Friday, May 10, 2013

May 10



"We have means to induce, cajole and convince without coercion and these are called diplomacy, public diplomacy, communications and (sometimes) propaganda."

--James Thomas Snyder, "An Intellectual Assault on Joseph Nye: Part One," jamesthomassnyder.com; for part Two, see; image from

VIDEOS

(a) Video: What if Gender Roles in Advertising Were Reversed? - good.is; via DM on Facebook

(b) North Korea's Latest Propaganda Video Promotes New Domestic Policy, Is Hilarious - Hunter Stuart, huffingtonpost.com. Below image from entry, with caption: A still from North Korea's latest propaganda video shows people on a waterslide. The video also features images of tanks, missiles and exploding bombs.


WEBSITE OF INTEREST


Friendly Korea, my friend's country - VANK (Voluntary Agency Network of Korea) is cyber diplomatic organization founded in Korea. VANK members are Cyber Diplomats to introduce Korea to the world and World Changers to solve global issues wisely to change the world. VANK hopes that Korea will be the hub of Asia and gateway to northeast Asia. Image from site, with caption: Great People of Korea (3)

EVENT

The American Security Project (ASP) invites you to: U.S. Cultural Diplomacy in Central Asia – Bluegrass with Della Mae 13 May 2013 from 12:30pm-1:30pm. Sign in opens at 12:00 Noon Location: 1100 New York Avenue, NW Suite 710W


Cultural diplomacy is a traditional public diplomacy method for building relationships overseas and enhancing America’s long-term national security. Join us as Della Mae discusses and plays selections from their recent 43 day American Music Abroad tour of Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, which was administered by American Voices and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Refreshments will be served between 1200- 1230 If you would like to attend this event please RSVP by clicking here. (Early response is encouraged as space is limited). Via MW; image from entry 

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Incompetence, not criminality, in Benghazi investigation - Michael Gerson, Washington Post: In some cases, the fog of war is initially thick, then dissipates. After the Sept. 11, 2012, Benghazi attacks that killed four Americans, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, the facts were initially clear. The fog was a later addition. Recent congressional testimony by Gregory Hicks, Stevens’s deputy in Libya, established one point beyond doubt: Those closest to the attacks were not confused about their nature. They were responding to a coordinated terrorist assault followed by a 'precise' mortar barrage. ... Information on the true nature of the attack had traveled the 5,000 miles to CIA headquarters and was incorporated into the agency’s initial talking points.


But somewhere in the final few miles between Langley, Foggy Bottom and the White House, the attack was called a 'demonstration' and then, according to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, the 'direct result of a heinous and offensive video.' The administration’s characterizations became more emphatic as they became less accurate. ... [T] he administration was willing to feed an image of irrational Muslim rage that did not, in fact, apply to Libya. 'The video was not an instigator of anything that was going on in Libya,' Hicks testified. 'We saw no demonstrations related to the video anywhere in Libya.' Did it serve U.S. public diplomacy to assert, as then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton did, that Libyans had joined 'the tyranny of a mob,' rather than being victimized by terrorist organizations?" Image from

Public Diplomacy’s Leadership Vacuum - Joe Johnson, Public Diplomacy Council: "Helle Dale of Heritage tipped her hat to Nicholas Cull’s presentation of his book 'Decline and Fall of the U.S. Information Agency” at our Forum on May 6 (thanks for the mention!) But her main subject was the impending departure of Under Secretary Tara Sonenshine, leaving a new gap in public diplomacy at the State Department. Dale asserts that 'rapid leadership turnover undermines strategic planning and operational effectiveness.' True to an extent, but less attention has been paid to another layer of leadership. One of Sonenshine’s lesser-known initiatives was to draw up leadership tenets for public diplomacy, with the input of career staff. She recognized that senior career officials will have a greater impact on the actual performance of public diplomacy than appointees in Washington, because they are where the activity happens. Gregory Hicks, a senior Foreign Service Officer who was DCM in Libya when a terrorist attack took the lives of four Americans, displayed key qualities of leadership in yesterday’s congressional testimony about the affair. He was honest, passionate, and non-political in his remarks. Perhaps we should take a close look at the senior leaders in public diplomacy, from the Foreign and Civil Service as well as the outstanding Locally Engaged staff overseas. Susan Johnson asserted last month that the professionals are being neglected. She wrote: 'The Foreign Service is being relegated to a secondary status: staff support to political elites who set and manage policy.' But are there career officers who, if called, are up to the challenge? I would love to read some informed opinions on that. Please comment [in comments section of entry]."

Department of State Public Schedule, May 10, 2013 - posted : "UNDER SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TARA SONENSHINE 9:00 a.m. Under Secretary Sonenshine addresses participants in Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ Professional Fellows Program, at the Department of State."

Public Diplomacy’s Impact and Prospects - Philip Seib, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The State Department’s International Information Programs (IIP) office conducts a biannual Public Diplomacy Impact study, which includes surveys and focus groups around the world. These are among the study’s findings as reported by IIP:•PD leads to positive change. ... •PD reduces anti-americanism. ... •PD increases understanding of the U.S. ... •PD improves u.s. favorability. ... •PD participants share what they learn. ... In speeches delivered since he became Secretary of State, Kerry has shown that he understands the need for foreign policy to have a strong popular base at home as well as in the countries with which the United States is working. ... Given the findings of the IIP study, he should recognize what a valuable tool


he has in the State Department’s public diplomacy work." Image from

"U.S. Public Diplomacy: A Look to the Past, a Look to the Future" - Debra Trent, Public Diplomacy Council: "[T]he Council is planning an all-day fall forum to mark USIA’s 60th anniversary, assess current U.S. PD tradecraft, and critically consider its future practice. The Public Diplomacy Alumni Association is a key co-sponsor. We will be inviting a wide variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations, including universities with MA and PhD programs in PD, as well as private sector firms and other PD 'stakeholders,' to participate with speakers and panelists. As in the subject line of this post, the forum’s working title is “U.S. Public Diplomacy: A Look to the Past, a Look to the Future.” It will take place in Washington, D.C., likely between November 1st and 15th. It will be open to the public; deliberations will be recorded and results published, following the precedent of the 2011 Fall Forum."

The Impact of Media on Foreign Policy - Iakov Frizis, e-ir.info: "After the secrecy of the Cold War era, governments felt the need to redefine the way that they practice diplomacy, due to the changing needs of the international system. These needs have steered governmental executives towards greater transparency. This can be seen in the tasks that ambassadors perform today.


Nowadays, the ambassador’s task list includes interaction with civil society and the promotion of the country’s image through media, rather than meetings behind closed doors. In fact, what we have just exhibited is conceptualized under what political scientists call 'public diplomacy'. To be more precise, R. Murrow [sic] defines public diplomacy as, 'interactions aimed not only at foreign governments but primarily with nongovernmental individuals and organizations, and often presented as a variety of private views in addition to government views' (Nye J. S., 2004, p. 107). Thus, we observe foreign governmental action influencing the domestic politics of a state through targeting directly its civil society." Image from

Arts Fuel Cambodia’s Rebirth: Lesson Lost on Governments - Cynthia Schneider, PD News–CPD Blog: “Arn Chorn-Pond -- musician, Cambodian genocide survivor, former child soldier, and founder of Cambodian Living Arts, the organization behind the Season of Cambodia -- recognized the essential role of reviving culture in rebuilding the country. In returning masters of music, dance, and puppetry to their rightful place in society, Chorn-Pond and the other co-founders of Cambodian Living Arts helped restore identity, pride, and resilience to the Cambodian people. ... The Season of Cambodia offers the vision of a creative, dynamic, country, with a distinctive past and a promising future, a country that, to quote Festival architect Phloeun Prim, ‘has made arts and culture its international signature, not just the killing fields’. That dramatic transformation should persuade both the American and Cambodian governments of the importance of supporting the cultural sector in rebuilding this and other post-conflict societies.

Reconciling Patriotism and Global Responsibility - Public Diplomacy Council: "Those of us advocating for more resources for exchanges and other kinds of cultural diplomacy need to find ways to help elected officials understand that we are not engaged in a zero sum game. The most enthusiastic Americans (often those who are American by choice rather than by birth as were many in Tuesday evening's large audience) understand the importance of constructive engagement with the rest of the world."

Broadcasting Board of Governors - Information War Lost - Dysfunctional, Defunct and Ungovernable - The Latest Numbers Game - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com: IBB [BBG’s staff at the International Broadcasting Bureau] executives have not expanded BBG’s global audience since 2008. Suddenly, they produce research showing a new audience in Latin America of 26.7 million.


But is this a new audience or just a change in audience research methodology to make IBB look good? ... The agency ... should not mislead Americans that it is doing great, just because it found a previously hidden audience in Latin America, when it fact it is 'dysfunctional' and 'defunct,' as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on the Hill before leaving her State Department post. ... That entire contingent on the Third Floor of the Cohen Building has to go. The types who have no clue about international affairs, communist propaganda, public diplomacy and public affairs have to go. Those who don’t know how to treat journalists and other employees decently have to go. It’s either that or close the place entirely. It has become offensive and odious to the American Experience." Image from entry

Every dollar that we give to VOA comes back to us with hundreds of dollars of goodwill - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com: "Congressman Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs committee and co-chair of the Albanian Issues Caucus, spoke at VOA Albanian Service’s 70th anniversary celebration in Washington on May 7th, 2013. Although targeting a small and a very receptive market, the Voice of America Albanian Service has been for many years one of world’s most successful international media outlets in terms of audience loyalty and ability to place programs on local stations due to the excellence of its staff and its broadcasts."

The Silent Ban Diplomacy - Brett Daniel Shehadey, eurasiareview.com: "UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon remains quiet in a world falling apart at the seams. He was elected for a second term of office nearly two years ago this June. Did anyone notice? ... One unfortunate feature of Ban’s particular diplomatic style is that he is unwilling to bypass UN membership and target the people of troubled member states directly for their crimes or misdeeds. In particular, he has shown great reluctance to speak out against the biggest players, no matter how outrageous their behavior. In order to repair and reform the UN and to achieve his goals, Ban believes that he must work more closely with member states and organizations than the global public at large. Former secretary-general Kofi Annan was more of a general and less of a secretary when it came to public diplomacy and social engagement. Ban is more of a secretary and less of a general. They both pushed for the same values but have completely opposite styles. The most effective may not be easy to determine. The long-term effects of each man’s tenure will not be known until sometime in the future. ... Annan’s perception of the UN was that it was a governing body and that all states should abide by the international norms, laws and treaties formed there.


Ban takes a longer view, arguing that international law and treaties are of great importance, but the institution is more a place for cooperation and consensus made up of the various states. ... Annan’s style was to speak in a soft voice with great emotion. His command of English was far superior to Ban’s. He used the tools of oration—tone, tempo, breaks, volume—much more effectively. His main goal in public statements and appearances often seemed to be to generate greater sympathy for a liberal cause over time and in appearance, less working with or for the states. ... Because Ban’s Asian-style diplomacy is aimed at building relationships and networks over time, he talks less than he mingles behind the scenes and administrates. He delegates. He travels and speaks with some frequency, but remains less visible to the public eye. Condemnation is spared only for the most heinous criminal behavior. ... For the role of UN secretary-general, image and perception are more critical than Ban realizes. Moral legitimacy goes a long way in preventing and mitigating armed conflict—as does one’s ability to lead with strength. Without an army, Ban has little to bargain with behind closed doors. Annan’s style seems more adept, and his style was more in tune with the way the world perceives the job." Image from

Lapid has figured out where the money is - Mati Tuchfeld, israelhayom.com: "It is okay to say that Finance Minister Yair Lapid has good intentions. More than a year has passed since he quit his job as the anchorman of the Channel 2 news magazine and began traveling the country from end to end, carrying the flag of the middle class, vowing to do everything to protect the middle class . ... There is one point that Lapid did insist on, even before he became finance minister: Reducing the number of cabinet ministers. Lapid did that, but a closer look will reveal that on this point, too, he didn't exactly live up to his word. The party platform states that 'Yesh Atid will take action to terminate, among others, the Strategic Affairs Ministry, the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry (which he set out to incorporate into the Foreign Ministry's public diplomacy department), the Negev and Galilee Development Ministry, the Senior Citizens Ministry, the Regional Cooperation Ministry, the Science and Technology Ministry and others.' In practice, Lapid did not demand the closure of any of these ministries, and indeed, none of them has been closed."

Lessons from Ladakh standoff - Arvind Gupta, newindianexpress.com: "(Comments 2): ... MEA has a division called the Public Diplomacy Division. It is not enough to have such new divisions in name. There is need for a fuller dissemination of information to the public by both the foreign and the defence ministries. ... Posted by s subramanyan."

Downloads Public Diplomacy and Soft Power in East Asia (Global Public Diplomacy) - yupdmyqp.typepad.com. Image from entry


RELATED ITEMS

American held in N. Korea accused of smuggling propaganda - AP, USA Today: North Korea delivered its most in-depth account yet of the case against a Korean-American sentenced to 15 years' hard labor, accusing him late Thursday of smuggling in inflammatory literature and trying to establish a base for anti-Pyongyang activities at a border city hotel. The North's statement said Bae gave anti-Pyongyang lectures in China and "infiltrated" about 250 students into the city of Rason, a special economic zone in North Korea's far northeastern region bordering China and Russia. It didn't elaborate on the students' activities, however.

Did a Female North Korean Traffic Cop Save Kim Jong-un from Assassination? - Alexander Abad-Santos, theatlanticwire.com: When you win North Korea's "Hero of the Republic" award, you've probably helped the entire state during wartime, or helped it conduct a nuclear test, or satisfied the Supreme Leader in some major way. This week, an emotional young female traffic officer named Ri-Kyong Sim


was honored at a military ceremony with the North Korean equivalent of the Medal of Valor — for what, nobody on the outside is exactly sure, but the best guess is that she may have inadvertently saved Kim Jong-un's life. Image from entry

AMERICANA


From: Infographic: Is Your State's Highest-Paid Employee A Coach? (Probably) - Reuben Fischer-Baum, deadspin.com: You may have heard that the highest-paid employee in each state is usually the football coach at the largest state school. This is actually a gross mischaracterization: Sometimes it is the basketball coach. Based on data drawn from media reports and state salary databases, the ranks of the highest-paid active public employees include 27 football coaches, 13 basketball coaches, one hockey coach, and 10 dorks who aren't even in charge of a team. So are my hard-earned tax dollars paying these coaches? Probably not. The bulk of this coaching money—especially at the big football schools—is paid out of the revenue that the teams generate. Via SP on Facebook

Sorry, College Grads, I Probably Won't Hire You: If you're at all interested in media, technology or related fields, please learn a little computer programming - Kirk McDonald, Wall Street Journal: If you grew up and went to school in the United States, you were educated in a system that has eight times as many high-school football teams as high schools that teach advanced placement computer-science classes.

MORE AMERICANA


Can you top this? The case of the $100 hamburger - Russ Parsons, Los Angeles Times: There is something about hamburgers that seems to inevitably lead to excess. And May being National Hamburger Month (wait, you hadn’t heard?), we’re seeing it in spades. The most recent exhibit is this $100 hamburger from an Atlantic City casino. Image from entry

EUROPEANA

Map of Europe: 1000 AD to present day: Look at all those changes over the time - liveleak.com

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