September 15

"Facebook fatigue is setting in."

--"Facebook is so last year, study shows," iol.co.za; via; image from; see also "Will Google Strike Out Of The Social Networking Market?" sfgate.com

VIDEO

Dancing Dmitry Parody Pulled From Russian TV (RFE/RL); via MP on facebook

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Egypt, Libya, Revolutions, Oh My! - Naweed Lemar, the CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "In order to prevent further deterioration

of the United States’ relationships in the Middle East, it should conduct more public diplomacy in Egypt in order to maintain a civil relationship in the long term. ... The U.S. is also going to need more public diplomacy in Libya." Image from

Africa: Religious Freedom Report - U.S. Actions in Select Countries - allafrica.com: "The United States actively promotes freedom of religion as a fundamental human right and as a source of stability throughout the world. We do this through relationships with foreign governments, outreach to religious communities and civil society, public diplomacy, support for defenders of religious freedom, and targeted assistance programs."

Fighting AIDS: At the Tipping Point‎ - Eric Goosby and Mark R. Dybul, Huffington Post: "Our nation's successful investment in fighting global AIDS has also been a powerful tool of public diplomacy.

Our commitment to support prevention, treatment and care for millions of people changes not only the lives of the people we touch, but the countries themselves. Giving people a chance at a healthy and productive life is among the most tangible contributions our nation can make to promote development and build stronger relationships with the U.S." Image from

Public Schedule for September 15, 2011 – U.S. Department of State: "ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS ANN STOCK 10:00 a.m. Assistant Secretary Stock meets with Ambassador William Taylor, Special Coordinator for Middle East Transitions, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE) 11:00 a.m. Assistant Secretary Stock meets with Ambassador David Killion, the U.S. PermRep to UNESCO, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE) 12:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Stock attends a meeting for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, in Washington, DC. (MEDIA DETERMINED BY HOST) 7:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Stock attends the welcome dinner for new members of the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board, in Washington, DC. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)"

Public Schedule for September 15, 2011 – U.S. Department of State: "ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS J. ADAM ERELI 10:00 a.m. Acting Assistant Secretary Ereli appears before the Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, in Washington, DC. (OPEN PRESS COVERAGE)"

If a PD tree falls in the forest.... - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Mountainrunner Matt Armstrong pointed out the following statistics: During the Obama Administration, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy (and PA) office has been vacant 20.4% of the time [;] During the Bush Administrations, the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy (and PA) office was vacant 37.2% of the time [.] This leads me to ask a reductio ad absurdum question: the current Undersec position is empty (save for an able acting), would anyone notice if it remained that way? More importantly: would it matter?"

Turkey Tantrum Burying Palmer Report - Simon Plosker, honestreporting.com: "Only weeks after its release, the Palmer Report into the 2010 Gaza flotilla

incident appears to have been consigned to the dustbin of history. Despite leveling criticism at Israel for 'excessive force', the report could and should have been a major prize for Israel public diplomacy. How often, and particularly at a time of precious few PR gifts, does a UN-sponsored investigation uphold the legitimacy of Israel’s naval blockade as well as highlighting the danger of Hamas from Gaza? Caught between a rock and a hard place, Israel’s government failed to enunciate a cogent message playing up the positives from the Palmer Report to avoid escalating tensions with Turkey." Image from, with caption: Mavi Marmara (2010)

Pulling Netanyahu's Chestnuts Out Yet Again? - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "Israel had a bad 'hasbara' week when a group of some 30 'counter-concert' demonstrators interrupted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra’s 75th anniversary concert in London four times forcing the BBC to stop the concert’s live broadcast – the first time in history a live BBC concert has been replaced by something out of the can. No, the counter-concert performers weren’t Palestinian nationalists or Islamic militants, they included professional British musicians upset with the fruitlessness of Israel’s 'shoot itself in the foot' policies. Who knows, several could have been Jews themselves distressed with the Israeli right-wing government’s political bungling that will could unnecessarily put the long term longevity of the State of Israel at jeopardy."

Are the same Turks and Armenians who were just yesterday inseparable today enemies? - anatoliancommonheritage.wordpress: "[A] factor pushing Turkey into a dead end in the international arena is its lack of public diplomacy efforts aimed at Armenia,

as well as the fact that it has not created alternative Turkish lobbying groups in countries where the Armenian lobby is already strong." Image from

Charm City; Howard & PD; Good jerk diplomacy - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Today, I took a little inspiration and adventured down to Howard to wander around the campus. Sounds silly but I never realized WHUR was 'Howard University Radio'. I also had thoughts about a public diplomacy exhibit at Howard's comm school to focus on African-American contributions to public diplomacy. It could make for an interesting symposium or exhibition to look at Jazz Ambassadors like Louis Armstrong, Carl Rowan and the USIA, and the role of the Civil Rights movement in US public diplomacy. If I remember correctly, I think Nick Cull mentioned that USIA was far more integrated than State, and it would be interesting to look at that legacy."

Research and SOC Seminar Series, Fall 2011 - Matthew Nisbet, climateshiftproject.org: "Friday, Nov. 4 – How Nation-States Translate Soft Power Objectives into Communication Practice 3:00-5:00pm, Bender Library [American University, Washington DC], Room 115 Craig Hayden will discuss findings from his forthcoming book, The Rhetoric of Soft Power: Public Diplomacy in Global Contexts, to illustrate the comparative communication strategies inherent across a variety of public diplomacy and strategic communication programs -including China, the U.S, Venezuela, and Japan. Specifically, Hayden will examine the ways in which a 'soft power' strategy is localized and embodied in the expectations of media effect, technological platforms, and audience conceptualization present in public diplomacy programs.

CRAIG HAYDEN is Assistant Professor in the International Communication Program at American University’s School of International Service. His current research focuses on public diplomacy, discursive analysis of foreign policy, and the impact of media technologies on international relations. He is particularly interested in the comparative study of public diplomacy and mediated culture as a pivotal resource for international policy, as well as the impact of communication technology on international influence and public argument. Hayden’s previous studies include analysis of media framing of the United States in pan-Arab media content, as well as analysis of media-based public argument by US presidential advisors prior to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. His forthcoming book, The Rhetoric of Soft Power: Public Diplomacy in Global Context, will be published in Winter 2011 by Lexington Books. Hayden received his Ph.D. from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Southern California." Image from

Jakarta: Islamic Extremism and the War of Ideas: Lessons from Indonesia (Hoover Inst Press Publication) - jakarta.what-to-see.com: "John Hughes examines lessons learned from the practice of public diplomacy—especially international broadcasting—in the cold war and tells how the United States could more effectively counter extremism, promote democracy, and improve understanding of itself in the Islamic world. He offers Indonesia as a successful example of the melding of democracy, Islam, and modernity and suggests that this country and other nations where Islam and democracy coexist—such as Turkey—could play a significant role in helping thwart Islamist extremism."

Grover wins CPD’s 2011 best paper award - blog.uscannenberg.org: "Jennifer Grover (Master’s in Public Diplomacy ’12) was selected as the recipient of the 2011 CPD Prize for Best Student Paper in Public Diplomacy for her paper 'Ukrainian Public Diplomacy Lacks Organization, But Holds Promise.'

This award is given annually to a first-year graduate student in USC’s MPD program for outstanding contribution to the field of public diplomacy. USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy praised Grover’s paper that 'outlines the importance of public diplomacy for a country finding its footing and place in the world soon after achieving independence.' To read the full paper, click here [PDF]."  Conclusion of paper, which contains no Ukrainian- or Russian-language sources: "Ukrainian public diplomacy is not merely done by the government. It includes various actors and is enacted in numerous forms, including tourism diplomacy, foreign actor diplomacy and non-governmental actor diplomacy. The Ukrainian situation demonstrates that public diplomacy does not fall into an easily defined framework, but must be analyzed and understood in its various forms. Formal Ukrainian public diplomacy efforts will continue to be of extreme importance for the future of Ukrainian relations with the EU; particularly, Ukraine needs to enhance its official public diplomacy organization to better project to Europe the realities of the current Ukrainian state. The case study of Ukraine demonstrates the vitality of a strong public diplomacy apparatus for transition states, as Ukraine has taken huge steps in recent years in relating better to Europe as a whole, and now, within a year it will be holding the European Football Championship. The Ukrainian case demonstrates the importance of government collaboration with various actors to create an effective, positive image abroad. For Ukraine and other transition states a positive external image is vital for their future in the global sphere. "Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Libya, the anti-Iraq: A longtime tyrant has been sent packing, yet no foreign troops are on the ground. And it seems unlikely the U.S. will need to send in forces or the trunkloads of money it used to help rebuild Iraq - Patrick J. McDonnell, latimes.com: The future is uncertain. The political process is frenzied and bewildering; hosts of gun trucks and Kalashnikov-wielding rebels patrol the streets. But in at least one key respect, Tripoli has become a kind of anti-Baghdad: a capital where the longtime tyrant has been sent packing, yet where no foreign troops are on the ground. Normality appears to be taking hold, and it is Libyans themselves who are calling the shots. Below photo, on Libya, from

Islamists’ Growing Sway Raises Questions for Libya - Rod Nordland and David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times: The growing influence of Islamists in Libya raises hard questions about the ultimate character of the government and society that will rise in place of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi’s autocracy. The United States and Libya’s new leaders say the Islamists, a well-organized group in a mostly moderate country, are sending signals that they are dedicated to democratic pluralism. They say there is no reason to doubt the Islamists’ sincerity. But as in Egypt and Tunisia, the latest upheaval of the Arab Spring deposed a dictator who had suppressed hard-core Islamists, and there are some worrisome signs about what kind of government will follow.

Planning for a follow-on force in Iraq - Editorial, Washington Post: If Iraqi leaders and U.S. commanders believe that American troops are needed to preserve the country’s stability and sovereignty — and they do — then President Obama should make a commitment to the force that is necessary.

The Iraq War and the Power of Propaganda - Paul R. Pillar: When an administration sets out to manipulate truth and falsehood as shamelessly as the promoters of the Iraq War did, the damage is not limited only to adoption of whatever policies the manipulators are promoting. The substantial lingering misconceptions among the public make for broader damage.

The persistent mistaken beliefs among more than a third of Americans about Iraq and al-Qaeda greatly inhibit public understanding about terrorism, about the Middle East, and about how their own government has operated. Image from

USAID's radio-based learning programs in South Sudan - Kim Andre Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

U.S.: Embassy attack a propaganda win for militants - Kamran Jebreili, USA Today: American officials have blamed the bold attack on the U.S. Embassy on a Pakistan-based group allied with the Taliban, acknowledging that the assault brought a propaganda victory for the insurgents even as they played down its military significance.  See also

The Taliban Are Winning Afghanistan’s Information War - Aurangzeb, pakistankakhudahafiz.com: Over the last decade Nato has constantly found itself behind the curve in planning and executing what they call “influence operations” – a combination of the use of propaganda (“psychological operations”) and, importantly, force to deliver its “message." For getting its media message across, it has relied on clunking spokesmen whose pronouncements,

particularly on casualties, are automatically assumed by Afghans to be lies. Matters are not assisted by the fact that for much of the time western forces and their Afghan allies do not seem entirely clear on their objectives. Meanwhile the Taliban (or Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, as they call themselves) are crystal clear as to their desired end-state: foreigners out and a government under Islamic law. Despite the fact that much of their media output is highly inaccurate – their website this morning claimed that they had killed “several dozen foreign invaders and local puppets” – the Taliban are always first off the mark after every incident. This has long been a source of huge frustration to senior officers, but a problem that Nato’s media operations bureaucracy seems incapable of putting right. Image from article

The Taliban's Internet Strategy - turkishweekly.net: 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.

AMERICANA

"SAT reading scores drop to lowest point in decades" - Michael Alison Chandler, Washington Post

Image from