March 25

“He that has truth in his heart need never fear the want of persuasion on his tongue.”

--John Ruskin; Ruskin image from

NEW BOOK

Kenneth A. Osgood and Brian C. Etheridge, The United States and Public Diplomacy: New Directions in Cultural and International History (Brill, 2010): From the publisher: “Public diplomacy is the art of cultivating public opinion to achieve foreign policy objectives. A vital tool in contemporary statecraft, public diplomacy is also one of the most poorly understood elements of a nation’s 'soft power.'

This book adds historical perspective to the ongoing global conversation about public diplomacy and its proper role in foreign affairs. It highlights the fact that the United States has not only been an important sponsor of public diplomacy, it also has been a frequent target of public diplomacy initiatives sponsored by others. Many of the essays in this collection look beyond Washington to explore the ways in which foreign states, non-governmental organizations, and private citizens have used public diplomacy to influence the government and people of the United States.” Image from site

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

In trust-building atmosphere, US, Pakistan pledge strategic ties -‎ Associated Press of Pakistan: "Pakistan and the United States on Wednesday expressed their resolve to foster a mutually beneficial durable partnership, with the top U.S. diplomat affirming a 'new phase' in bilateral ties and declaring that Washington sees its key regional anti-militancy ally’s struggles as America’s struggles. At the launching of the first ever ministerial level strategic dialogue, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made opening statements in a friendly trust-building atmosphere, marked by intermingled seating arrangment for senior officials from both sides. ... The American side comprises [inter alia] ... Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale."

Hitting the Reset Button with the Russian Public‎ - Heritage.org: While Moscow has contributed to much of the Russian public’s distaste towards the United States, Washington has focused on resetting relations with Russia’s government rather that its people. Yesterday, a panel hosted by The Heritage Foundation, 'Russian Anti-Americanism: A Priority Target for U.S. Public Diplomacy,' focused on U.S. public diplomacy efforts in Russia. According to a Pew Foundation 2009 public opinion poll, 62 percent of Russians regard the influence of the United States as bad, compared to 15 percent who regard it as good. While Kremlin-supported youth organizations, think tanks, documentaries and movies, and a robust media campaigns according to Daniel Kimmage, Senior Fellow at the Homeland Security Policy Institute, often blame the United States for Russia’s declining international power, the United States has done very little to counter these measures. The first step towards addressing this problem should be to create an account of Russian information operations in the United States.

In other words, the State Department needs to conduct extensive research on Russia’s activities and find out how effective they are. Once this is completed, according to Kimmage[,] the U.S. must push back and counter these efforts. It also must be kept in mind that reaching out and engaging the Russian public, rather than the Kremlin is the public diplomacy objective. The U.S. should focus on launching internet campaigns, increasing international broadcasting and print media as well as revamping academic, student and business exchange programs. Furthermore, as U.S. public diplomacy is meant to promote democratic values abroad, the Obama administration should continue to fund those programs committed to promoting liberty and equality. The U.S. should work with an audience willing to listen rather than one which merely rebuffs advances in relations." Image, with following caption: It’s interesting but just before the communists got to power as a result of October Revolution of 1917, there was a USA friendly propaganda in Russia. For example this poster is from 1917, a few months before the communists' takeover. It says: “Friends-Democrats - Uncle Sam and Ivan”. But just a few month later uncle Sam became a negative hero and stayed so 70 years.

VOA editorials in the news. (Or maybe I should rephrase that) – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Live on Radio Martí, Gloria Estefan supports the Ladies in White - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Hegemony and Information - Tim Fernholz, Tapped:

"[T]he U.S. cannot escape the impact of mass communication, which should reinforce our own willingness to do the right thing on controversial issues of international public impact, especially in the area of human rights. While growing public diplomacy efforts are key to framing the portrayal of the U.S. around the world, even the best communications strategy can't fix problems in the product." Image from

Netanyahu's First Year: A Prime Minister Leading Nowhere‎ - Yossi Alpher, Forward - "Israel’s international isolation is growing by the day. Washington’s frustrations are overflowing into blunt criticism. ... [T]he international campaign to delegitimize Israel has taken off. Netanyahu’s government has responded with an asinine public diplomacy, or hasbara, campaign under the assumption that telling the world Israel is a high-tech superpower while ignoring the occupation will solve everything."

Swim-brief public diplomacy: à la Lukashenko – Lena, Global Chaos: "The Belarusian President has been exploring new avenues of diplomacy over the past week and, apparently, he made sure not to neglect the public diplomacy element, either.

During his visit to Venezuela several days ago, he gave an interview to Argentinean Diario La Nacion newspaper on the beach wearing his swim briefs, which, just by the way, were red and green: the colors of the official Belarusian flag. The staged appearance in front of the camera also featured the President telling the Argentinean reporter about his country and people 'who are the most beautiful in the world', while presenting him with two guide-albums on Belarus." Lukashenko Image from

The Role of Cultural Relations in Conflict Prevention and Resolution - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "On March 2, 2010, the British Council, with NATO and Security Defence Agenda, hosted a conference in Brussels at the Bibliothèque Solvay titled 'Conflict Prevention and Resolution: the Role of Cultural Relations.' The purpose was to discuss the value of building dialogues between groups that can be non-linguistic – such as sport, art, or civic development – to create opportunities for engagement, understanding, with goal of, as the title said, preventing and resolving conflict. ... While the purpose of defense-minded groups and cultural relations experts are the same – decreased conflict – they rarely seem to find the common ground to discuss and support each others requirements. ... At the conference, for example, Martin Davidson, CEO of the British Council, described cultural relations as important to building trust and dialogue while Martin Howard, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations, rejected the phrase 'cultural relations,' preferring, in the context of engagement in Afghanistan, 'not going against Afghan grain.' ... Nearly thirty years ago, Frank Ninkovich wrote that in the US, cultural relations is a fringe area of 'diplomatic marginality.' The remains generally true today. To change this, and we must, requires both the cultural and the military folks to appreciate the importance of the work of the other and, most importantly, shared goals."

Henry Raines Show 03/21/10 Hour 2 – American AM’s podcast: Guest: "Ambassador Edward Peck ... . In November 28,... he led a elegation of former US diplomats and and American citiens on a 16-day tour of the Middle East ... .

This tour was part of an ongoing Council for the National Interest Foundation program to increase Public Diplomacy to the region http://www.cnifoundation.org/." Beck image from

China's public diplomacy: understanding the importance - Federica, The New Diplomacy 2010 B: "Let[']s leave the arguable public diplomacy of the United States, and the arrogant one of Israel; today I would like to present a little of China’s public diplomacy."

China's Public Diplomacy -- Have You Ever Tried to Call the Chinese Embassy? - John Brown, Notes and Essays

Propaganda Renamed??? – Camara, The New Diplomacy 2010 A: "Public Diplomacy is a mechanism that states use to promote their country in other countries. It can be done in different ways, via television or media such as the voice of America, the Alliance Française (which ... promotes French language worldwide), the Fulbright program (cultural and educational exchange), websites or even radio. ...

As Berridge pointed out, Public Diplomacy is the new term given to white propaganda because government tend to avoid the word propaganda for its reputation of spreading lies amongst people to achieve an objective, per say, brainwashing. Many however, find this definition inadequate and reflecting on old diplomacy." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

ObamaCare and American Power: The lesson of Europe is that the U.S. can't fund a health entitlement and maintain superpower status – Max Boot, Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Google's good deed in China - Editorial, Washington Post: It's not often that a major multinational corporation sacrifices profits and the possibility of substantial growth for a human rights principle.So Google deserves praise for its groundbreaking decision to move its China-based search engine from the mainland to Hong Kong and end its censorship of searches.

AMERICANA

Mobs Are Born as Word Grows by Text Message - Ian Urbina, New York Times: PHILADELPHIA — It started innocently enough seven years ago as an act of performance art where people linked through social-networking Web sites and text messaging suddenly gathered on the streets for impromptu pillow fights in New York, group disco routines in London, and even a huge snowball fight in Washington. But these so-called flash mobs have taken a more aggressive and raucous turn here as hundreds of teenagers have been converging downtown for a ritual that is part bullying, part running of the bulls: sprinting down the block, the teenagers sometimes pause to brawl with one another, assault pedestrians or vandalize property. Philadelphia officials added that they had also begun getting help from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to monitor social-media networks. And television and radio stations are helping to recruit hip-hop artists to make public service announcements imploring teenagers to end the practice.

IMAGE


--"Remember how it felt to feel safe?" from

March 24

"In fact, the Great Firewall is rooted in our hearts."

--Li Yonggang, a professor of internet politics at Nanjing university, regarding internet censorship in China; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Substance, please – Shamshad Ahmad, columns.pk:

"Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi gave a crusty curtain-raiser on what he planned to convey to his interlocutors at today’s Pakistan-US 'strategic dialogue' in Washington. 'My message to Washington is we have been talking a lot and it is time to walk the talk,' Qureshi announced at a press briefing at the Foreign Office last week. ... For Pakistan, a realistic expectation from this dialogue at this stage should be its immediate transformation into a “strategic partnership” at par with the one the US has with India, with clearly defined, time-bound sectoral goalposts and priorities to be pursued jointly on the basis of mutual benefit. Pakistan now wants the dialogue to be structured at three tiers moving in tandem on an expanded list of sectoral tracks covering agriculture, economy, energy, education, health, science and technology, defence, strategic stability and non-proliferation, counterterrorism, and public diplomacy." Image from

Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications Review: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight - Helle Dale, Heritage.org: "The good news is that a much-needed strategic overview of the government’s public diplomacy and strategic communication assets and functions is underway. Unfortunately, it has taken over a year for an Administration that came into office dedicated to 'changing America’s image in the world' to address U.S. public diplomacy. Although the Obama Administration has finally produced several long-awaited documents on public diplomacy and strategic communication, these documents do little to reveal what the Administration is planning to actually do. In all, this conceptual exercise cries out for Congress to hold hearings in order to flesh out the details of the Administration’s plans. The new Caucus for Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy, launched by Representatives Mack Thornberry (R–TX) and Adam Smith (D–WA) on March 4, is well positioned to explore these questions and raise awareness of the public diplomacy issue on the Hill. ... In light of the Obama Administration’s stated intentions to focus on public diplomacy—and indeed in light of the President’s personal interest in the subject—there is room for a long-overdue debate on public diplomacy."

Reaction to the new US Public Diplomacy Strategy – Part I, Graig Hayden, Intermap:

"Simply put, the document reads too much as a dated conception of message management designed to counter or compete with the actions of other actors like China, Russia, and extremists groups (never mind that their respective programs are for decidedly different objectives and have questionable effectiveness – they are doing stuff, so should we!). Aren’t US public diplomacy planners done with the 'there’s a media war going on' kind of talk? Yet interestingly, the document provides a compelling picture of the 'complex global challenges' facing the US, including human rights, women’s rights, climate change, food security, etc." Document in question at; image from

Strategic Communications and Iran: But is This Risking "Death to America" Again? – Steve Clemons, The Washington Note: "I had an interesting chat a few days ago with George W. Bush Institute Executive Director James Glassman, who served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy during the latter part of the G.W. Bush administration. He was also Chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors. ... While at the State Department, Glassman conceived a better mission for his work than what I thought existed before -- focused not on nudging others around the world to like us but rather to express their own views, no matter how critical of the US or passionate about other issues, in ways that were non-violent. Glassman also helped generate buzz around what he calls 'Diplomacy 2.0'."

Possible Saudi blasphemy charge against writer after appearance on Alhurra – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Nonexistent Radio Free Iran in the news again - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

PR: KAL returns from Public diplomacy trip to Middle East and releases iPhone App - Comicsdc:

"Friends and colleagues[,] I wanted to share with you some recent exciting news. I have just returned from a 12 day visit to Amman, Jordan and Beirut, Lebanon as part of a strategic speaker initiative sponsored by the US Embassies in the region. During my visit I addressed a wide variety of groups including University students on six campuses, cartoonists, animators, journalists, and civic leaders. Our discussions centered on the opportunities and limitations of political cartoons in promoting freedom of expression. There was great interest in the region in the program particularly in light of the controversial Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. My visit garnered a good bit of media exposure. There were numerous press and television interviews. Links to some of the news stories along with photos and observations from the trip will be available on my blog (www.kaltoons.com/wordpress) in the days ahead. ... Best ... Kevin Kallaugher." Image from

Scholars analyze current US-Mexico relations - Bobby Breitenbach, UW Badger Herald: "The National University Center for Research on North America [in Mexico] was designed to help scholars focusing on U.S. studies and later grew to include Canada. Current research focuses on economics and politics, and the university encourages students to study in the U.S. The university aims to understand relations between the U.S. and Mexico, prompting scholars to visit Michigan State University and lead a series of lectures, and later to publish their findings in a novel, said Director of Research Silvia Nunez-Garcia. ... However, Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Michigan State Manuel Chavez, University of Wisconsin alum, said the six problems addressed in the essays of the novel do not cover other important topics affecting U.S.-Mexico relations. ... Still, Chavez says the six topics discussed, including foreign policy, security and industrialization, offer promising prospects for better relations between the U.S. and Mexico. 'I think the book has some optimism, proposing that there are constructive paths, specifically in creating public diplomacy,' Chavez said. 'But by no means, it’s not all the issues.'"

Norway - Foreign policy address to the Storting - ISRIA: "In the light of China’s growing importance in almost all areas, the Government launched a China strategy in 2007. China is increasingly targeting activities towards the Norwegian market, and Norway also has a visible presence in China. The Government has decided that Norway will take part in EXPO 2010 in Shanghai,

and this will provide good opportunities for public diplomacy within a wide range of sectors." Image from

Reaching the Public: SDM Campaign – A Story of ‘Sex Sells’ Marketing – Efe Sevin, Place branding, Public Diplomacy:

"As the competition gets tougher, I guess people started to run out of new ideas to promote places. Recently, I ran into this very interesting campaign from Israel – Size Doesn’t Matter (SDM) . … If you look at the images in SDM’s website intro, you will see many more nice looking men and women. Though once you are in the website, the campaign starts telling you about how Israel has big ideas, how the country is big on the environment, and on diversity. In fact, there is information on the website – once you pass the photos. As far as I can see, SDM is a global PR campaign. I would love to hear Israeli people’s reactions. … Israeli branding attempts and public diplomacy understanding taught me a lot of things. SDM, the newest piece, taught me how not to use bad marketing/advertising moves in place/nation branding." Image from Size Doesn’t Matter website

Secretary-general of "Africa House" in Spain expected in Luanda - AngolaPress: "The secretary-general of Africa House in Spain, Luís Padilla, is expected this Tuesday in Luanda, for a two-day working visit to Angola, ANGOP has learnt. According to a press note from the Spanish Embassy in Angola, the Spanish official’s visit is aimed at presenting the institution that he represents. The same document states that the Africa House is an instrument of public diplomacy at the service of the Spanish state’s exterior action, thus acting as a partner in the ambit of the Spanish government’s Africa Plan."

Public Diplomacy - Influence versus Coercion - Sophie, The New Diplomacy 2010 E: "Public Diplomacy is the way in which states promote their culture to foreign citizens, in the hope that it will influence and improve foreign public opinions, gaining a good reputation and enhancing their global status."

Recent event and development which illustrates the importance and otherwise of public diplomacy in contemporary world politics - Natalia, The New Diplomacy 2010 D: "The term public diplomacy in international relations describes a conduct of foreign policy by engagement with foreign publics. Originally, it was a euphemism of purportedly truthful propaganda." Below image from




Social Inequality in America: Widening Income Disparities - Vi Ransel, Center for Research on Globalization: "The people, the 'demos' in democracy, have been propagandized 24/7 with sophisticated Public Diplomacy that manufactures 'consent' via the corporate ownership of information/media. It works."

Census 2010: Race terms and identity - Sara B, CC608: Public Affairs: “Given that the racial categorization of human beings is an eternal Pandora's box, with serious implications in the realm of Public Affairs, Public Relations, Public Diplomacy and communication in general, I thought I would share my recent Facebook stream on the topic of the racial categories available on the 2010 Census Form and open up the conversation for more comments."

About Me - Eph-Oh Herding Cats: A Time-Honored Tradition: "Future Public Diplomacy Foreign Service Officer (May 2010 A-100 here I come!)."

Foreign Service Officer Test image from

RELATED ITEMS

Caution lights for the military's 'information war' - David Ignatius, Washington Post:

"The United States should be careful about encouraging, in effect, the militarization of information -- and it should be especially cautious when these efforts bleed into the intelligence world. ... An early alarm was sounded last year by Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In an article in the Joint Force Quarterly, he wrote: "It is time for us to take a harder look at 'strategic communication.' Frankly, I don't care for the term. . . . It is now sadly something of a cottage industry." Mullen's critique was amplified this week by a senior military official, who argued that these information operations had become ''public affairs on steroids" with what he said was only "limited oversight." He explained: " 'Strategic communication' has an air of respectability to it that propaganda and influence do not. The problem is that it's a slippery slope, because the information environment is so instantaneously global today. . . . You put something out there and it goes worldwide in a flash, making each influence activity suspect to a much wider and more skeptical audience." Image from

Psy-ops or Public Diplomacy: who leads on Afghan communications? - Emrys, Communicare: “[M]many would agree that psy-ops merely confuses the communication space in which the war for hearts and minds is fought. I do believe that communications is critical – but it has to be the kind of communications. International Crisis Group’s Joanna Nathan points that communications has to include transparent investigations – of international atrocities as well as Taliban – and that it has to move from ‘message’ to ‘conversation’ – speaking with, not at Afghans."

Taliban Propaganda Watch: Taliban Still Says They’re Not Talking - Milnews.Ca Blog

The Ministry of Truth Limits Reporting on Google in China 03/23/10 - China Digital Times: In China, several political bodies are in charge of Internet content control.

At the highest level, there is the Central Propaganda Department, which ensures that media and cultural content follows the official line as mandated by the CCP. Then there is the State Council Information Office (SCIO), which has established “Internet Affairs Bureau” to oversee all Websites that publish news, including the official sites of news organizations as well as independent sites that post news content. This “Internet Affairs Bureau,” sent out very specific instructions to all large news websites daily, and often multiple times per day. Chinese journalists and bloggers often refer to those instructions, as well as other type of censorship orders to media and websites, as “Directives from the Ministry of Truth.” Image from article

News about Google censored in China - Malcolm Moore, Telegraph.co.uk

Media Alert: When Facts and Propaganda Collide: The BBC Bends over Backwards to Accommodate Israeli Claims - Media Lens, Pacific Free Press

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"How could they tell?"

--Dorothy Parker, when informed of the death of Calvin Coolidge

March 23

“The object of oratory alone is not truth, but persuasion.”

--Thomas Babington Macaulay; image from

"[T]he best solution is people, not systems."

--New social media guru Darren Krape, on Linked-in

SITE OF INTEREST:

Public Diplomacy Ideas - IdeaScale

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Daily Press Briefing - US Department of State: "QUESTION: Can I change the subject? As far as this U.S.-Pakistan’s Strategic Dialogue is concerned, Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao is here in the State Department and she met with the Secretary. We don’t have much about between their – what took place, what happened, really. But before meeting the Secretary here, she told the groups of think tanks at Wilson Center that a very blunt warning to Pakistan that Pakistan must do more as far as if they want to continue dialogue between India and Pakistan to stop terrorizing India across the border. Do you have any idea of what went here in the building between the two, Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary of India? MR. CROWLEY [Assistant Secretary Philip J. Crowley]:

I mean, there – the secretary did join Under Secretary Bill Burns recently in a meeting that was charting the way forward on the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue. I think we are satisfied with the level of engagement that we have across a wide-range of issues with the Indian Government. We’ll have a similar conversation with Pakistan this week on a wide range of issues from agriculture, water, and energy, economic development and finance, defense and security, social issues, and public diplomacy. We are broadening and deepening our relationship with both India and Pakistan, and we certainly are looking for ways in which we can encourage – continue to encourage the two countries to increase their dialogue as well." Crowley image from

Pay me to fight my war - Mosharraf Zaidi, The News International: "[T]he people of Pakistan don't have very much say in the direction that Pakistan's strategic dialogue takes in Washington DC. ... [W]hen faced with the ridiculous dual-faced Pakistani narrative of 'this is our war' and 'we are fighting your war so give us your money' the Americans have no response other than to delay and defer the payments which Pakistan is legitimately entitled to, while investing in public diplomacy programmes to see if a few adverts and talk shows can't turn the tide of a decidedly cynical Pakistani public opinion. The proper American response to a strategic dialogue with Pakistan should have been to ask Pakistan to develop an approach to the dialogue on the basis of a robust parliamentary debate. America could then have expected Pakistani parliamentarians, including both the coalition and the opposition, to own the dialogue. That dialogue may not have been qualitatively very different from what is being presented in Washington DC today. This is because of the generic lack of confidence of parliamentarians, and the resulting ownership of the policymaking function by bureaucrats, rather than politicians. Still, such a process would have had the same stamp of legitimacy that Secretary Clinton so desperately seemed to want to invest in when she visited Pakistan last year."

Where are Obama’s Arabic speakers? – Dan, www.mcdermottwire.com:

“Where is the revamped public diplomacy and international awareness that we’ve heard so much about? ... Silence is in many ways worse than even the most awkward attempts at public outreach. I hate to say it, but I think George W. Bush did a better job of ensuring consistent, noticeable engagement with mainstream Arabic media. ... [A]t least Bush had that one voice on mainstream Arab media outlets. That voice, as you may remember, was that of Alberto Fernandez. He was the Director of the Office of Press and Public Diplomacy in the State Department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs. Fernandez speaks good Arabic, and while I disagreed with most of what he was saying during his time on the air, I thought he did an admirable job of actually trying to engage with Arabic-speaking audiences.” Image from

On the Road – Again - Martha Bayles, World Affairs: If you have access to MBC-1, the premier entertainment channel in the 22-nation Arab market, tune in this Thursday and Friday for the first and second episodes of Ala al Tariq fi Amrika (On the Road in America). ... It is the creation of Layalina Productions, a Washington-based nonprofit that makes Arabic-language programs with the old-fashioned aim of increasing international understanding. ... MBC is one of ten firms that attract the lion’s share of the Arab audience, while America’s tax-guzzling white elephant, Al Hurra, is one of hundreds scrounging for crumbs. ... There are three reasons for this. First, the bureaucratic landscape of U.S. international broadcasting is so complicated, and so invisible to the average voter, that elected officials have little incentive to pay attention to it. Second, the BBG, a presidentially appointed bipartisan body that is supposed to oversee international broadcasting, is, in the words of political scientist Carnes Lord, 'a highly dysfunctional organization, whose members have become accustomed to freelancing according to their own particular interests.' The third reason for Al Hurra’s continued existence is related to the second. For the last several years, the majority of BBG members have come from the private sector and followed the simplistic logic laid down by former member and commercial radio mogul Norm Pattiz: Anything government can do, business can do better. That may be true in some realms, but it is not true in others—especially when the 'business' in question is not really competing but rather attaching itself ever more tightly to the government teat. Layalina takes a different path. By partnering with an Arab company that knows its audience, Layalina makes programs that appeal to Arab curiosity about the United States, without either preaching in the mode of diplomats, or pandering in the mode of the commercial media. At least, that was my impression when I reviewed the first season of On the Road in America. When I have watched the second, I will post an update."

Exclusive: So Much for Restoring our International Reputation - James Jay Carafano, Family Security Matters: "For a president who came into office claiming that he wanted to listen to what the world had to say, Mr. Obama has developed a fairly solid tin ear.

Last week, the White House pretty much tried to shut out the rest of the globe altogether. First, the president cancelled a highly anticipated trip to Asia. ... Second, the administration still holds out it can 'do business' with Russia, even as the Russians are keeping to their demands for negotiating a strategic arms reduction treaty. ... Finally, the president ended week with the release of video address to the Iranian people on Saturday in which he renewed his offer of dialogue with the Iranian government despite pretty solid evidence that Tehran has no interest in negotiating away its nuclear weapons program. It is just incredible to believe that the White House thinks it can 'do business' with an Iranian government that is beyond the pale. 'As censorship in Iran continues to increase, more journalists are being detained, tortured, and sentenced to long prison terms and in some potential cases, execution,' reports Heritage public diplomacy expert Helle Dale." Image from

Exclusive: Nuclear Terrorism: How Did We Get Here? Where Are We? And Where Can We Go? - Peter Huessy, Family Security Matters: "China, Russia and North Korea, as well as Venezuela, are the most important accomplices to the Iranian regimes quest for nuclear weapons. Threats to the U.S. include nuclear coercion as well as the a) detonation of a nuclear device in an American city by a terrorist group provided nuclear weapons by a terror master state/nuclear armed state, such as Iran, Pakistan or North Korea or a nuclear device used in an EMP-type attack from a ballistic missile. Current analysis of these threats is relatively weak, as it is shaped by [inter alia] ... (3) an assumption that the Iranian regime and other 'terror masters' are amenable to traditional international norms and public diplomacy."

Rebuilding a Republican Majority - Don Sutherland, blueocean.darktax.com: "The United States has an enlightened story to tell.

It can embrace the world’s democratic countries and its peoples of all ethnicities and religions who seek to live free and prosperous lives. It can support the world’s free peoples and those who resist subjugation without embarking on Neoconservative adventurism. Public diplomacy, economic assistance, and an attractive ideology have been its most potent means of creating a better future." Image from

An elaborate REPORT – A discussion on Communal Harmony – AMP India:

"Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) had organized a Discussion on Communal Harmony. The program titled 'Building Trust and Partnership among communities in India' was conducted in association with the American Centre at the American Centre Auditorium, Mumbai." Image from article

CIEE Launches the Rainbird Scholarship to Bring International Students to U.S. [account suspended, according to Google Blogs] - Hao-Odnla, Press Release Service and Distribution: "CIEE, a world-leader in international study abroad and work exchange programs, has established the Rainbird Scholarship to support international university students coming to the U.S. for Summer Work/Travel exchanges. The scholarship, created in memory of long-standing CIEE senior staff member Ann Rainbird who passed away unexpectedly in October 2004, will cover the full program fees for up to 10 students who otherwise would not be able to participate on CIEEs Work & Travel USA program because of financial constraints. In its inaugural year, the Rainbird Scholarship will be offered to students from Poland, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria, and in subsequent years recipients will be chosen from three new countries on a rotating basis. In announcing the launch of the Rainbird Scholarship, CIEE President and CEO Dr. Stevan Trooboff commented, Ann Rainbird had dedicated her career at CIEE to expanding the number of countries and students able to partake on an exchange program in the US and we are pleased that the CIEE Ping Foundation has agreed to set up this scholarship in Ann[']s name. Student exchange programs such as this play a critical role in the increasingly important public diplomacy efforts of the United States."

Lynne Weil goes to USAID - Matt Armstrong, Facebook: "One of public diplomacy’s best friends on the Hill, Lynne Weil,

is going to USAID. ... The House Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman Berman’s loss is AID’s gain. This move should help USAID in ways more than just press relations. Lynne won’t check her public diplomacy legislative experience at the door. As a result of the wonderful world of dysfunction created by Senator Jesse Helms when he abolished the United States Information Agency, Lynne will report to PJ Crowley. Yes, that PJ, State Department’s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs. More on that when I write on the State Department Inspector General inspection report on the Bureau of Public Affairs. I’ll include comments from my sit down with PJ last week – after participating in a little send off of Ian Kelly to from State to Vienna – when we discussed this report." Weil image from

Israel: Escaping the Image and Language Trap – A. Jay Adler, the sad red earth:

"Note how Israel’s public diplomacy efforts, its public relations, expressed in Hebrew as hasbara, are turned against Israel via an almost invisible, instrumentally racialist linguistic campaign, in the persistent use, by non-Hebrew speakers, of the insidious foreign word – hasbara – which in its foreignness, its cognitive unfamiliarity, conveys the sinister concealment of true meaning and motive. This quality of sinister concealment is not inherent in a word or a language. It is, in its foreignness, simply other, so the foreignness is appropriated as a vehicle for an attitude. The very reverse occurs in the standardized use of Intifada by non-Arabic speakers, a term that in its own foreignness, beyond its literal meaning, tends further to ennoble and hallow." Image from

IDF wraps 'counter-Goldstone Report'- Herb Keinon, Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post: "The IDF has completed a 1,000-page document dissecting the allegations in the Goldstone Commission report piece by piece, and lawyers in various governmental bodies are now going over the text to ensure it sounds like a legal document, rather than a military/public diplomacy one, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The report was written by the IDF and reads like a military document, one diplomatic official said Monday, adding that it needed to be 'laundered” so it sounded more like a legal paper. "

A Legend, A Velodrome & A Boludo - Miles Knowles, ♪Rockstar Diplomat♫ -- Culture and Public Diplomacy in Latin America:

"While I hate the stereotype that Argentines are arrogant, self-absorbed, wannabe-Europeans who could care less about the rest of South America, this is more or less how they are viewed in Colombia and throughout the continent. Having lived some months in Argentina, I’ll gladly stick my neck out for all my coworkers, friends and acquaintances whom have shown me what great people they are. But ¡Carajo! You guys have to learn something about Public Diplomacy! I was in Argentina when World Cup soccer coach Diego Maradona made the infamous 'keep on sucking' comment that bounced around worldwide sports networks, making all Argentines look like arrogant jerks. To have more athletes reinforcing this stereotype is just terrible. Some advice for any Argentine athletes (or travelers) outside of Argentina: If you don’t want to be a BOLUDO in the eyes of other countries, please, just leave the attitude and 'boludez' at home. Take it from a gringo who managed to the humility to befriend a cycling legend from Colombia without bringing up Lance Armstrong once." Image from

Public Diplomacy and Erasmus? - Nilo, The New Diplomacy 2010 D: "[P]ublic/cultural diplomacy goes beyond public speeches made by head of states and instead takes often various diverse forms."

Hope & Change vs. Fear & Loathing – Paul Rockower, Levantine: "[In the health care fight,] Obama stepped it up and pushed back, using that gift of communication that he so deftly wields. Still the Dems need good domestic public diplomacy to counter Republican misinformation and propaganda. Still, a good win that all partisans of Hope and Change can be be proud of."

MountainRunner.us: now available on Android - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us:

"MountainRunner.us, the leading blog on public diplomacy and strategic communication ... , is now available as an Android mobile application." Image from

Sixty-eight year-old veteran of the Information Wars confirms to NATO ally that he is still 'Vividly Alive' - Matt Armstrong. MountainRunner.us: "Today, in an example of the lasting power of USIA Public Diplomacy and the new power of social media, Harry Kuiper, a former Dutch journalist, posted a question about an American embassy Information Officer he knew in the 1970’s: Is Mr. Woody Demitz still vividly alive and looking as he likes? In less than two hours, Woody responded. Dag Meneer Kuiper! Hoe gaat 't met jouw? Ik voel me niet zo slechts. En jij? "

Leaving a legacy: Maxwell dean looks back on accomplishments as departure approaches - Kathleen Ronayne, SU The Daily Orange: "Mitchel Wallerstein,

dean of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, is leaving Syracuse University in July to become president of Baruch College. He served as dean of Maxwell for seven years. ... In addition to partnering with the College of Law, Wallerstein, together with [David] Rubin], the dean of Newhouse [School of Public Communications], began two new degree programs between Newhouse and Maxwell. One combines masters in public relations and international affairs for a degree in public diplomacy. The only other school that offers this type of degree is the University of Southern California. One combines masters in public relations and international affairs for a degree in public diplomacy." Wallerstein image from

Faith and Culture: Scarf Diplomacy - Attia Nasar, ahmadiyyatimes.blogspot.com: "Attia Nasar is a graduate student in the Public Diplomacy program at Syracuse University where she is a candidate for an M.S. in Public Relations from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and an M.A. in International Relations from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is currently the Web Chair for the Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars and Public Diplomats for Human Rights."

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Mobile Phones Combat Taliban’s Afghan ‘Information Wastelands’ - Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, Bloomberg: Where the Taliban’s presence was strongest, phone coverage was weakest, crippled by Taliban sabotage of the towers, recalled Smith [Rear Admiral Greg Smith] and U.S. special envoy Richard Holbrooke in separate interviews. “We found that Afghans in the most-troubled, insurgent- held areas lived in information wastelands dominated by militant propaganda,” Holbrooke said March 17. “We are fighting back with a revamped strategy that puts the people and their ability to communicate at the forefront of our effort.” The U.S. is betting about $263 million in 2010 that winning this campaign will help it prevail on the battlefield. Smith, head of public communications strategy for U.S. and international military forces in Afghanistan, has a budget of almost $150 million for 2010. The U.S. State Department has $113 million to spend this year for civilian communications.

The money will pay for new towers and projects such as developing community media outlets and supporting educational radio. Joanna Nathan, author of a 2008 report on Taliban propaganda for the Brussels-based International Crisis Group, cautioned that expanding mobile-phone capacity isn’t enough to counteract the Taliban. They have dominated the war of words by exaggerating victories and fueling conspiracy theories, she said. Afghan officials are cautiously optimistic about the American efforts. “It’s not the words, but how credible is your message,” said Said Jawad, Afghan ambassador to Washington. The U.S. must not only “respond to propaganda but deliver and make a difference in people’s lives.” Image from

The Internet is used as an operative and propaganda tool of Al-Qaeda and global jihad networks and needs policing and selective cyber strikes of jihad websites - Bill Warner Private Investigator

March 22

"7. Delete news related to the youtan poluo flower. ...

16. Do not report on the news of the Inner Mongolian female prosecutor who drove a luxury vehicle and who was reinstated after resigning."

--From a set of Chinese government censorship guidelines; image: A Chinese man has reportedly found flowers growing from a steel pipe in his vegetable garden. ... Ding has consulted his neighbours, who believe the flowers are the legendary Youtan Poluo flower, which blossoms only once every 3,000 years."

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Pak's Qureshi in US for strategic dialogue - Press Trust Of India: "Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi

arrived in Washington on Monday with a high-power delegation to hold the first-ever strategic dialogue with the US leaders, during which it is expected to seek civilian nuclear deal and military equipments aimed at balancing its power with India. ... Besides participating in the first ever strategic dialogue with the United States on March 24, Qureshi would also meet some several US lawmakers; including the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senator John Kerry. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton would lead the US delegation to the strategic dialogue. Other members of the delegation [include] ... Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Judith McHale." Qureshi image from article

Appearances on Alhurra in the news - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Romania - “The Colors of Time” -- Romanian folklore exhibition in Oslo - ISRIA: "The Romanian folklore exhibition 'The Colors of Time' is part of a series of public diplomacy and cultural promotion events taking place in Norway this spring, that started with the 'Mărţişor' tradition celebration at the Embassy head office on March 2nd, organized by the Romanian students of the Oslo Management School.

On April 22nd there will be a presentation of Romanian wines, intended to help re-entry on the Norwegian market with a product that also carries cultural aspects; in that context a premiere will take place – the opening of the Romanian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce. In May the Romanian Embassy, jointly with the Norwegian Film Institute, is organizing a one-week festival of contemporary Romanian film." Image: Administrative map of Greater Romania in 1930. the colors represent the historical regions (no administrative value)

Romania - Foreign Ministry hails the International Day of The Francophonie - ISRIA: "Romania is celebrating the International Day of The Francophonie today, March 20th, 2010, alongside the 70 member states and governments of the International Organization of The Francophonie (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie – OIF), under the slogan ' La diversité au service de la paix '(Diversity in the service of peace). At the same time, 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of the institutional Francophonie. In this context, in the very beginning of March the Romanian Foreign Ministry launched a series of cultural, artistic and public diplomacy events, both in the country and abroad, though Romania’s diplomatic missions. The aim of the events is to reaffirm Romania’s francophone identity and to make better known the Romanian culture and civilization in the relationship with the partner francophone countries."

Oda Highlights Importance Of Cervantes Institute For Spain - F Oliva, Gibraltar Chronicle: Speaking to pupils of the Virgen de la Esperanza school in La Linea yesterday, Sr Oda said that the Spanish language is one of Spain's most valuable resources. ... And he reiterated that the aim of the Instituto [Cervantes]

is to 'internationally promote Spanish Language and culture, that of South America, and the work of the institution itself.' Sr Oda further describes this as an intrinsic part of modern day international relations and public diplomacy." Image from

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Taliban Propaganda Watch (RC South) – 212145utc Mar 10

Russia Invests Not in Journalism But Propaganda – Tom, Silicon Valley Watcher: "Robert Andrews is puzzled. Why Are Russians Spending Like Mad To Save Journalism? He writes:

‘The latest - after last year buying France-Soir, the country’s smallest daily, for €50 million, shipbuilder’s son Alexander Pugachyov is now spending a further €20 million on a marketing campaign to take it mainstream. He’s upping the print run by 20 times, has halved the cover price and has more than doubled newsroom staff from 40 to 100. Jealous? There’s no part of this that makes immediate sense. In fact, contrasted with the cutbacks, climbdowns and contraction many parts of the industry are seeing, it looks like madness. ... The Pugachyov scenario in France mirrors that of Alexander Lebedev in the UK ... The former KGB agent took the London Evening Standard, whose circulation was falling, off DMGT’s hands for just a nominal fee, forewent cover-price income in favour of free distribution on a higher print run, andpledged a £25 million investment over three years. '25 million investment??' That’s unheard of in today’s news publishing economy... Now Lebedev’s set to repeat the act by buying The Independent.’ I think I can help Mr Andrews understand what's going on. It has nothing to do with 'saving journalism.' These are prominent publications in their country. They are being bought not to make money but as vehicles to influence politics and society."
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Imperial Japan’s Propaganda – Andrew’s Animation Blog


Image from article

March 21

"No commodity is quite so strange/As this thing called cultural exchange."

--Dave and Iola Brubeck, The Real Ambassadors, their musical with Louis Armstrong; cited in above book

BELOW IMAGES: from Fred Kaplan, "The Jazz Ambassadors," New York Times: "Half a century ago, when America was having problems with its image during the cold war, Adam Clayton Powell Jr., the United States representative from Harlem, had an idea. Stop sending symphony orchestras and ballet companies on international tours, he told the State Department. Let the world experience what he called 'real Americana': send out jazz bands instead." Via GG on Facebook

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

President Obama speaks to Iran in Nowruz video – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Obama, Nowruz, Greens & Israel - Steve Clemons, The Washington Note: "I thought that President Obama's Nowruz message to Iranians was -- like last year [sic] -- excellent.


I think that this kind of public diplomacy is enormously important in reaching out for the prospects of change -- even if the Iran government is recalcitrant." Randy Weston autographs record jackets at the Lycee Leon Mba for students who correctly answered questions about the history of jazz in Libreville, Gabon, 1967.

Activists want more access in Iran to US internet hardware - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

It's simple: broadcast "loads of information embarrassing to Iran's leaders" – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "Washington pundits see international broadcasting as part of public diplomacy, where the broadcaster 'ramps up' policy-supporting content at the direction of the administration.

The audience, on the other hand, uses international broadcasting as a source more comprehensive, reliable, and credible than the news they get from their state-controlled domestic media. Success in international broadcasting involves following the agenda of the audience, not of the pundits. To Iran, this will include news unfavorable to the regime, but not to the point of being the all-bad-news-about-Iran-all-the-time station." Benny Goodman in Moscow in 1962.

State Department issues statement against Ethiopian jamming of VOA Amharic – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Pakistani Senate committee "chagrined" by good VOA, BBC reception - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Cambodian listens to RFA and VOA for "trustworthy news" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

New Singapore poll rules: Are they for real? - Maxwell Coopers, Free Malaysia Today: "In his confirmation hearings before the US Senate ambassador designate to Singapore, Daniel Adelman said that if confirmed, he would push for greater political pluralism in the city-state.

'Make no mistake, currently Singapore is not a multi-party democracy and I intend, if confirmed to use public diplomacy to work towards greater press freedoms, greater freedom of assembly and ultimately more political space for opposition parties in Singapore to strengthen Singapore into a multi-party democracy', Adelman told chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last month. It is unrealistic given the record of the fierce defence of its sovereignty over the years, that Singapore would have paid any heed to foreign statesmen telling her what to do. But with the United States, the dynamics are ‘different’ as Washington is the Republic’s largest trade partner and the somewhat guarantor of its security." Count Basie in what was then Rangoon, Burma, 1971.

The Iranian Threat Looms Unaddressed - Doris Strub Epstein, Shalom Life: “'The Iranian threat is like global warming,' said Dr. Raanan Gissin. 'Everybody talks about it; nobody does anything about it; but it progresses, becomes worse and worse until one day it will be too late.' Gissin was Senior Advisor to Israel’s former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on matters of public diplomacy, media and official spokesperson to the foreign press. Born in Raanana, hence his name, he is a cousin to Toronto’s Israel Counsel General, Amir Gissin. Today, he is one of the country’s most prominent analysts to the international community on security and strategic issues, terrorism the Iranian and radical Islamic threats and the peace process. ... He urges the use of communications, especially the internet, to 'expose these people and show who they really are. Rebrand the enemy.' Aimed especially at the Iranian people, it would fan the flames of resistance there, he believes. 'Historically, any changes that have taken place in Iran, have come about internally.'”

Preparations for a Hit against Iran: Stopping Israel's Next War - Muriel Mirak-Weissbach, Center for Research on Globalization: "Israel’s standing in the world has been vanishing like snow under a hot spring sun, as even President Peres was forced to recognize. Israeli diplomats no longer feel free to travel abroad, fearing that international arrest warrants might be slapped on them as perpetrators of war crimes committed during the Gaza war.

As reported in the March 15 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, the Israeli government has launched a desperate public relations campaign, through a website for 'Public Diplomacy and the Diaspora,' aimed at preparing Israelis to project a positive image of their country while travelling abroad. If citizens have to study government-issued brochures handed out at the airport, to learn how to defend the reputation of Israel, then the moral crisis the country has entered is quicksand." Clark Terry and his Jolly Giants perform at the Pakistan American Cultural Center in Karachi, Pakistan, 1978.

What is the Future of the Oromo People? - Asafa Jalata, Gadaa.com Oduu: The future of the Oromo people depends on what the Oromo liberation and political organizations and society will do to assure the survivability of the Oromo nation and its liberation from Ethiopian colonialism. ... So what should the Oromo Diaspora in general the elites in particular should do to make sure the survival of their nation and the victory of their national struggle? History demonstrates that the determined people can liberate themselves.

The Oromo elites in general and that of the Diaspora in particular must start to determine the destiny of their nation by taking the following concrete steps immediately. ... [Inter alia:] all members of the Oromo Diaspora must engage in public diplomacy by becoming members of organizations, such as the Orom-American Citizens' Council.” Dizzy Gillespie in 1956 in Zagreb, in what was then Yugoslavia, with the Yugoslav composer Nikica Kalogjera as passenger.

Does recalling envoys really work as a foreign policy tool? - Today's Zaman: "The presidents of Turkey’s leading think tanks recognize the diplomatic message conveyed by recalling ambassadors but question its effectiveness, particularly in the recent case of Turkey, which employed the tactic in reaction to the passage earlier this month of Armenian resolutions in the United States and Sweden. Turkey first recalled Namık Tan, Turkish ambassador to the US, and then Ambassador to Sweden Zergün Korutürk upon the approval of resolutions branding the Word War I-era killings of Armenians 'genocide.' Süleyman Şensoy of the Turkish Asian Center for Strategic Studies (TASAM) ... put a particular emphasis on the need for employing tools of public diplomacy rather than coercive measures. 'Recalling ambassadors has its place in professional diplomatic language, and if you do not give a proper reaction in the first place, the consequences may worsen, too. However, a reaction to a decision taken under pressure of non-state actors as was the case in the Armenian resolutions should also be in the form of campaigns carried out by non-state actors,' he said, detailing his suggestion by stating potential roles that could be played by NGOs and universities. 'Ways out of such matters certainly pass through public diplomacy,' he concluded."

`Indo-US ties based on mutual benefits' - Times of India: "The US is not a Trojan Horse and the Indo-US ties should be seen in a long-term perspective, said India's former ambassador to the United States, Ronen Sen. Sen was speaking on the `Evolution of India's relations with US' at Lucknow University on Saturday.

He termed the views expressed by him as 'personal'. The lecture was part of a series on India's foreign policy organised by public diplomacy division of the external affairs ministry." Duke Ellington observing local musicians in New Delhi, 1963.

Shashi Tharoor’s Remarks to Regional Groups “The Future of the UN” - Shashi Tharoor blog: "Fifty-three years ago the first outgoing Secretary-General, Trygve Lie, described the post he was handing over to Dag Hammarskjold as 'the most impossible job in the world'. A function described in the Charter as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Organization, yet one with major unspecified political responsibilities and communications challenges. Today the Secretary-General commands great diplomatic legitimacy, and even greater media visibility, but less political power than the language of the UN Charter suggests. To be effective, he must be skilled at managing staff and budgets, gifted at public diplomacy (and its behind-the-scenes variant), and able to engage the loyalties of a wide array of external actors, including non-governmental organizations, business groups, and journalists. And he must work well, above all, with Governments."

Elections & Governance - Seton Hall University News & Events: "The Honorable Robert Barry, Former Ambassador to Bulgaria and Head of Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) presents:

'Elections and Governance: Reflections on the political process in Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, and Bosnia.' ... Ambassador Robert Barry is currently a consultant dealing with election and governance issues. During a 35 year career in the US Foreign Sevice he specialized in Soviet and Eastern European affairs, arms control and public diplomacy." Benny Carter and his band travel to Ankara, Turkey, in 1975 for the State Department at the time of the U.S. Bicentennial.

Home in Carroll Gardens - Jennifer K: "I'm a student of poli sci, interested in econ, public diplomacy, poverty reduction, music, lit, food, & animals, among others-blogging/tweeting about all!"

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

The Soft Steps of Diplomacy - Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times: "The State Department has had a cultural-exchange program in effect for the past 60 years, but dance hadn’t played a major role since the better-financed days of the mid-1980s. 'We have music, visual arts and film, but we didn’t have a dance program, which seemed like a glaring omission,' said Maura Pally, the acting assistant secretary at the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. 'Then we got a large chunk of money to do an ongoing dance program. We haven’t done this scale and scope before.' The large chunk was $1 million, awarded to the bureau in 2008 specifically for this program at the end of the Bush administration. The budget for culture at the bureau has been steadily increasing since 2001, Ms. Pally said, with a large jump from $8.5 million in 2008 to $11.5 million in 2009. The bureau plans to maintain the program, eventually opening it to all types of dance. 'Both the secretary and the president have spoken about the power of the arts to connect people in a unique way,' Ms. Pally said. 'I think they both view this type of tool as an important tool in our foreign-diplomacy tool chest.' ... How well such endeavors work is difficult to quantify. ... How much the artists gain from their exposure to these cultures seems as significant as how much they give. ... 'Measuring long-term impact is the holy grail of all public sector programs,” said Adrian Ellis, executive director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, the partner organization for the Rhythm Road, a State Department music program that has, since 2005, taken American roots music to more than 90 countries. 'How do you measure the impact of a concert in Sierra Leone? It’s the chance encounters that may trigger something 10 years later.'” Courtesy LB

Expo prime chance to sell U.S., San Antonio - Elaine Kurtenbach, Ji Chen, San Antonio Express: "For millions of Chinese, the U.S. pavilion’s show at the Shanghai World Expo will be the closest they’ll ever come to an experience of America. What they’ll get — apart from long waits — is a warm welcome, a dose of Hollywood-style entertainment and, in May, an impression of San Antonio.

The expo, which begins May 1 and is expected to draw up to 80 million visitors, offers a chance at cultural diplomacy at a time when relations are fraying over broader trade and geopolitical issues. … A growing number of San Antonio companies and organizations, such as Port San Antonio and Bexar County, are helping pay for the U.S. pavilion with a $500,000 pledge. In return, San Antonio will have three San Antonio Days at the pavilion, plus two weeks of signs and video presentations. San Antonio will be one of a handful of U.S. cities taking advantage of the opportunity. A city delegation led by Mayor Julián Castro and Chinese-born City Councilwoman Elisa Chan will preside during San Antonio Days. Contributing San Antonio companies will have use of the U.S. pavilion’s VIP rooms to entertain Chinese government and business leaders." Louis Armstrong meets Sir Ahmadu Bello, Sardauna of Sokoto and Premier of the Northern Nigerian Region in Kaduna, Nigeria, 1960.

Grants awarded to three scholars - Abilene Recorder Chronicle: "The Eisenhower Foundation recently presented travel grants in the amounts of $400 to $500 to three scholars conducting research at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library. ... [Among the receipients is] Maurice M. Labelle, Jr., Ph.D. candidate in History, University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, 'Walking the Arab Street: Arab Anti-Americanism and U.S. Cultural Diplomacy in Lebanon, 1957-69.'”

The art of selling us short: can Gabriel really make a difference? - Medb Ruane, ‎Irish Independent: "Who is Gabriel Byrne? [Golden Globe winning, Irish actor, film director, film producer, writer, and audiobook narrator]. As of this Paddy's week, the actor is Ireland's first cultural ambassador to the USA. You don't have to talk nice to him or call him 'Excellency,' unless you want to. Anyways, the job's honourary so he won't be paid. … Byrne's celebrity pull-power will be first tested next year, when Ireland launches a year-long strategic cultural programme in the US. If he's good, he'll free things up so that attention is given to more contemporary, innovative acts.

If it works, culture and economics will knit in like a double helix, with cultural profile creating a positive ambience in which to conduct business, starting with the dwindling diaspora. There's nothing new about this theory. The difference now is that government has finally realised the power of cultural diplomacy because it's worked so well in the past. Values are shifting, somewhat, from the days when being a local hero meant raising your glass in the former Fianna Fail tent at the Galway races or getting planning permission for a zillion apartments to be built in bogs or faraway deserts. Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and the US integrated cultural planning with foreign and economic policies for years -- conspiracy theorists believe the CIA was responsible for making Abstract Expressionism the most cutting-edge art movement after the Second World War." Sarah Vaughan at the Newport-Belgrade Jazz Festival. Belgrade, Yugoslavia, 1973.

Premature power - Shyam Saran, Business Standard: "In the first half of the first decade of the new millennium, India’s emergence as a major political and economic power became an acknowledged reality worldwide. ... India’s vulnerabilities in the next decade will be centred mainly in its neighbourhood. While the Indian subcontinent is a single geopolitical unit, it is fractured into several states, each with its own dynamics. ... The management of our neighbourhood should enjoy the highest priority in the next decade. Episodic engagement and crisis-management must yield place to a long-term focus on the following elements [including]: ... Significantly expanded cultural diplomacy to leverage the strong and enduring cultural and linguistic affinities we share with our neighbours."

Alternate FM, culture minister confer on econ and cultural diplomacy efforts - Athens News Agency: "ANA-MPA/Alternate foreign minister George Droutsas conferred on Monday with culture and tourism minister Pavlos Geroulanos on economic and cultural diplomacy matters.

Droutsas told reporters after the meeting that cooperation and coordination between the two ministries is necessary, adding that economic and cultural diplomacy are very important sectors of a modern foreign policy. He said they discussed initiatives and actions being organised to mark the 2500th anniversary of the Battle of Marathon, as well as cooperation with important countries such as the US and the European states." Dave Brubeck in Baghdad, 1958.

Hungary to provide four programs for UNESCO event - Caboodle.hu: "Hungary will provide four programmes as part of the UNESCO International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures this year, the foreign ministry spokeswoman told MTI on Thursday. The UNESCO events in 2010 aim to boost ' dialogue among civilisations and cultures' using science, culture and communications to promote peace between peoples and protect diversity, said Zsuzsanna Matrai in a statement. Matrai noted that Hungary had won a competition to stage four events, which she said was a great success for Hungarian cultural diplomacy."

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Government forms propaganda unit - myjoyonline.com, Ghana: At a time when all manner of noise is being made about the cost that the former New Patriotic Party’s (NPP’s) government allegedly incurred through the formation of communications teams, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has done exactly the same thing, by forming its own propaganda unit tasked to boost government’s image! According to Deputy Minister of Information, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, government has formed its own propaganda outfit, which he describes as a Communications Team to tell its story on radio, television and on other media platforms.

According to Okudzeto Ablakwa, the government ‘communications team’ is made of newspapers editors, government appointees and other people. He however failed to name the editors who act as the government guard dogs. “Every government in the world has a communications team, those that you see appearing on programmes…radio, television, Good Morning Ghana, Good Evening Ghana, TV Africa, newspaper review programmes, Peace FM, Joy Fm form the government’ communications team,” he said. Woody Herman deplanes in Santiago, Chile, 1958.

Hilarious anti-Estonian propaganda – Edward Lucas, The New Cold War: Estonia is (Pravda reports so it must be true) launching a new campaign for the assimilation of the Russian-speaking population. The Russians residing in Estonia will be pushed towards changing their Russian surnames to Estonian surnames. The administration of the Baltic nation decided to use such a measure to conceal its absolute inability to struggle against the financial crisis, which had put the three Baltic states on the edge of the economic collapse.

Edward Lucas' "The New Cold War" Propaganda Part One: Shock Therapy – Karl Naylor, Central-Eastern Europe Watch: One of the worst and badly researched works on Russia written

by a British journalist is the New Cold War by Edward Lucas whose rhetoric about Putin, calling him a "monster", a new Mussolini or a new Stalin is the distallation of all that is wrong into one shoddy piece of hack propaganda, a kind of anti-Russian version of Melanie Philips anti-Islamist work Londinstan. Benny Goodman plays the hne (oboe) with a musician in Rangoon, Burma, 1957.