October 22-25

"At the end of dinner, Qaddafi told me that he’d made a videotape for me. Uh oh, I thought, what is this going to be? It was a quite innocent collection of photos of me with world leaders—President Bush, Vladimir Putin, Hu Jintao, and so on—set to the music of a song called 'Black Flower in the White House,' written for me by a Libyan composer. It was weird, but at least it wasn’t

raunchy."

--Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; from her recent memoir, cited text in Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog; above image from; below image from; see also "'10 Percent Intellectual': The Mind of Condoleezza Rice", prwatch.org and "Spreading Bush's Gospel," tompaine.org

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PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Karzai Says Afghanistan Would Help Pakistan Against US Attack‎- James Rupert, BusinessWeek: "Afghan President Hamid Karzai urged Pakistan’s military to stop supporting the Taliban insurgency, saying his country is a loyal neighbor that would assist Pakistan if attacked by the U.S. In the interview with Pakistan’s Geo television, Karzai accused Pakistan’s military of sponsoring the Taliban movement fighting his government while describing the two countries as twin brothers.

Describing Taliban bases in Pakistan as a betrayal of fraternal relations, Karzai vowed that Afghanistan would never abandon Pakistan in return. ... Karzai’s declaration on Pakistan’s most prominent independent TV channel was an effort at public diplomacy, said Nur ul-Haq Uloomi, an Afghan politician and former army general. In promising to back Pakistan in the event of a war, Karzai 'was speaking diplomatically and no one will take this seriously,' Uloomi said. the comments came days after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited both countries and renewed U.S. pressure on Pakistan’s leaders to take action within 'days and weeks' against the Taliban and allied militant groups that attack U.S. troops in Afghanistan from Pakistani bases." Image from

America’s media concerns - dawn.com: "US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton probably needed a throat lozenge on Friday night. After intense meetings with members of Pakistan’s security and political establishment, she participated in a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar, answered tough questions from Pakistan’s leading news anchors and engaged in a televised ‘townterview’ with civil society representatives. The media blitz was a clear throwback to the secretary’s October 2009 visit, when her candid views and charm offensive managed to win over some stubborn Pakistani hearts and minds. Clinton’s 2009 trip is widely acknowledged as a high point in US public diplomacy efforts within Pakistan by State Department officials and members of the Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan’s team. Her accessible manner, blunt talk and willingness to engage directly with different strata of Pakistani society earned her much respect and helped complicate the fiery, nationalist debate around the Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation. The media component of Clinton’s visit last week was no doubt an attempt to replicate the success of her earlier public forays. This repeat performance is a good demonstration of the fact that the US is able to learn from past mistakes and respond to ground realities in Pakistan."

Hillary’s admonition - thefrontierpost.com: "Isn’t it interesting? And appalling too? Like a master admonishing his slave, Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state, warned Pakistan: dismantle militant 'safe havens' along the Afghan border within days and weeks. But which auction mart was it where Uncle Sam had bought Pakistan a slave? This nation’s hierarchs may have sold out to him. Not the people of Pakistan. And it is only this country’s palmed-off nobility, who has supped richly from dollar-laden

US public diplomacy’s founts and whose bloating self-righteousness competes toughly with its unquenchable passion of self-flagellation, that fills the media channels with deafening noise that the US wrath would cost Pakistan irreparably dearly. So dependent is this country on the US beneficence, chants the nobility, that it would struggle to survive staggeringly even economically and its people would starve without it." Image from

Clinton visit‎ - DAWN.com: "Ms Clinton lowered the temperature and undertook useful public diplomacy by addressing at least three issues that have become the source of much concern in Pakistan: she said unequivocally that there would be no American boots on the ground in Pakistan in reply to questions about whether the US will launch unilateral strikes if action is not taken against the Haqqani network. She stated that America has no evidence of the involvement of Pakistani intelligence in the attack on the US embassy in Kabul. And even as she reiterated the need for Pakistan to pursue the Afghan Taliban, Ms Clinton said action would be taken against Pakistani Taliban who have found refuge on the Afghan side of the border."

Pakistani wolf to guard Afghan henhouse - M K Bhadrakumar, Asia Times Online: "The visit by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Islamabad last week turned out to be yet another defining moment in the endgame in Afghanistan. It took place under the heavy cloud cover of propaganda. Foggy Bottom habitually resorts to strident public diplomacy when Uncle Sam's tailcoat is on fire so that the awkwardness of dousing the flames remains a private affair. This was literally the case last week. US diplomats strove to give spin to media persons amenable to listening, that Clinton was going to hand down a tough message to the recalcitrant General Headquarters of the Pakistani army in Rawalpindi: 'Pakistan must crack down on the Haqqani network who take shelter in North Waziristan

on the Afghan border regions and incessantly bleed the US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization forces, or else, the US would suo moto act.' The US spin doctors made it out to be that with or without Pakistan, the US was anyway going to fight the insurgents (as well as "talk" with them and also "build" Afghanistan), but Pakistan's relationship with the US was at risk unless its military leadership acted now." Image from

Changing Landscapes of the Arab World - cynicalsynapse.wordpress.com: "Much is and has been changing in the Middle East. Syria is a holdout against the Arab Spring, but, in the first free, democratic elections in decades, Tunisians are voting today. Of course, one problem is we—the US—may not like the outcome of the election. Second to depose its despot, former President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt has not made any substantial progress toward elections. Libya became the third Arab state to win its freedom with the killing of Muammar Gaddafi a few days ago. In a bizarre twist, Amnesty International and the United Nations Human Rights Office called for inquiries into the manner of Gaddafi’s death. Despite public diplomacy in support of the Arab Spring uprisings, the US gained substantial benefits from close ties with authoritarian regimes in the Middle East. In Bahraini ports, the US has headquarters for its Fifth Fleet. Last month’s killing of Anwar al-Awlaki had Yemeni complicity, if not outright support. Despite these cozy relationships, Pres. Obama warned the oppressers [sic] their time was short."

The Death of Gadaffi and US Foreign Policy - Musings of an Overqualified Misfit: Reflections of a World Citizen on Life’s Possibilities….."Having served as a Public Diplomacy Officer at the U.S. Mission to NATO during the Bush regime when Americans were almost universally hated by Europeans and the world, I have seen the repercussions of the American tendency to deploy its military might to solve world conflicts. After an outpouring of good will towards our nation after September 11, our hasty actions in Iraq made us, in the world’s eye, arrogant, trigger happy strongmen who cared little about the opinion of the rest of the world. The killing of Muammar Gaddafi

by his own countrymen was historic. For the first time in recent history, America has helped empower a country’s oppressed masses to free themselves from the shackles of ruthless dictator without going in with guns blazing. And we have done so with the support of the international community. This is a major departure from the modus operandi of previous Administrations. ... As a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, I have seen the failure of programs that try to 'solve the problems' of other nations. What is much more successful is helping those who are already making the effort to create positive change." "Gaddafi" image from

Humanitarian Aid as a Strategic Obligation to the People of Libya - Public diplomacy: "In the coming months and years the people of Libya will be faced with choices—such as their views of the US and whether they wish to be an ally in the fight to bring democracy to the Middle East and North Africa. How we treat the people of Libya—indeed, our public diplomacy in that nation—may determine foreign policy choices of the next Libyan government. While it cannot be said that the future of Libya hinges on US public diplomacy and humanitarian aid, we can play an important role in the outcome of Libya, especial at this most critical hour. Whether the US is seen as liberators or evil-doers, it is imperative that we show the people of Libya that in the end we did not care about killing Gaddafi or access to oil, but that we cared about helping the people of Libya."

Next Arab Domino May Be Oil Darling Algeria - Reuel Marc Gerecht, moroccoboard.com: "In 2002, William Burns, an assistant secretary of state, remarked in Algiers that the U.S. 'has much to learn from Algeria

on ways to fight terrorism.' This solicitation has continued under President Barack Obama. Last month, the State Department coordinator forncounterterrorism, Daniel Benjamin, was in Algiers. At a counterterrorist conference hosted by the government, he saw an opportunity 'for our officials to learn from the experiences of other allied countries, in particular our North African partners. Our bilateral cooperation with the Algerian government in the battle against terrorism is now stronger than it has ever been,' he said, covering 'issues of public diplomacy, economics, and military aid.'” Image from

Greater Efforts Still Needed to Combat Smuggling and Violence‎ - Jessica Zuckerman, Heritage.org: "Rather than belittling the problem of illegal immigration to the United States, Americans should take a more comprehensive and robust strategy for combating human smuggling, violence, and the huge numbers of illegal aliens. Such a strategy should focus on increasing border security and improving legal immigration procedures and public diplomacy and fostering reforms and greater efforts to combat human smuggling in Latin America."

Obama helps Uganda, does what’s morally right - www.jofr.org: "On 14 October, United States President Barack Obama informed Congress that he dispatched about 100 US military advisers — mostly special operations forces — to Uganda to assist in the fight against a local militant group. ... Although Uganda doesn’t want foreign militaries fighting their battles for them, it and the world’s newest nation-state South Sudan, for now, are welcoming the American assistance. ... As I teach in my diplomacy course, States do not intervene for primarily humanitarian reasons and they are rarely prepared to sacrifice their own soldiers overseas unless there is some sort of national interest involved.

However, sometimes States can achieve both their strategic goals and stop human rights abuses at the same time. This is what happened here. Whether a State is successful in this endeavor often depends on perception and the US is desperately trying to reverse the world’s anti-American image. This is the role of US public diplomacy; the ability to promote American ideals and beliefs to a foreign public to advance their national interest. This is the job of not only the State Department, but the Department of Defense as well. And as an American living overseas, I can undoubtedly say that it needs to be strengthened. Image from

Princeton Township Mayor Chosen for China Delegation - planetprinceton.com: "Princeton Township Mayor Chad Goerner will get to practice his Mandarin when he heads to China this December as a member of a U.S. delegation of young political leaders. Goerner was selected by the Washington,

DC based American Council of Young Political Leaders to be part of a 9-member, bipartisan delegation. ... During the 14-day program, delegates will examine China’s governance, politics, policy making, international affairs, and culture. Through interactions with Chinese government officials, business and community leaders, advocacy experts, scholars, and diplomats, the young leaders will gain a better understanding of China as well as enhance their leadership and public diplomacy skills." Goerner image from article

Guest Post: The Global Backlash to Free Trade - Emily Chin, Ren's Micro Diplomacy: "At the end of the twentieth century, the 'free trade' brand took a hard blow. The resonance of the Asian financial crisis, which echoed through Argentina through the Latin American nation into an even deeper recession, still lingered in the minds of economists and policy-makers. ... Although, in the cases of Indonesia, Mayalsia, the Philippines and South Korea, the IMF implemented emergency bailout loans, aimed at blocking the defaults, the damage to U.S. public diplomacy with its 'exercising tough love' in the case of Argentine market failure was damning."

Senate Confirms Bryson As Secretary of Commerce‎ - Hind Sabir - Targeted News Service: (subscription) [Item cited from Googlee:] "Anne Terman Wedner, of Illinois, to be a Member of the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy for a term expiring July 1, 2013."

Reference: Smart Nation Act Draft (Full Text Online for Google Translate) - www.phibetaiota.net: Proposed Legislation: The Smart Nation Act Institutionalizing Open Source Information

Exploitation and Multinational Information Sharing Beneficial to All + Within the Department of State, expands the capabilities of the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy by providing the incumbent with oversight authority of the Open Source Agency (OSA) and the Office of Information Sharing Treaties and Agreements." Image from article

Stop spamming Cuba: An American company last month began sending thousands of unsolicited text messages a week to cellphones in Cuba under an $84,000 annual government contract. That's dumb - Editorial, latimes.com: For more than 25 years, Radio and TV Marti have served as a reminder of America's failed policy toward Cuba. The stations were launched in 1985 as a way to crack Fidel Castro's control over mass media. Since then, they have become little more than a financial black hole. ... So it's disappointing that the U.S., which in recent years has taken steps to improve relations with Cuba, has opted to sustain and expand these anachronistic broadcasts that serve no purpose other than to placate Cuban exiles in Miami and stoke Castro's anti-American rants. Last month, an American company began sending thousands of unsolicited

text messages a week to cellphones in Cuba under an $84,000 annual contract with the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which runs the stations. The texts repackage Radio and TV Marti content, such as Major League Baseball scores and invitations to join Internet chats. The strategy is the cyber equivalent of dropping propaganda leaflets on the island. It is ineffective and, according to Cuba, illegal. Moreover, it ignores the fact that less than 10% of Cubans — or roughly 1 million— own cellphones, and that Internet access in Cuba is among the lowest in the world and is strictly regulated by the government. ... Congress ought to stop pretending that Radio and TV Marti remain relevant. And if President Obama is interested in reaching the Cuban people, he should push Congress to lift the travel ban. Person-to-person contact, not spam, is the way to win the hearts and minds of Cubans. Image from article, with caption: Cuban flags fly at half mast beside the United States Interests Section in Havana.

House bill would "correct a large imbalance between" Chinese official media in the US and US official media in China - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

The “New” BBG Strategic Plan Part II - The Federalist, BBG Watch:  "[T]he vast and overwhelming majority of Americans don’t know about the BBG and US international broadcasting. And they don’t care. They have other priorities that cut deeply into their day-to-day, things like food, clothing and shelter, the rising costs of everything, their personal debt and so forth. To these same Americans, their idea of effective 'public diplomacy' is an unmanned drone dropping a Hellfire missile on terrorists in remote locations, disrupting terrorist planning and removing key leadership cadre. ... Mr. Ensor, the new VOA director, equated the cost of all

US international broadcasting to the price of one advanced fighter aircraft. Symbolically, he said it represents a 'cheap date.' However, Americans know the value of that fighter aircraft (or the drone with the Hellfire missile) and its purpose in defending American citizens, our national interests and the safety of the nation. It is money well spent, particularly when seen effectively carrying out its stated purpose. People flock to air shows all over the country to see these aircraft up close and personal. They can put their hands on it, see it and clearly know what it does. These same Americans don’t flock to the Cohen Building [where VOA is located] in big numbers." Image from article, with caption: VOA building in Washington, D.C.

Should you be on Facebook? NATO SACEUR Admiral James Stavridis thinks so - trakpointe.com: "The value of social media continues to be a topic of debate within many circles, but its use is widening every day. Two years ago we led two projects exploring how social media could be used to support US government public diplomacy around the world and begin to collect and understand sentiment about US policies abroad. On October 21, 2011, NATO SACEUR (Supreme

Allied Commander Europe), US Admiral James Stavridis chose to post to his Facebook page his decision to recommend to the North Atlantic Council of NATO that NATO’s mission in Libya be ended. I’m certainly not suggesting that our work with the DoD led to Admiral Stavridis’ Facebook page, but I am suggesting that US and international government agencies recognize that social media tools are an effective method for engaging with a wide, diverse group of people. Many of the comments responding to Admiral Stavridis’ announcement were negative, but those comments in themselves are an important source of sentiment analysis for our government." Image from

Do the Origins of PD Programmes Shape their Long Term Development? - Robin, Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "In looking at the development of national public diplomacy efforts it’s noticeable that countries initiate or innovate in what they do not based on abstract understandings of a changing media and political environment but in response to quite concrete problems. They do so based on their national contexts but also on PD models that exist ‘out there’ – in Bahrain’s case a media city like Dubai and a TV channel like Qatar. ... Sweden provides a nice example of how PD institutions grow out of the attempt to deal with specific problems.. At the end of the Second World War the Swedes saw that the US was likely to be the dominant force in the post war world and that because of Swedish neutrality during the war the US was not well disposed towards them. The identified solution was cultural relations work conducted via a new organization, the Swedish Institute. his raises the question of the extent to which origins shape the way that countries practice PD. Once you establish a set of organizations they will be tend to preserve themselves and to develop particular ways of defining problems and addressing them. The nature of the approaches that are chosen grow out of national contexts and ways of thinking about them. The result will be a national PD style one that it may or may not be appropriate for new or future challenges. While we all like to comment on the persistence of the cold war model in US public diplomacy what is really needed is investigation of the extent to which this ‘path dependency’ is actually a more general phenomenon in PD – certainly there are styles at work."

Iran Has Been Framed With False Charges‎ - Kaveh Afrasiabi - campaigniran.org: "How likely is that Iran faces a similar scenario that was written for Iraq. That is, its dossier be submitted to the UN Security Council. KA: This is an interesting question because Iran’s opponents think that Iran has some geostrategic vulnerabilities today, with Iran's key ally Syria under siege at home. The Israelis are making overtures to Palestinians to quiet the Palestinian front and Chavez is sick. Iran's global alliances are some causes of concern. We see convergence of anti-Iran viewpoints and interests among some regional and international players. That is their perception and of course requires prudent crisis management by Iran.I think we acted swiftly to these allegations at the United Nations by taking the lead to complain. We must make sure that they do not succeed in turning this into the spectacle of a lengthy “UN fact finding” with the terror label hanging over Iran indefinitely -- that would be falling into America's trap. Iran’s demands are categorical: dismissal of the absurd charges and apology. The Supreme Leader has prudently responded by dismissing these false

allegations and Iran has used its outlets of public diplomacy to educate the rest of the world about false and concocted nature of these allegations. Given the collective global memory of the Iraq War and the lies that went into it by US and UK, I think that we are dealing with a more sophisticated international community that is not willing to allow itself to be so easily manipulated by campaigns of falsifications and lies. That is to Iran's benefit, acting as a major obstacle vis-à-vis these sinister plans against Iran, lessening the prospect of Iraq’s scenario replayed against Iran." Image from

Gaddafi's blood is on our hands‎ - Politicsweb: "The 'Arab Spring (Arab Revolutions) that began in Tunisia and currently taking place in Yemen and Syria has resulted in a number of governments being toppled and many people killed. The 'Revolutions' whether orchestrated by the West in order to install puppet regimes already have a place in history. In public diplomacy and multilateral relations, the basic fundamental of the game is thorough interpretation and analysis of the text. When we [South Africa] ratified the UN resolution 1973 on Libya, we failed to analyse the text and read between the lines. Therefore, by default we have Gaddafi's blood on our hands." 

Vice President Inaugurates First National Conference on International Relations - press release, Press Information Bureau, Government of India: "Following is the text of the Vice President’s Messaage [sic]: I am happy to participate in this conference, claimed to be the first of its kind, of scholars and practitioners of international relations from all over the country. This initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs deserves our appreciation. I confess I am somewhat puzzled at the characterization of today’s initiative as being part of ‘public diplomacy’. Words have meanings and concepts have connotations. Neither of the two is immutable; yet, new meanings and connotations do require explanations and justifications. Diplomacy, to be productive, cannot be conducted publicly; the public, on the other hand, has every right to be informed about its outcomes. The dictionary meaning of diplomacy is ‘management of international relations’. Textbooks on the subject refine it to mean ‘the peaceful conduct of relations amongst political entities’. The interest of the general public in it, as in other aspects of public policy, is evident. We thus have three categories of persons who profess to relate to diplomacy: those who are charged to conduct it, those whose pursuit in life is to analyze it from an academic or expert perspective, and those who interest themselves in a general sense in its processes and results. It is evident that bringing together practicing professionals, academics, and interested members of the public, for a healthy exchange of views and ideas is a normal part of the business of government in all aspects of national activity."

India needs its own culture of strategic thought: Ansari - twocircles.net: "New Delhi: Vice President Hamid Ansari

Saturday advocated the need for India to develop a culture of strategic thought and called for creating a national resource-base of language professionals for more nuanced formulation of foreign policy. He also underlined the need for a 'closer scrutiny' of the demand to make archival records available to scholars. 'We need to evolve a uniquely Indian understanding, based on the historical context of our relations with other nations and peoples, as also contemporary realities and concerns,' Ansari said. He was inaugurating the first conference on international relations. The conference has been organised by the public diplomacy division of India's external affairs ministry in collaboration with the Centre for Policy Research, a think tank." Ansari image from

Survey of attitudes by India's PD division - Madhurjya Kotoky, publicdiplomacyblog.com: "The Public Diplomacy division of Government of India in collaboration with the Center for Advanced Study of India, University of Pennsylvania, is conducting a survey of attitudes with regard to India's foreign policy. It is a survey of 'elite attitudes' - given that fact that it is a survey of international relations faculty in Indian academic institutions - and is a first of its kind exercise undertaken by the PD division."

Beijing's message masters try to shape views - China News Watch: "Analysts generally say that Chinese officials' appearance in international media is part of Beijing's campaign to sharpen its public diplomacy and promote China's soft power. The ideas behind this are generally the same as China spending billions of yuan since 2009 to expand the presence of state-run media organisations overseas. China has been trying to improve the international public's opinion about itself since the 1990s - after its international image was tarnished by its bloody crackdown in 1989 - by promoting a positive view of the country in terms of social, economic, political and opening-up policies, and welcoming foreign investment. When perceptions about China's politics could not be shifted, officials were prompted to launch campaigns to promote the nation with mega events, such as the 2008 Olympics, and the media to disperse fears about China's development. But analysts say the public relations campaign will not significantly change overseas audiences' perceptions about China." Image from

Rare score for Taiwan as local star wins LPGA tournament – at home ‎- Ralph Jennings, Christian Science Monitor: [T]his Sunday something changed for Taiwan and brought it a step closer to international sports legitimacy: It got both its superstar and its event as Yani Tseng won the first-ever Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tournament on her home turf. ... The

diplomatic impact wasn’t lost on the winner, who was once known for turning down sponsors from China. She announced on Sunday that she would donate a third of her $300,000 tournament prize to a Taiwanese golf association for training. 'To leave the top prize in Taiwan won’t disappoint me or the people,' she said. 'It’s public diplomacy. It’s letting Taiwan step into the world, which is not easy to do.'” Tseng image from article

Who's got the X-Factor on the Global Stage? - Indra Adnan, Huffington Post: "The British Council often refers to the different forms and styles of governmental influence as being on a continuum, with simple public relations (broadcasting the good stuff about your country) at one end, and cultural diplomacy (influencing opinion about your country through arts and civics) at the other. The first is

unsubtle and transactional, with clear objectives and goals; the second is infinitely subtle, offering no control over outcomes ... In between lies traditional diplomacy (a communication network between politicians and civil servants) and public diplomacy (similar, but between the government and the public, as exemplified by the rise of social media). In relation to these distinctions, no one is really sure whether soft power is a broad term covering everything that is not hard power (that is, the use of force). Or is it in a distinct category of its own, shifting variously between public and cultural diplomacy?" Adnan image from

Strategic Communication for National Security - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "I mentioned that I was reading the Chatham House Report on Strategic Communication and National Security. I don’t seem to be making progress with the big post I was writing so I’ve decided to split it up. I’ve commented before that I think that the SC concept is expanding its reach in unhelpful ways. The Chatham House report argues that public diplomacy and domestic government communications organizations should be subordinated to a national strategic communication strategy. OK I can see the logic of this within the terms of the report but I think that the report forgets that what it is really tallking about is national security strategic communication or strategic communication for national security and that this is only part of the UK communication effort. [Comment by John Brown: I was kindly invited, some time ago, by the British Embassy in Washington to a dinner at a French restaurant (yes, a French restaurant, clearly evidence that the UK does intend to be 'European') in DC’s Georgetown in honor of the FCO’s 'strategic communications' director. At the conclusion of this very pleasant occasion grateful guests were asked what they thought of 'strategic communications.' I had only drunk one glass of red wine,

but I uttered, as diplomatically as I could, the following: 'Strategic communications is an offense against the English language.' I must confess that, today, it would be hard for me to amend this statement." Image from

Palestinians to embark in nation branding too - docstalk.blogspot.com: "Palestine might not be a country yet, but it’s a nation to most people –which qualifies them to rightfully do some nation branding.

And as it turns out by this story on the Financial Times, they’ve just started to create a brand-new Palestinian Institute for Public Diplomacy, which will be charged with Palestine’s nation branding efforts." Image from article

Korean lady won International Violin Competition - coastalasiaunrevealed.blogspot.com: "Soyoung Yoon received 30 thousand € as a main prize in 14th International Henryk Wieniawski

Violin Competition. ... Congratulations to the beautiful Korean lady :) Sidenote: this is a perfect example of public diplomacy, neglected by professional diplomats for centuries and successfully done by world class artists." Yoon image from article

Dancing With Warriors: A Diplomatic Memoir By Philip Flood Australian Scholarly Publishing | $39.95 - Geoffrey Barker, inside.org.au: "Philip Flood will always be a company man. One of Australia’s most distinguished former diplomats and public servants, he remains on his best diplomatic behaviour throughout this nevertheless at times surprisingly revealing memoir. Flood, a former secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, was a capable and successful diplomat and public servant for more than fifty years.

He was intelligent, hard-working, cautious and possessed of a steely determination as he pursued Australian foreign policy objectives in postings that included the United States, Indonesia, France and Britain and ran overseas aid and intelligence bureaucracies. ... In places Flood’s memoir reads like an exercise in public diplomacy. It is inevitably a view from the top. He is an optimist, discreet, urbane, quick to praise, slow to criticise, always preferring to stress positives and to play down negatives, to seek out compromise, to avoid deadlock." Image from article, with caption:  Philip Flood casts his vote in the 1998 Australian elections at Australia House, London, when he was high commissioner to the United Kingdom."

Corporate Diplomacy — AishMGhrana, aishmghrana.wordpress.com: "International relation not only affect governments but public at large. In globalised world, international relations have been reached to our neighborhood tea stall or grocery shop. We judge a nation by product, we buy. We may not know, where Finland is in world map, but we know Nokia in our hand. We will surely judge Finland by Nokia. This is a public diplomacy. The ever expanding flow of commercial products and services across borders has important implications for public diplomacy. Despite the escalation of transnational corporations, high profile brand names are closely connected with their countries of origin. Coca Cola, Nike and McDonald’s are inextricably tied with the United States. The same associations are true for Ikea with Scandanavia, Nokia with Finland, Sony with Japan, and Nestle with Switzerland. ... Corporate diplomacy is crucial to the credibility of a company in explaining, positioning and carrying out its business, especially in these times when the image of a nation abroad is not bright."

Glocalization on TV - IC therefore IM: Group 2's blog for SIS 640 at American University: "In my travels, I have seen Gilmore Girls in Italian and French, Jerry Springer in Japanese (talk about bad public diplomacy!), and

Sabrina the Teenage Witch in about five languages. Even in France, a supposed cultural mecca, some of the most popular shows are dubbed versions of CSI, Grey’s Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother, and The Simpsons. While watching TV shows dubbed into other languages is endlessly entertaining for me, research has shown that audiences prefer media products that are culturally proximate (meaning they somewhat reflect their own culture)." Image from article, with caption: The Desperate housewives of Latin America

Senior Political Officer - Phnom Penh Post: "Job summary Organization: The British Embassy ... This is an important and high profile role within the Embassy. The officer will provide the Embassy lead on analysis and reporting of political developments within Cambodia, as well as Cambodia’s relations with its ASEAN partners.

In addition, the officer will supervise the Embassy’s public diplomacy and programme work, ensuring that these areas of work are in step with the Embassy’s wider policy objectives."

Campus Calendar: Oct. 25 - dailytrojan.com: "International Human Rights and Public Diplomacy USC Center on Public Diplomacy 12:00pm to 1:30am University Park Campus Social Sciences Building B40 Free RSVP The USC Center on Public Diplomacy is pleased to host Bernard Duhaime, the incoming Canada-U.S. Fulbright Visiting Research Chair in Public Diplomacy."

Hilary Hartman, Benjamin Mossberg - nytimes.com: "Hilary Elizabeth Hartman, a daughter of Karen and Jack Hartman of Rome, is to be married Sunday evening to Benjamin David Mossberg, a son of Marjorie Golden-Mossberg and Sheldon Mossberg of Columbia, Conn. Rabbi David Shneyer is to officiate at the Briar Patch Bed and Breakfast in Middleburg, Va. Mrs. Mossberg, 27, is a research analyst in the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence at the Treasury Department in Washington. From 2005 to 2006, the bride was a Peace Corps volunteer in Jordan, working in community development. She graduated from Georgetown and received a master’s degree in international relations from the United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya. The bride’s father retired as the senior associate vice president of research at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington. Her mother is a United States Foreign Service officer at the American Embassy in Rome, specializing in public diplomacy and new media technologies."

A Career in Government: Can You Achieve Work/Life Satisfaction? - community.scrippscollege.edu: "Aleta Wenger: Aleta was an Assistant Secretary of the University at Yale University with responsibility for strategic planning and outreach in the Middle East and Africa. Before her recent positions in higher education, Ms. Wenger was a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State, retiring at the end of 2005 with 25 years of U.S. government experience. Her government career

includes diplomatic assignments in U.S. Embassies in Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Qatar, and Bahrain, and in Washington, D.C. She was the Chief of the Public Diplomacy Sections and the U.S. Embassy’s spokesperson in Qatar and Bahrain from 1999-2005." Image from

College Welcomes Two New Members to Board - chestertownspy.com: "Washington College has announced the appointment of two new members of its Board of Governors and Visitors and the re-election of five members to new terms. ... Mike Holtzman is one of the most honored and sought-after communications strategists in the world, and his clients include high-level international political and business figures and many prominent non-governmental organizations. Named 'PR Person of the Year' by PR Week Magazine, he managed the successful global campaign on behalf of China’s bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games. Now President and Partner of Brown Lloyd James, a boutique international firm specializing in public diplomacy he led the firm’s work on behalf of Qatar’s winning bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as well as a campaign on behalf of Iraqi Governing Council member Ayad Allawi, who went on to become Iraq’s first post-Saddam Prime Minister. ... During the Clinton Administration, he worked in the Executive Office of the President as Special Advisor for Public Affairs to United States Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky. He was Director of Public Affairs to the Council on Foreign Relations from 1996-1998."

The Heritage Foundation - dagobertobellucci.wordpress.com: "Richard M. Scaife Heritage Trustee Since 1985, Vice Chairman Publisher and Owner, Tribune-Review Publishing Co., Inc., Greensburg, Pennsylvania. ... During the Reagan and Bush administrations, Scaife served as a presidentially appointed member of the U.S. Advisory Commission for Public Diplomacy, which oversees the U.S. Information Agency."

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Sports/Public Diplomacy: From a must-read book pertaining to the subject From Peter Van Buren's book: "We Meant Well: How I helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People" (2011), pp. 156-157 (footnotes not cited in this entry)- John Brown, Notes and Essays: "At one point the official [US Badghad Embassy] Web site featured photos of young Iraqis receiving a donation of Major League Baseball equipment on the turf. The event was a special program the Ambassador was personally involved with, because he believed in 'sports diplomacy.' Once he invited Iraq’s only baseball team to his residence for some drills. He wore a replica of a Japanese-born Major League star’s jersey, making the point that baseball, although invented in America, was an international sport (which is why the World The Embassy Lawn, Where the Grass Is Always Greener Series includes only American teams and potentially a Canadian one). 'Baseball is like democracy,' he liked to say, 'you cannot impose it. People should learn it and accept it.' A previous sports diplomacy program donated hundreds of soccer balls to Iraq, each colorfully decorated with flags of the world. No one would play with the balls, because they included the flag of Saudi Arabia, which has a Koranic verse on it, and you cannot put your foot to a Koranic verse. Luckily, the balls were made in China, where they already knew not to include the Israeli flag, as it would have been awkward if we’d had to ask."

Tribute to Daniel Pearl: Americana at its best - Rayan Khan, tribune.com.pk: "As part of a two-day memorial concert — hosted by the American embassy in partnership with the Pakistan Council of the Arts (PNCA) — American country singer Mary McBride’s clear, resonant vocals paid tribute to late American journalist Daniel Pearl. According to US Ambassador Cameron Munter, Pearl was a classically

trained musician, 'a devotee of bluegrass; he played the flute.' McBride’s uplifting and distinctive ‘Americana’ style — a union of bluegrass, country, blues, gospel and Dixie jazz — brought the best of America’s honky-tonk soul to Islamabad, engaging in much-needed cross-cultural dialogue." Image from article, with caption: American country singer Mary McBride performed in Islamabad as part of promoting cultural diplomacy between the two countries."

Brooklyn Artist Among Those Chosen for International Project - Carol Vogel, New York Times: "When the Brooklyn artist Kabir Carter goes to Istanbul next week he will be the first of 15 American artists chosen by the Bronx Museum of the Arts as part of a collaboration with the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to bring art projects to 15 foreign countries. The initiative, known as smART Power, is part a $1 million program announced last year to expand cultural diplomacy around the world. When the Bronx Museum put out an open call for proposals earlier this year it got 900 applicants, from which they chose a mix of 15 emerging and established artists. They will travel to all parts of the globe, including China, Ecuador, Egypt, Ghana, India, Kenya, Kosovo, Lebanon, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Turkey and Venezuela, where they will work with local arts groups and artists to develop community-based projects. When Mr. Carter arrives in Istanbul he will lead a series of workshops with members of the local community to gather and preserve their oral histories. He will also produce sound installations and encourage people to document their daily lives."

Kal Penn's Excellent Adventure‎ - Newsweek "In the 2008 presidential race, plenty of Hollywood A-listers lent their names to Barack Obama’s election effort—Scarlett Johansson, Robert De Niro, and Jay-Z, to name just a few. But

no one took devotion as far as actor Kal Penn, who is best known for starring as a pothead in the Harold and Kumar franchise. ... Long fascinated by cultural diplomacy—in college at UCLA, he studied President Reagan’s use of the tactic during the Cold War—he’s developing a pilot for a sitcom set at the United Nations. And he has already signed up to return to the campaign trail for Obama’s reelection in 2012. As an actor, Penn knows a thing or two about selling sequels. Image from article, with caption: Kal Penn and President Barack Obama

Illumination Fund Gallery Shows Israeli “Community” Images‎ - Algemeiner: "The Illumination Fund, a New York City based foundation, 'plays an engaged and active role in supporting organizations and leaders who have a positive impact and lasting effect on well-being and community life' [Wall Street Journal]. Much of its work focuses on the communities of New York City; the current exhibit, however, focuses on two of Israel’s communities, seen through the work of Israeli photographers Assaf Evron and Oded Hirsch. ... The exhibit is a collaboration between the Illumination Fund

and Artis, an independent nonprofit that 'promotes and supports the Israeli contemporary art community' internationally. Founded in 2004 and based in New York and Los Angeles, its purpose is to 'support exceptionally good Israeli artists and to create opportunities for their exposure abroad.' The organization supports the concept of 'Israeli cultural diplomacy' and promotes 'cultural missions and hospitality for professional visitors' to art-related events in Israel." Image from article, with caption: Illumination Fund Director Laurie Tisch welcomed viewers to the Evron-Hirsch exhibit at the 56th Street Gallery.

A new campaign of culture ‎- Rebecca Torr, Gulf Daily News: "Pakistani diplomats in Bahrain are launching a campaign of culture in an attempt to give their country an image makeover. It is part of a concerted effort to improve Pakistan's image abroad, which has been tarnished by terrorism, instability and natural disasters. A new initiative that intends to change the way people think about the country through art, sports, poetry, fashion and theatre is now being rolled out in Bahrain by the Pakistani Embassy. Pakistani Ambassador Jauhar Saleem, said the international media's coverage of events in Pakistan hadn't helped its image overseas. 'We are facing terrorism, floods, natural calamities and economic challenges, but we have so much potential,' he told the GDN yesterday.'"But the international media doesn't cover that, they mostly focus on the negative side. 'People today everywhere don't know the soft side of my country, its beautiful traditions and culture. Pakistan is most prominent in the field of fashion, for instance. I want to introduce the image of Pakistan in a balanced way and that's why cultural diplomacy is so important. If your image of the country is lopsided, people won't want to do business and it won't enhance political co-operation.'"

New deputy minister to take culture 'out of the greenhouse' - Jakarta Post: "Indonesia’s cultural heritage may be eventually lost in the mists of time as the newly inaugurated deputy education and culture minister for cultural affairs, Wiendu Nuryanti, intends to focus on its economic aspects to benefit citizens. 'Culture must not be static or rigid. It shouldn’t be kept in a greenhouse to be looked at. We must conserve culture yet at the same time create innovations so that it will benefit people economically and socially,' she told The Jakarta Post. ... Wiendu, who has a doctorate in tourism planning and regional development, said that the ministry, along with different stakeholders such as sociologists and artists, would soon prepare a blueprint for cultural development comprising five principles, namely character building; history, heritage and cultural innovation; cultural diplomacy; human resources and institutional building on culture; and cultural infrastructure."

The European African Alliance Conference 2012 - Blacknet: "The 'European African Alliance Conference 2012' is the first of several conferences held by the Institute for Cultural Diplomacy relating to Africa. This conference will focus on the relationship between Europe and Africa in the context of development, trade, security and cultural exchange with the view to explore and evaluate Africa’s role in the field of Cultural Diplomacy." Image from article, with caption: A contemplative Oded Hirsch discussed the development of his kibbutz centered images.

850000 go to Rugby World Cup Fanzones - Imogen Crispe, New Zealand Herald: "Entertainment off the rugby field has proved almost as successful as on the park during the Rugby World Cup. More than 888,000 people have been to Auckland fanzones, run by thousands of volunteers, workers and entertainers. Until Tuesday, 828,889 people had visited the Queens Wharf and Captain Cook Wharf fanzones. A further 59,000 have been to the Henderson, Albany and Mangere fanzones. By yesterday, more than 88,000 people had walked the Fan Trail.

The events on at the fanzones were organised by Real New Zealand, which was funded by many different sources including a Government allocated $9.5 million lotteries fund and the Ministry of Culture and Heritage's Cultural Diplomacy International Programme, which usually funded overseas projects." Image from article, with caption: The Cloud is a popular venue for Rugby World Cup fans.

Evening showcases importance of performing arts in peacebuilding - Julianna Ko, Tufts Daily: "Artists, peacebuilders, students and educators gathered last night in Distler Performance Hall for the Boston premiere of 'Acting Together on the World Stage,' a documentary about artistic groups around the world who use creativity in the performing arts to address conflict resolution. ... Following the film screening, a panel discussion of leading experts and activists in the field discussed the meaning of cultural diplomacy."

RELATED ITEMS

U.S. ambassador leaves Syria after 'credible threats' to safety - Paul Richter, latimes.com: The Obama administration has temporarily removed its ambassador to Syria, who has drawn worldwide attention to the regime’s harsh domestic crackdown,

citing "credible threats against his personal safety." Ambassador Robert S. Ford departed over the weekend, U.S. officials said Monday, adding that he would not return to Damascus until the security situation improves. Image from article, with caption: U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford covers his nose during a visit with other foreign diplomats to a mass grave in northern Syria on June 20.

Editorial: After 9 years, time for troops to leave Iraq - USA Today: It's time for the troops to come home.

Joe Lieberman: Reopen talks to keep U.S. force in Iraq - USA Today: The Obama administration could still restart its efforts to reach agreement with the Iraqis to allow a small U.S. force to remain.

What’s next for Libya? Paul Bremer says to remember post-Saddam Iraq - washingtonpost.com: Though our government has decades of experience in post-conflict reconstruction, an alphabet soup of nongovernmental organizations should also be encouraged to step forward to help the Libyans reclaim their country.

American imperialism? Please: The upside to the U.S. leaving Iraq is that it should quell the nonsensical talk about empire-building - Jonah Goldberg, latimes.com: Obama's decision to leave Iraq should deal a staggering blow to America's critics at home and abroad. After all, what kind of empire does this sort of thing? Image from article, with caption: U.S. Marine patrols a wheat field in Nasiriyah.

President Obama said in a Oct. 21 White House briefing that all U.S. troops would be brought home by the end of the year. Image from article

For the U.S., a forced withdrawal from UNESCO: If the organization accepts Palestine as a member, the U.S. will have to resign - Timothy E. Wirth, latimes.com: The Palestinian bid for statehood recognition by the United Nations is almost certain to be rejected if it is taken up by the Security Council. But as early as this week, the governing assembly of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization could grant the Palestinians membership in that organization. If this happens, as is widely expected, the United States would have to resign from UNESCO because of a 20-year-old law forbidding the payment of dues by the U.S. to any U.N. body that accepts Palestine as a member.

Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communications and Eton Institute to Host Subsidised Arabic Courses - theopenpress.com: In a bid to promote integration and further strengthen ties between expatriate and local communities, the Sharjah Centre for Cultural Communication (SCCC) in association with Eton Institute, the largest language institute in the UAE, will be offering highly subsidised Arabic language courses for the public. The language course, subsidised by over 50%, will encourage the public to learn Arabic while providing a deeper cultural understanding through a visit to a cultural site such as the famous Al Noor Mosque. Via

Zombie Propaganda Posters - rationalcrank.blogspot.com: "In film school, I was taught that the mindless zombies in George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, were a metaphor for the unthinking fear mongers that arose during the McCarthy era. The insatiable hordes in Dawn of the Dead represented the unrestrained consumerism of western society. Zombies can be Communists, Capitalists or post colonialists.

Even the choice made by the common working man, to lead a monotonous and uninspired life, can be brain food for a zombie movie (or is Shawn of the Dead just a harmless parody?) I think zombies are all things, to all people. So to continue the tradition, here are some zombie propaganda posters I put together for you. Happy Halloween." Image from article