September 2-3

"People should know when they're conquered."

--A Roman officer in the film "The Gladiator"; image from

"They are powerful, what can I do? I cannot do anything.”

--Afghan parliamentary candidate Abdul Wahid Khurasani, among the three wounded by a NATO air strike

NEW ARTICLES

PDiN MONITOR: A Review & Analysis of Current Public Diplomacy in the News
Digital Diplomacy. Featuring a closer look at: Digital Diplomacy
Featuring:
--A New Breed of Foreign Policy by Tori Horton
--Beyond the BlackBerry Ban: Realpolitik and the Negotiation of Digital Rights 8 by Shawn Powers
--PDiN Extras: 10 World Cup Wrap-Up Floods in Pakistan & Aid Diplomacy
--Everybody’s Diplomacy 13 by Matt Armstrong
--No Simple App for Public Diplomacy 15 by Anoush Rima Tatevossian

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Public Diplomacy: Books, Articles, Websites #52 (Courtesy of Bruce Gregory)

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

Joe Biden update: Turning over the keys in Iraq - Los Angeles Times: "Vice President Joe Biden's remarks at change of command ceremony, Baghdad, as provided by the White House: '... an outstanding ambassador, Jim Jeffrey [US ambassador to Iraq] ... may be new to this particular job, but is certainly not new to the region nor this country. His knowledge and commitment run deep.

They go back to his earlier service in the Bush administration as a Deputy National Security Advisor, as well as at one point the DCM right here in Baghdad. And he is backed by an extraordinary team of Foreign Service professionals and civilian experts, who are moving to the forefront of our effort now. They have always been engaged, but now they’re moving to the forefront, people like Erin Eddy, a former Peace Corps volunteer in Ecuador, who now serves 'outside the wire' as a public diplomacy officer on a regional -- provincial reconstruction team in Kirkuk." Biden image from; on sunglasses, see

Defining The Obama Doctrine, Its Pitfalls And How To Avoid Them - Kim R. Holmes, James Carafano, Eurasia Review: "The U.S. must insist that other concerned countries enforce the strongest possible targeted sanctions on the regime in Tehran and on its internal security organs; ban all foreign investment, loans and credits, subsidized trade, and refined petroleum exports to Iran; and deny visas to its officials. It should launch a targeted public diplomacy campaign to expose the regime’s human rights abuses and help facilitate communications among the dissidents. It should find ways to aid the opposition. It should strive to reduce Iranian meddling in Iraq by maintaining the strongest troop presence there; a stable and democratic Iraq will offer Shiites an alternative model that helps to delegitimize Iran’s Islamist system."

Welcome to the U.S.... Not - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "As reported by BBC News: ['] Pakistan's military has said it cancelled talks with American defence chiefs after a delegation sent to the US met 'unwarranted' airport checks. The officers were traveling to Tampa, Florida, for a three-day conference with the U.S. Central Command, which was scheduled to start on Tuesday.

When they boarded the Tampa-bound plane at the D.C. Dulles airport, they had already had several layovers in what was, by then, a 22-hour trip.['] ... [G]iven the billions of dollars that the U.S. has been, and is still, spending on its public diplomacy efforts in that country, and given that there has been a sizable amount of discontent about the lack of sufficient flood aid from the U.S., the airport incident should come as a cause of concern." Image from

Imam Feisal Meets With UAE Mosque and Money Crowd 2 days ago - Claudia Rosett, The Rosett Report: "As the imam behind the Ground Zero mosque project, Feisal Abdul Rauf, continues his State Department-hosted 'public diplomacy' visit to the United Arab Emirates, the glimpses of his activities over there get ever more interesting. Back home, Americans are now reading the Bergen Record’s dispatches on Rauf’s history as a New Jersey landlord with a tangled financial trail and angry tenants registering recurring complaints about his premises, listing such items as infestations of cockroaches and rats, piles of unremoved trash and 'filthy halls.' Meanwhile, in the UAE, U.S. State Department officials have been squiring Rauf around on the final leg of his taxpayer-funded $16,000 swing through the Middle East (that tab includes an allowance of $496 per day to keep him comfortable in Abu Dhabi). ... Kudos at least to the U.S. Embassy in the UAE for providing at least minimal information on Rauf’s doings while he travels in comfort on the taxpayers’ tab. The U.S. embassies on his previous taxpayer-funded stops, in Bahrain and Qatar, were rather less forthcoming (here’s the official account of his multi-day stay in Doha). The State Department in Washington has been either remarkably uninformed about the specifics of his travels, or pretty much mute. And Rauf himself, before embarking on this tour, spent weeks in Malaysia, where he has longstanding ties and keeps an office. Whatever he was doing there, he has yet to disclose. It does seem that his State Department 'public diplomacy' itinerary included a stop in Saudi Arabia; apparently cancelled by State at the last minute. Did he go there anyway? Let’s assume not. But how would we know?"

America's Faltering Search for Peace in the Middle East: Openings for Others? - Sabbah Report: Remarks to staff of the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, separately, to members of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs Ambassador Charles W. ('Chas') Freeman, Jr. (USFS, Ret.)* 1 September 2010, Oslo, Norway. ... [Freeman: ] Now to my suggestions, presented in ascending order of difficulty, from the least to the most controversial.

First, get behind the Arab peace initiative. Saudi Arab culture frowns on self-promotion and the Kingdom is less gifted than most at public diplomacy. Political factors inhibit official Arab access to the Israeli press. The Israeli media have published some – mostly dismissive – commentary on the Arab peace initiative but left most Israelis ignorant of its contents and unfamiliar with its text. Why not buy space in the Israeli media to give Israelis a chance to read the Arab League declaration and consider the opportunities it presents? I suspect the Saudis, as well as other members of the Arab League, would consider it constructive for an outside party to do this." Freeman image from article

Camp David Redux: A Look Back At Lessons Learned - NPR: "NPR's Robert Siegel talks to negotiators who were present at Camp David about the experience and the lessons of those talks: Ghaith Omari of the American Task Force on Palestine, who was a legal adviser to the Palestinian delegation; Gideon Grinstein of the Reut Institute, who was the youngest Israeli staffer at Camp David; and Aaron David Miller of the Woodrow Wilson Center, who was a longtime State Department adviser. ... Mr. OMARI: ... The issue of messaging. I think the biggest failure of Camp David was not in substance. We made many breakthroughs. It was in messaging. What you tell your people? How do you prepare them for an agreement? How do you take an incomplete summit and turn it from a failure through messaging - from a half empty glass to a half-full glass? Thats what the U.S. should be focusing on, in my view in the initial months. SIEGEL: Aaron David Miller, what do you think about that? Is it best to tell these leaders, look, we'll give you cover so you dont have to say anything for a while, and just to make a little bit of progress? Or here, it's very important that you speak to your people about whats happening? Mr. MILLER: I mean it's a point - I dont like the word messaging because it implies a certain amount of public diplomacy, which implies a certain amount superficiality, in effort to sell something that people really dont believe in. But I take Ghaith's point."

Schenker on the LAF - The Mideastwire Blog: "Since the inauguration of the Cedar Revolution

in early 2005, US officials constantly and very publicly ratcheted up their rhetoric over the 'unqualified' support – the total, unrestricted support for a robust LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces]. But at the same time, 'careful assessments' were not determining the quality and level of support – a desire to not disrupt Israel’s QME was. At some point, the whole LAF-Bush Administration episode may stand as a classic exercise in how not to go about credible public diplomacy (as the rise and fall of the Cedar revolution should also stand as a test case of how not to go about a colour revolution)." Image from

Obama's Big Speech - Tom Maguire, JustOneMinute: "Matt mentioned this a couple of threads back, but left out the relevant part of this report in the Atlantic: ... Current U.S. public diplomacy centers on selling America to the Muslim world, but we should also work to undermine some of the myths built up around our enemies by highlighting their incompetence, their moral failings, and their embarrassing antics. ... Posted by: bunkerbuster August 31, 2010 at 08:53 PM."

Celebrating and Building on the Private Generosity of Americans - Mark Green, modernizingforeignassistance.org: "I recently began posting a series of pieces with some of the reasons why I believe (a) America needs foreign assistance reform and (b) Conservatives should take up the cause. Done right, foreign assistance

can play a crucial role in our foreign policy. Unfortunately, the status quo isn’t 'done right' or, at least, done as well as it could be.To summarize, here are my first seven reasons: [including] ... Reason 5: The combination of fragmented authorities and overlapping bureaucracies in our current assistance framework is watering down public diplomacy efforts." Image from

Troop withdrawal mere propaganda - Sam Makinda, Business Daily Africa: "Whatever the spin, propaganda or public diplomacy, as it is sometimes called, people of good conscience will always regard the invasion of Iraq seven years ago as an unnecessary war that has left the country ruined, millions of its innocent citizens killed, maimed or displaced, and a large number of American and British families mourning or living with relatives who have been physically, emotionally and mentally destroyed."

The U.N.’s Arms Trade Treaty: A Dangerous Multilateral Mistake in the Making August 31, 2010 - Capt. Karl: "Published on August 21, 2009 by Theodore Bromund and Steven Groves WebMemo #2309 ... On October 31, 2008, the U.N. General Assembly

voted 145 to 2 with 18 abstentions for a resolution entitled 'Towards an arms trade treaty: establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms.' ... The two nations voting against the resolution were the United States and Zimbabwe. ... The U.S. has taken a beating in the world press and in the court of public opinion by being paired with Zimbabwe as the only two states opposed to the U.N. resolution. ... Few commentators and none of the treaty’s advocates noted the significance of the Chinese and Russian abstentions. The U.S. statement in the General Assembly before the vote was serious, but it did little to elucidate the issues for a press already predisposed to favor the treaty. ... The U.S. is being defeated in the realm of public diplomacy

and is doing nothing to make up ground, thus setting itself up for more defeats–or tame acquiescence–in the years to come." Image 1 from; image 2 from

VOA history in the news (updated) - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Filling the Global Security Gap - Judah Grunstein, World Politics Review: "Addressing the possibility that the U.S. and Europe will shy away from military interventions post-Iraq/post-Afghanistan, Richard Gowan suggests that emerging countries -- Brazil, China and India, in particular -- could very well step in to fill the gap

in the context of U.N. state-building operations. It tracks well with what Matt Armstrong wrote in his WPR feature article, U.N. Peacekeeping as Public Diplomacy." Image from

PRÉ-vue [discourse’s-analysis] TRI-vium - Modern Diplomacy - Paul Shipale, New Era (Nambia): "Ms Pamela H. Smith, ancient Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs, US Embassy, in London starts with something very bureaucratic to explain what public diplomacy is, using the USIA’s mission statement, which defines public diplomacy as: To understand, inform, and influence foreign public in the promotion of the national interest and to broaden the dialogue between people and institutions and their counterparts abroad. This is summarised as 'retail politics on a global scale'. ... The people practising public diplomacy are the ones disseminating the President’s latest speech on foreign policy, explaining its points to a skeptical local newspaper editor, or writing a speech on the same theme, but adapted to local conditions, for the Ambassador to give. On another day, the public diplomacy practitioner is helping select candidates for academic exchange programmes and attending a seminar or cultural event that connects the country where he is posted. He knows people from several age groups and across the political spectrum, hence the term 'diplomacy.' ... [T]he profusion of sources and amounts of information available results in a public overwhelmed and confused by the welter of messages wondering what is true? What is real? Who has time to figure it out? One significant solution to this nexus of problems is a robust government public diplomacy programme that organises, conveys, verifies and authenticates information about its country, so that the interested public, including opinion leaders, have a reliable source. Perhaps it is for this very reason that smaller powers need public diplomacy programmes, just as major powers do. ... Given the geopolitical trends already underway, public diplomacy will no longer be a job just for certain specialists, like press attachés and cultural attachés. There will, however, still be public diplomacy specialists, and they will be people who combine the skills of systems managers, modern librarians, publishers, database experts, marketers and cultural interpreters."

New consul general focusing on ‘digital public diplomacy,’ outreach - Michael C. Duke, Jewish Herald-Voice: "The region’s new top-ranking Israeli diplomat is looking to online social media as an effective tool for public diplomacy.

Meir Shlomo assumed the duties of consul general of Israel to the Southwest last month, taking over from Asher Yarden, who has returned to Israel after completing a four-year stint. The consulate office is based in Houston. It serves a five-state region, spanning Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Oklahoma. ... The new consul general arrives in Houston as a seasoned foreign ministry official, with an educational background in political science, mass communications and public diplomacy. ... The consul general has outlined short-term and long-term goals for his new assignment. ... 'The first goal is to try to understand the political scene across the Southwest region ... . The second goal is public diplomacy. We want to show the true face of Israel, to let people know what Israel is really about. Most people either know very little about the State of Israel, or most of what they know is from the media and has to do with conflict.' 'We want to show Israel beyond the news, to show that the real Israel is warm people, great beaches, a wonderful place for arts and technological innovation. It’s a fusion – not just in food, but a cultural fusion,' he said. 'I think public diplomacy is so important,' he continued. 'When I hear an Israeli or anybody complaining about Israel’s public diplomacy, I don’t get offended. I take it as a sign that they really care what Israel is doing or is not doing. That’s good, because the worst thing that could happen for us is people being indifferent about what’s happening or not happening in Israel,' he said." Image from

Ghana wants new identity - "Mr. Akotia [Mr. Mathias Akotia, Chief Executive Officer of Brand Ghana] pointed out that nation branding was not new saying that "many countries have promoted their identities for different reasons to be able to attract international attention. 'An example was South Africa which, in realising a gap between the international perception and the reality of the country, launched the Brand South Africa project which has correctly positioned it'. He said India, Malaysia, Egypt, Costa Rica, New Zealand and many more countries also had active nation branding programmes in spite of the existence of state institutions, such as investment, tourism, exports and public diplomacy dedicated to country product, services and reputation promotions."

‘Let’s Brand Ghana With Cocoa’ - business.peacefmonline.com: "The Chief of Staff, Henry Martey Newman has urged Ghanaians to support initiatives aimed at finding a brand identity for Ghana. Mr. Newman was of the opinion that to build a better brand identity for Ghana, cocoa, which is the major foreign exchange earner of the country,

should be rebranded and redesigned to look more attractive. ... The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Brand Ghana Office, Mathias Akotia noted that ... country branding is also about 'harmonization of channels of national expressions as varied as acts and policies of government, values and behaviors of the citizenry, education, culture, sports, public health, taxation, public diplomacy, export and investment promotion and infrastructure development.'” Image from

Remarks by Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi at the Launching Ceremony of China's Foreign Affairs 2009 Photo Album - press release, MFA China: Jiechi: "The year 2009 was a fruitful year for China's diplomacy. Amidst a fast-changing international landscape, we seized the opportunities and rose to the challenges. We intensified exchanges with major countries and pursued all-round deepening of friendship and cooperation with neighboring countries and fellow developing countries. We vigorously engaged in summit diplomacy and stepped up economic, security and public diplomacy."

Mayangs, Flat Noses and Nationalism: Time for Public Diplomacy - Amar Yumnam, KanglaOnline: "I strongly feel that the Indian hyperbolism on issues would not serve any productive purpose in long term international political economic purposes in at least her relationships with the South East Asian countries are concerned. Here I am reminded of the focus and the purpose of public diplomacy study programmes in the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

This university, where I had spent quite some time as a visiting scholar recently, took up this programme while the other universities in the United States were focussing on clash of civilisations post September 11. This programme has significance when government to government relationships are bad and difficult to stabilise. In such contexts, the government can think of appreciating and talking to the public of the foreign country instead of allowing all channels of communication go dead. In fact, public diplomacy can serve the purpose of both democracy and peace." Image: Poincaré Hyperbolic Disk

Sainthood demeans what Mary MacKillop stood for - Robert Irwin, Sydney Morning Herald: "Australia's ambassador to the Holy See, Tim Fischer, has lauded the canonisation of Mary MacKillop as a 'very public salute to a great Australian, as well as a matter of public diplomacy and celebration'. Mary MacKillop was a great Australian. But Fischer was wrong on two other counts. First, sainthood is an internally invented showpiece of the Vatican – it is not simply a matter of public diplomacy and celebration.

And second, Mary MacKillop will not become Australia's first saint but the Catholic Church's first Australian saint." Image from article

Discussions on Digital Diplomacy - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "The July/August issue of PDiN Monitor, the electronic review of public diplomacy in the news by the USC Center on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School, focuses on the subject of Digital Diplomacy. ... [W]e will be successful when the term 'digital diplomacy' disappears and all we talk about is engagement."

Romanian Review Of Political Sciences And International Relations, No.2/ 2010 Contents - Isprijournal's Blog: "Cultural Diplomacy Today - New Steps Towards A Research Agenda - Lucian Jora Abstract. This study launches and responses to the following questions: What distinguishes Cultural Diplomacy form Propaganda and what would be the demarcation line which separates them? When Cultural Diplomacy degenerates in Propaganda and with which effects? What is the new environment and variables which impose today a new approach towards cultural representation? How can we measure the effectiveness of Cultural Diplomacy? Key words. Public Diplomacy, Cultural Diplomacy, Lobbyism, International Relations[.]"
Solo icons farewell Easton - Solomon Star: "SOLO Icons this week farewelled Deanna Easton, who’ll be leaving the country today back to Australia. 2007 Solo Icon winner Faye Indu, speaking on behalf of the Icons, thanked Ms Easton for her work with all the Solo Icon contestants. ... Ms Easton

also runs public diplomacy programs, which includes Australian funding for sport under the Australian Sports Outreach Program, support for International Women's Day, Clean up the World in Honiara, Harmony Day, Reconciliation Week Celebrations and support for Solo Icon. Image from article: Solo Icon winners with Deanna Easton at the farewell function early this week

The End of the Virtual World - Denise Harrison, thejournal.com: "'It's like somebody died." That's how at Rik Panganiban described the K-12 education community's reaction to the closing of Teen Grid at a recent inworld meeting between educators and other members of Nonprofit Commons in Second Life. 'It's a horrible tragedy that I wish could be avoided.' Panganiban is assistant director of the Online Leadership Program for Global Kids, which for four years has relied on the Teen Grid to educate urban youth from around the world about such topics as racism, the genocide in Darfur, child trafficking, public diplomacy, and the digital divide, in collaboration with UNICEF, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Youth Ventures, and more."

The African Assignment - blackbloggernetwork.com: "Wilson Aiwuyor is a researcher and co-founder of CONNECT. A graduate of International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and public Affairs at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York, he was a Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) fellow at the Woodrow Wilson School of Princeton University. ... Wilson’s interests include public policy, regional integration, globalization, global political economy, governance and human rights, political organization, global peace and security, and public diplomacy."

The Endurance - Tom, Blue safari:
"2009 Oct 09: Took Foreign Service Officer Test
2009 Oct 28: Received notice I passed the FSOT
2009 Nov 17: Completed Personal Narratives
2010 Jan 27: Notified I passsed the Personal Narrative portion
2010 Feb 10: Scheduled Oral Assessment for 8 Jun in Wash DC
2010 Jun 08: Passed FSO Oral Assessment with score of 5.3 (Public Diplomacy)
2010 Jun 08: SF86 Top Secret background investigation initiated
2010 Jun 19: Physical exam at VA Hospital San Diego


2010 Jun 27: Labs and exams completed and sent to State Dept
2010 Jul 15: Background interviews conducted
2010 Jul 26: State requests more medical information (I initiate request at VA)
2010 Aug 05: Veterans preference points added. Score bumped to 5.65
2010 Aug 16: VA nurse finally responds to my request for additional information
2010 Aug 24: Took phone test in Mandarin (failed)
2010 Aug 26: After phone interview with State Dept doctor, Class One Medical Clearance granted
2010 Sep 04: Target date for completion of background investigation
TBD: Final Review Panel
TBD: Placement on Register"; image from

Regional Communication Adviser UNAIDS/10/FT50 - "UNAIDS: Title: Regional Communication Adviser Grade: P4 Contract type: Fixed-term appointment
Duration of contract: 2 years fixed-term appointment ...
Competencies:
-Professional networking and relationship building skills
- Organizing public relations events on AIDS issues
- Ability to identify and analyze trends among opinion makers
- Public diplomacy
- Writing skills for internal and external audiences (briefing notes, talking points etc.)
- Understanding of multimedia products (photo, film, video etc.)"

Internship Programme 2010 – NATO - resultspundit.com: "Interns will benefit by experiencing an international organisation from the inside

while substantiating their Curriculum Vitae. Internships are offered in the following areas: [including] ... Public Diplomacy[.]" Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Obama's Post-Iraq World - Roger Cohen, New York Times: Obama, subtly but persistently, is talking down American exceptionalism in the name of mutual interests and mutual respect, two favorite phrases. He is downsizing American ambition — the eventual Afghan exit is now pre-scripted along neither-defeat-nor-victory Iraqi lines — in the name of American rebuilding.

The economics of war - Doyle McManus, latimes.com: One of the lessons

of our recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has surely been this: Invasions are relatively easy, but counterinsurgency is far more difficult. Invasions draw on our advantages: size, wealth, technology. Counterinsurgency taxes our weaknesses; it requires deep understanding of local culture, a willingness to take casualties and, above all, patience — none of which we possess in much quantity. Image from

The 2007 Passport Fiasco, Maura Harty and State’s 2009 Presidential Rank Awards - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: The State Department announced its prestigious Foreign Service 2009 Presidential Rank Award winners in the July/August 2010 State Magazine. Four of the Foreign Service recipients had previously held top positions in either Iraq or Afghanistan and one has just returned to Iraq as Ambassador. Given the tenor and tone of US foreign policy since 9/11 these awards make sense. Other winners, however, include Nancy Powell, State’s own Director General of the Foreign Service; Philippe Lussier, head of the Office of Resource Management; and Foreign Service Institute Director Ruth Whiteside – in essence members of State’s own management team also rewarding, ahem, who else? Themselves? ... Presidential Rank Awards are “for exceptional service over an extended period.” The recipients are “nominated by their agency heads, evaluated by citizen panels and designated by the President” according to the write-up in State Magazine. So it’s difficult to understand how Maura Harty, the recipient in question, could have possibly qualified for an award that covered over a year when she was no longer employed by the US government. Not only had she already left the Department almost two years before but her final assignment as Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs (2002-8) had been fraught with scandal.

North Korea Slams South's Efforts to Block Online Propaganda - Evan Ramstad, Wall Street Journal

Chinese Prop Art - Sino Matter: China has opened itself completely to the outside world.

Politics have largely disappeared from the poster. China’s leaders (Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin) are now seen as ordinary people and even Mao increasingly looks like a movie star. Image from article

Towards An Interactive Goebbels: Can Propaganda Videogames Be Made More Effective And Is Resistance Futile? - Gamasutra, gamecareerguide.com: Current propaganda videogames do not tend to be particularly effective compared to historical propaganda in other mediums. In summary, it seems that there are a number of immediately apparent steps available to be taken that will increase the effectiveness of propaganda games. Propaganda games should appeal to their desired audience in terms they can understand, believe and agree with. Widely known facts should not be ignored and arbitrary conditions should not be forced upon players, for fear that they will reject the work outright.

Propaganda games should be made more enjoyable, and perhaps even addictive, so that they receive prolonged and repeated viewings. The potential of players emotional responses should not be ignored. Propaganda should be included subtly and made to appear to be a natural part of a game. Game mechanics, particularly rewards, penalties and ludic goals, should be used to drive players towards specific, desired behaviours. The way in which game mechanics are contextualised should be used to both express a position openly and to enhance any message they are designed to convey. Games should be designed to discourage oppositional readings. Wherever possible, propaganda messages should be encoded as an enthymeme in the gameplay itself, rather than as an additional message tacked on in the form of narrative. All possible elements of the game should be used to increase the likelihood of provoking the desired response in players. Image from article

Protest vs. Propaganda - Art Cat: “Protest vs. Propaganda”,

a group art show at Sacred Gallery in New York, opening September 4th and running through September 24th. Image from article

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"President Obama announced the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom. ... He said, 'We have given the Iraqis a western-style government.' Well, we certainly have, haven't we? Their economy is in shambles, their congress is corrupt, and their country is broke."

--Talk show host Jay Leno, cited in Bulletin News, LLC

"Operation New Dawn, its name suggesting a skin cream or dishwashing liquid, now begins."



--Andrew J. Bacevich, New Republic; image from

August 31-September 1

"Generality Theory, a process in which slogans and language become so meaningless that assertions are effortless and objections impossible. Coke is it! What is it? It's the real thing. OK!"

--Peteykins, Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog; image from

VIDEO

Frank Lavin, Chairman of the Steering Committee for the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo, on C-Span regarding the pavilion. Via RJ.

Below images from Robin Sayers, "Send in the Gowns: Freddie Leiba, fashion pundit, salutes 22 seminal films that bewitched the world," Los Angeles Times

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Will New York's Mosque Protests Aid Terrorist Recruiters?‎ The hostile rhetoric and anti-Islam message undermine public diplomacy efforts to improve the U.S. image in Muslim nations - Alex Kingsbury, U.S. News & World Report: "In recent days, the leader of the Park51 project, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, has been the target of critics who portrayed him, at best, as insensitive to some 9/11 victims' families and, at worst, as an anti-American radical posing as a moderate. During all of this, he has been far from the scene of the controversy, on a State Department-sponsored public diplomacy mission to Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. ... Rauf has participated in such outreach efforts

with State's Bureau of International Information Programs since 2007. But the U.S. government's backing of Rauf hasn't dampened blistering criticism of the imam or the project. ... The dispute may be more damaging to perceptions among the broad Muslim publics than among radicals, who already have their reasons for hating America. ... With anger rising on all sides, one diplomacy tactic has been to use the fracas as an illustration of the vibrancy of the democratic process. 'The fact that there is an issue that is being debated within our country and [that] will be resolved through a dialogue and applicable law and zoning regulations—this is precisely the kind of tolerance and rule of law that we do, in fact, preach through our international information programs,' the State Department's Crowley told reporters last week. The outstanding question is whether moderate Muslims will be able to hear the State Department message over the chorus of angry voices."

State Dept. Aiding Ground Zero Imam’s Book Sales - Rowan Scarborough, Human Events: "The State Department has handed out overseas nearly 3,000 copies of an Islamic book written by Ground Zero mosque promoter Feisal Abdul Rauf, an imam who asserts publicly that America has killed more Muslims than al Qaeda. The department is now sponsoring Feisal's fourth trip as a special U.S. emissary to the Muslim world. He made two trips in 2007 during the Bush Administration and one earlier this year to Egypt. Feisal is now visiting Bahrain, Qatar and U.A.E. at a cost to U.S. taxpayers of $16,000. A State spokeswoman told HUMAN EVENTS that Feisal is 'an American Muslim voice to the Middle East.' Feisal's trips are not only speaking engagements, but, in effect, book tours. The State Department acquired 3,000 copies of Feisal's What's Right with Islam: A New Vision for Muslims and the West at a cost of nearly $10,000, under what is called the Cairo Regional Book Program. A State Department official told HUMAN EVENTS that the publisher initially donated 1,000 books in 2008. Embassies asked for more, prompting State to buy 2,000. State handed out 300 books during his visit to Egypt last January and is giving out more during the current three-country tour."

Tell Me When It's Over - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "Hard-line realists would argue that the first priority of states is to ensure their own security, and they do so by exercising power--mostly hard power, but also soft power resources like traditional and public diplomacy. But the lines between war and peace aren't entirely clear cut, and neither are the potential benefits for security.

The ultimate objectives of public diplomacy in Iraq have remained fairly constant over the past decade, although the philosophy and methods behind them have not. It is worth questioning, at the beginning of this new period of ongoing conflict, exactly what's been accomplished and what remains to be done. And for those who have faith in the ability of PD to bridge cultural divides, improve mutual understanding and generate goodwill, it's worth asking how PD can help to wage peace in Iraq."

Outreach precedes Mideast talks - Laura Rozen, Politico: "The Obama White House has also in recent months closely consulted with another key campaign surrogate to the pro-Israel community, former Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), on shoring up domestic support for its Middle East peace efforts. Wexler, who resigned his seat in January to head a pro-Middle East peace think tank, the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, hosted a private dinner for visiting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas with pro-Israel and Jewish group representatives in June. The White House also dispatched Wexler to Turkey to try to ease strains in Israeli-Turkish relations in the wake of the Gaza flotilla episode. 'This is the public diplomacy equivalent of what the president started in July in his meeting with the [Israeli] Prime Minister,' former U.S Middle East peace negotiator Aaron David Miller said. 'Which is basically, ‘Why am I fighting with the Israelis? It doesn’t make sense. We are not close to a breakthrough. I am going to recalibrate, reset. I have not given up. In fact, I will fight with the Israelis if it’s worth something. I am going to engage Netanyahu, I am going to engage the pro-Israel community to show them I both understand and am sympathetic' to Israel’s security concerns."

M-Pesa lands in South Africa - Daily Nation (Kenya): "While in the country recently,

the US Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale said that her country will leverage its technology by importing innovations from Africa as part of the Obama Administration’s bid to strengthen relations with the continent."

Wrong about human rights: The Obama administration has recklessly subscribed to the United Nations' mushy definition of a just society - Roger Pilon, philly.com: "[T]he Reagan administration showed that the United States not only protected real rights, but in doing so afforded American citizens far more of the results that the Soviets purported to be providing their citizens as rights. Moreover, President Ronald Reagan went on the offensive, using the U.N. Commission on Human Rights as a forum for public diplomacy against some of the worst regimes of the Cold War, including the Soviet Union. Just last year ... [t]he United States joined the council U.N. Human Rights Council] as part of President Obama's outreach to the world. But in doing so and ... we've implicitly sanctioned the conflation of real and supposed rights."

American Public Outreach Goes to a Shopping Mall in Jakarta - Domani Spero, DiploPundit: "The US Government is seeking a contractor to 'operate the @america public outreach center located in a Jakarta, Indonesia shopping mall. The successful offeror must have the capability to provide outstanding public affairs/relations/diplomacy programming in a multimedia environment while at the same time operating the outreach center.


Evaluation emphasis will be on programming ability first and operational ability second.' The Contractor is expected 'to provide program, management, operational, security, and janitorial services to operate and maintain the @america Outreach Center in the Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia. The outreach center is a public diplomacy venue that showcases American culture, values, and ingenuity to the Indonesian Public using both personal contact and high technology to deliver the message. The Center must remain open during regular Mall hours (from 10:00AM until 9:00PM) each day.' ... The principal place of performance for this contract has been identified as the Pacific Place Mall, Jakarta, Indonesia. The anticipated five year value of this contract is between USD $5 million and USD $10 million."

Shanghai Expo Serves as Platform for Public Diplomacy‎ - Chen Wen, Beijing Review: "The Shanghai World Expo is not only a display of China's strength, but also 'the greatest people-to-people public diplomacy event' for the United States in American history, says a former U.S. diplomat. The event strengthens friendly ties of the United States with China and other nations, said Frank Lavin, Chairman of the Steering Committee, USA Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo at an evening event organized by Asia Society in New York on August 26. ... Lavin said the total number of visitors to the Expo is estimated to be 70 million, of which 7 million were expected to visit the U.S. pavilion. By comparison, about 640,000 Chinese are to visit the United States this year, around one 10th of the number of fairgoers, said Lavin. For the visitors to the U.S. Pavilion at the expo who have never been to the United States, their direct impression of the country comes from what they experience in the pavilion, said Lavin. So the Expo provided a platform for the U.S. to communicate its values to guests and 'promote themes such as civic society, optimism, diversity and innovation,' said Lavin." See also.

DOD's social media chief signs out - Alice Lipowicz, Federal Computer Week: "Defense Department social media head Price Floyd announced his departure from DOD in characteristic fashion: He tweeted the news today to his 3,057 followers on Twitter. 'Tomorrow is my last day at DOD,' Floyd tweeted.

'Still working out the details of my next full-time job, but in the interim will teach a public diplomacy course at George Washington University and help out at Center for New American Security.' Floyd joined DOD as principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs in August 2009. In that role, he was a fixture on Twitter, where he often encouraged discussion of public policy and DOD's use of Web 2.0 technologies." See also.

New Chief of Mission at United States Consulate General Curacao‎ - Aruba: "The Consulate General of the United States of America announces the arrival of the new U.S. Chief of Mission for the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba, Ms. Valerie Belon. ... From August 2008 until June 2009, Valerie Belon managed all outreach and public diplomacy efforts related to the Summit of the Americas in the Bureau for for Western Hemisphere Affairs, which culminated in President Obama’s participation in the Summit hosted by Trinidad and Tobago in April 2009."

Recalling History: Making the Case for U.S. Government Broadcasting - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "Understanding the context of public diplomacy, the institutions, and methods is important.

For too many, public diplomacy began in the 1980s when the beginning of recent memory. ... In August 1945, President Truman reorganized the government’s war-time information apparatus."

US Congressmen war crimes allegation petition: Sri Lanka’s dismal failure in public diplomacy - Daya Gamage, Asian Tribune: "If Asian Tribune reveals to you that one of the signatories to the 9 August (2010) ‘war crimes’ petition forwarded to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by 57 US Congressmen did not have the faintest idea of Pol/Mil developments in Sri Lanka during its battle against separatist Tamil Tigers and the resultant scenario something is wrong somewhere in Sri Lanka’s overseas public diplomacy and strategic communication which is most vital at this state to combat vicious global propaganda against it. The seriousness is that the organizers of this petition harnessed the ignorance of this Congresswoman [the Democratic Congresswoman from the State of California Barbara Lee] to sign it on the pretext of promoting human rights in a Third World nation which happened to be Sri Lanka which is battling misinterpretations, blatant lies, misrepresentations and half-truths arising out of its battle against the separatist Tamil Tigers and resultant human rights, crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide issues."

Annual Tokyo-Beijing Forum hailed as ties facilitator‎ - Xinhua: "The 6th Tokyo-Beijing Forum, which concluded its two-day sessions on Tuesday, was hailed as a platform facilitating the communication between China and Japan.

At a press conference after the meeting, Chairman of the Committee of Foreign Affairs of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Zhao Qizheng said the forum served as the role of public diplomacy which got expanded every year since its launching in 2005, when the ties of the two countries were strained. The panel sessions never avoided sensitive and important issues, he added."

Public diplomacy: New luminance color of Chinese diplomacy - Chen Zhenkai, Song Tuo and Cao Lei, People's Daily Online - "A Public Diplomacy Research Center was at the Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) on Aug. 26, and this is China's first institution to specialize in public diplomacy research. And Zhao Qizheng, director of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, holds the office of honorary director of the Public Research Center under BFSU. Since the entry of the 21st century, public diplomacy in China has arrested a growing widespread attention with each passing day. The Chinese government has attached increasing importance to its role. So, public diplomacy and government diplomacy supplement each other, and they are pairing off wing to wing in China's diplomacy....In another development, the Information Department of China's Foreign Ministry upgraded its 'Public Diplomacy Division' to the 'Public Diplomacy Office'. This minor change of several characters has indicated an orientation of development for Chinese public diplomacy. The methods of adding 'public' before the 'diplomacy' traced back to the United States in 1965. Public diplomacy has, however, gradually become a global 'hot' phrase over recent years, and particularly after the September 11 attacks in the U.S. in 2001. ... Public diplomacy has long existed in China as a diplomatic form and, along with the growth of the national strength, the form of public diplomacy has turned increasingly diverse and become further improved. To date, there are already more than 280 Confucius Academies abroad. Many kinds of theatrical performances as well as the Year for the Han nationality (Chinese) language, and the Year of China have been launched in a number of countries and regions. Moreover, a film to promote China's national image has begun shooting in Beijing lately. On the July 1 edition of the 'Public Diplomacy Quarterly', Duan Yuezhong, the editor-in-chief of Japan Overseas Chinese News and director of the Japan-China Exchange Association, gave an account of how they had launched the Chinese Language Corner in Japan in 2007, and said that the Chinese Language Corner has played an ace showcase and a well-known brand for public diplomacy."

Public Diplomacy 2.0: Taiwan's APEC Digital Opportunity Center Initiative - Madhurjya Kotoky, Public Diplomacy Blog: "There are different ways in which countries are trying to leverage online media.

Taiwan is a great example for creativity and innovation with Web 2.0. It has developed a unilateral initiative called ADOC (APEC Digital Opportunity Center), that aims to reduce digital divide and promote e-business among member economies of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC)."

Public Diplomacy & networked societies: Media initiatives by civil society - Madhurjya Kotoky, Public Diplomacy Blog: "How many of us in India know that for some youngsters in Northeast India, South Korea is where 'dreams come true'?! The video below is a wonderful example of a civil society initiative to tell 'untold' stories by integrating traditional and new media. It is by a group called Video Volunteers that aims to create a community driven global media network. Joseph Nye while talking about 'networked communications,' argued that public diplomacy initiatives of states should try to facilitate platforms/forums that provide content generation (and hence communication) opportunities by communities. In a way that makes two way communications possible between people and groups in different parts of the world."

Thailand - The 2010 Consular Officials Meeting‎ - ISRIA: "On 31 August 2010, Mr. Theerakul Niyom, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, presided over the opening ceremony of the '2010 Consular Officials Meeting' held at the Chaophya Park Hotel, Bangkok,

from 31 August – 3 September 2010. ... The 2010 Consular Officials Meeting aimed at enhancing awareness on the importance of consular affairs, which is a major public diplomacy of the Royal Thai Government."

A Restored Synagogue In An Unlikely Place - John Nahas, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "While the controversy surrounding the proposed Muslim Community Center and Mosque at Ground Zero continues on in the U.S., another site of worship has been restored and opened in the most unlikely place—Beirut, Lebanon. The Magen Avraham Synagogue in Beirut’s Wadi Abu Jmil district reopened this past week after nearly three decades of being closed due to significant damage during the Lebanese civil war. Though Lebanese identity is often defined by religious sect, which in turn influences political leanings, the one issue that has been illustrated by the recent developments is that despite perpetual political conflict the nation can come together and find consensus on a single issue, religious diversity. The restoration of the Synagogue will not solve the nation’s domestic or regional issues but it does provide a positive step that can serve as an ideal public diplomacy model by encouraging religious tolerance and diversity."

Registration Begins for Hebrew Web Addresses‎ - Adam Gonn, Jerusalem Post: "[T]he Prime Minister’s Office has opened a Twitter account for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who asked that the account be used during his current trip to Washington for the beginning of direct peace talks.

‘Today, social media channels are more vital than ever for Israel's public diplomacy efforts, for administrative transparency and for providing citizens with updated information,' the Prime Minster [sic] Office said in a statement." See also (1) (2)

Israeli Gov’t-endorsed ‘Public Diplomacy’ Site Pushes Iran Attack - Eli Clifton, lobelog.com: "Give Israel Your United Support (GIYUS) has sprung to life again — and it’s promoting a U.S. attack on Iran at beyond the scale discussed by any respected analysts. The 'online public diplomacy platform of Israel' is promoting an interview with an 'ex-Mossad expert on Iran' conducted by IsraeliGirl, a woman who also happens to be one of the founders of the social networking tool. Given GIYUS’ official link — a number of Israeli embassy websites endorse the program — this new posting offers a troubling insight into where the Internet public diplomacy experts of Israel are focusing their attention. Itzhak Barzilai—the 'ex-Mossad expert'—makes the case that the United States should directly attack the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp."

An Interview with Daniel Florian (Consultant at Dimap Communications) - 31/07/10 Interview conducted by Jack Hood - culturaldiplomacy.org: "Q3. Is there a role for domestic politicians and civil society at large in furthering efforts at nation branding? Yes, because everyone is an ambassador for their own country so its important that all people are involved in pubic [sic]

diplomacy and the nation branding process because they are the face of the country. Q4. Do you see similarities between the merits of Cultural Diplomacy and Nation Branding? Yes, because cultural diplomacy is an important strand of Nation Branding and public diplomacy. The most important thing about Cultural Diplomacy is that is addresses the emotions of the people and it’s a very good way to attract people and make them aware of what your country has to offer."

Recipient of the 2010 CPD Prize for Best Student Paper in Public Diplomacy is Announced Aug 26, 2010 - CPD Announcements, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The USC Center on Public Diplomacy is proud to announce that Melanie Ciolek, MPD '11, is the winner of the 2010 CPD Prize for Best Student Paper in Public Diplomacy. Her paper, entitled 'Understanding Social Media’s Contribution to Public Diplomacy' is an examination of the U.S. Department of State's use of Facebook to increase the visibility and impact of President Obama's planned visit to Indonesia. ... Philip Seib, Director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy remarked, 'This excellent paper provides valuable insight into the ways that Facebook and other social media can serve as tools of public diplomacy. Officials at the U.S. State Department would be wise to read this paper and find ways to apply its lessons.'"

Capital Thinker Accepts Chair at California University - steve, ottawastart.com: "The National Capital Commission (NCC) is pleased to announce that one of its own, Dr. Mark Kristmanson, Director of Public Programming for the NCC, will be the 2011 Visiting Chair at the Centre on Public Diplomacy at the Annenberg School of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

Under the auspices of the Canada-US Fulbright Visiting Chair Program, Dr. Kristmanson will study and write as well as lead a graduate seminar on 'City Diplomacy'. His studies will examine the special role of capital cities within this emerging area of public diplomacy that includes peace-building initiatives, twinning, city branding and the hosting of international events."

CPD Research Fellowship, USA - scholarship-positions.com: "Fellowship Program in USC Center on Public Diplomacy at Annerberg School Job Description: The Center is now accepting applications for new Research Fellows from scholars and practitioners of public diplomacy for the 2010-2012 term. This is a non-resident Fellowship program. CPD Research Fellows will be expected to oversee a substantive research project that will yield at least two publications for the Center’s publication series, CPD Perspectives on Public Diplomacy, and periodic blog posts on their projects for the CPD Blog."

RELATED ITEMS

The War in Iraq - Editorial, New York Times: Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction proved to be Bush administration propaganda.

The war has not created a new era of democracy in the Middle East — or in Iraq for that matter.

Abandoned in Baghdad - Saurabh Sanghvi, New York Times: As the United States ends combat operations in Iraq today, it is leaving behind the thousands of Iraqis who worked on behalf of the American government — and who fear their lives and families are threatened by insurgents as a result. In 2008 Congress significantly expanded a program that provided these Iraqis with visas to immigrate to the United States. But in the intervening years, the program has proven to be a bureaucratic failure. Unless we improve the resettlement process for our Iraqi allies, their lives will continue to be in danger long after the last American soldier has returned home.

Media Manipulates the "End" of the War in Iraq - Michael Corcoran, truthout: Just as the media lied to help us get into a war, they are now lying us out of one.


Iraqis are conflicted as U.S. combat mission ends. Many blame the Americans for the years of violence after the invasion, but they also fear what may lie ahead - Liz Sly, Los Angeles Times

Anti-Mosque Organizers Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy‎ - Joshua Holland, AlterNet: America’s enemies in Afghanistan are delighted by the vehement public opposition to the proposed “Ground Zero mosque.”


Afghanistan: the brittle compact between military and media - Vaughan Smith, journalism.co.uk: So-called "embedding", the term for the practice by which journalists have been allowed to accompany allied troops in the Iraq and Afghan wars, is not just a way for the military to manage information but is an unspoken compact with the media that helps sustain the conflicts themselves.

The CIA, Afghanistan and groundless propaganda‎ - Dmitry Kosyrev, RIA Novosti: Competent journalists in the U.S. have been reminding readers that the CIA has been operating in Afghanistan for decades and has dozens of agents in the administration. But now they suddenly have nothing to say on this point.

Companies criticize U.S. travel visa process - USA Today: U.S. companies say a growing number of foreign business travelers — particularly from robust emerging markets such as China, India and Brazil— are avoiding coming to the U.S. because they don't want to deal with the cumbersome, time-consuming process. U.S. embassies got more stringent in approving visa applicants after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and the policy hasn't improved since, they say.

The State Department doesn't deny that visa issuance can trip up prospective visitors, but its internal data show that the problem isn't as bad as industries claim, says David Donahue, the department's deputy assistant secretary for visas. Consular officers must carefully weigh security and forgery concerns and the possibility of applicants overstaying their visits and becoming immigrants, he says.

Venezuelans are desperate for change‎ - Francisco Toro, The Guardian: As in Cuba, the Venezuelan government barely disguises the use of official resources to finance the ruling party's campaign. When the Socialists decided to have an election rally in Barinas recently, a platoon of army soldiers were ordered to help set up. The five state TV channels, the dozens of state-backed "community radio" stations and a slew of state newspapers are unembarrassed to act as the propaganda arm of the ruling party, openly campaigning for the ruling party.

War on Terror: Greatest Covert Op Ever - Douglas Valentine, consortiumnews.com: The Establishment engages imperialism and political repression through propaganda (word management violence) and social structures.

War Propaganda Dehumanises Germans and Arabs - Final conflict: "I see no difference between Commando-style comics portraying all Germans as murderers, war criminals and bayonet fodder for (American and Soviet led) democracy and the garbage that gets pumped out of Hollywood portraying all Arabs as murderers, mad Mullahs, terrorists and bullet fodder for (American and Israeli led) democracy. Yet again we witness how the powers-that-be treat us all like sheep, to be led and cajoled into pens, where we are spoon fed propaganda and spin."


Metal Blade Records set to release OSI's 2003 release - Office of Strategic Influence this September! - altsounds.com: After the First World War only a direct threat could justify American involvement in a new European war. To this end, Roosevelt's administration managed not only to run a considerably large propaganda campaign, but also to coax the Japanese into a clear provocation. OSI (Office of Strategic Influence) is an American progressive experimental super-group formed by Fates Warning guitarist Jim Matheos back in 2003 and features the talents of Kevin Moore (Chroma Key, Dream Theater). The band's name refers to the short-lived US government agency Office of Strategic Influence which was established shortly after 9/11 to manufacture and promote pro-US propaganda in domestic and foreign media.

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"...this huge public relations industry, which is a U.S. invention and a monstrous industry, came out of the first World War. The leading figures were people in the Creel Commission. In fact, the main one, Edward Bernays, comes right out of the Creel Commission. He has a book that came out right afterwards called Propaganda. The term 'propaganda,' incidentally, did not have negative connotations in those days. It was during the second World War that the term became taboo because it was connected with Germany, and all those bad things. But in this period, the term propaganda just meant information or something like that. So he wrote a book called Propaganda around 1925, and it starts off by saying he is applying the lessons of the first World War. The propaganda system of the first World War and this commission that he was part of showed, he says, it is possible to 'regiment the public mind every bit as much as an army regiments their bodies.' These new techniques of regimentation of minds, he said, had to be used by the intelligent minorities in order to make sure that the slobs stay on the right course. We can do it now because we have these new techniques.

This is the main manual of the public relations industry. Bernays is kind of the guru. He was an authentic Roosevelt/Kennedy liberal. He also engineered the public relations effort behind the U.S.-backed coup which overthrew the democratic government of Guatemala.

His major coup, the one that really propelled him into fame in the late 1920s, was getting women to smoke. Women didn't smoke in those days and he ran huge campaigns for Chesterfield.

You know all the techniques—models and movie stars with cigarettes coming out of their mouths and that kind of thing. He got enormous praise for that. So he became a leading figure of the industry."

--Noam Chomsky, from his "What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream": a talk at Z Media Institute, June 1997; image from