September 24

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition."

--Timothy Leary, as quoted in Sometimes Being the Queen is All We Have to Hold Onto (2005) by Connie Cash, p. 35; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Perry's Jerusalem Test - Editorial, New York Sun: "It’s easy enough to look at Governors Perry and Romney, on the one hand, and President Obama, on the other hand, and reckon which one is better on Israel. We say that even though these columns have stood apart from those who are prepared to assert that Mr. Obama is anti-Israel or even anti-Semitic.

We don’t believe he is either. We understand he has done some important, unheralded things for Israel. Yet we also believe his public diplomacy in the Mideast has been exactly what Mr. Perry said it was — “naïve, arrogant, misguided and dangerous.” Image from

Leveling the Playing Field in the US-China Media Battle‎ - Helle Dale, heritage.org: "Most Americans identify China as the country most likely to challenge the United States globally, and many even expect China to replace American dominance. U.S. lawmakers are finally waking up to the challenge, which is not only military and economic but extends to the spheres of information and public diplomacy. At least, some on Capitol Hill are determined make sure the United States faces the challenge and the Chinese government does not get away with brazen opportunism in our free and uncensored media environment. Consider these numbers: China’s state media (whose news reporting blends seamlessly into intelligence gathering) was able to obtain 650 I-visas (international journalist visas) from the U.S. Department of State in 2010. By contrast, last year, the American government’s Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) was able to obtain from China a grand total of two visas for Radio Free Asia and Voice of America’s (VOA) hard-working and much-harassed reporters. Alarmed by this state of affairs, on September 13, Representatives Dana Rohrabacher (R–CA),

Randy Forbes (R–VA), and Ted Poe (R–TX) introduced H.R. 2899, the Chinese Media Reciprocity Act of 2011, as an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality Act. The idea behind the bill is straightforward: The Department of State would be able to issue only as many visas to Chinese state media workers as China issues visas to American journalists working for the BBG. Unless China changed its ways, some 30 days after the enactment of the bill, the State Department would have to revoke 648 of the Chinese I-visas. ... The Chinese, meanwhile, have argued for a new world information order—something like a U.N. for media policy—as part of their soft power drive." Image from

A feckless leadership invites aggression - The Nation, Pakistan: "[L]ittle has been done by the federal government to engage the American administration and media to discuss ... contentious issues. Influential visitors have descended from Washington frequently to put pressure on our political and military rulers. It virtually has been a one-way traffic. Some isolated visits by the COAS and DG ISI, but practically nothing has been done by our civilian leaders to engage their counterparts. There has been total absence of public diplomacy. ... In the meantime, the anti-Pakistan lobby in Washington has been raising the temperature at the Congress, the Pentagon, the State Department and in the media in various ways. Any attack in Kabul is straightaway traced to the ISI. The latest statements of Panetta and Mullen are a virtual declaration of hostilities against Pakistan. Seldom is such a strong language used against a declared ally."

http://www.state.gov/g/oes/rls/remarks/2011/173894.htm - Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State: "Here at the State Department and at USAID, we are employing data visualization to present information on agency activities: for example, the public can go to foreignassistance.gov and can see exactly how much foreign aid money is being pledged for the next fiscal year. This information is presented online on a user-friendly, easily understood and engaging map. It’s a simple, yet effective idea that allows us to be more transparent and accessible to the U.S. taxpayers and the public.

We are also using it to track trends in human rights violations and in our public diplomacy efforts. Data visualization is helping to provide clarity and focus in an age where the amount of information available can be overwhelming." Image from

Comparing BBC, VOA, and US public broadcasting: balanced or muddled? - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Nieman Journalism Lab, 22 Sept 2011, comment from Bob Jacobson: 'NPR today has more profound problems than its sound and stories. It has a muddled voice. Either it hews to the truth and controversy at all costs, a la BBC. Or it is the Voice of America, pandering to the still mysterious 'center,' the people who supposedly insist on hearing both (as if there were never one, never three, but only two) sides to each story. The latter is the direction PBS has gone, except for the determined producers of Frontline, POV, Independent Lens, and Need to Know (formerly Moyer's slot) -- and it's been disastrous. Even C-SPAN, which deliberately goes the middle road as its cable owners demand, is more exciting. PBS is

dull, dim, and always in need of dough. Maybe David Koch and ExxonMobil can be leaned on just a little more?' -- [Elliott comment:] Yes, news items that include input from both (or more) sides of the story may seem, at times, contrived. But as a news consumer, I appreciate the effort. It establishes the credibility of the news organization. If I want point of view, there are plenty of other media offering that." Image from

In Pakistan's frontier regions, BBC and VOA compete with "illegal radical radio stations" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Israel Conducts Public Diplomacy Campaign in NYC‎ - Hezki Ezra, Arutz Sheva: "Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein arrived in New York City on Thursday, where he held a public diplomacy campaign with both Jewish and non-Jewish communities around the city.

Edelstein said that despite the positive speech by President Obama in the United Nations this week, Israel still has a lot of work to do to explain its position regarding the Palestinian Authority’s unilateral statehood bid and to present the real face of Israel. It is for this reason, he explained, that dialogues with non-Jews were also included in his public diplomacy campaign." Image from

Communicating The Idea Of India - Madhurjya Kotoky, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "There has been a flurry of activity on the public diplomacy front in India recently. With bigger economic clout in the international stage, India now feels the need to be seen, heard and engaged.

From international conferences to social media campaigns, the Public Diplomacy Division of the Government of India is in overdrive to shape a desired perception of India across the world. ... To overcome mixed perceptions, India can and should move towards communicating values and build a consistent profile. What does India stand for? What do India’s culture, people, polity and economy represent? More importantly, what is the idea of India? From my point of view as a communications consultant view, it is worth noting that a country which has managed to do it very well is the United States." Kotoky image from article

ABC staff concerned over Australia Network delays‎ - Daniel Flitton, The Age: "The aim of Australia Network is to act as a showcase in the region of Australia's national values. It targets a middle-class audience in 44 countries with a mix of news, drama, sport, children's programs and limited advertising. Australia is the only country known to put such public diplomacy services out to tender. An independent panel of senior public servants ... had recommended the contract go to Sky News, only for the government to make a late intervention in the tender process. ... The government subsequently changed the criteria for deciding the contract on June 24, claiming upheaval in the Arab world had altered the priorities for the service, although it offered no extra funding to expand its reach. The uncertainty is diminishing the quality of the service, with complaints Australia Network is unable to buy new programs and is being forced to run repeats."

UN - Secretary-General's remarks at Breakfast Roundtable with Foreign Ministers on "The Responsibility to Protect: Responding to Imminent Threats of Mass Atrocities" - isria.com: "This is a critical moment in the life of the Responsibility to Protect. In the six short years since its endorsement by the World Summit, this doctrine has gone from crawling to walking to running. Our job is to keep it moving and on track as we move from words to deeds. ...   [I]t is a sign of progress that our debates are now about how, not whether, to implement the Responsibility to Protect.

No government questions the principle. ... In my private and public diplomacy, I will invoke these principles as consistently and as vigorously as possible, as will my Special Advisers, Francis Deng and Edward Luck." Image from

'UN power structure unfair'‎ - Press TV: "Iran's President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has criticized the structure of the United Nations as well as the composition of the Security Council in his speech at the United Nations. ... [Mohammad Marandi, Political analyst University of Tehran, Tehran]: I think this speech is a public diplomacy measure and I think that alongside many other moves made by other political leaders in the south for the most part, they will have an influence among the audience that they are directed at."

Swaziland: Governance Not Money At Heart of Nation's Malaise‎, AllAfrica.com: "South Africa recently granted a US$350 million bailout to Swaziland's King Mswati III - following desperate overtures to his neighbour to stave-off his kingdom's financial meltdown - but the king has now cooled to the idea and left the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) unsigned and the loan in limbo. ... [D]iffering styles of public diplomacy in South Africa,

which was more open, and Swaziland, were delaying the MOU's signing, she [Dimpho Motsamai, a researcher in the Africa Conflict Prevention Programme at the Pretoria-based think-tank the Institute for Security Studies] suggested." Image from, with caption: Maidens gather at Ludzidzini, the royal palace in Swaziland, to deliver reeds to King Mswati III during the annual Reed Dance.

Noteworthy Interview on Public Diplomacy with the Diplomatic Academy of Chile - John Brown, Notes and Essays: "Interview with the Diplomatic Academy of Chile - Grassroot Diplomat[:] Diplomacy in Chile is perceived by the public as an eldery dignified gentleman who is engaged in dark backroom negotiations with others like him. Diplomacy is much more than negotiations and has certainly moved away from this stereotype, but very little is known about the conduct of diplomacy to ordinary citizens in Latin America.

As part of their public diplomacy agenda, the Chilean government has authorised the Diplomatic Academy of Chile to engage in dialogue with leaders of public diplomacy, and it was a great honour for Grassroot Diplomat to be invited for an interview. On 2nd September 2011, Director of Grassroot Diplomat Talyn Rahman-Figueroa was invited to a podcast interview to learn more about the conducts of public diplomacy in the Western world. The interview was conducted by journalist Raimundo Gregoire based in Morocco." [Transcript of the interview contained in entry]. Talyn Rahman-Figueroa image from her blog

Review: Full Spectrum Diplomacy and Grand Strategy – Reforming the Structure and Culture of U.S. Foreign Policy - phibetaiota.net: "Where the author and the book are strongest–beyond five stars–is in their emphasis, insight, and coherence with respect to public diplomacy

as a much needed 'first string' activity. Today what passes for public diplomacy at the Department of State is a couple of ladies who came up through television broadcasting, are gaga over Silicon Valley, and appear to have no idea how to actually engage in Information Operations (IO), how to create an Autonomous Internet with Liberation Technology including OpenBTS, or even what concepts and cultural values we should be striving to share with the rest of the world." Image from article

SU event celebrates cultures, touches on public diplomacy issues - exchangediplomacy.com: "Diaspora communities in the U.S. are an integral focus of public diplomacy, as members of these communities link relations between the U.S. and countries abroad. Through Sunday, September 25, Syracuse University is celebrating the school’s African American and Latino alumni and student populations with Coming Back Together X (CBT X)."

Minutes of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy July 2010 Official Meeting - U.S. Department of State. Via LB

Op-Ed: There Are No Silver Bullets to Peace - Ethan Wilkes, jofr.org: "Ethan Wilkes

is a first year Master of International Affairs candidate at Columbia University. ... Ethan worked in China providing strategic advisory on public affairs, public diplomacy and government relations." Wilkes image from

Internship Opportunity: Capacity Building Services Program Internship, Intern #2 - shinpaideshou.wordpress.com: "The Community Connections Program under the World Learning – Capacity Building Services is currently seeking two undergraduate students with an interest in a 3-month or a semester-long internship to assist Program Associates and Program Officers in implementing public diplomacy programs for international participants, sponsored by the the U.S. Agency of International Development."

RELATED ITEMS

Caution fills Obama’s playbook - David Ignatius, Washington Post: Obama is in damage-limitation mode — sensible enough in a time of uncertainty but not really a strategy. What’s the opportunity — in Pakistan, in India, in Turkey, in Syria — and yes, in the Palestinian state that inevitably will be declared? Playing defense works if you’ve got a lead to protect.

But it’s not enough when that lead is slipping away. Image from

The Latest Ugly Truth About Pakistan - Editorial, New York Times: The Pentagon hopes public exposure will shame the Pakistanis — who receive billions of dollars in aid — into changing their behavior.

That didn’t happen after Osama bin Laden was discovered hiding in plain sight next door to Pakistan’s top military academy. But Washington needs to keep pushing and keep reminding the Pakistanis that the extremists pose a mortal threat to their own country. Image from

America on collision course - Mohammad Jamil, thefrontierpost.com: For the last six years, there has been a well thought-out strategy of US administration.

The propaganda was at its peak after Raymond Davis episode, 2nd May US Navy Seals’ operation in Abbottabad, and in the same month attack on Mehran Naval Base. In fact, since democratic government was installed after February 2008 elections in Pakistan, efforts were made to create a wedge between the government and the armed forces. Image from

Terror’s new impulse - dailypioneer.com: "Pro-terrorist groups have been very effective in launching a propaganda war. The theory of the root causes of terror, which has been pronounced by some of the leaders in the world, is a direct result of this sort of propaganda, and the repetitive propaganda on these lines. So now everyone accepts that theory, although that is not correct. So as far as the political response to terrorism is concerned, it still has to crystallise internationally and within countries. As a result, there has been no coherent response to terror."

S. Sargsyan: “Baku has turned armenophobia into state propaganda” - Times.am: The belligerent rhetoric and war threats uttered by Azerbaijan have intensified and ceasefire violations have grown more frequent, continuing to deprive of life innocent civilians. All of this is orchestrated from the highest state level.

The dangerous rise in manifestations of armenophobia not only fails to contribute to an atmosphere of trust in the region, but also leads to questions about Azerbaijan’s understanding of the goals of the United Nations to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbors. Image from

Kidnap Rommel! Daring SAS plot to seize Hitler's best general - or leave him dead - dailymail.co.uk: It was one of the most audacious plans of the Second World War. A crack SAS team was ordered on a death-or-glory mission to kill or capture one of the Nazis’ finest commanders at a French chateau in 1944. Snatching Field Marshal Erwin Rommel would be an ‘immense’ propaganda coup, the elite British soldiers preparing for the operation were told. However, the raid was abandoned hours before the four-man unit parachuted in.

Rommel was forced to return to Germany after being badly injured when his car was hit by the RAF. Details of the daring plot have been disclosed for the first time in an extraordinary diary recording the remarkable early exploits of the Special Air Service. The secret tome, kept under lock and key since being compiled in 1946, has been published in an effort to raise tens of thousands of pounds for UK special forces troops – including dozens maimed in Afghanistan – bereaved families and veterans. Image from article, with caption: The SAS War Diary 1941-45 includes first-hand reports from the special forces unit's disastrous first operation in November 1941, from which only 22 of the 65 soldiers who took part returned. Pictured, SAS founder Sir David Stirling poses with some of his soldiers in their desert jeeps.

AMERICANA

Gov't paid $600 million in benefits to dead people - Sam Hananel, Associated Press, USA TODAY: In one case, the son of a beneficiary continued receiving payments for 37 years after his father's death in 1971.

The payments — totaling more than $515,000 — were only discovered when the son died in 2008. Image from

IMAGE: MALE PARANOIA, FROM A RUSSIAN ARTIST

--Andrey Pomulev with Oleg Maslov; image from; also at Album: КРАСОТЫ ! № 9 ( МРАКъ И ВИХРъ ); via FW

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"When John D. Rockefeller learned in 1913 that the late J.P. Morgan had left an estate of $60 million, including a fabulous art collection, he reportedly said: 'And to think — he wasn’t even rich.'”

--John Steele Gordon, "Five myths about millionaires," Washington Post; image from