Tuesday, October 31, 2017

The Sorry State of Pakistan's Digital Diplomacy


Zushan Hashmi, thediplomat.com

Despite a growing online population, Pakistan’s politicians have little use for the internet.


uncaptioned image from article


Grassroots internet movements, viral hashtags, the cyber vilification and bullying of ordinary citizens and celebrities, all of which are currently making waves across traditional media in Pakistan, have witnessed this significant rise in coverage due to the increasing number of internet users within Pakistan. With this exponential growth across the South Asian nation, the lack of digital diplomacy initiatives within the Pakistani government, and particularly its Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), in the context of engaging with both domestic and foreign populations and its counterparts in other countries, is disappointing, but nonetheless, expected in a nation that is yet to see a prime minister with a personal social media account.
Today, Pakistan has approximately 35 million internet users or nearly 18 percent of its population. More importantly, the number of internet users in the country is increasing by an average of one million per month, hence reaffirming the importance of the internet and its potential impacts on the country’s future. Moreover, 60 percent of Pakistan’s population is currently below the age of 25, which means that large numbers of people already are, or are growing up as digital natives (people born with a familiarity of computers and digital technology).
Additionally, due to the highly competitive mobile network market that consists of multinationals from Norway, China, and the Gulf Cooperation Council (such as Telenor, Ufone and Zong) one can purchase approximately 2.5 gigabytes of internet data for less than it costs to buy 1 kilo of potatoes! Therefore, Pakistan’s digital natives have been able to use social media to influence policy outcomes within the country, including, but not limited to pressuring the government to implement the 2016 Women’s Rights Bill, and assisting in bringing justice to the perpetrators of university student Mashal Khan’s lynching. Similarly, Pakistani internet users have been able to successfully start and grow e-businesses, build their own social media brands and YouTube channels, and engage with people from around the world on issues ranging from politics to entertainment.
This, in turn, has created endless opportunities for the Pakistani government to educate, inform, and influence populations, both at home and abroad, through the use of social media and other digital initiatives. Yet the sorry state of digital affairs, particularly in the context of the country’s civilian government, are severely curtailing the MFA’s use of this potential for its own benefit.
The most obvious metrics to measure the impact of Pakistan’s digital presence in the context of public diplomacy are the social media accounts and the overall presence of its leaders, MFA officials, and diplomatic missions on these platforms. By assessing the country’s major social media pages, the content of its tweets and the methods through which it is engaging with current and new audiences, it can be determined as to how well the MFA utilizes digital diplomacy to influence audiences.
In this instance, neither of the abovementioned channels present a positive or successful image of Pakistan’s digital diplomacy. The recently deposed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was very conservative in his use of the internet and social media — a digital immigrant, he never created an official social media account to his name. This is also true of Pakistan’s current prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. Since leadership plays a crucial role in the success of any government restructuring and innovative policy, this further reinforces the shambolic state of digital diplomacy at the Pakistani MFA. This, of course, is in spite of the fact that Pakistan’s foreign minister does possess a social media account consisting of mainly retweeted posts, but with nearly 900,000 followers, which leads to certain problems as discussed below.
This lack of Pakistani digital diplomacy is also obvious when assessing its diplomatic missions on social media. Barring the Twitter accounts for the Pakistani embassies in the United States, Belgium, and Russia, the MFA has no other verified accounts on social media. Perhaps what is most surprising is the type of content that is shared across these social media accounts. Based on my assessment of the Pakistani MFA Twitter page, and in particular that of the Pakistani consulate in Sydney, a rather surprising anomaly in itself, it is easy to see how the diplomatic missions lack any sort of cohesive strategy, or for that matter, an overarching understanding of the utilization of social media. Currently, the Sydney consulate’s account follows less than 100 people and has close to 700 followers on Twitter. These figures present a very bleak image in regards to the overall engagement and the purpose of the account.
Furthermore, much like the nation’s other diplomatic social media accounts, the consulate’s posts mainly consist of re-tweets that have no underlying basis for promoting cultural initiatives (which is often considered to be the bare minimum for a diplomatic mission on social media). This, in turn, also means that it is not sharing any substantial original content. Neither is it engaging with the Pakistani diaspora in Australia, which according to the recent Australian census has more than doubled since 2011 to over 65,000 people. Additionally, the consulate does not regularly tweet or share posts regarding its two most sought-after services – education in Australia and visa services.
There is no doubt that the implementation and development of digital diplomacy initiatives in any capacity require a certain amount of resources. Alongside this, it is imperative to develop a basic but cohesive and well-constructed strategy that provides a premise and a set of guidelines for diplomats to maintain their presence online. However, neither of these can come to fruition instantly, as digital policy learning and implementation also arises through engaging with, and learning from, previous ICT initiatives, domestic and foreign counterparts, experts, academics, and in this case, the digital natives of the nation.
As Pakistan’s digital population continues to grow, the digital world will become an imperative part of everyday engagement and interaction for the government. However, until the MFA begins to tap into the potential of digital diplomacy and craft a direction for it internally, the picture will continue to look bleak for its future within the digital arena.
Zushan Hashmi is the Policy & Research Coordinator for the South Asia Study Group, at the University of Sydney, in Sydney, Australia. Follow him on Twitter:  @Zushanhashmi

Found on the Web: Gastrodiplomacy Thesis Writing


Gastrodiplomacy Thesis Writing


image from

Gastro Diplomacy – Public Diplomacy Magazine Gastrodiplomacy is the practice of sharing a country's cultural heritage through food. . In writing about the challenges facing middle .. This paper examines. Cocina Peruana Para El Mundo: Gastrodiplomacy, the – SUrface Gastrodiplomacy, or the use of food in the construction of a nation brand, is one Tis paper explores the Peruvian national campaign “Cocina peruana para el Gastro Diplomacy – Harvard University CULINARY CONFLICT RESOLUTION AS CITIZEN DIPLOMACY. SAM CHAPPLE-SOKOL jamie oliver and the gastrodiplomacy of simulacra francesco buscemi. Washoku: Japanese gastro-diplomacy and UNESCO — Faculty of Washoku: Japanese gastro-diplomacy and UNESCO. Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies · The Faculty · Undergraduate Studies · Graduate Studies Gastrodiplomacy: Eating Your Way to World Peace | Americas 27 Mar 2014 Countries like Mexico have learned to leverage gastrodiplomacy to their Read a profile of Pati Jinich, written by Johanna Mendelson Forman, How South Korea Uses Kimchi To Connect To The World — And 22 Aug 2016 The concept is called "gastrodiplomacy," and South Korea is one of its strongest . five years ago by Si-Hyeon Ryu, a chef and writer from South Korea. Take out bacon from the pan and set aside on a paper towel but leave eastern gastrodiplomatic efforts/ asian nations as pioneers – IGCAT University of Arts in Belgrade, where she wrote her master thesis on Americans have with foreign cultures” ("Thailand's gastro-diplomacy", 2002). . This paper was written in 2015 for the “Art of Food” IGCAT expert meeting organised by 'TASTE OF THE NATION' TO CREATE DISTINCTION FRANCESCO On media studies, this thesis analyses how national culinary capital is represented on television . Diplomacy Magazine, special issue Gastrodiplomacy, winter, pp. 46-50. IV .. TV writer, and certainly I know the mechanisms underlying TV. Diplomacies, from Public to Pubic | HuffPost the “end of history“ thesis (popularized after the collapse of the USSR) which suggested . Gastrodiplomacy (no, it's not a quick-fix pill for acute indigestion after an Writer Lisa Loeb shares this pro-canine attitude in her Ambassador Dogs, The Soft Power of Food: A Diplomacy of Hamburgers and Sushi Official Full-Text Paper (PDF): The Soft Power of Food: A Diplomacy of onward, academic writing about food has developed into a multi-disciplinary academic.

tokyo through the drinking glass

A version of my essay on gastrodiplomacy and the power of food appeared in the March issue of Metro Minutes a couple of weeks ago. Thank you, dear Yuu Pengumuman JUDUL SKRIPSI_Batch 18 tgl 7 September – LSPR 7 Sep 2017 Thesis. Deddy Muharman, M.Si. Pengaruh Media Sosial Instagram Ubud Writers and readers Festival 2016 sebagai Implementasi Strategi .. Gastrodiplomacy makanan halal Jepang dalam Halal Expo Japan 2017. Food Studies Doctoral Student Biographies – Students – NYU Her dissertation work is a social history of the school lunch program in New York City as a lecturer in food politics in Singapore and as a food writer in Mexico City. thesis on gastronationalism and gastrodiplomacy in Palestinian and Israeli Meet China's Unofficial Culinary Diplomat | Rising Stars | OZY 26 Oct 2016 But Fu had other plans for her — researching, writing and stage, Lin serves as unofficial food ambassador, spreading “gastro-diplomacy” in a Conflict Cuisine » Blog 12 Jan 2017 See our own article writing business and relish unique and skilled compose an essay essay providers. Writers. Uncategorized Read more. 10. Levantine: Dessert 8 Aug 2010 PS: One thing I mentioned in my RTI interview is that Taiwan should try to do gastrodiplomacy with its famous Beef Noodle Soup. GlobalPost sharing meals -‐ building peace – bibsys brage Writing this thesis has been a long and interesting journey. I have to thank my Terms like 'culinary diplomacy', 'gastrodiplomacy' and 'diplomatic gastronomy' Chapter 1 – Высшая школа экономики 18 Jun 2014 The aim of this course paper is to reveal and evaluate the soft power of South Korea's Gastro Diplomacy” by Mary Jo A. Pham and “The Soft Power . was a book written by Yasushi Watanabe and David L. McConnell “Soft CPD Blog Submission Guidelines | USC Center on Public Diplomacy in length, or in the case of a photo essay, should not include more than five photos. i.e. “United States,” “Gastrodiplomacy,” “International Broadcasting,” etc. Craving National Identity: Irish Diplomatic Dining Since – Arrow@DIT 20 May 2014 This paper will provide an overview of a new research project in Irish gastronomic explains that nations are now exploring the fields of gastrodiplomacy .. The menus are written in French and some of the dishes (or their. Craving National Identity: Irish Diplomatic Dining Since – Arrow@DIT 20 May 2014 This paper will provide an overview of a new research project in Irish gastronomic explains that nations are now exploring the fields of gastrodiplomacy .. The menus are written in French and some of the dishes (or their.

USC Annenberg | Public Diplomacy

I had returned home to Belfast to work in research and speech writing in local politics. We have students who study gastro diplomacy, skate diplomacy, fashion the Public Diplomacy program through my undergraduate thesis advisor, Final Thesis-Anderson P.docx – Scholars' Bank – University of Oregon An Abstract of the Thesis of Holly, I owe all of my abilities as a writer to . 20 “Eight Great Gastrodiplomacy Nations,” USC Center on Public Diplomacy, July 2, table of content – INUSHARTS – UI 30 Ags 2017 undergraduate students who are in the process of writing or finishing their final papers/thesis to present their ideas and insights regarding the current situation of Gastrodiplomacy: Sushi as a Practice of Japan Soft. Power. Politics, Rights, and Development, Global Liberal Studies, NYU | NYU Global Liberal Studies Best Thesis Award (also best thesis for PRD) of Class 2017 As part of this program I am working as a research assistant and grant writer at the Food and Conflict: How Gastro-Diplomacy Can Help Change the Barbara Fang | Professional Profile – LinkedIn of Freiburg. Dissertation: "From Bangkok to Brooklyn: The role of authenticity in Thai gastrodiplomacy and Thai cuisine in New York City" 2007 – 2011. Graduated magna cum laude with honors in English writing and political science. British Soft Power and Cultural Diplomacy – King's Research Portal This was the antithesis of the alternative offered by the communist Soviet Union. I will not provide a critique of Nye's writing on soft power, as fulsome .. of these concepts such as “dance diplomacy”, “gastrodiplomacy”, “yoga diplomacy”, D E R E K M O S C A T O Dissertation: Plains Spoken: A Framing Analysis of Bold Nebraska's Campaign Against the 1997-1998: Assistant Editor and Writer, Sports & Fitness Publishing (Boulder, CO) Cultural congruency in mediated gastrodiplomacy: A qualitative. Alumni Profiles, SOAS Food Studies Centre, SOAS. University of Her area of interest for her dissertation is peasant food and cooking in Normandy . (MA Anthropology of Food 2012) has been writing and taking photographs to .. her Ph.D. dissertation on Korean gastro-diplomacy at Indiana University. Speakers and Guests – Wesleyan University Eaton is a graduate of Wesleyan University, where she wrote her thesis on canning. She has written nationally syndicated food articles for Tribune Media and done Her research interests include gastrodiplomacy, food neophobia, and [...]

Conversation with Ma Ying-Jeou, former president of Taiwan


china.usc.edu

Ma Ying-Jeou image from entry




Monday, November 6, 2017 - 12:00pm to 1:15pmTown & Gown Ballroom
CPD Conversation in Public Diplomacy

CPD is pleased to host Dr. Ma Ying-Jeou, former president of Taiwan (2008-2016), for a conversation on cross-strait relations and the vital role of commerce, exchanges and tourism in forging new relationships between mainland China and Taiwan after nearly 60 years of tensions, including the historic meeting between the leaders of mainland China and Taiwan in Singapore on November 7, 2015.

About Ma Ying-Jeou

Ma Ying-Jeou was the 12th and 13th President (2008-2016) of the Republic of China (Taiwan). President Ma Ying-Jeou was born in 1950 in Hong Kong and moved to Taiwan in 1951 with his family. He was brought up in Taiwan and graduated from the Law Department of National Taiwan University in 1972. After his two-year stint with the Marines and the Navy, he went to the U.S. and received his LL.M. from New York University Law School in 1976 and S.J.D. from Harvard Law School in 1981.

Dr. Ma returned to Taiwan in 1981 to work for President Chiang Ching-kuo as the deputy director of the Presidential Office’s First Bureau and doubled as the president’s English Interpreter. He was appointed Chairman of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of the Cabinet in 1988 after President Chiang passed away. He became Senior Vice Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council in 1991 in charge of the country’s policy towards the Chinese mainland. Two years later he moved to head the Justice Ministry to start the war on drugs, corruption, vote buying in elections and prison reform. He became the minister of state in 1996. He joined the mayoral election in 1998 and again in 2002 and got elected with the majority of the votes each. He was elected President in 2008 with 58% of the votes, the highest in history and received a strong re-election in 2012.

During his term of office, President Ma built Taiwan into a free, prosperous, and just society. According to the IMF, Taiwan’s per capita GDP (on PPP basis) roses to the 21st highest in the world, passing the U.K., France, Demark, Italy, Canada, Japan and South Korea, advancing 10 places in eight years. Taiwan was able to maintain peaceful relations with the Chinese mainland, friendly relations with Japan and close relations with the U.S. In all the three countries, their relations with Taiwan were the best in many decades. Ma succeeded in increasing the number of countries and territories that gave visa-free or landing visa status. He dedicated his presidency to improving cross-strait relations, including his historic meeting with Xi Jinping in Singapore on November 7, 2015, the first time in 70 years for the leaders of mainland China and Taiwan to meet.

Please note: To attend the program, all attendees must have government issued ID to attend the program and have a valid RSVP confirmation. Refreshments will be served.

On-campus parking is available for $12.00 per day at one of the parking structures. Click here for an interactive campus map. 
RSVP

Dracula Tourism: The Impact on Romania's Image


uscpublicdiplomacy.org

uncaptioned image from entry

Should a country promote a nation-branding strategy that is at odds with its own cultural identity?
This is the question facing Romania, a country that has been the destination of so-called "Dracula tourism." The title character of Bram Stoker's novel has brought many tourists to Transylvania in hopes of exploring this mystery, yet the Romanian government has not always been receptive to this characterization.
Here is a sampling of the many journal articles exploring the positives and negatives of this phenomenon:
Adina Nicoleta Candrea, Ana Ispas, Elena Nicoleta Untaru, Florin Nechita, "Marketing the Count's Way: How Dracula's Myth Can Revive Romanian Tourism," Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov Series V: Economic Sciences, Vol. 9, Issue 58, No. 1, 2016, 83-90.
Abstract: Tourism destinations associated with the place myth phenomena often experience increased visitation and marketing opportunities. Considering the popularity of the Dracula myth worldwide, Romania has a great opportunity to improve its image as a unique destination on the international tourism market. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the exploitation of the Dracula myth in the Romanian tourism context, as well as the managerial and marketing implications of such an approach. It begins with an overview of the imaginary and historical links between Romania and the Dracula myth. Further on, it reviews the national initiatives to develop Dracula tourism, from both private and governmental perspectives. The paper concludes by highlighting the opportunities of developing Dracula tourism in Romania and embracing the Dracula myth as a unique competitive advantage of the country as a tourism destination. 
Oana Mihaela Stoleriu, Bogdan Ibanescu, "Dracula Tourism in Romania: From National to Local Tourism Strategies," Proceedings from SGEM 2014: International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conferences on Social Sciences and Arts, Volume IV, Section: Economics and Tourism, 2014. 
Abstract: Starting from the constant controversy regarding the capitalization of Dracula’s myth, the paper analyses the place of Dracula tourism in the Romanian national policy and local destination management. The study focuses on two key Dracula destinations and highlights the main actors and strategies that have shaped their evolution as well as the main components of local heritage capitalized.
Duncan Light, "Dracula Tourism in Romania: Cultural Identity and the State," Annals of Tourism Research, Vol. 34, Issue 3, July 2007, 746-765. 
Abstract: The state plays an important role in tourism development, in planning and policymaking, and also as the arbiter of cultural meanings. States choose to encourage forms of tourism that are consistent with their cultural and political identities. But they may have to contend with forms of demand that are beyond their control. “Dracula tourism” in Romania is one example. Founded on a place myth of Transylvania as the home of the supernatural, this activity is discordant with Romania’s self-image and the way it wishes to present itself to the wider world. This paper examines the way the Romanian state has managed and negotiated such tourism, in both socialist and post-socialist contexts.
Smaranda Cosma, Cornelia Pop, Adina Negrusa, "Should Dracula Myth Be a Brand to Promote Romania as a Tourism Destination?" Interdisciplinary Management Research, Vol. 3, 2007, 39-56.
Abstract: Dracula is an international brand, not a Romanian one. But Bram Stocker chose to locate his vampire in the mysterious location of Transylvania. Thus, Romania is the only country in the world which can exploit the myth of Dracula as being at its ‘home’. This could be considered a competitive advantage for Romania as a tourist destination. The vampire named Dracula generates mixed, mainly negative, feelings among Romanians. And maybe—for the 21st century—can become a character falling in desuetude. Though, the question remains: should the Dracula myth be used as a brand promoting Romania as a tourist destination? The present paper tries to find an answer to this controversial question.

America’s selfie – Three years later


link.springer.com; via PR -- Many thanks!

image (not from entry) from

Place Branding and Public Diplomacy Volume 13, Issue 4, pp 308–324Cite as

  1. 1.
Original Article


    Abstract

    Recent years have seen the emergence of relational approaches to public diplomacy and public relations. The adoption of approaches that emphasize the creation of relationships between organizations and stakeholders have also been advocated by nation branding scholars. Thus, relational approaches can serve as a link between all three fields. An additional link is lack of clarity when using the terms “dialogue” and “engagement”. This study attempted to further to investigate the association between nation branding, public diplomacy and public relations by evaluating the manner in which the US State Department branded America on its Facebook channel during January of 2016, and by conceptualizing and measuring the State Department’s use of “dialogic engagement”. A comparison between America’s 2016 Selfie, and that evaluated in 2013, demonstrates that the State Department is narrating a consistent and coherent national brand and is adept at integrating everyday events into that national brand. By so doing, the State Department maintains a consistent voice and matches words for deeds thus facilitating the creation of relationships with Facebook followers. However, results also suggest that the State Department fails to provide any opportunities for dialogic engagement. Thus, it is lack of dialogic engagement that links all three fields.

    Keywords

    public diplomacy public relations nation branding digital diplomacy MBRs 

    Your Favorites: October Edition - USC Center on Public Diplomacy


    uscpublicdiplomacy.org



    To celebrate the month of pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating, we bring you some of our best October content:

    PD HUB

    6. The Public Diplomacy of Catalonia

    An in-depth examination of how the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (DIPLOCAT) shapes international opinion.

    CPD BLOG

    5. 5 Reasons Why Think Tanks Are Soft-Power Tools

    Katarzyna Rybka-Iwańska of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland suggests an increasing need to recognize the value and impact of think tanks.

    ANNOUNCEMENT

    4. City Diplomacy Explored in Latest PD Magazine

    The latest issue of Public Diplomacy Magazine highlights city diplomacy as cities expand their national and international roles.

    EVENT

    3. How Soft Power Is Transforming Statecraft

    On October 12, CPD joined forces with Town Hall Los Angeles to host a discussion on how a country's soft power influences its global standing.

    CPD BLOG

    2. Cultural Exchange: The Intangible Benefits

    Kathy Artus of Cultural Vistas challenges us to engage in conversation with international visitors as a form of public diplomacy.

    EVENT

    1. Challenges & Innovations: South Korea's Soft Power

    On October 10, CPD partnered with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Korea to host a discussion on South Korea's place in the world. 

    Monday, October 30, 2017

    How Voice of America Censored Solzhenitsyn


    Ted Lipien, coldwarradiomuseum.com

    Image from article, with caption: An exhibit item in the Gulag Museum in Magadan, Russia. 1994 Photo. (An online virtual Gulag Museum with an introduction by Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize author of “Gulag: A History“ can be viewed on the website of The Museum on Communism–a project of the non-profit, non-partisan Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation, established by an Act of Congress on December 17, 1993 and signed into law by President Bill Clinton.)

    Excerpt:
    There exists a definite link between propaganda and censorship. Quite often, one of propaganda’s goals is to tarnish the reputation of political enemies at home and abroad with carefully selected emotionally-charged labels, which can result in them being censored by journalists, banned altogether from media appearances and shunned by timid politicians. Alexandr Solzhenitsyn was one of the best known among the many victims of this type of propaganda when he became a prime target of a relentless smear campaign run by the KGB Soviet intelligence and security service in the 1970s and ’80s, but he was not the only one. ... In a twist of historical irony, anti-communist Republicans, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, gave during their presidencies a major boost to Soviet propaganda against Solzhenitsyn by making him a persona non grata at the White House and at the Voice of America, even as the Russian exile was warmly received on Capitol Hill by both Democrats and Republicans and by million of American readers of his chronicle of Soviet crimes, The Gulag Archipelago. ...
    VOA banned Solzhenitsyn in 1974, while Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty did not. Some of these actions had the direct blessing of the State Department, while others originated within the United States Information Agency (USIA) and among VOA managers and editors. ...
    Censoring Alexander Solzhenitsyn by the Voice of America in the 1970s, which Cold War Radio Museum will cover in a series of articles to be posted in the period leading up to the 100th anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution, which started on November 7, 1917, and will continue for a few days after the anniversary date, is a case study of the impact of Soviet propaganda in the United States. ...
    The articles will also examine the elimination of censorship on Soviet topics in VOA programs during the Reagan administration and Solzhenitsyn’s partial reconciliation with the Voice of America in the 1980s.


    World Affairs Council kicks off season with first lecture


    Elliott Wenzler, palmbeachdailynews.com

    Image from article, with caption: Professor Eytan Gilboa speaks to members of the World Affairs Council October 24, 2017.

    Excerpt:
    Palm Beach residents and World Affairs Council members, eager for a deeper understanding of current events than the nightly news can provide, gathered at The Colony Pavilion Tuesday for an evening of education and discussion.

    Professor Eytan Gilboa spoke about relations between the United States and the Middle East to a crowd of about 180 people for the council’s first lecture of the season. ...

    Gilboa is a professor of politics and communication and the director of the Center for International Communication at Bar-Ilan University in Israel. He also co-founded the Israel Public Diplomacy Forum, a non-profit and non-partisan educational organization intended to advance international understanding of Israel and the Middle East. ...

    Celeste Simon, CEO of the World Affairs Council, said she invited Gilboa to the council after they met last spring. Many speakers on international communications and policies are from the United States and she thought an Israeli could offer an alternative perspective, she said.

    Gilboa is part of a panel assembled by the Israel Public Diplomacy Forum that is traveling through Florida this month — members gave presentations to the Palm Beach North Chamber of Commerce, Florida Atlantic University, Palm Beach State College and Keiser University. The group is next headed to Tampa. ...

    The Intern Experience (video)



     Published on Oct 30, 2017


    State Department interns at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations in Geneva get a coveted inside look at multilateral diplomacy in action. In this video, three of our interns share their experiences working with the U.S. Delegation to the U.N. Human Rights Council and on Public Diplomacy press and cultural programs. How far could a student internship at the U.S. Department of State take you? Learn more about the State Department internship program at [.]


    Public Past Event (October 17) Diplomacy: Academic and Cultural Exchange Programs


    brookings.edu

    Image from, with caption: Founder Robert S. Brookings

    Excerpt:
    On October 17, the Brookings Institution celebrated its 50th year as a designated sponsor of the Department of State’s Exchange Visitor Program. Brookings is just one of several organizations that bring individuals and their families to the U.S. for academic and cultural exchange. The decades of exchange have strengthened our research and enriched our community. But most of all, the alumni of our exchange program have returned to have an impact in their home countries and added their voices to critical discussions globally.

    Brookings welcomed back some of our exchange visitor alumni to share their experiences as exchange program participants and how they continue to affect the global policy-making community. Dr. Nicholas Arrindell, a leader in the field of international education and exchange, moderated the discussion.

    The discussion was preceded by keynote remarks from Tara Sonenshine, distinguished fellow at George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs and former under secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. ...

    Lyana Dymova: The “post-truth” society phenomenon. An effect against the truth


    gorchakovfund.ru

    31 july

    Lyana Dymova: The “post-truth” society phenomenon. An effect against the truth

    The “post-truth” society phenomenon, which refers to a situation when objective facts are less important for development of a public opinion than appeal to emotions and personal beliefs, is one the most urgent topics for a discussion today because it erodes a boundary between facts and fiction, makes it less distinct, writes employee of the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund Lyana Dymova.

    Spain 'takes back control' of Catalan government


    Helena Spongenberg, euobserver.com; see also (1) (2).

    Image from article, with caption: "This is a situation that we should not reach in Spain, because Spain is a democracy", said one of the over 300,000 people at a weekend demonstration to defend Spain's unity

    Excerpt:
    On Saturday, the Spanish official bulletin published the decrees to apply article 155 of the constitution and suspend Catalonia's independence. ...

    The government also closed the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat) . ...

    Embassy websites, first impression


    Umar Farooq Khan, pakobserver.net; see also Jeffrey Robertson, "First Impressions Count," CPD [USC Center on Public Diplomacy] (August 11, 2017) which (although not cited by Khan) quite evidently inspired his article.

    image (not from article) from
    Excerpt:
    [A]n official government website in Pakistan is very standardised which misses out on an opportunity to engage, influence and persuade the audience. ...
    The writer is a Researcher at Islamabad Policy Research Institute, a think-tank based in Islamabad.

    Week ahead: Senators move to clear backlog of Pentagon nominees


    Rebecca Kheel and Ellen Mitchell, The Hill

    image from

    Excerpt:

    The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will consider the nominations for undersecretary of State for public diplomacy, U.S. ambassador to Lesotho, U.S. ambassador to Namibia, U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg and chief of protocol at 10 a.m. Wednesday [November 1] at Dirksen 419. ...

    Sunday, October 29, 2017

    Qatar granted full membership of 'Global Public Diplomacy Network'


    gulf-times.com

    image (not from article) from

    Qatar has been granted the full membership of Global Public Diplomacy Network (GPDNet), Katara – the Cultural Village has said.

    The recognition was announced at an international conference in Istanbul, Turkey on October 19 to 22, participated by Katara.

    Titled “The Role of Culture in bringing Polarised and Conflicting Societies together through Public Diplomacy,” the event feted Qatar, now the only Arab country having a full membership in GPDNet, for its significant role in the conference. Other Arab countries received Associate Membership.

    Katara took part in the conference upon an invitation from the chairman of Yunus Emre Institution (Yunus Emre Enstitüsü) and chairman of GPDNet under the Turkish presidency, professor Dr Seref Ates.

    Katara general manager Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim al-Sulaiti presented a conference paper stating Katara’s role in rendering culture into the language of societies as it is the best means of communication and aids in the rapprochement between countries.

    GPDNet was founded by public and cultural institutions of nine countries (Philippines, Sweden, Korea, Taiwan, Nigeria, Poland, Portugal, Singapore and Turkey), including Yunus Emre Enstitü, in Seoul, the capital of South Korea in 2014. The number of countries reached 10 as Hungary joined the network recently.

    GPDNet was established on October 23, 2014 aimed at enabling the knowledge exchange in theoretical and practical fields and carry out bilateral or multilateral projects between cultural and public diplomatic institutions all over the world.

    Middlebury in Moscow: 40 Yrs!/Middlebury College School in Russia


    [JB comment: a notable example of "unofficial" public diplomacy]
    From Mark H. Teeter  [on Facebook; posted here with his kind ok] 
    ANNIVERSARY TIMES TWO!/ДВОЙНОЙ ЮБИЛЕЙ! Middlebury in Moscow: 40 Yrs!/Middlebury College School in Russia: 20 Yrs! Rah!/Ура!

    --> In Russia things are either impossible or miraculous, with the latter including an American college effectively partnering with Soviet institutions in deep-stagnation 1977, then creating its own successful School in Russia during the wild ‘90s with hosts universities in Moscow, Yaroslavl and Irkutsk. Well done!/

    Молодцы!

    It was great last Friday evening to return to those thrilling days of yesteryear at a dual-anniversary reception, where we were reminded of how & where the School in Russia got its start, took off and keeps flying – and thus of what Russians and Americans can do together for the Good Cause of educating each other if & when they set their minds to it. Rah again!/Eще раз ура!

    Congrats to MiddColl, to MCSiR Director Nana Tsikhelashvili and her staff, to the partner institutions here in MOW, YRO and IRK -- and especially to the students, whose continuing commitment to a challenging education during trying times keeps the whole miraculous thing going. Rah cubed!/Ура в третьей степени!