should strengthen its ties with the north by expanding soft diplomatic initiatives, beginning with the establishment of a consulate in Kano.

The consulate could then facilitate exchanges between American and Nigerian academics, especially Islamic scholars, and accelerate an existing U.S.-supported program of cataloging and preserving ancient Islamic manuscripts, a proven tactic for affirming the international importance of northern Islamic culture. Such steps would counter the widely held view in the north that the United States is anti-Islamic. Even if Boko Haram expand its operations and establish significant contacts with international terrorist organizations, the Obama administration should not let counterterrorism considerations trump these public diplomacy strategies. Too heavy a hand would risk alienating Nigeria's 75 million Muslims, who already have legitimate grievances in the north." Image from

Wikileaks: Despite Saraki’s Family’s Illicit Shady Deals, He Had A Hand In Waziri’s Appointment As EFCC Chairman - NewsAdmin, Wall Street Journal: "18. (C) Jim Ovia: CEO of Zenith Bank, which is one of the most successful banks in the country [Nigeria] now. Mission enjoys a good PPP relationship with him on a numbers of public diplomacy and AID projects. Ambassador knows him well."

Dancing with Spooks - J. N. Nielsen, Grand Strategy: The view from Oregon: "I noticed a very small item in the Financial Times earlier this week (on Tuesday 06 September) that explicitly noted the involvement of the US in the ISI capture of Younis al-Mauritani.

The next day this item appeared in more detail on the Voice of America (US-Pakistan Joint Raid in Pakistan Viewed as Rare, Hopeful Sign for Troubled Ties) where it was spun as a 'rare, hopeful sign.' The VOA story makes an odd claim: 'Ties between the intelligence agencies of Pakistan and the United States have been severely strained since the killing of Osama bin Laden in a covert U.S. raid in Pakistan in May. Both sides have attempted to play down the tensions through public statements, but the expulsion of American security personnel by Pakistan and the suspension of some U.S. military assistance have highlighted the distrust on both sides.' 'Severely strained' is right, but the following paragraph is what strikes me as a bit odd. The public diplomacy has in fact been quite rancorous, and if this is what counts as 'playing down' tension it would be frightening to see what escalating tensions look like. But now we see these tensions of public diplomacy in context, and the context is that of continuing cooperation between US intelligence and diplomatic services and the Pakistani ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence), which latter is so notorious that it is frequently called 'a state within a state,' is known to have had close relationships with stateless militants, has recently been accused in the assassination of a journalist, and is usually presumed to be a loose cannon beyond the control of Pakistan’s civilian leadership." Image from article

This plan for an American World Service is really for a domestic terrestrial service - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Columbia Journalism Review, Behind the News, 6 Sept 2011, Justin D. Martin: "I constantly wish for a twenty-four-hour network devoted to serious global news, like BBC World or Al-Jazeera. Even people in the US with expanded cable packages are denied serious global news coverage, of course, as most cable providers do not offer Al-Jazeera English and too many don’t carry BBC, and domestic cable news channels routinely cover hours upon hours of nonsense. ... In the July/August edition of CJR, Lee Bollinger offered a bold proposal to address these problems, suggesting creation of an 'American World Service,' much like BBC World News. Bollinger

imagines the outlet as a catalyst to enhance the global exchange of ideas: '[A] media institution with sufficient funding to bring the highest-quality American journalism to the global public forum.' It seems to me that one of the primary benefits to an American World Service would be to also bring more serious global journalism to Americans.' [Elliott comment:] While Mr. Bollinger's proposal was for a channel that would broadcast both domestically and internationally, Dr. Martin's implementation seems to be for domestic consumption. This would be a serious news channel that would be available on terrestrial television, thus not requiring a cable or satellite connection. But in almost all markets, the terrestrial channels are already spoken for. Would the government use eminent domain to bump a private, for-profit, commercial channel and replace it with this government-funded news channel? Dr. Martin does not mention CNN International. CNN International might have more entertainment and sports news that Dr. Martin would prefer, but it has much more substantial world coverage than CNN domestic. Getting CNNI on more cable and satellite platforms would do much to overcome the world news deficit in the United States. If terrestrial distribution is desired, CNN International could be placed on a digital subchannel of a partner stations. No government funding would be required: CNN International pays for itself through advertising, much of it by countries promoting tourism, trade, and investment. It does not take much imagination to see a business plan emerging here -- both for CNN International and BBC World News. Another feature of Mr. Martin's plan is that it would employ VOA journalism. One of the best arguments for the repeal of the Smith-Mundt prohibition of domestic dissemination is that US international and domestic broadcasting could barter content, strengthening the output of each side. The BBC world and domestic services greatly benefit from such an arrangement. So do CNN International and CNN domestic. In America Calling: A 21st Century Model, I suggest that US international broadcasting be franchised to a consortium of ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC. The consortium would provide the senior executive board, firewall, expertise, and newsgathering resources. In turn, the consortium members would benefit from the regional and language expertise of US international broadcasting." Bollinger image from

State-BBG OIG inspects and reports on the "well managed" VOA Indonesian Service - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Report: Botswana invited the US to send troops to guard the VOA relay facility in that country - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

NATO outlines relationship with Ukraine‎ - Kyiv Post: "Ukraine’s more pro-Moscow orientation has no practical impact on relationship with NATO, believes Dirk Brengelmann,

NATO ambassador and secretary general for political affairs and security policy while talking to journalists at the Kyiv Institute of World Policy. ... KP: How does NATO deal with countries where there is low public support – maybe have some special public relations projects? DB: Low public support has been an issue from time to time. Here in this country we have two offices, and one includes an information center. So we are in public diplomacy. On that one I could also say that sometimes I could wish on more engagement on Ukrainian side." Brengelmann image from article

'Ground Zero Mosque' moving forward - Heather M. Higgins, CNN: "[Imam Feisal Abdul] Rauf, the founder of the Cordoba Initiative, an organization dedicated to improving understanding among people of all cultures and faiths, fell under intense scrutiny when plans to build an Islamic community center adjacent to Ground Zero were unveiled. ... Up until last summer, Rauf

was invited by the State Department to engage in public diplomacy work and to share his experience as an American Muslim, making four trips abroad in 10 years. However, his visit to the Gulf countries during the summer of 2010 was his last."  Rauf image from article

The PR Student - HighFashnDreamer, pasice17.blogspot.com: "My name is Elvisa Pasic; I was born and raised in Sarajevo, Bosnia. In November of 2002 I moved to Neenah, WI with my mom and my brother. Currently I am in my fourth year at UW-Whitewater majoring in International Studies with an emphasis in Public Diplomacy and minors in Criminal Justice and Forensic Science."

RELATED ITEMS

Lift the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba: This leftover from the Cold War needs to go, both for the United States and for the Cuban people - Robert S. McElvaine,latimes.com: Cubans we meet on the streets are very curious about the United States. Ending the embargo would also mean U.S. citizens could travel

to Cuba without restrictions. The more Americans who come here, the greater the desire of the Cuban people for more freedom will become. Image from article, with caption: Cuba is well known as a living museum of the golden age of the Detroit automotive industry. Photographed: Havana.

Al-Qaida 'on the Path to Defeat,' Says Clinton - David Gollust, voanews.com: U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday al-Qaida is “on the path to defeat” and that the United States will not relent until the job is done. “To truly defeat a terror network, we need to attack its finances, recruitment and safe havens. We need to take on its ideology, counter its propaganda and diminish its appeal," she said.

Image from, with caption: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, (L) Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) participate in the opening bell ceremonies of the New York Stock Exchange, September 9, 2011. The New York Stock Exchange held ceremonies to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in defiant mood - Paul Toohey, Sunday Herald Sun: Ms Clinton revealed a new propaganda arm of the US anti-terror effort: a group of "tech-savvy specialists" fluent in Urdu and Arabic. "They are contesting online space, media websites and forums where extremists have long spread propaganda and recruited followers," she said. Ms Clinton said that when terror websites or their sympathisers published falsehoods or propaganda about the US, the team would enter sites and join the chatter.

The Taliban's Internet Strategy‎ - Bashir Ahmad, RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty: The Taliban once banned photography, movies, and use of the Internet on the grounds that they were all “un-Islamic.” Now, however, the terrorist group’s perspective has radically changed.
Throughout the duration of their government (1996-2001), which was toppled after the 9/11 attacks, social media did not exist. There was not even a mobile-phone service. Nonetheless, over the past decade, the Taliban has dramatically groomed its public-relations skills. It possesses several Internet domains,

which host official content and have backup domains in case of an attack on the main website. Taliban members also use email on a daily basis to communicate with journalists. Despite persistently launching attacks on officials and killing civilians, the Taliban has yet to have a decisive military success. However, it has been trying hard to compensate for its military losses with effective propaganda warfare. The militant group cannot deny the potential of such media as tools of propaganda and recruitment. Image from article

Al Qaeda and 10 years of e-jihad - Khaled Wassef, cbsnews.com: Efforts to counter jihadi activities on the Internet by government agencies may have been relatively successful in recent years. The Arab Spring, and the serious blows suffered by al Qaeda, also seem to have directly impacted the group's online activities. All this, however, still

has not yet provided a conclusive solution to the e-jihad phenomenon - and the uncontrollable and borderless nature of the Internet will continue to make that difficult to resolve. Image from article, with caption: The Taliban is now adding social media to its arsenal. This image taken from the the Arabic-language al-Shamouk jihadist website shows promotional material for "Cartoon films for supporters of Qaeda Jihad in the Arabia Peninsula," aimed at recruiting children into the terror network.

The covert commander in chief - David Ignatius, Washington Post: Obama is the commander in chief as covert operator. The flag-waving “mission accomplished” speeches of his predecessor aren’t Obama’s thing; even his public reaction to the death of bin Laden was relatively subdued. Watching Obama, the reticent, elusive man whose dual identity is chronicled in “Dreams From My Father,” you can’t help wondering if he has an affinity for the secret world. He is opaque, sometimes maddeningly so, in the way of an intelligence agent.

This Decade at War: What have we learned about combat since 9/11? - Robert Haddick, Foreign Policy: Shoring up East Asia is now the Pentagon's main task; fighting terrorism is a secondary concern.

That's what's changed over the past ten years. Image from article, with caption: After a decade of adaptation, the war against terrorists disappears into the shadows.

Pentagon Papers Whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg Says that the Government Has ORDERED the Media Not to Cover 9/11 - counterpsyops.wordpress.com:

Ellsberg image from article

US used 9/11 to boost military industry? - Russia Today: Washington has been using the war against terror, which started after the disastrous attacks on the Twin Towers in New York in September 2001, in the interests of military sector moguls, argues war correspondent Keith Harmon Snow. ­A decade on from the 9/11 events, the world's number one terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, has been eliminated and the United States has not seen a single terrorist attack since. So some might think the American war against terrorism has succeeded. But Keith Harmon Snow, an American war correspondent and independent investigator, says Washington has been pursuing goals not remotely connected to basic human virtues.

Islamist propaganda is live and kicking - Kanchan Gupta, dailypioneer.com: "A decade after Mohammed Atta and 18 Islamist terrorists stunned the world many, if not most, Muslims are still in denial.

This day 10 years ago, Atta, an Egyptian jihadi, led dedicated soldiers of the ‘Army of God’ to launch a daring assault on the United States of America, bringing down the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center which dominated the New York skyline, and attacking Pentagon, the symbol of America’s awesome military clout. Then, there is the standard fob-off: 'Nothing happened on 9/11. The Towers never existed. So where’s the question of the Towers being attacked? It’s all American (Christian) propaganda created by Hollywood and circulated by media, both controlled by Jews. Ha! Ha! Ha! Pass me a kebab and I hope the meat is halal.'” Gupta image from article

Israel: Being Right Isn’t Always Enough - Ronn Torossian, algemeiner.com: The Associated Press, Washington Post, and others had positive stories relating to Palestinian PR efforts, and it’s scary to see that Israel seems to be a sitting duck for the world’s media. This week, two Israeli cabinet members told me, privately, that they are very concerned about what the world will say about Israel following the upcoming UN vote. The Palestinians continue to understand the world of propaganda and media symbols. Israel still hasn’t engaged a PR agency to highlight the fact that even America stands against these Palestinian efforts. Israel: “Being right isn’t enough. Explaining actions is necessary.”

China Blasts U.S. War on Terror, Syria Measures Flags - Uri Friedman, theatlanticwire.com: Authoritarian regimes dream through propaganda.

Might China Buy the Hollywood Sign Next? - Dan Bloom, TheWrap, Reuters: Remember that old classic movie "The Manchurian Candidate," about brainwashing and mind control? Well, propaganda comes in all sizes, and China has just bought a piece of Times Square. Next, might they want to tear down the iconic Hollywood sign iand put up their own hillside banner? It could happen. As you know from media reports by now, Sinhua, the state-controlled propaganda agency of the Chinese Communist Party, has leased a long-term advertising logo space in Manhattan’s iconic Times Square, renting a huge LED sign called a “spectacular” in U.S. advertising parlance. But Sinhua is not a brand. It is the mark of branded disinformation and propaganda, and Americans of all political stripes need to know that. Like the former Soviet Union, China thinks that it can fool the Western world with glass skyscrapers, space flights and now, glowing Times Square signs. Do they have their eyes on Hollywood next? Beware.

Is the Corporate Media Still Censoring Stories? - Mark Karlin, Truthout: Project Censored has an illustrious history of drawing attention to stories that the mainstream press overtly censors or ignores through a corporate media culture

that dismisses the existence of topics that threaten the status quo. The organization also promotes media literacy by educating the public about strategies that are used to disseminate misinformation and propaganda. Image from article

Germany/Islam: German gov’t urged to crack down on Islamophobic websites - Germany’s opposition party, The Left (Die Linke), called on the government to clamp down on Islamophobic websites, the daily Frankfurter Rundschau reported in its Friday edition. A senior legislator of The Left, Ulla Jelpke lambasted her government for seeing no reason to close down these openly anti-Islamic propaganda blogs. Although Berlin concedes that these Islamophobic sites are in fact racist, security officials allege they have no far-right tendencies and therefore pose no danger to national security.

Que Malo, Narcos! Mexico attacks cartels with comics - io9.com: The besieged Mexican government has a new tool in the info war against drug cartels: animated, online propaganda comics set to electronic beats. The 10-episode comic series, posted over the summer in two- to three-minute episodes to the blog of President Felipe Calderon, is the latest weapon in a "cultural struggle" against drug cartels.

The comics are said to be "a new space for communication" that will "help us better understand the phenomenon of organized crime," said federal security spokesman Alejandro Poire. That is, government propaganda with a pop art twist. Propaganda comics? That could reach a whole new audience. However, it's unlikely narcomenonitas, or the drug smuggling Mennonite farmers of northern Chihuahua state, will be swayed so easily. Image from article

Design for Victory: World War II Poster on the American Home Front - art-deco-clocks.com: From 1941 to 1945,

government agencies, businesses, and private organizations issued an array of poster images linking the military front with the home front, calling upon all Americans to boost production at work and at home. Image from article

AMERICANA

--From Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog

IMAGES -- OUR MOTORIZED, GLOBALIZED WORLD (VIA SL)

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"fancy is fertile only when it is futile."

--Author Vladimir Nabokov; Nabokov image from