July 13

“There is no written guidance establishing the responsibilities and authorities of the strategic communications coordinator.”

--From the OIG [State Department Office of the Inspector General] report on US Embassy Pakistan; OIG website at; image from

NEW BLOG

Africa Public Diplomacy …managing the image of Africa through active Brand Management

VIDEO

M10 Tank Destroyer: Propaganda Film

BOOK REVIEW

Literary Lobs [Review of Books As Weapons: Propaganda, Publishing, and the Battle for Global Markets in the Era of World War II By John B. Hench. Cornell Univ. Press. 333 pp. $35 ] - John Brown, Wilson Quarterly [subscription; partial text accessible via above link]: "[T]here was a time when the United States had no qualms about using books as 'weapons in the war of ideas' —

in the phrase made famous by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In Books as Weapons, John B. Hench, a staff member of the American Antiquarian Society for more than three decades, recounts this chapter in America’s efforts to defeat the enemies of democracy during World War II." Image (also found in book under review) from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

US Embassy Pakistan: Understaffed, inexperienced staff handles $30 million Public Diplomacy Programs: Program budget jumps from $1.5 million to $30 million in one year – Domani Spero, Diplopundit: "The OIG report on the US Embassy in Islamabad talks about the public diplomacy operation in Pakistan. It is worrisome, given the big foreign policy deal placed on that country by the current administration, only to have a understaffed, inexperienced staff tackle one of the largest, most complex public diplomacy in the world."

Trouble in Kenya - Laurel Leader-Call: "[Vice President Joseph] Biden was in Kenya leading what sounded a lot like a rally for that nation’s new constitution, one that’s going to be voted on in August. It’s a fatally flawed document, inimical to the values of many Kenyans. ... [T]he proposed constitution would also create a legal system within a legal system – codifying the strengthening of sharia by making it apply to every Muslim Kenyan. ... Ray Walser of the Heritage Foundation ... : 'I would suspect the administration is pushing the constitution package as a whole with the promise to reduce presidential power and to place constitutional safeguards against corruption.' That would take Vice President Biden at his word. But the Achilles heel

of this administration is that it is not, in the subtle words of Walser, 'adverse to measures that permit space for sharia-like legal customs – for Muslim outreach/public-diplomacy purposes,' or squeamish about rolling back Bush administration strictures against abortion, for that matter." Image from

US State Department to host South Asian teenagers - Narayan Lakshman, The Hindu: "This week the United States will welcome South Asian teenagers to the State Departments under the 'Seeds of Peace' programme. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale will, on Wednesday, address a group of young leaders from Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan who have just completed a three-week conflict resolution programme in Maine. Founded in 1993 by journalist John Wallach, Seeds of Peace describes itself as being dedicated to empowering young leaders from regions of conflict with the leadership skills required to advance reconciliation and coexistence."

Radio Free of Bureaucracy - Kim Andrew Elliott, New York Times: "After seven months of politicking, the new Broadcasting Board of Governors was confirmed by the Senate at the very end of last month. The bipartisan board, now headed by the former CNN chairman Walter Isaacson, supervises the government-financed programs Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, the Arabic-language Radio Sawa and Al Hurra TV, and Radio and TV Martí, which broadcast to Cuba. ... [I]nstead of having one entity that produces all broadcasts, American international broadcasting is a collection of often redundant agencies

working under the banner of the Board of Governors. ... The present mixture of broadcasting bureaucracies, created over the decades by this and that legislation, must be replaced by a consolidated structure that can increase audience reach without reaching for taxpayers’ wallets." Image from

InterMedia Appoints Public Diplomacy Leader and Practitioner Robert Coonrod as New CEO - Press release, PR Newswire: "The Board of Directors of InterMedia, the global media and communications research company, today unanimously appointed Robert T. Coonrod as InterMedia's new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). ... Coonrod joins InterMedia from Meridian International Center in Washington DC, where he has served as Chief Operating Officer. Meridian is a leading non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening international understanding. Coonrod also serves as President of the Board of the Public Diplomacy Council, and is a former member of the Defense Science Board Taskforce on Strategic Communication. ... Coonrod

was Deputy Director of the Voice of America. As a career Foreign Service Officer, he held several senior positions at the United States Information Agency in Washington and was posted in both in Italy and Yugoslavia. ... InterMedia is also pleased to announce that Dr. Gerry Power is its new Managing Director of InterMedia UK, headquartered in London." Image from

FIFA World Cup 2010 and Public Diplomacy: Winners and Losers - Jean Lukaz, Africa Public Diplomacy …managing the image of Africa through active Brand Management:

"To the winners, there is nothing like football in public diplomacy, to the losers it is the most uncontrollable and unpredictable channel of public diplomacy to one massive global audience. If public diplomacy is about government communication aimed at foreign audiences with goal of winning hearts and minds, then the role of national teams that are government-sponsored and -branded to feature before the foreign audiences watching the World Cup is a latent promotion of these nations that has the effect of infecting foreign fans." Image from

The difficulties in Sino-European relations - Jonathan Holslag, New Europe: "[T]the EEAS [European External Action Service] needs to develop a public diplomacy towards stakeholders in the member states. In the last few years, the Commission has been spending millions of euros to organize all kinds of networks and conferences. Many of these initiatives seemed to be more a matter of window dressing than contributions to the decision making process or strengthening the legitimacy of a strong European China policy. These projects need to be thoroughly evaluated. The EEAS has to come up with a long-term action plan as well as the coordination capacity for mobilizing experts, journalists, business people and NGOs."

First half of 2010: record number of tourists in Israel - Ron Friedman, Jerusalem Post: "According to Tourism Ministry estimates, income from incoming tourism (excluding air travel) reached about $1.55 billion in the first half of 2010. This figure is about 35% higher than the income generated in the first half of 2009 and similar to that from the same period in 2008. 'The increase in incoming tourism during the first half of this year should not be taken for granted.

It is the result of massive investment in marketing activities around the world with significant budgets, especially against the background of the public diplomacy challenges that Israel is facing,' said Tourism Minister Stas Meseznikov." See also. Image from

Hard questions, tough answers with Yossi Alpher - ‎Lara Friedman, Palestine Note: Q. "Last week, in an extraordinary step, the IDF published detailed and sensitive intelligence data concerning Hezbollah arms caches, bunkers and operations centers in the midst of civilian installations in al-Hiyam, one of 160 southern Lebanese villages. What motivated this unusual move? A. A combination of factors. The most important involves public diplomacy. ... Will this indeed improve Israel's international image if and when it destroys Lebanese villages while targeting Hezbollah bunkers? Will this deter Hezbollah and Iran? It's impossible to say. But given the realities of Israel's struggle against militant Islamist non-state actors on its borders, publishing the map of Hezbollah's installations in al-Hiyam seems like a smart idea."

Fighting the stereotypes on Islam [review of Islam in a Globalized World: Negotiating Fautlines by Mushurul Hasa] - Shaikh Mujibur Rehman, The Hindu: "The first part [of the book], which covers a wide range of issues such as pluralism in Islamic societies, relationship between Islam and Christianity, and politics of gender discrimination in Islam, discusses how 9/11 has shaped the content of news media, public diplomacy, and the war on terror."

Georgia on my mind in Taiwan – Paul Rockower, Levantine:

"I was busy reading an interesting piece by Gary Rawnsley called 'Selling Democracy: Diplomacy Propaganda and Democratisation in Taiwan' on the role of Taiwan's political transformation to democracy on its foreign policy and public diplomacy during the Chen Shui-bian administration. In that piece, Rawnsley wrote: 'Yet democracy has also tempted Taiwan to be bolder and more assertive in its relations with China. It has endeavoured to push the boundaries even further, to test its newly-discovered confidence in the belief that public opinion and the United States will come to Taiwan's aid if and when the military conflict breaks out across the Taiwan strait.' The question that lit up in my head after reading that line was related to Georgia in its war with Russia in the summer of 2008. The question that started bouncing around in my head is what effect the Georgian war had here insofar as the example of a small, democratic country." Image from

Book Review: American Negotiating Behavior. Wheeler-Dealers, Legal Eagles, Bullies, and Preachers Solomon, Richard H. and Nigel Quinney (eds) Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace, 2010 www.usip.org ISBN 978-1-60127-048 xiv + 357pp. - Francisco Gomes de Matos, Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies:

"The book´s Index provides a comphehensive view of its conceptual-terminological coverage. Among key-concepts and terms, these have been found: civic journalism, context of communication, creativity, culture, cultural differences, empathy, English language, Human Rights, language (11 subentries), listening skills, media, miscommunication, Negotiation (12 subentries), offensive language, public diplomacy, relationship building." Offensive image from

Best Thing for State Department Since General Marshall‎ - Brian Carlson, MountainRunner.us: "The Administration's intention to put General James Mattis in charge of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is the best thing to happen to the State Department since General George C. Marshall showed up in Foggy Bottom to become Secretary of State.... Brian Carlson, former ambassador and public diplomacy officer, until last December, was the liaison between the State Department and the Defense and the Defense Department for strategic communication and public diplomacy."

Engaging in a Now Media Continuum [video] - Christopher Dufour, MountainRunner.us:

"[Dufour:] A few months ago, Matt asked me to help him transform his blog, MountainRunner, into a full-fledged nonprofit institute devoted to the study of and conversations about public diplomacy and strategic communication." Image from

Diplomacy from the Block: J.Lo Not Performing in Cyprus - Reaching the Public: "About Me: Hi, this is Efe Sevin. I am a researcher interested in public diplomacy, nation/place branding, and public opinion studies. I am also a PhD student at American University, School of International Service in Washington, D.C."

Political & Economic Internship – UCLA EconOmics Blog: "The British Consulate-General in Los Angeles is the United Kingdom’s diplomatic mission responsible for the Pacific Southwest, including Southern California, Arizona, Nevada’s ClarkCounty, Utah and Hawai’i.

The Consulate-General’s Political, Press & Public Affairs section is offering unpaid summer and fall internships focusing on political & economic issues. ... About the section: The Consulate-General’s Political, Press & Public Affairs section handles the communications side of a host of public diplomacy issues, including climate change, Afghanistan, the economic recovery, UK-US trade and UK-US scientific cooperation." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

White House denies NASA remark on Muslim outreach - AP: The White House is contradicting the NASA administrator's claim that President Barack Obama assigned him to reach out to Muslims on science matters.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden recently told Al-Jazeera network that one of the charges Obama gave him was "to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with dominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science and engineering." Some conservative activists criticized the remarks. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Monday that such activities are not among Bolden's assigned tasks. Image from

Western 'propaganda' won't stop woman's execution by stoning, Iranian official says - Patrick Martin, Globe and Mail: In a push back against international efforts to save a 45-year-old woman from death by stoning, an Iranian justice official insists that “Western media propaganda” will not prevent him from carrying out the execution as soon as he gets final judicial approval.

Rand Paul Under Fire For Saying Poor in U.S. Better Off Than Poor Elsewhere – FoxNews: Louisville, Ky. -- Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul says the poor in America are "enormously better off than the rest of the world," citing an old Cold War film that showed even impoverished homes had color televisions. Paul's recent remarks at his first forum with Democratic opponent Jack Conway stirred some anger in impoverished pockets of Kentucky, where as many as a third of residents live in poverty. The libertarian-leaning Paul addressed the issue of poverty by alluding to a decades-old, anti-American propaganda film by the Soviet government designed to criticize the free-market system. "They filmed a building in the poorer section of New York with some broken windows and they said, `Oh, this is how the poor in America lives,"' Paul said at last week's forum. "But it backfired on them because the Soviet citizens looked at that video closely and they saw flickering color television sets

in all those windows." Image from

MORE AMERICANA (from Boing Boing)


A strange new food product called the Candwich is currently at the center of a SEC lawsuit involving a Utah money manager and his investment failures.

July 11-12

“My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.”

--Michel de Montaigne; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

BBG [Broadcasting Board of Governors] publishes profiles of new members - Media Network

Introducing the new Broadcasting Board of Governors - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Survey says: Federal workers are glad to have their jobs - Ed O'Keefe and Joe Davidson, Washington Post: “[T]he largest-ever survey of the federal workforce, and the first to be conducted by the Obama administration ... asked workers to rate supervisors, their agency's overall improvement, job training opportunities and job satisfaction in order to measure progress government-wide and at 82 agencies. ... Like two years ago, the Broadcasting Board of Governors was last in all categories, but also was among the most improved in each category.” Via MC

NASA administrator's interview on Al Jazeera English ignites controversy – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

After the Honeymoon: The Life Cycle of New Media - Patricia Lee Sharpe, Whirled View:

"Some State Department techies sent on a mission to Damascus thought they could tweet their delight at finding a food shop selling smoothies in the Syrian capital. Pretty soon the whole world knew there was a State Department delegation in Damascus. The problem here? It was supposed to be an unpublicized visit. Oh-0h! ... Hopefully this incident will inspire the State Department to train all its employees (and its contract workers at all levels) in the proper use and non-abuse of the electronic media while they are representing the U.S. abroad. This has nothing to do with curtailing the freedom of truly private speech. Diplomats, like reporters—and generals, have their private opinions. But the price they pay for having such interesting jobs is keeping their opinions to themselves in many situations." Image from

New Media and Conflict Resolution: Cyber-Utopia? - Lena, Global Chaos: "[C]itizen and social media's potential for PD remains strong, as long as they are recognized and utilized as tools to facilitate dialogue among troubled societies. Besides providing a platform for 'popular' PD, the very promotion and facilitation of such dialogue among external 'troubled' parties can earn many brownie points for the facilitator (as, in fact, is already the case). Yet, such PD attempts should be carried out with great care and sensitivity so as not to compromise the integrity or the credibility of the initiative. In short, the belief in the potential of new media and technologies to enhance international relations and promote peaceful dialogue is certainly not cyber-utopianism. However, the development of such tools is and will remain merely as means to achieve much greater ends."

Indian Foreign Ministry Now Has an Official Twitter Account - Pallab De, Techie Buzz: "India’s foreign ministry is not keen to publicise the Twitter account yet and termed it as a 'work in progress'.

In spite of this, the official Twitter account has already amassed more than a thousand followers. Obviously the number will increase as the word gets around." Image from article

Foreign ministry gearing for social marketing - Jimmy Peterson, TopNews Singapore: "As per the officials from the foreign ministry very soon the foreign ministry shall be joining all through the social networking means. The public diplomacy division of the external affairs ministry shall shortly roll out a new portal that shall be the catalyst for the admission into social networking podium like Facebook and Twitter."

Romania - Activities organized by Romania's Embassy in Baku as NATO Contact Point Embassy in Azerbaijan, in the first half of 2010 - ISRIA: "Romania’s Embassy in Baku helped prepare and organize conferences, seminars and workshops on security issues, in cooperation with NATO and local partners, such as: ... Organization, by Romania’s Embassy in cooperation with the Azerbaijan-based Institute for Cooperation with NATO, of the conference: 'NATO on its 61st Anniversary: Present and Future', on 1 April 2010. The event opened the series of public diplomacy actions carried out in Azerbaijan on NATO's 61st anniversary."

South Africans want a crime-free World Cup to become everyday life - Independent: "Mark Gevisser, journalist and author: The tournament has given us a sense of what's possible … [T]he World Cup carries a lot of redemptive weight. When you are participating in the carnival you could think that this is the great new South Africa – mixed racially. You see South Africans reclaiming public space,

but going to games was out of the reach of the poor. … Dr Mzukisi Qobo, political analyst: We've shown a different face to the world - but we mustn't go back … The government has tried to use this as a public diplomacy tool to reassert South Africa as a global actor and showcase our infrastructure. The aim was to promote the country as an African hub while differentiating it from the rest of the continent. The World Cup provided a powerful foreign policy opportunity for public diplomacy, placing South Africa among the middle-income countries like Brazil, India and China. It has been successful, the infrastructure and transport system has worked. The question now is: can the government use this as leverage to enhance the country's reputation beyond the World Cup? It's one thing to stage a successful event, but it's another to use this to bolster the country's long term image." Image from

Saving Sovereignty Or Shaming Sri Lanka? - Dayan Jayatilleka, Sunday Leader: "There must be zero-tolerance by Sri Lanka of that which violates its sovereignty. There must be a total defence of sovereignty. That defence must not be stupid. ... While a state’s external relations must take public opinion into account, foreign policy cannot be made in the street. Diplomacy – including public diplomacy — cannot be conducted on the street or sidewalk, by mobs."

Australia - Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Indonesia - ISRIA: "[T]he Australian Government has nominated Mr Greg Moriarty as Australia's Ambassador to Indonesia. Mr Moriarty would replace Mr Bill Farmer AO who has been Ambassador since November 2005. ... Mr Moriarty is a senior officer with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and is currently First Assistant Secretary, Consular, Public Diplomacy and Parliamentary Affairs Division, a position he has held since April 2009."

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Our Summer Fellows - Michael Kaiser, Huffington Post: "Last week a new class of summer fellows arrived at the Kennedy Center for a four-week session. The summer fellows program brings arts managers from nations around the world to the Kennedy Center. The fellows come for three years in a row to study fundraising, marketing, financial management and planning. The program is a three-year program because we want our students to learn, to go home and experiment, to come back and learn some more and so forth.

Simply giving them some information and sending them on their way would not be sufficient. … [W]orking on an ongoing basis with these immensely talented individuals also confirms our belief that cultural diplomacy is about building long-term relationships. We build relationships with these amazing individuals who will truly lead their nations in the years to come. The art they produce will help shape the minds of the citizens of their countries. The relationships we form, that continue long after the fellowship is over, can only help America rebuild its image abroad." Kaiser image from

Bahamas Boys Choir comes To DC - Khyle Quincy Parker, Bahama Islands Info: "[T]he Boys Choir of The Bahamas will be in Washington, DC, next week seeking to deepen and broaden the perception of what is Bahamian. The boys – ranging in age from seven to 18 – will present a concert at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Centre Amphitheatre on Tuesday, July 13, 2010, at 6PM as part of the 37th Independence celebrations of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The programming arm of the International Trade Centre, the Office for Trade Promotion collaborates with an extended network of public and private sector organizations to convene a rich mix of signature events that foster international dialogue, cultural diplomacy, and educate the public, and are pleased to be a co-sponsor of this outstanding group."

How Would Some South Africans Respond to Holland Winning the World Cup? - Tal Pinchevsky, Big Think: "Considering the role of Dutch settlers in South Africa’s history, some people are contemplating how the success the Dutch team has enjoyed in South Africa might rub some South Africans the wrong way. ... Regardless of how pertinent this history is to the World Cup discussion, it’s actually encouraging to see how much good the success of the Dutch team has done. The spirited Dutch fans

have contributed greatly to the South African economy, so you could make the argument that Dutch success in the World Cup enhances the local economy. The incredible Dutch success in soccer has also contributed to a cultural diplomacy around the world." Image from

China: The Impact Of Cross-Strait Reconciliation On India - B.R.Deepak, Eurasia Review: "Dr. Ma Yingjiu at the helm of power in Taiwan since his election to the presidency in 2008, China has adopted a far reconciliatory approach towards Taiwan. Taiwan in turn has implemented a 'flexible foreign policy' and 'cultural diplomacy' aimed at stabilizing cross-strait relations; avoiding trade and economic marginalization; and boosting and consolidating Taiwan's identity abroad."

A Strait Deal: Taiwan, China And The PD Implications Of ECFA - Paul Rockower, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Cross-Strait relations between China and Taiwan took a dramatic and historic turn with the recent signing of the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA). ... [T]he increased people-to-people interactions through business, culture and closer societal contacts between China and Taiwan may prove to have a public diplomacy impact not yet understood or appreciated."

Soft power, hard battles - Chidanand Rajghatta, Times of India: ‎"Some even argue that Indian soft-power in the US - and across the world - is more potent than equivalent Chinese power, and cite the growing power of Bollywood as an example. This ignores the fact that Bollywood kitsch is primary aimed at Indian expat audiences. Indian film-makers are quite happy selling Bollywood dreams to the NRI-PIO market, whereas Chinese filmmakers such as Zhang Yimou (Raise the Red Lantern, House of Flying Daggers) mine their history and culture with an eye on western audiences. A more persuasive example would be literature and writing - there are more Indians writing in English and more writers and journalists of Indian-origin than of Chinese-origin. But in a recent commentary, John Lee, a visiting Fellow at Washington DC's Hudson Institute, actually cautions that India is being worsted even in the soft power battle with China.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is obsessed with building soft power he says and cites Beijing's cultural outreach as an example. China has funded more than 270 Confucius Institutes in 75 countries teaching Mandarin and the CCP's version of history to more than 100 million foreigners. Beijing aims to have 1,000 institutes up and running by 2020. In contrast, India, which Lee says has a poor appreciation for the value of cultural diplomacy, has only 24 cultural centres in 21 countries functioning under its missions abroad. Apparently, the fact that India's soft power drive is driven mostly by private enterprise and people rather than the government is not enough reason to be smug. More importantly, it appears China has a national will and purpose in these matters that India lacks." Image from

Vietnam-Russia ties further tightened - VOVNews.vn: ‎"The traditional ties of friendship, mutual understanding and strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia have been improved and consolidated. The statement was made by Party leader Nong Duc Manh at a meeting with the Vietnamese Embassy and community in Russia on July 10. ... Vietnamese ambassador to Russia, Bui Dinh Dinh reported to Mr Manh on achievements in politics, economics, and cultural diplomacy made by Vietnam’s representative agencies and its community in Russia. He said that in 2009, more than 80 Vietnamese delegations visited the country. Despite the impact of the global economic crisis, trade value between the two countries in 2009 reached US$1.7 billion, a year-on-year increase of 11 percent. Vietnam successfully organized 'Vietnamese Cultural Days', 'Hanoi Days', and a Vietnamese export products exhibition in Russia, Mr Dinh said."

ADACH takes part in Assilah Art Festival Unique website dedicated to ADACH’s participation with wide progamme of arts at Assilah Festival - Middle East Online: "The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH) showcases a spectrum of its wide programme of arts, culture, heritage and conservation initiatives and projects at the Assilah Art Festival, on the Atlantic coast of the North Eastern tip of Morocco, this July 10-27, 2010. A specific website dedicated to the Assilah Festival: http://www.adach.ae/assilah . ... There will also be an extensive programme of visual arts workshops, residences and exhibitions.

Conferences about earthen architecture, ethnomusicology and cultural diplomacy as well as concerts of classical music fusion of European classical master works fused with traditional classical Arabic music. There will be a full calendar of events, biographies and profiles of all the participants with a background about the city of Assilah and a city guide." See also. Image from

RELATED ITEMS

US should better define, counter Islamic extremism - Lolita C. Baldor, AP: The Obama administration's recent move to drop references to Islamic radicalism is drawing fire in a new report warning the decision ignores the role religion can play in motivating terrorists. Several prominent counterterror experts are challenging the administration's shift in its recently unveiled National Security Strategy, saying the terror threat should be defined in order to fight it. In the report, scheduled to be released this week, counterterrorism experts from the Washington Institute for Near East Policy argue that the U.S. could clearly articulate the threat from radical Islamic extremists "without denigrating the Islamic religion in any way." Militant Islamic propaganda has reportedly been a factor in a spate of recent terror attacks and foiled attempts within the U.S.

Scholastic makes inroads into Arabic children's book market: Sensing a business and cultural opportunity, Scholastic carefully translates English-language books like "Heidi" and "The Magic School Bus" to be used at schools in several Arab-speaking countries - Geraldine Baum, Los Angeles Times: Scholastic, the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books, first weeded its list of thousands of titles down to 200 and later 80.

They were translated into Arabic, and over the last three years, almost 17 million copies have been shipped from a plant in Missouri to elementary schools across the Middle East and North Africa. Scholastic scoured the books to eliminate anything that could be interpreted as American propaganda. In a book about shapes, a flag was removed from the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C. Image from article

Distrust Slows U.S. Training of Pakistanis - Eric Schmitt and Jane Perlez, New York Times: The deep suspicion that underlies every American move here is a fact of life that American officers say they must work through as they try to reverse the effects of the many years when the United States had cut Pakistan off from military aid because of its nuclear weapons program.

Progress, though not enough, in Cuba: As Guillermo Farinas' hunger strike ends with the release of 52 dissidents, questions remain on why President Raul Castro isn't doing more to advance human rights – Editorial, Los Angeles Times: We urge the U.S. Congress to pass a bill approved by the House Agriculture Committee last week to repeal a ban on American travel to Cuba and weaken other Cold War sanctions. It should do so not because Cuba deserves it, or has earned it by freeing 52 prisoners, but because the 50-year-old trade and travel prohibitions have failed to bring about democratic change in half a century.

US, S.Korea Weigh Options for Naval Drill - The Chosun Ilbo: The South Korean government and military are looking into various scenarios for resuming propaganda broadcasts against North Korea and sending anti-communist leaflets to the North.

Russia Today (RT) as an example of "weirdly constructed propaganda" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting:

RT is capable of very well produced reports and respectable journalism, in addition to its less salubrious material. If it could focus on the former, the channel would speak well for Russia. As it is now, RT gives the impression that Russia, as a nation, is not ready for prime time. Image from

Dracula was not bloodthirsty, just a victim of bad propaganda, new exhibition claims - Nick Squires, telegraph.co.uk: The show, which has just opened in Bucharest, attempts to rehabilitate Vlad Tepes,


also known as Vlad Dracula or Vlad the Impaler, who ruled Wallachia in the 15th century. "Vlad Dracula was doubtlessly cruel, but not more so than other princes of his time," said Margot Rauch, the Austrian curator of the exhibition, entitled "Dracula - Voivode and Vampire". … She said historical studies presented in the exhibition show legends related to Vlad Dracula were "aimed at presenting eastern Europe as a primitive land and a source of evil". Dracula image from article

IMAGE (from Boing Boing)


Threadcakes -- a competition to re-create Threadless t-shirt designs as cakes -- reaches its apotheosis in this, Gonzuela Bastarache's recreation of the Zombie at Tiffany's tee.

July 10

"Public diplomacy is just talk. Nothing else."

--nasaengineerdotcom, regarding NASA administrator Bolden's planned outreach to Muslim countries; image from

Below images from:
Proletarian posters from 1930s Japan; via

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

How the U.S. underperforms at Shanghai's Expo - Knute Berger: "The U.S. pavilion underachieves when measured against the possibilities and the opportunity. On the other hand, its very existence gives it points. As Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said when asked about the pavilion, 'It's fine.' Translated, that means 'It exists.'

And the pavilion birthing process was so difficult, so messed-up, that the only thing worse would have been insulting China by blowing it off entirely, which almost happened. ... The pavilion is seen by some as an example of U.S. failure to take public diplomacy seriously, despite claims to the contrary since 9-11. America seems much more interested in spending funds on wars than winning world opinion. The idea that expos are somehow obsolete is a provincial conceit: the form has never been more popular or involved more countries. That expos are alive and well overseas and not in America should be embraced, not used as an argument for disengagement."

WATCH LIVE: 'Engaging Muslim Communities'‎ - Palestine Note: "For better or worse, the word most associated with President Obama's foreign policy is 'engagement.' Many in the United States and throughout the world perceived the Bush administration as heavy-handed, abrasive, and too unwilling to listen to other nations' hopes, fears, and perspectives. ... A significant aspect of this engagement strategy has been to use new media and public diplomacy to express more effectively what America is and why it is carrying out the policies that it does. One outgrowth of this is the State Department's 'Conversations with America' series. The series is designed to provide 'an opportunity for [State Department officials] to discuss a range of issues, important issues with people within the United States and around the world.' ... -- Ben Katcher, The Washington Note."

How to Support the Struggle for Iran's Soul Part I by Ilan Berman 1st part of 2Iranian Reform and Stagnation – posted at Middle East and Terrorism: "If ... the [Obama] administration hopes to be able to influence Iranian politics over the long term, it will need to articulate much clearer support for political pluralism in the Islamic Republic. And once it does, it will need to enforce that policy throughout the bureaucracy that manages U.S. public diplomacy. This change, moreover, must be reflected in the quality of the actual content that is generated by U.S. broadcasting.

Today, with some notable exceptions, U.S. outreach to Iran has degenerated into prolonged sessions of entertainment, often carried out at the expense of proven approaches to shaping the strategic landscape through cultural, intellectual, and historical programs. And the audience appears to have taken notice: Anecdotal evidence suggests that although U.S. broadcasts are ubiquitous throughout the Islamic Republic, they desperately need a reconfiguration that provides for greater discourse about liberal Western democracy, human rights, personal freedoms, and political independence. Key themes that require amplification include: U.S. support for opposition forces within Iran; the extent of regime brutality against its own people; the corruption endemic to the country's ruling clerical class; and the dangers that the Iranian regime's persistent quest for nuclear weapons poses to its own population."

Where is the State Department's Public Diplomacy? - Kepha, Uncle Cephas: "NASA Administrator Charles Bolden revealed his plans to improve relations between America's space exploration agency and the Muslim world to Al Jazeera before Congress, the Washington Examiner reported. ... News likes this leads one to wonder why NASA was asked to engage in outreach to the Muslim world rather than some agency of the US Department of State or US Information Service. After all, NASA is theoretically about space exploration, astronomy, engineering, and other empirical sciences; public diplomacy seems rather far from such concerns."

Did Obama Specifically "Charge" Bolden To Do Muslim Country Outreach? - Keith Cowing, NASA Watch: "[NASA Administrator] Bolden was quite clear that there was specific direction from the President with regard to Muslim countries as one of the three things that President Obama charged him to do as NASA Administrator - with outreach to Muslim countries being 'perhaps foremost' of the three.

[comment by] nasaengineerdotcom ... What Bolden was doing falls under the category of 'public diplomacy,' taking the message to the people directly-so they see Americans in a different light than what they usually get through the news. CIA people and military planners know all about it. I doubt that documents that discuss this in detail would be made public. Public diplomacy is just talk. Nothing else."

Battle brews over nominee for ambassador to Turkey‎ - Josh Rogin Foreign Policy: "The nomination fight over Ricciardone will likely become a debate over how best to approach Turkey during this delicate stage. For those who want to use the stick, he's destined to be the wrong choice. For those who think carrots are preferable, Ricciardone's extensive knowledge, fluent Turkish, and reputation for getting heavily involved in public diplomacy make him the perfect selection."

Seven community organizations awarded grants – New Era (Namibia): "Recently seven grants were signed over to seven Namibian community-based organisations by the American Cultural Center Auditorium.

Since 2006, the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Section has partnered with local organisations through its PEPFAR Public Diplomacy (PD) grants programme, to create programmes that support PEPFAR goals of HIV/AIDS prevention, stigma reduction, and positive living."

L.A.‘s Minister of Culture, Part II - Jeremy Rosenberg, Next American City: "Today, we continue with part two of the City / Culture interview with Bettina Korek. ... Korek* is the founder of ForYourArt, which according to the FYA website is an interdisciplinary producer, meta curator, multi-media publisher, patronage cultivator, and more. The interview has been edited for length and clarity. City / Culture: You’ve said that 'the word art has been flattened.' That term also gets used in contexts such as globalization and public diplomacy. What’s the common denominator? Bettina Korek: In part, it’s all of us adapting to the new tools that we have to share information. One conversation that’s happening in our cultural institutions – and I think it’s a really important one – is that there has to be a spectrum of information. Hans Ulrich Obrist, who we work with, is a great example of this. He’s someone I’m so passionate about because I feel his work touches, and can activate and connect, all these different disciplines. But it’s very serious and it’s very rigorous. How do you pull out different layers and different ways for people to plug in? You have the NEA twittering. Twitter is meant for one level of information. There has to be an acknowledgment that people have different levels of interest and you can’t expect to be able to collapse the deepest layer in Twitter."

178 Government Agencies We Should Get Rid Of Immediately - thedaleygator.wordpress.com: Among them: Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (State Department) Radio and TV Marti (Español)

Events organized by Romanian Embassy in Baku acting as NATO Contact Point - Financiarul: "On January 1, 2009, Romania took over the responsibility of NATO Contact Point Embassy (CPE) in Azerbaijan for the 2009-2010 period.

Embassies acting as NATO contact points in partner states have an important role in the development of the relationship between the Alliance and the respective state, which includes support for conducting NATO activities, especially those related to public diplomacy at local level, as well as taking the necessary steps for ensuring a channel for the communication of NATO policies to the partner state."

Nudging Israel Forward - DB, EthiopianReview.com: "On the Palestinian side, the flotilla crisis seems to have bolstered the sense among the West Bank leadership that it is time to try to strike the deal with Israel. Abu Mazen [Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas], buoyed by his own meetings at the White House and with American Jewish leaders, appears to be ready to move into direct peace negotiations with Netanyahu. He intends to continue a campaign of public diplomacy designed to convince Israelis and their American Jewish supporters that they have a Palestinian partner for peacemaking. He is even ready to address the Knesset. This newfound peace activism is not so much because the Palestinian president believes the Likud PM has had a change of heart as it is confidence that the American president is in the Palestinian corner when it comes to establishing a viable state."

Ignatieff in China: Subtle Diplomacy > Empty Posturing - The Equivocator: "China has a lot to gain from close partnership with Canada but our relationship is being dominated by economic concerns. The Harper government’s terrible record on the environment and human rights means that the Chinese have less to gain in public diplomacy with Canadian leaders.

For four years Stephen Harper ignored china and now that we have been playing catch up our government cannot yet focus on non-economic exchanges."

China to search globally for panda keepers [China Daily] – Wandering China: "China sends out a beacon internationally to hunt for panda keepers, so reports this article by the AFP published in China’s official mouthpiece – the China Daily. The Pandas have been a great asset for China. Using these pandas, China weaves an intricate web of international relationships with very sound public diplomacy know-how. I have yet to know anybody who hates pandas."

Foreign Ministry To Enter Social Networking‎ - india-server.com: "With social networking sites becoming most popular, even the foreign ministry will soon be seen on social networking sites. After the Delhi traffic police, it is now the foreign ministry that is making news for creating an account in social networking sites. Though this not new in other developed nations like the US, it is definitely a significant move in India.

The Public Diplomacy Division of external affairs ministry would launch a new web portal to step into such social networking sites. Since, the work is under progress, much information has not been revealed in this regard. However, it is being reported that the ministry would enter popular networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. A Twitter account was created on Thursday as an initial move."

Tharoor gone, MEA debuts on Twitter: public diplomacy - Shubhajit Roy, Indian Express: "Shashi Tharoor probably paid the price for tweeting too much when he lost his job as Minister of State for External Affairs, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred the MEA from entering Twitter world. The Public Diplomacy (PD) division of the MEA today made its debut on Twitter with the user ID 'Indian diplomacy' — http://twitter.com/Indiandiplomacy. The mandate of the PD division includes production of print and audio-visual material that will help Indian embassies project the country’s diverse facets more effectively. The first tweet came around 10 am and read: 'Official twitter account of Public Diplomacy Division of Ministry of External Affairs, India @Indiandiplomacy'." See also.

PML-N engages experts to devise suggestions for APC on terrorism‎ - Vidya Rana Daily Times: "ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has engaged security experts for formulating policy suggestions to be presented at the all-parties conference (APC) on terrorism proposed by party chief Nawaz Sharif, Daily Times learnt on Friday.

The conference on terrorism has been convened to develop a consensus on a national counterterrorism strategy (NCTS). When contacted, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal said the Punjab government had already devised a counterterrorism strategy, but it could not be implemented in isolation. ... 'We will share all the information at the proposed APC, because it is quite a sensitive issue and sometimes public diplomacy backfires,' he said."

Don't you just LOVE the "media war"? (Part II) – Lena, Global Chaos: Re the Russia Today/Fox media war: “So much for maintaining credibility and, at least, trying to achieve effective public diplomacy. Way to go, RT.”

Blowing the nation’s trumpet: languages and public diplomacy (1) – words to good effect: "I recently spent 2 days interpreting in Birmingham for an Italian delegation from Italia Lavoro and Regione Marche. They were here to find out more about the work being done by Sue Veszpremi’s Employer Engagement team at Jobcentre Plus to help the long-term unemployed back into employment. Wonderful work, in my opinion . ... That visit to Birmingham was a great opportunity to tell a British success story. The Italian delegates were impressed not just by the case-studies presented but also – I think even more so – by the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm of the Jobcentre Plus team. That, surely, is what public diplomacy is all about. But how can we broadcast our 'good news' stories internationally if we don’t have the language skills to do so?"

Call for Manuscripts - AEJMC: Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication: "Media Psychology and Public Diplomacy A Special Issue of the American Journal of Media Psychology What processes can best describe attitude formation and /or attitude change as it relates to public diplomacy in a global media environment?

What role, if any, do the international media networks (news and entertainment, traditional and web-based) play in this context? Researchers with interests in such areas as attitude formation and change, media-psychology, social psychology, cross-cultural communication, political communication, political psychology, public opinion, international communication, news exposure, international relations, media effects and related topics are invited to submit papers to the American Journal of Media Psychology for a special issue that focuses on explaining attitude formation and attitude change as related to international public diplomacy within a global media environment."

RELATED ITEMS

U.S. and Russia complete spy swap - Mary Beth Sheridan and Andrew Higgins, Washington Post: After more than a decade of furtively infiltrating America, members of a Russian spy ring busted by the FBI returned Friday to their masters in Moscow, following a swap on an Austrian tarmac for four Russian prisoners, who were whisked to freedom in Britain or the United States. The exchange took place on a remote part of the Vienna airport runway in brilliant sunshine. For all the Cold-War-style intrigue, the Vienna handover was a far cry from the last major U.S.-Russia spy swap, which took place in 1986 at Berlin's Glienicke Bridge, an Iron Curtain crossing that at the time was floodlit and guarded by heavily armed soldiers with dogs. Such deals used to involve months of testy, secret negotiations, in contrast to the quick turnover this time. "This is a very modern kind of spy exchange," said Peter Earnest, a 36-year CIA veteran. He noted that the swap was also free of the propaganda blasts so common in the past. "If you look at the noises coming from both governments, they're trying to get this behind them," said Earnest, nowdirector of the International Spy Museum.

High school students learn foreign languages: Howard Community College teaches Arabic, Chinese and Hindi to youths in summer STARTALK program: STARTALK, a federal government initiative designed to increase the number of Americans learning so-called "critical need" languages – Joe Burris, Baltimore Sun: The program pays tuition

for 70 students — from rising ninth-graders to those who recently graduated high school — to spend the summer learning Arabic, Mandarin Chinese or Hindi. Via LB

Taliban propaganda appears in Kerala - Times Now.tv: Investigations into the attack on a college professor has led to Kerala Police uncovering Taliban propaganda in the state. Police carried out raids in Kochi and Alleppey on the houses of various suspects and activists of the Popular Front. Sources say the police have seized pamphlets and CDs showing Taliban style torture and propaganda.

An Avalanche of Anti-Israel Propaganda – Phyllis Chesler, Chesler Chronicles » The New York Times is the true Bible for most liberal Jews. Fed today’s kind of steady propaganda, year in, year out, liberal and young Jews believe that what they read here is the whole truth—after all, they’ve read it in the Bible. Hence, they are far more comfortable, far more rewarded for attacking and critiquing Israel than for defending Israel from Big Lies—and for attacking, rather than respecting, Israel’s Christian-American supporters.

South Korea Lost Propaganda War‎ - Kim Tae Hong, Daily NK: There seems to be no end to the doubts and suspicions that are swirling around the Cheonan incident. Lee Su Seok of the Institute for National Security Strategy says this is because the South Korean government lost the “Cheonan propaganda war” to North Korean and pro-North Korea forces.

Lee, speaking at a Young Korean Academy debate on the Cheonan incident, explained, "People don't believe us because we lost to North Korea in the propaganda war. The government led people to view whatever the conservatives said as starting a war with North Korea.”

Hague Recognises Propaganda’s Role in Srebrenica Genocide - Nidzara Ahmetasevic, Balkan Insight: In sentencing Milan Gvero, Milan Gvero, Assistant Commander for Morale and Legal and Religious Affairs of the Army of Republika Srpska, the ICTY for the first time recognised the importance of media propaganda in the mass executions that took place in eastern Bosnia in 1995. One former ICTY prosecutor, speaking anonymously, told Balkan Insight that the aim in proving the role of propaganda was to establish “the connection between the leadership’s desires and the acts of those on the ground.” The goal was to show how the atmosphere created in the media before the wars started in former Yugoslavia made it easier for people to commit war crimes. “Propaganda aimed to create a situation in which people believed they wouldn’t be punished if they committed a crime, or even killed people,” the same prosecutor explained, “for example by honouring paramilitaries who were often former criminals and granting them an amnesty for all the bad things they had done.” In order to establish the role played by propaganda in the genocide committed in Srebrenica, the prosecution referred to the orders issued by Karadzic in March 1995.

When Propaganda Backfires - Miss Cellania, Neatorama: BLONDE BOMSHELLS (image source: Psywar.org)

The Plan: During WWII, Axis powers attempted to wage psychological warfare against the Allies in a highly unusual way. They’d fly over enemy camps and drop pictures of buxom ladies on the troops. The twist? Most of the women were pictured in passionate embraces with strange men. The Hope: According to German officials, the drops were meant to get GIs thinking about their wives and girlfriends back home-specifically, thinking about them being unfaithful. Axis propaganda wasn’t always so convoluted, though. Sometimes the Germans simply dropped pictures of scantily clad women posed over quotes such as “You can enjoy this if you surrender.” The Disappointment: Surprise! Apparently, giving out free pictures of sexy women isn’t the best way to demoralize soldiers. Far from being upset, the GIs began collecting the pics and using them as pinups. WISDOM FROM ABOVE (Image Source: Flight’s Image of the Day)

The Plan: Soviet leader Joseph Stalin wanted to spread the message of communism far and wide, so in 1934, he enlisted the ANT-20, a massive aircraft with a wingspan of more than 200 feet. The Hope: In addition to its jaw-dropping size, the plane contained multiple radio stations, a photo lab, and even a printing press for distributing leaflets midair. But the best thing about the plane (from a propaganda point of view) was its loudspeaker. Known as the “Voice from the Sky”, the sound system was so powerful that it could broadcast speeches and songs to the public from hundreds of feet in the air. The Disappointment: Unfortunately for Stalin, the plane’s lifespan didn’t match its wingspan. In 1935, a fighter plane crashed into the giant aircraft during a demonstration over Moscow, killing 45 people. But that didn’t stop the propaganda from living on. Soviet officials quickly blamed the crash on the fighter pilot, Nikolai Blagin, and a new word, Blaginism, was introduced into the Russian language. It translates to “a cocky disregard of authority.” Images from article