February 11

"[I]t was soft and friendly. I immediately realized that it was the Voice of America."

--Epoch Times Staff member Heng He, recalling listening to the radio in 1969 when, "like millions of middle and high school students across China, I was sent to the countryside"; via; image from

VIDEOS

(a) Insubordination or Free Speech? You Decide

(b) Act of Valor (trailer, and questions of propaganda) - Flick Filosopher

(c) WW2 Propaganda Against Adolf Hitler The Real Dad's Army

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The State Department Staff at the Baghdad Embassy is Embarrassing Itself - Jeff Emanuel, redstate.com: "So the wizards at State has suddenly realized that constructing a 104-acre, $750,000,000.00 embassy complex and building up the embassy staff to 16,000 people (including 2,000 diplomats and several times more contractors), without running either by the Iraqis first, 'may have been ill advised.' [Comment by] Consul_At_Arms ... Embassies are the U.S. government representation in a foreign country. They house not only an

ambassador and various State Dept. functions (consular, management, political, economic, and public diplomacy) and the activities (communication, security, etc.) necessary to support them, but various 'tenant agencies' housed along with them. Overseas, those range from the routine (IRS, FAA, GSA, military attaches and liaison/assistance officers) to the exotic (DEA, Marshal Service, Library of Congress). Much of the Baghdad mission is likely (I have no personal knowledge of this) engaged in various USAID and other development/reconstruction activities with the Iraqis." Image from, with caption: Jan. 5 [2009]: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, right, and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani look on during a ceremony marking the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Reader Mail -- UNESCO: Love It and Don't Leave It - American Spectator: Nigel M. de S. Cameron, Chair, Social and Human Sciences Committee, U.S. National Commission for UNESCO: "The nation state is the currency of 21st century diplomacy, and the UN system has been designed around it. We have taken the view that for the security interests of the United States to be addressed influence needs to be exercised in fora of different kinds.

Consistently high levels of public distrust in the United States in the non-western world (and, face it, to a lesser degree in the western) demonstrate a problematic substrate that will not be addressed by our adding another carrier group, but by soft power, public diplomacy, exactly the opportunities afforded by UNESCO. In the nature of the case, these are fora that we do not dominate and in which we gain credibility by working with others and seeking consensus, which is in general the UNESCO modus operandi." Image from article

Veteran US Diplomat Questions Syria Storyline - Sharmine Narwani, coldwarfare.org: "Efforts to undermine Bashar Assad’s government were a longstanding policy objective, even in the years before popular revolts hit the wider Middle East in 2011. WikiLeaks has revealed a veritable goldmine of information about Washington’s interventions in Syria, which include direct US financial assistance to opposition groups. ... How will the US achieve this? The [leaked 2006] cable lists a whole host of Syrian vulnerabilities to be exploited, and then recommends: 'These proposals will need to be fleshed out and converted into real actions and we need to be ready to move quickly to take advantage of such opportunities. Many of our suggestions underline using Public Diplomacy and more indirect means to send messages that influence the inner circle.' Public Diplomacy, in effect, means propaganda. ... The internet, ... is a natural playground for the dissemination of disinformation. Its vast reach across the globe, its millions of blogs with varying credibility – these lend themselves well to the

game of public diplomacy." Image from; on 2006 leaked cable, see also.

US announces Films for 2012 American Film Showcase - newspakistan.pk: "The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) announced yesterday the 29 films selected for the American Film Showcase, an international cultural diplomacy initiative that brings people together worldwide through film.

The Showcase, a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, brings award-winning American films, including documentaries, feature films and animated shorts, to foreign audiences through events worldwide. Filmmakers and film experts will discuss the films and conduct workshops and master classes on a variety of issues related to filmmaking and film scholarship. The American Film Showcase builds on Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s vision of 'smart power diplomacy,' which embraces the use of a full range of diplomatic tools – in this case film – to bring people together and foster greater understanding." Image from

OMG! Boogers and Public Diplomacy [includes video] - Steven R. Corman, COMOPS Journal: "I pass on, for your viewing enjoyment, a segment from the PBS Newshour about a perky, Chinese speaking, twenty-something Voice of America employee named Jessica Beinecke. She is becoming something of a sensation in China by teaching American slang to people there via internet video.

Her program, called OMG! Meiyu, uses social media not only to distribute her shows, but to get viewers involved in selection of the slang to be covered in upcoming segments. It’s a great example of how technology changes not only what we think of as public diplomacy, but innovative ways in which it can be delivered." Image from

Would Navalny visit Voice of America? Follow up to Washington Times op-ed - "[From an email by Ted Lipien sent to Lynne Weil, new Director of Communications and External Affairs of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)] Dear Lynne, I saw your letter to The Washington Times ... I will post the attached response. It is lengthy because I quote extensively from the BBG evaluation of the VOA Russian website. I don’t mind criticism, I engage in it myself, but I must say that the various accusations against my journalism, especially in the 'VOA Public Relations' comment, are extremely lame, less in your response, although you do accuse me of crimes I never committed. ... I ... object very strongly to those who want to eliminate VOA broadcasting, deny its special role, privatize it, staff it with contract employees and exploit them shamelessly. Claims that you can’t have a great website and radio and satellite TV

at the same time are silly. New media is practically free. ... Contrary to what 'VOA Public Relations' said, you have an enormous problem with the VOA Russian team and its website and with your credibility in Russia, not so much because of the Navalny incident, but because of the 'pro-Putin bias' produced by the staffing policy of BBG executives and program advisors. Navalny, like Lech Walesa and Waclav Havel, may be some day President of his country. Do you think, he will want to talk to VOA or talk about VOA if he reads 'VOA Public Relations' response, much less to visit VOA as Havel did as President. I don’t think so. These top IBB guys who wrote this have no idea what harm they are doing. Best, Ted [.]" Weil image from article

Calling on the BBG to Affirm The Primacy of Good Journalism - Alex Belida, MountainRunner: "Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) will hold a special telephonic meeting tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 11) to decide on an interim successor to Walter Isaacson to act as 'Presiding Governor' of the Agency. ... Isaacson’s departure was considered a major loss as he was the only Governor to speak out consistently on the importance of good journalism in U.S. International Broadcasting. It is incumbent upon the remaining Board members that they use the opportunity of selecting an interim successor to endorse Isaacson’s words on the primacy of good journalism in carrying out the Board’s duties."

Where do we go from here? The troubled future of the BBG - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "The sudden resignation of Walter Isaacson as Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors will further paralyze an already dysfunctional organization in desperate need of restructuring to move beyond yesterday and meet the requirements of today and tomorrow.

This comes at a critical time when the BBG is attempting to complete and gain support for a new strategic plan. ... A vigorous and informed, not more emotional, discussion is necessary on both the future of the U.S. International Broadcasting and the structure and purpose of the BBG. All, including members of the BBG, admit the current structure does not work." Image from

VOA Chinese in the news: reported sweatshop, alleged fabrication, suspected defection, and illegal listening - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

International Broadcasting to Cuba in the news - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Chinese international broadcasting emulates USIB with competing brands, and brands within brands - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

VOL. VIII NO. 3 January 27-February 09, 2012 - The Layalina Review on Public Diplomacy and Arab Media

Performance and image abroad - Inayatullah, nation.com.pk: "It is interesting that the Federal Information Minister, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, has come up with the 17-point Pakistan’s true-face programme. The media and our press officials abroad would be harnessed. The programme includes an interaction with think-tanks abroad. The Information Minister is being hailed as a visionary for thinking up a great idea, which promises wonderful results. In fact, there is nothing new about such plans or programmes. It is well known that what is called ‘public diplomacy’ has been practised by many countries over the years, as a matter of routine activities abroad, including the USA and the UK. In some of my previous columns, I have been pressing the need for launching public diplomacy initiatives to educate the media and think-tank influentials.

It is well understood that our Embassies abroad have severe limitations in undertaking such subtle tasks because of a host of procedural and protocol constraints. Even an ultra-active Ambassador is not in a position to discharge such functions. The media - print and electronic, especially the latter - plays an enormous role in shaping ideas and opinion, which ultimately percolate to leading members of the House of Representatives and the Senate in the US and MPs in the UK. ... I recall talking to a former Pakistani Foreign Minister about setting up a public diplomacy unit in the Foreign Office. But he showed little interest in the proposal. Later when I talked to the Foreign Secretary, he responded positively to the idea, but said there was no budget for such activity. To ensure that this True-Face-of-Pakistan campaign achieves some results, the rulers of the day have first to come clean about the state of affairs in this country. What kind of image Pakistan has today, abroad? Can we deny that Pakistan presently is widely known as the centre of terrorism, and that Pakistani armed forces have been fighting terrorist groups for the last many years?" Image from

Japan Goes On a Soft Power Offensive With Wooden Keyboards and Hello Kitty Teacups - Japan, the purveyor of technology that gave us Toyota, Nikon, and Playstation, arguably has its best days behind it. ... What's Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's (METI), then, come up with as a solution? Jumpstarting international interest in its other endeavors, of course — fashion, design, anime. And to put a little umph in its appeal, they named their latest campaign Cool Japan. [Japanese fashion journalist Yoshiko] Ikoma

is currently the producer of 'Future Tradition WAO,' a Cool Japan traveling exhibition of contemporary design aesthetics formed with Japanese traditional craftsmanship debuting stateside in New York this weekend. The combination of 'wa,' Japan, and 'o,' birth, WAO stands for the rebirth of Japan (while simultaneously letting out a sound of awe). It fuses ancient traditions with new technology, familiar shapes with foreign designers. Featuring a crystal Baccarat bowl created for tea ceremonies, cypress trays accented by neon plastic lids, keyboards crafted from walnut and oak, and lacquered USB drives adorned with Japanese cultural symbols in gold leaf, the show is a demonstration of the Japan’s duality — a deeply traditional culture rooted in meticulous, time-perfected craftsmanship with an inventive and innovative eye towards the future." Image from article

Complaint about the public diplomacy spots on an international news channel - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "CNN International is a news channel, not a conveyor of public diplomacy. It receives no monet from the US Government. To earn revenue, however, CNN International sells advertising time.

Much of that time is sold to countries, which use the 60-secod spots to promote trade, tourism, investment, or just the country in general. Are CNN and other international news channels that sell ads agnostic in their sales? Will they sell time to anyone, including, say the Assad regime, or North Korea? Will they accept ads that take a position on a contentious international issue, such as Jerusalem or the Iranian nuclear program?" Image from

Carolina Friends of the Foreign Service: "The purpose of the organization is to promote a better understanding of foreign policy-related issues among its members through periodic meetings and social events. Membership consists of present or former foreign service employees, military, and other US Government civil servants, former employees of private companies who have worked overseas and others interested in foreign affairs and/or public diplomacy."

RELATED ITEMS

The neocons’ big Iran lie: The right-wing hawks who thought Iraq would be a cakewalk think it'd be easy to attack Iran. Real soldiers say no - Matt Duss, Salon: The latest upsurge in calls for military action against Iran began with a piece in Foreign Affairs by Matthew Kroenig, a former analyst at the Pentagon and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, titled “Time to Attack Iran.”

Regardless of its weaknesses, Kroenig’s piece opened the floodgates to calls for military action against Iran. Indeed, in a great demonstration of the Overton Window theory, many advocates of war have suggested that Kroenig did not go far enough, and that we should not settle for less than the end of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But when the overwhelming consensus among those in the business of war is that such action would have hugely negative consequences, that should tell us something. Via LB. Image from, with caption: cakewalk flyer

PROPAGANDA ALERT: Iran to make major nuclear announcement within days, Ahmadinejad says: [Consider the source, FOX News] - qwstnevrythg.com: TEHRAN – Iran will soon unveil “big new” nuclear achievements, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Saturday while reiterating Tehran’s readiness to revive talks with the West over the country’s controversial nuclear program. Ahmadinejad spoke at a rally in Tehran as tens of thousands of Iranians marked the 33rd anniversary of the Islamic Revolution that toppled the pro-Western monarchy and brought Islamic clerics to power.

Bombers strike Syrian city of Aleppo as offensive continues in Homs - Karen DeYoung and Liz Sly, Washington Post: The Obama administration and its allies see few, if any, viable options to end the carnage in Syria as President Bashar al-Assad’s forces continue their offensive against the opposition to his rule in what has become the uprising’s most violent month.

For the moment, the continuation and expansion of the Arab League monitoring mission on the ground in Syria offers the only possibility to directly affect the violence, administration officials said. On Friday, the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford, posted on the Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Damascus satellite images showing what he said were Syrian troops firing mortar and artillery shells at residential neighborhoods in several cities. Image from article.

Can we help Syria without making things worse? - Daniel Byman, Washington Post: As recent U.S. interventions have shown, the United States can be moved to help and advance freedom and its interests in the Middle East — but it can also make things worse or trip over unanticipated consequences. This knowledge should not be an excuse for standing by while Assad slaughters his people, but it should shape how the world responds. The United States and its allies need to build the Syrian opposition into a coherent, representative and legitimate body. A stronger opposition makes it more likely that Assad will fall and puts the United States and its allies — and Syria — in a better position should he do so. Building the opposition may be more important for Syria’s future and U.S. interests than a single-minded focus on removing Assad, who in the end is only a dishonest and brutal leader of an illegitimate and brutal regime. The movement needs to be united. As its ranks come together, the United States should work with its allies to arm and train them.

Syria: Video, spin and propaganda: As fighting between the Syrian army and anti-government protesters intensifies, so has the information war - aljazeera.com: The media blackout imposed by Bashar al-Assad's government has meant that global news outlets are still relying heavily on social media activists for information - activists who are hardly impartial. Now, one of the country's leading opposition factions - the Free Syrian Army (FSA) - is stepping up its media fight. The FSA

is made up of rebel officers who defected from the Syrian army last July. As well as producing its own video content, the FSA has been smuggling foreign journalists into the country to help get its side of the story out, some of the same journalists al-Assad has accused of stirring the unrest. Image from, with caption: the Free Syrian Army logo

Syria bombings hit a city seen as key to Assad's future: Rebels and the government of President Bashar Assad trade blame for the twin bombings in Aleppo, which killed at least 28 - Patrick J. McDonnell, latimes.com: The government said the Aleppo bombings were the work of "terrorists," its customary depiction of those behind an almost yearlong national uprising that has evolved from provincial protests to widespread armed rebellion. The rebel Free Syrian Army charged that the bombings were the handiwork of a desperate regime seeking to instigate fear and divert

attention from its bloody crackdown on the besieged city of Homs, 100 miles to the south. Both sides probably have the capability to set off large car bombs. U.S. officials said Syria was a main pipeline for car bombers in neighboring Iraq during the most violent years of that country's civil war. Whoever was responsible, however, there seemed little question that the attacks constituted a propaganda coup for Assad. Image from article

Syria: insight into the conflict - Ekaterina Kudashkina, Russia Today: "Interview with Aisling Byrne – project’s coordinator with Conflicts Forum coming to us all the way from Beirut. What we are seeing in the wait of the Russian and Chinese veto at the UN, I think what is to be

expected before the veto – there would be a real push by the propaganda sides working with the Syrian opposition to show that there might have been a mass occur going to happen and it was going to be expected. And I think this is another example of actually the propaganda efforts that are put into this war in Syria." Image from article

Assad’s propaganda machine goes into overdrive: State TV claims ‘terrorist’ rebels killed children in bomb blasts… but where’s the proof? - Chris Roubis, chrisroubis.com

Al Jazeera reports Syrian satellite jamming and website hacking, while Syria accuses Al Jazeera of "media lies" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Video of Taliban soldier claiming he'd killed 12 Australians is propaganda, says Gillard - heraldsun.com.au: Prime Minister Julia Gillard has dismissed as "untrue propaganda" some claims made by the Afghan soldier who shot three Australian troops last year. In a Taliban video, Mohammed Roozi has boasted about the shooting, claiming he killed 12 Australians.

Al Qaeda: The Six Billion Dollar Ruse in the Global War on Terror, Pt 1 - By Kurt Nimmo, InfoWars.com, posted at wearechangetoronto.org: Shortly before his untimely death, former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook told the House of Commons that al-Qaeda is not a terrorist group, but rather a contrivance

based on a database of international Mujaheddin fighters used by the CIA and Saudis to funnel guerrillas, arms, and money into Soviet-occupied Afghanistan in the 1980s. “The truth is, there is no Islamic army or terrorist group called al-Qaeda,” writes Pierre-Henry Bunel, a former agent for French military intelligence. “And any informed intelligence officer knows this. But there is a propaganda campaign to make the public believe in the presence of an identified entity representing the ‘devil’ only in order to drive the ‘TV watcher’ to accept a unified international leadership for a war against terrorism. The country behind this propaganda is the US and the lobbyists for the US war on terrorism are only interested in making money.” An unbiased examination of the record uniformly ignored by the establishment media reveals that al-Qaeda served not only as a pretext to invade Afghanistan, but was also employed in a number of other intelligence operations. Image from

Egyptian activists use projectors to counter propaganda - Rebecca Collard, thenational.ae: As crowds gather outside Egypt's state television building, a group of young activists set up a projector on the pavement. From a laptop they stream images of Egyptian soldiers - chasing, beating and shooting protesters - onto the side of a nearby building. Meanwhile, a young man uses a megaphone to announce a forthcoming release: "Coming soon: a documentary about the Egyptian military's accomplishments this year - sexually assaulting women and killing demonstrators."

He spins the projector in the direction of the television building and changes the image to a single line of text that reads "Down with military rule" in Arabic, and flashes it across the concrete wall above the heads of those soldiers tasked with guarding the building. The show is one of hundreds that has been put on recently by a loosely connected group of activists who operate under the name of Kazeboon, the Arabic word for liars. The activists say the public is being lied to by the army through state television and want to bring wider exposure to violent images of protesters being attacked by the Egyptian military. Image from article

The Digital Road to Egypt’s Revolution - David Wolman, New York Times: A year after Egypt’s revolution inspired the world, we know only fragments of the story. The overthrow of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia signaled to Egyptians what might be possible; rising food prices and severe economic hardship put the population on edge; and dissidents deftly used digital technologies to build a movement. But those are conditions for insurrection, not revolution itself. Who set the pieces in place, particularly for the Jan. 25 demonstration that became an uprising, and how did they do it? This timeline highlights the groundwork in the virtual world that helped make revolution a reality.

Egypt’s Never-Ending Revolution - Steven A. Cook: Egypt’s history is not a formula for the future. Yet in order for Egyptians to avoid repeating the disastrous course of the past, they will need to find the means to prevent the military from imposing its will on society in the way that Nasser did in the 1950s.

This new psyop social media app could, over time, develop all the credibility and gravitas of Citizen's Band Radio - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Wired Danger Room, 20 Jan 2012, Noah Shachtman: 'The American intelligence and defense communities have become enthralled by the possibilities of social media. They’re looking to use the networks to forecast political unrest, spread friendly messages, spot emerging terror groups — and even predict the next natural disaster. But these efforts have generally tried to leverage existing, and already popular, civilian social networks. A new project from U.S. Special Operations Command, on the other hand, looks to create something brand new: a 'user-generated social media radio application powered by the human voice, available on the PC, Mac, Android, iPhone, and Nokia smart phones, that lets users share their thoughts and experiences.' And this voice-activated SOCOM network is being billed explicitly as a tool for 'military information support operations' -- shaping public attitudes. That’s what the Pentagon used to call

'psychological operations.' ... 'The command is investigating ideas and technologies that can replace traditional methods of information dissemination like face-to-face or handing out leaflets,' SOCOM spokesperson Col. Edward 'Tim' Nye tells Danger Room. 'We are looking at ways to get instantaneous feedback from television and radio broadcasts in a virtual world. We are looking for ways to allow audiences to comment or interact with the U.S. government in an environment that ranges from limited individual engagement to a much larger audience. We are soliciting ideas that capitalize on the innovative technologies that incorporate the newest dissemination methods through computers and smart phones.' When asked if people should trust this app, given that’s its a tool for psychological operators, Nye answered, 'That question of trust is no different for this potential dissemination method than any other dissemination method.' [Elliott comments:] But is is different. With user generated content from thousands of users, how will other users determine which users are reliable sources of information? Hence the role of the currently much maligned mass media. Over years, in fact decades, a mass communicator develops either a reputation for credibility, or a reputation for propaganda. When the need for information is acute, the audience will know where to go for information. And it probably won't be from some app that was parachuted in. As explained by Robert Hernandez, credibility is the killer app." Image from

Turning Propaganda Against Itself: See the Satirical Work of a Defected North Korean State Painter - Kyle Chayka, artinfo.com: North Korean painter Song Byeok (a pseudonym adopted for protection) was chosen to be an official propaganda artist for Kim Jong-il’s regime when he was just 24. The artist now uses his satirical work to critique the North Korean government, depicting the late Great Leader in a Marilyn Monroe-style dress or documenting the country’s harsh landscapes, while still depicting the North Korean people as strong and hopeful, if hard-pressed — effectively turning the devices of propaganda back on themselves. These outspoken paintings are possible only because of Song’s flight to South Korea. What made Song turn from a state propagandist into an escapee ex-patriate? Growing up, Song writes on his Web site, he was “brainwashed into believing tyrant Kim Jong-il loved his people.” What made him reconsider the government’s relationship

to his countrymen was the North Korean famine, which lasted through much of the 1990s and caused the death of millions of people — including Byeok’s mother, father, and sister. Image from article, with caption: Song Byeok's "A Loving Father and his Children," 2011, acrylic on hanji

Author to speak at Shrewsbury Library -Steve Levine, shrewsbury.net: John Hench will speak at the Shrewsbury Public Library about his book Books as Weapons: Propaganda, Publishing, and the Battle for Global Markets in the Era of World War II (Cornell University Press).

The book focuses upon a little-known wartime partnership between the chief US government propaganda agency and American book publishers to put carefully selected American books into the hands of European civilians right after liberation from the Nazis. The propagandists wanted to use books to help “disintoxicate” the newly freed populations from years of Nazi disinformation and to build solid relationships with them for the peace ahead. The book publishers were eager to find new markets for their books abroad by capitalizing on the extensive wartime damage done to the traditional world book trades of the British, French, and Germans. Image  from

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"[B]ad writing is inherent to the online world."

--Commentator Michael Kinsley

IMAGE

--By Thinglebead, via FW on facebook