"The shift from government to 'Googlement'— fuelled by the unprecedented ability of companies to gather, store, and evaluate vast amounts of personal data — has just begun."

--Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, who served as German defence, economics and technology minister; image from

VIDEO

[title not decipherable] zehabesha.com - "[Comment by:] neutral [:] It's called public diplomacy. Beside they are human beings like all of us. They have to dance, enjoy, laugh and love. They are not monastery official [sic] but just government authorities."

NEW BOOK


Truth is the Best Propaganda: Edward R. Murrow's Speeches in the Kennedy Years [Kindle Edition] Nancy Snow (Author) Image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

John Kerry’s Special Brand of Public Diplomacy - algemeiner.com: "Here’s a new tactic to get your apprehensive and sometimes paranoid ally to support your outreach to his mortal enemy: bully him and his people on national television in their country! That’s what U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry did during his recent trip to Israel to shore up the 'promising' peace talks. The tactic chosen by Kerry was quite in line with the general behavior of the administration he represents. Not quite having made peace with the fact that Binyamin Netanyahu is an Israeli leader chosen by its people, Obama and his cohorts have tried time and again to upstage him. During his historic visit to Israel in March, Obama first pressured Netanyahu to make an unwarranted apology to Obama’s true pal in the region – Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan – and then tried to incite a hand-picked audience at the Jerusalem Convention Center to rebel against their government and demand 'peace'– as if Netanyahu has hidden it in the drawer of his desk and is refusing to share. ... Israelis want peace, like America, and distrust Netanyahu – that’s true – but they don’t care to be browbeaten by a representative of an Administration which supported Islamists in Egypt, Libya, and Turkey, that caved on Syria, and that is about to cave on Iran. Moreover – they know that they owe their security not to the Palestinian 'non-violent' leadership, but to the efforts of Israeli army and intelligence officers, who continuously disrupt attempts to rebuild the infrastructure of Palestinian terrorism that was destroyed after 2002. To judge by their reactions on Facebook, most Israelis, regardless of their political preferences, went to bed on Thursday wishing to slap John Kerry in the face. Prime Minister Netanyahu saw the same interview and gauged the reactions of his voters. Friday morning, he responded by rejecting Kerry and Obama’s pending deal with Iran. Netanyahu threw the gauntlet in Kerry’s face, and did it with the full approval of his people, still smarting from Thursday’s bullying session. In addition, since Kerry took special care to imply that Netanyahu is a liar for stating that Palestinians agreed to be quiet on settlements in exchange for the release of terrorists, the Secretary of State has completely lost trust with the Israeli Prime Minister. This should do wonders for American-Israeli cooperation on those two issues that President Obama cherishes so much – Iranian nukes and a Palestinian state. Stay tuned."

Netanyahu Decoded: The Only Good Iran Deal is No Deal - Lara Friedman, lobelog.com: "Israeli alarm over Iran’s nuclear program is wholly legitimate. Israeli skepticism about Iran’s intentions in negotiations is natural, as are its fears that Iran will exploit an agreement to move ahead with dangerous plans of its own. Indeed, all of these concerns are shared by the U.S., others in the Middle East, and nations around the world. That’s why world leaders are coming together now in Geneva: not to try to simply get an agreement for the sake of an agreement, but to get a deal that addresses all of these concerns, one that verifiably limits Iran’s nuclear program and nuclear ambitions now and in the future – something that would be very good for Israel. Unfortunately, it appears that Israeli


Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn’t see it this way. Netanyahu’s latest public diplomacy offensive denouncing the brewing Iran deal is telling. Framing his position in terms that have been previously articulated by Secretary Kerry and others, he has been reminding the world, repeatedly, that, 'no deal is better than a bad deal.'Now, with a deal in Geneva appearing closer than most people imagined possible, he is warning in melodramatic tones that what is being discussed is: 'a bad deal. A very, very bad deal.'” Uncaptioned image from entry

The growing need for Israel to adapt to survive - calevbenyefuneh.blogspot.com: "Israel should take its case against a deal with the PLO to the American people and Congress, who remain pro-Israel. Israel today does almost nothing in the area called ‘public diplomacy’, telling its story and combating the daily assaults of delegitimization and demonization coming from its enemies (and ‘friends’, like the Obama Administration, J Street, etc.) Where are the pro-Israel NGOs? Where are the million-dollar grants to universities to set up departments of Israel and Jewish studies? Where are the Zionist films, the speakers crisscrossing the continent? Where is the TV network to compete with al Jazeera, now deploying in the US? Where is the counterforce to the NIF? It’s embarrassing to compare the millions spent by the Europeans to subsidize anti-state organizations inside Israel and the pittance spent by Israel to influence the American people, who are the only force that can restrain Obama at this point."

The spying scandal is no ordinary diplomatic rift: The problem is not so much that countries snoop on each other, rather it is Washington’s attitude and communication that is most damaging - Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Financial Times, gulfnews.com: "The National Security Agency (NSA) eavesdropping scandal involving the German chancellor has caused a significant loss of trust and credibility among America’s main allies in Europe and elsewhere. ... It is worth remembering that there is probably nothing more damaging to friendly relations among democratic states than a combination of losing faith (in an ally) and losing face (at home) as a result of an ally’s actions. These two related aspects sum up the destructive potential of the NSA scandal for the transatlantic partnership, both at the personal, elite level as well as in the broader public diplomacy context. We had better get our act together. It is not just one another that administrations around the world have to cope with. The Snowden revelations, which experts expect to continue well into next year, also highlight the critical role played by the IT sector in shaping political and public policy."

Min­ister queries US on Budapest ‘spying’ - Nikoletta Orbán, budapesttimes.hu: "Foreign Minister János Martonyi said this week that Hungary is waiting on the USA to clear up the situation after WikiLeaks published an illustration showing the US National Security Agency’s (NSA) interception centres in Europe, which included Budapest. Martonyi met US Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs Victoria Nuland to clarify the situation, and in her response she referred to US President Barack Obama’s regret about recent spying and phone hacking incidents involving Germany and France, among others. The minister said anyone could be observed by the Americans but the level to which it is done is not equal. There could be cases where only lists of calls were monitored or it could happen that the NSA was listening in. He said he was sorry about the issue because it was overshadowing transatlantic cooperation. The minister said anyone could be observed by the Americans but the level to which it is done is not equal. There could be cases where only lists of calls were monitored or it could happen that the NSA was listening in. He said he was sorry about the issue because it was overshadowing transatlantic cooperation. He hoped trust with the US would be restored. After a national security session on Tuesday, Fidesz spokesman Máté Kocsis said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had called for consultation about the interception centre in Budapest. America’s secret data-gathering programmes were exposed this year by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who fled the US after leaking information. The story heated up further when Germans discovered that the Americans had hacked Chancellor Angela Merkel’s phone. John Negroponte, who was US deputy secretary of state and the first director of national intelligence, a position created by then-president George W. Bush in 2005, said: 'On American embassies, we have some 3,000 posts around the world. They are there to serve overall American interests abroad, whether the political, economic or public diplomacy. There may be posts where intelligence and intelligence gathering are more important than others.' Official comment: No comment [:] In a statement, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Budapest, said that 'as a matter of policy, we do not comment publicly on specific alleged intelligence activity. We have made clear that the United States gathers foreign intelligence of the type gathered by all nations. We value our cooperation with Hungary, and we maintain an active dialogue on issues of mutual concern.' The issue will be on the agenda of further upcoming talks between Foreign Minister János Martonyi and US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland.'"
A Pledge to Expand Educational and Cultural Exchanges - allianceabroad.com: "At his Senate confirmation hearing today, Richard Stengel, nominee for Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, stressed his long-time commitment to public diplomacy and pledged to advance international cultural exchanges. Stengel said he would focus on a number of issues he considers vital to U.S. national interests, including the advancement of 'public diplomacy’s focus on youth, including girls and underserved communities,' as well as the promotion of educational exchanges: 'If confirmed, I will also be a champion of educational diplomacy. Education is one of our greatest strategic assets. Our institutions, where more than 700,000 foreign students come, are incubators of democracy and they’re learning that the English language is critical because it is the language of innovation and entrepreneurship.' Adding that the U.S. 'is also the leader in technologies that are revolutionizing the way people learn,' Stengel pledged to 'employ these strategic assets to tailor educational exchanges to the 21st century.' The use of social media and other technological tools is also critical for U.S. engagement with audiences worldwide, Stengel said, adding that these efforts 'cannot, of course, replace people-to-people diplomacy. That’s indispensable.' Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) commented during the hearing on the impact it had on him to see 'how many people, because they’ve gone to school in the United States, when they return home have a much clearer understanding of what [the U.S.] is really like and what our freedoms entail.' Noting that 'these young people return home, highly skilled, highly-educated' and 'become potentially the future leaders of those societies,' Rubio asked Stengel: 'What can be done from a public policy perspective to encourage more of these opportunities to the extent that they are cost-effective and feasible?' Agreeing with Rubio that spending time in the U.S. makes international visitors 'more sympathetic to the American view,'

US funding for Pakistani journalists raises questions of transparency: US State Department funding, supplied through a nonprofit intermediary, supports the presence of two Pakistani journalists in Washington. Some observers say the relationship should be more transparent - Issam Ahmed, pakistantimesonline.blogspot.com: "Two Pakistani journalists filing reports home are quietly drawing their salaries from US State Department funding through a nonprofit intermediary, highlighting the sophisticated nature of America’s efforts to shape its image abroad. Neither of the two media organizations, Express News and Dunya News, discloses that their reporters are paid by the nonprofit America Abroad Media (AAM) on their websites or in the reports filed by their correspondents. Though the journalists have worked under the auspices of AAM since February, AAM only made their links to the news organizations known on their website Wednesday, after being contacted by the Monitor. The lack of transparency by the Pakistani organizations involved could heighten Pakistani mistrust of the US government, which is seen as having an undue level of influence in their country’s affairs."

Pickering Defends Obama And Clinton, Likens Benghazi Reporting to Fiction - Andrew Desiderio, thecollegefix.com: "Retired U.S. ambassador Thomas Pickering said Tuesday that media coverage over the Benghazi scandal deserves a 'Pulitzer Prize in creative fiction' and reasserted his belief that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama are not responsible for any wrongdoing. He also emphatically insisted there has been appropriate accountability for what went wrong on Sept. 11, 2012, in an attack that resulted in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Pickering made the comments at George Washington University in a talk titled “Beyond Benghazi: U.S. Public Diplomacy in Troubled Times” attended by about 150 students, professors, foreign service officers and military members.


Amb. Pickering spoke extensively on his experiences as co-chair of the Accountability Review Board report, which cited inadequate security and unpreparedness as largely to blame for the deaths and has been heavily criticized by House Republicans. 'Benghazi was a blow,' Pickering said. 'A friend tragically died under circumstances that should never be repeated.' As for exactly what went wrong in Benghazi on that fateful day, Pickering asserts his findings in the report were 'quite harsh,' and added American forces were 'caught short.' There was, according to Pickering, an element of failed leadership on the part of many government officials in carrying out basic responsibilities in Benghazi, but said those shortcomings did not rise to the presidential level, nor to Clinton, whom he famously did not interview prior to publishing his report. 'She was not responsible, nor was the president,' he said."Uncaptioned mage from entry

New Book: Radio Free Europe: An Insider's View by J.F. (Jim) Brown Foreword by A. Ross Johnson - "Cold War Radio Broadcasting: "Veteran RFE official J. F. (Jim) Brown recounts the story of the critical role Radio Free Europe played during the Cold War. A widely recognized expert on Eastern Europe who served as RFE … Jim Brown offers a balanced and penetrating analysis of what made RFE tick. He explains how RFE functioned as a decentralized organization that empowered exiles and points out what it could––and could not—offer East European listeners. RFE, he writes, 'broke the communist information monopoly and gave East Europeans the chance to think and judge for themselves.'


Brown’s explanations of the function of the central news department, of discussions with and trust of exile country broadcast chiefs, and of the cautious approach to broadcasting to Poland under martial law after 1981, for example, illuminate the editorial policies and internal relationships that made RFE a success. His portraits of key personalities show that RFE was not just an institution; it was a unique multinational group of men and women who played a critical role throughout the Cold War. ... 'I know of no other books on RFE by an insider who had so much experience with the Radios and how they were operated. Radio Free Europe: An Insider’s View is very well written, well organized, and a fascinating read.'––Yale Richmond, author of Practicing Public Diplomacy: A Cold War Odyssey." Image from entry

Football pitch paid for by UAE opens in Washington DC - Taimur Khan, thenational.ae: "Hundreds of schoolchildren are to benefit from a UAE-funded football pitch and training academy inaugurated yesterday.The US$1.5 million (Dh5.5m) all-weather astroturf ground and renovated amphitheatre was unveiled at a ceremony attended by the UAE Ambassador to the United States, Yousef Al Otaiba, and the


mayor of Washington, Vincent Grey [sic]. ... 'We don’t often discuss human relations between countries and, with a field like this, not only do we reach out and engage a vibrant part of the DC community, but we reach people who ordinarily don’t know who the UAE is,'Mr Al Otaiba said. 'This is a very big part of our public diplomacy campaign and showing people who we are and what we do.' Seven months ago the Marie Reed pitch was an uneven, mostly dirt expanse ringed on one side by crumbling wooden amphitheatre seating. 'It used to look terrible,' said Marquis, 10, a grade 5 pupil. It had lumps in the ground, everybody used to get injured, people’s ankles used to get hurt all the time.' When the UAE Embassy and City Soccer began looking for a pitch to renovate in Washington, 'this was the best location', said Mr Al Otaiba, who played football while studying at nearby Georgetown University."Image from article, with caption: The UAE ambassador to the United States, Yousel Al Otaiba, talks to a school pupil during the launch ceremony of the US$1.5m UAE-funded football pitch in Washington, D.C.

NATO’s Partnerships Before and After the Chicago Summit - Marônková Barbora, cenaa.org: "NATO defines the strategic objectives of NATO’s partner relations as following [inter alia]: ... Build confidence, achieve better mutual understanding, including about NATO’s role and activities, in particular though enhanced public diplomacy."

Managing a Terrorist Organization: An Interview with Dr. Jacob Shapiro - journal.georgetown.edu: Shapiro: "I think ... that [what] is not being done enough is working to publicize the externalities that groups cause. We know that people in many countries get angry at the consequences militant groups cause for civilians, and it lowers support for them. We know that in most cases, these guys are tremendously vulnerable to information shared by noncombatants, by civilian and by nonparticipants who happen to notice something going on. And that suggests that there is a lever that can be used by policymakers, which is really aggressively getting the word out about just how bad the activities of many of these groups are. And it happens to some extent, but not as much as I think would be valuable. If the Voice of America says it, in many populations, it doesn’t have the credibility of a local press outlet saying it. But there are lots of ways you can subsidize NGOs and other organizations that make it easier for local press outlets in lots of countries to report on what groups are doing. I think a lot of our public diplomacy is very centrally focused and coordinated on getting out the message of the U.S. government, as opposed to making it easier for the people to get basic facts about what the groups that we find problematic are doing."

Summary of editorials from the Izraeli Hebrew press - BreuerPress, breuerpress.com: "Ma’ariv believes that 'Even if the court acquits MK Avigdor Liberman tomorrow and thereby allows his immediate return to the Foreign Ministry, Netanyahu must not return him to the post,' and adds: 'A man with militant views and remarks such as Liberman cannot be the one who leads Israel’s foreign relations and conducts dialogues with heads of state.'


The author asserts that at present, 'There is a need for a strong, efficient and involved Foreign Ministry which will deal in public diplomacy, implementing policy and cultivating and strengthening [Israel's] international relations, led by an appropriate minister and not someone for whom the ministry is a kind of after-hours job.'” Image from article

Anti-Semitism claim 'inflammatory': Jewish leaders dismiss Israeli politician's warning that anti-Israel atmosphere will lead to pogroms - Fatima Asmal, mg.co.za: "The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) has distanced itself from comments by former Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman that the South African government is creating an anti-Semitic atmosphere, which will result in pogroms against the country's Jews. Lieberman was responding to recent comments made by South Africa's international relations minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, about the country's relationship with Israel.


Speaking at trade union federation Cosatu's international relations committee meeting last Friday, Nkoana-Mashabane said that the South African government had agreed to 'slow down and curtail senior leadership contact' with the Israeli 'regime' until 'things begin to look better'. She also said that South African ministers currently did not visit Israel. Responding to her comments on his Facebook page, Lieberman, who was Israel's foreign minister from 2009 to 2012, urged South African Jews to move to Israel immediately 'before it is too late'. ... Clayson Monyela, the deputy director general of public diplomacy at the department of international relations and co-operation, said that while South Africa supported brokering a just resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, political and diplomatic interaction between South Africa and Israel was 'limited, mainly due to Israel's antagonistic attitude towards the Middle East peace process and disregard for international law regarding the rights of the Palestinians and their territories. South Africa and Israel enjoy full, albeit at present cool, bilateral relations because of Israel's continued intransigence concerning its obligations in terms of the Middle East peace process,' he said." Image from entry, with caption: Lieberman's warning is 'alarmist.'

History Versus Hagiography - Robert Ventresca, symposium-magazine.com: "Few questions are thornier than the issue of papal intervention, or lack thereof, on behalf of persecuted Jews during the Holocaust. Arguably the most contentious claims reflect competing narratives about the presumed role of the pope and the Vatican in rescue and relief initiatives on behalf of Jews, especially in Italy, and Rome in particular. Narratives of papal rescue and relief often blur the lines between wartime experiences and their framing in postwar memory. Nowhere is this more evident than in the self-congratulatory narrative attributing to Pius XII a decisive role as 'rescuer'– a narrative that the Vatican itself crafted before the war had even ended. Sensitive to charges of papal inaction on behalf of persecuted Jews, senior papal diplomats offered specific examples of the thousands of Jews in Rome — up to 6,000 — who had been given 'refuge and succor' by the Vatican during German occupation of the city, primarily in the form of material aid, asylum, and safe passage. This narrative also came from Pius XII himself, who utilized self-ascribed claims of rescue and relief to justify his policy of impartiality and cautious public diplomacy. It was also useful in deflecting the constant entreaties reaching the pope during the war, very often from other ecclesiastical authorities, for the Vatican to do more for persecuted European Jews."

Japan ready to build nuclear power plants in Iran - "Japanese Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director General for Press and Public Diplomacy Koichi Mizushima has expressed his country’s readiness to cooperate with Iran to build nuclear power plants in the Islamic Republic. Mizushima, who is accompanying Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in his official visit to Tehran, made the remarks while speaking to reporters on Sunday. He added that after the settlement of Iran’s nuclear issue, Japan will be ready to help Tehran to construct nuclear power plants if demanded by the Iranian side."

Uncool Japan: Japan’s Gross National Propaganda - Nancy Snow, metropolis.co.jp: "Cool Japan is anything but. ... It doesn’t take a Chinese female astronaut to conclude that Cool Japan is a government and industry production directed predominantly by men with a feminine ideal that doesn’t exist. ... Cool Japan is a retread that’s all been done before. ... The Japanese government has announced a USD$500 million spend over 20 years for Cool Japan branding, which was followed by the winning bid for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.


Prime Minister Abe’s pitch to the IOC in Buenos Aires was a public relations success, though not one steeped in reality. Despite his promise that the situation in Fukushima is “under control,” the disaster-struck region will not be decontaminated until a projected 2017—just three years before the Summer Olympics. If this nuclear elephant in the room isn’t fixed in time, then no public relations or consumer market goods promotion campaign will be able to gloss over the reality of a lost homeland for those displaced by the disaster. And that’s probably the most uncool prospect for Japan."Image from article

Japan-China Relations: Room For Rapproachment? -- Analysis -  Angana Guha Roy, ipcs.org: "[T]he nine year old Tokyo-Beijing Forum ... believes in the power of dialogue and public diplomacy but the prevailing rivalry has repeatedly overshadowed any sort of furtherance in their bilateral relations.


This was fairly reflected in the international media that came out with reports like, ‘China-Japan relations take turn for worse’ or ‘China-Japan relations increasingly strained’, on the eve of the Beijing-Tokyo Forum conclusion."Image from entry

To block or not to block: do Chinese audiences actually want access to foreign media? - Wanning Sun, theconversation.com: "International reporting on China is dominated by stories of the Chinese government’s propensity to block access to a number of foreign online media outlets, search engines and social media forums. There are two untested assumptions in these stories. Firstly, that Chinese people are desperate for news and views from outside China. Secondly, that many Chinese would automatically identify with the views expressed in the international media. Stories like this are bad news for the Chinese government, given that in recent years it has been pulling out all stops to spruce up its international image as an open and transparent society. Nowadays soft power, public diplomacy and Chinese media ‘going out’ are not just policy buzz words, but also translate into concrete political projects costing billions of dollars. ... [I]t has been reported recently that Facebook, Twitter and various other ‘sensitive’ sites will soon be accessible within the Free Trade Zone of Shanghai in order to make foreigners ‘feel at home’.


While a small percentage of individuals may feel restricted by not having access to these sites, most Chinese locals seem to feel little desire to be exposed to Western information media. ... Chinese are not too different from people anywhere else. So it should not be surprising that they pay more attention to television shows advising how to avoid unsafe food, than they do to issues impinging on China’s prospects for democracy. ... [I]t is somewhat naïve to assume that the Chinese are at always at odds with their own government. As China watchers such as Linda Jacobson have observed, although Chinese audiences have a healthy scepticism towards propaganda on domestic issues, they are usually happy to accept the authorities’ interpretations of international affairs. Image from article, with caption: The Chinese have access to their own social networking sites, such as Twitter equivalent, Weibo

The Public Diplomacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CPC): Beyond The Image - thinkinchina.asia: "[T]he Chinese leadership is aware of the importance of public opinion a long time ago. The above thesis is now adopted by many different cultures and nations, and its’ [sic] present interpretation is especially interesting in case of the People’s Republic of China. For the western individual, it is difficult to understand how a single-party state society becomes an integrated part of the global consumer culture. 'China will not copy Western system in political reform'− said former CPC General Secretary, Hu Jintao on the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China in 2012.[2] In accordance to this, few months ago the newspaper Time released an analysis, with a survey about the global habits of smartphone customers. The result shows, that 42% of the Chinese customers are willing to buy only the latest technology, when they decide to purchase a new phone. ... The hypothesis of the research: Following the transformation of the value system represented by the Chinese society, the Communist Party of China builds traditional, Confucian values in its communication. With this effort, the negative effects of the western individualism on the society are being balanced. The main objective of the project is to support Hungarian foreign policy planning with helpful and easily adoptable practices, in order to tighten the relations between the two countries. Also, as this field is not yet well explored, I feel confident to set up recommendations for the Chinese government for more successful communication."

FNC welcomes delegation from Switzerland - "DUBAI: Mohammed Ahmed Al Murr, speaker of Federal National Council (FNC), received on Thursday Secretariat General President of the Council of States, Switzerland’s federal parliament and his accompanying delegation at the FNC. Members of the FNC’s European Parliamentary Friendship Group, Dr. Amal Al Qubaisi, first deputy FNC speaker, and Swiss Ambassador to the UAE Andrea Reichlin attended the meeting. Al Murr hailed the strong ties between the UAE and Switzerland, noting that the vibrant economic and political system in the Switzerland provides a role model for many countries aspiring to change for the best. The two sides affirmed that the two countries are maintaining strong friendship, particularly in political, economic, cultural and tourist fields. The two sides recognised the need for availing opportunities on offer, good relations and cooperation to expand into other vital sectors like education, technology and public diplomacy to stimulate progress for the benefit of the two friendly peoples."

Richards reports on UK talks - Raymond Hainey, royalgazette.com: "Bermuda is expected to fork out more than 60 percent of the costs of the UK’s largest peacetime fire and explosion, Minister of Finance Bob Richards said yesterday. Bermuda-based firms are likely to be liable for 62 percent of the claims resulting from a major fire at an oil terminal in Buncefield, Hertfordshire, in 2005. Mr Richards said that Bermuda-based companies provide 'substantial' insurance coverage to the UK market. He was speaking after a series of high-level meetings with the UK government, held last month in London. Mr Richards added: 'In 2011, Bermuda was the UK’s third-largest foreign investor among non-European countries, according to the 2013 Bermuda and the World Economy Report.' And he said: 'The meetings directly support our commitment to strengthen public diplomacy and support bilateral and multilateral agreement.'"

Monaco: Strong political will displayed at the Peace and Sport International Forum 2013 - presseagence.com: "An historic initiative sees world’s leaders embrace sport as an investment for society. After three days of intense debates and open discussions, Joël Bouzou yesterday closed the Peace and Sport International Forum 2013 in the presence of more than 700 delegates from 100 different nations. This 7th edition of the Forum proved a resounding success and was unprecedented in terms of political and governmental involvement at the highest level. After a highly acclaimed opening session, which saw Young Sam Ma, Ambassador for Public Diplomacy for the Republic of Korea declaring ' sports diplomacy is sometimes the only way to penetrate into territories wrought with disputes and generations of pain, where dialogues and political overtures have stalled ', the final session of the Forum was marked by a historical speech from Mr SON Kwang Ho, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Sports of North Korea. Mr. SON Kwang Ho talked to the Forum’s delegates about the projects currently implemented in North Korea to build sport facilities, organize grassroot sport events and support elite training. At the end of his speech, he declared: 'We will do our outmost to further develop sports in our country so that it will fully serve for improvement of the people’s health, the development of world peace and friendship with the countries in the future'. The peace through sport community was gathered in Monaco around a wide group of Heads of States, Ministers, Ambassadors and International Organizations members . ... Throughout the Forum, political decision-makers expressed a shift in their vision of sport: that instead of being considered as a public expense, sport was gradually being seen as an investment for a better society and a tool for diplomatic dialogue – a vision that Peace and Sport has been promoting since its creation in 2007 and spearheading at this year’s Forum."

Of interest - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Vive Catalonia! I will help you do pd, cultural diplomacy and gastrodiplomacy if you promise to put Dalí on your money and have a Gaudi-esque Parliament."

Ye Kaung in Hong Kong - WordPress.com: "In the ... article, Public Diplomacy and Soft power by Joseph S.Nye, Jr, the author vividly explain the concept of soft power and public diplomacy, their sources and the methodologies to generate them. ... I have got some doubts on the role of Soft power, is the use of Smart power the ultimate solution in international affairs? I don’t think so. By using soft power, a superpower nation may able to influence other countries inclinations but that will not change its basic requirements and cannot quell the nations’ struggles to get them. For example, the soft power of Great Britain may suspend the quest for American Independence for a period of time but cannot deter the desirability of Americans for a new nation. It is the same for US’s soft power which may overwhelm the daily lives of Chinese citizens but it doesn’t change the reality of China’s huge population and scarcity of domestic resources that led the Chinese government to set policies on securing the natural resources beyond its boundaries, sometime against the interest of United States. ... I like to raise another question: Is the rise of anti-American sentiments in Muslim countries is the results of the cutting funds for Soft power? In other words, the spending on Public diplomacy in Musilm [sic] countries will avoid the terrorist efforts targeted at US interest? ... In the end of Joseph S.Nye, Jr’s article, it provides three dimensions of public diplomacy which I think are the most important information of whole article. First, the daily communication on context of domestic and foreign policy decisions with foreign presses as important target, second, in the view of Strategic communication, to develops special themes or symbolic events as political or advertising campaign does and third, the development of lasting relationships with key individuals over many years through scholarships, exchanges, training, seminars, conferences and access to media channels. ... Most importantly, his article concluded with its main thesis: public diplomacy is an important tool in the arsenal of smart power but smart public diplomacy requires credibility, self-criticism and the role of civil society in generating soft power. The public diplomacy that degenerate into propaganda not only fails to convince but can undercut the soft power."

TV broadcasting and the impact of the CNN effect on diplomacy - diplomacy.edu: "Television is still powerful and important in today’s diplomacy.


Indeed, television is important in shaping public opinion, and the general public still relies on traditional television channels as a principal source of information." Image from entry

Global Political Communication - Beth Hankes,pon.harvard.edu: "Global Political Communication (CC221) Fall 2013 Provides students with a critical understanding of the role of communication in national politics in non-Western contexts as well as the increasingly important role of mediated communication in contemporary international relations and public diplomacy."

Lipscomb Academy grads go across the pond to begin university experience [no date] - lipscomb.edu: "'Inspirational.''Daunting. ... These were the thoughts of 32 Lipscomb incoming freshmen recently as they prepared for their first college lecture by world renowned theologian Alister McGrath of King's College in London. Guest lecturers included ... Colleen Graffy, former deputy assistant secretary of state for public diplomacy."

Juan-Carlos Molleda featured speaker at Syracuse University - my.jou.ufl.edu: "Juan-Carlos Molleda traveled to Syracuse, N.Y., last week to speak on nation identity, branding and reputation at the 2013 Public Diplomacy Symposium at Syracuse University.


'Public Diplomacy: Actors and Actions in a Globalized World' was aimed at generating conversation among engaged practitioners and academicians about what public diplomacy really is and increasing awareness across relevant academic fields about the actors and actions involved in public diplomacy."Uncaptioned image from entry

Faculty news, Dance fall 2013 - theatredance.colorado.edu: "Donna Mejia ... Two of my activities expanded my understanding of dance’s relevancy: my keynote addresses for Syracuse University’s Symposium on Public Diplomacy and my service as an adjudicator for the American College Dance Festival North East Region in New York. I witnessed daily occurrences of dance being the site of courageous conversations, extraordinary integrity, intellectual inquiry and unbound human expression."

Campus forum focuses on oil extraction near USC - Christopher Lopez, USC Trojan: "On Wednesday, the Political Student Assembly held a debate at the Ronald Tutor Campus Center on oil drilling activities near USC. ... The operations that sparked the debate were the Freeport-McMoRan Oil and Gas Company site on Jefferson Boulevard and the Allenco Energy, Inc. site located on West 23rd Street. ... Evans, a first-year graduate student in public diplomacy, previously lived adjacent to the Jefferson site and wrote an Oct. 8, 2013 opinion article for Neon Tommy on the subject. Evans said that she has not experienced any health effects from the two months that she lived near the site. She moved from the building because of the activity. 'It smells like the La Brea Tar Pits. It is lit up like a space station at night, so I had to buy blackout curtains for my windows,' Evans said."

Masa Israel Featured Internship: News and New Media Fellow, Government Press Office - gatherthejews.com: "The Government Press Office is looking for an intern who has a solid understanding of Israel’s history, political process, public diplomacy, and challenges faced in the media. The intern’s responsibilities will include assisting with the maintenance of the office’s foreign media survey relating to Israel and keeping the foreign press informed of upcoming events and conferences. Fellows will be encouraged to participate in media tours, conferences, and other events relating to the office’s activities.


The Government Press Office is assigned with the responsibility of coordinating channels of communication between the Israeli government and the press. The division issues press accreditation and is responsible for facilitating press coverage of key state functions and visits of foreign dignitaries. http://www.interninisrael.org/news-media-fellow-government-press-office/"Image from entry

Information Assistant, American Embassy in Tanzania - ajirakwanza.com: "BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION [:] Using specialized expertise in all aspects of the media, serves as the senior FSN advisor to the Public Affairs Officer, Ambassador, and DCM in initiating, planning and implementing major Public Diplomacy information programs and in reporting on Tanzania's media. Orchestrates national media programs of broad scope and complexity. Maintains contacts with senior officials and counsels senior Embassy officials on appropriate ways of dealing with frictions in the relationship between Tanzania and the United States."

RELATED ITEMS

The U.S. Army discovers Africa: Africa has many needs. Whether it needs the United States bringing to bear a million American soldiers is doubtful - Andrew J. Bacevich, latimes.com: Africa has many needs.


Whether it needs the United States bringing to bear a million American soldiers is doubtful. If Washington wants to encourage "positive change" in Africa, training a million African schoolteachers or a million doctors might be more useful. Image from entry, with caption: U.S. Special Forces soldier instructs South Sudanese commandos on how to quickly exit a helicopter at a U.S.-run base in Nzara, South Sudan

The U.S.-China path to mutual prosperity - Robert Rubin, Washington Post: A sensible framework for U.S.-China dialogue would be to support better policy in each country and would turn the economic arena into a constructive influence in our relationship. That framework would be built on two guiding principles: Each country will do what is in its long-term economic self-interest, and each country acting in its own, wisely determined economic self-interest will serve the best interests of both countries.

America, always rising and falling: Review of ‘The Myth of America’s Decline’ by Josef Joffe - Review by Carlos Lozada, Washington Post: America’s overblown worries of decline persist, Jofee says, mainly because of “linearity”: the mindless extrapolation of transient trends — whether in the numbers of Soviet ICBMs or the growth of Japanese GDP — far into the future.

How to Balance Safety and Openness for America’s Diplomats: Foreign affairs professionals have faced disease, disaster, war, and terrorism over the last 234 years. How secure should today's officers be? - John Norris, theatlantic.com: The 20th century marked the beginning of an era when U.S. diplomats were targeted directly because they were U.S. diplomats. In 1998, the diplomatic security budget was $200 million; by 2012 it had leapt to $2.6 billion. That is a more than 1,000 percent increase in 14 years. The State Department seems determined to get away from the cookie-cutter approach to embassy security, recognizing that getting threat assessments right demands a regular, and highly contextualized, discussion at senior levels.


In some instances, these discussions may determine that conditions on the ground are too hazardous for a traditional diplomatic presence or that local forces are not sufficiently reliable to provide the additional force protection upon which most embassies and consulates rely when things take a turn for the worse. In other cases, smaller, more flexible diplomatic teams might offer a better solution for working in chaotic environments because they require less fortification and can often provide superior political and economic reporting than more static missions. But right now the greatest challenge is a Congress that whipsaws between ignoring the Foreign Service and scapegoating it after disasters, effectively pushing the State Department toward a zero risk approach that will trap American diplomacy in a hermetic bubble. Image from article, with caption: The entrance to the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, where 63 people were being held hostage in 1980

From Peanuts Fields to to Diplomacy - Shawn, Foreign Service Test: Your Guide to Passing the Foreign Service Officer Test: "Nicholas Kralev must be the closest thing to a Foreign Service journalist/groupie that you can find. Kralev recently started a web series in which he has had the chance to interview some very high level members of the U.S. Department of State, including Amb. Thomas Pickering, Under Secretary Bill Burns, and Amb. John Negroponte. In his newest episode of 'Conversations with Nicholas Kralev' he kicks off what he says will be a regular series of interviews with members of the Foreign Service who don’t necessarily have the word 'Ambassador' in front their name. In his first interview he speaks with Jimmy Mauldin, an FSO serving in New Delhi. Jimmy’s story of coming from rural Alabama to the exotic world (at least to many in the U.S.) of international travel and diplomacy is worth hearing. I believe his background is far more common than people realize. Gone are the days when the Foreign Service was comprised primarily of white males from Yale. We’re much more diverse and better able to represent our country."

Propaganda Alert: The Times Sinks to new Depths: “Assad’s snipers target unborn babies in wombs” - Cem Ertür, Global Research:

Image from article

NBC Joins Al Jazeera in Anti-Israel Propaganda - Cliff Kincaid, NewsWithViews.com: Polonium-210 is the deadly substance the Russians used to kill Alexander Litvinenko, the former Russian spy and KGB dissident who blamed the Putin regime for acts of alleged Islamic terrorism in Russia. Now that the poison has reportedly been found in the remains of Yasser Arafat’s exhumed body, NBC News has decided to blame Israel, based on questionable reporting done by Al Jazeera, the Muslim Brotherhood channel. The NBC Nightly News report on Wednesday night was done by reporter Ayman Mohyeldin, and showed a Palestinian official saying, “We need proof that Israeli occupation is responsible, that Israeli government killed him as a result of an official decision.” But NBC didn’t wait for any proof.

Is Pakistan’s Geo-TV A Pro-Indian Propaganda Machine Designed To Destabilize The Islamic Country? - Palash Ghosh, Pakistan’s Islamic fundamentalists and religious conservatives will likely turn purple over the emergence of a new reality television music and dance talent show, “Pakistan Idol,” which is based on wildly popular similar programs in India, Europe, the U.K. and the U.S. Things like “Pakistan Idol”


are deeply resented by an increasingly vocal segment of the public who equate such programs as cultural pollution, and -- even worse – as forms of Western, Indian and Jewish “propaganda.” Much of their rancor is focused on Pakistan’s Geo TV, the private television network that broadcasts many programs conservatives find troubling and even destructive. Geo, one of the largest and most popular channels in Pakistan, was founded in 2002, after former President Pervez Musharraf opened up state-controlled media to private firms. Image from entry

Book Review: 'The Brothers' by Stephen Kinzer - Reviewed by Charles McCarry, Wall Street Journal: By bringing us such memorable acts as the overthrow


of Mohammad Mossadegh in Iran and Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán in Guatemala, Mr. Kinzer implies, the brothers gave us in the end the allegedly warlike, unjust, hated America we live in now. Image from article, with caption: Allen and John Foster Dulles in 1948

WSU puts World War I and II propaganda online - Audrey Cohen, seattlepi.com: The U.S. government produced thousands of posters during World Wars I and II, urging citizens to buy war bonds, ration food, grow victory gardens, limit travel and avoid loose talk.


Now roughly 520 of those posters are available online, through WashingtonStateUniversity's newPropaganda Poster Digital Collection. Image from entry

The power of propaganda, then and now, through the Nazi lens - news.medill.northwestern.edu: Remnants of Hitler’s cleverly disguised campaign of genocide – posters, books, pamphlets, film, radio messages, even a board game for German children called “Jews Get Out” – are part of the Field Museum’s exhibit “State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda” that opened Wednesday.


The exhibit commemorates the 75th anniversary of the Night of Broken Glass, a two-day wave of anti-Jewish destruction, referred to as Kristallnacht. Image from entry, with caption: The gramophone was a key piece of Nazi propaganda. With it, Nazis were able to play key speeches on the streets of Germany using loudspeakers mounted on trucks. They were also used in homes and local meetings to advance the Nazi agenda.

Women and Children in World War I Propaganda Posters - EDW Lynch, laughingsquid.com: Collectors Weekly has posted a gallery of World War I propaganda posters that prominently feature women and children in their messages.


Recurring themes include women and children in danger, women urging men to enlist, and women heroically working on the home front. The posters are from the collections of the Library of Congress. Image from entry

AMERICANA


--Image from Eli Saslow, "Too much of too little: A diet fueled by food stamps is making South Texans obese but leaving them hungry," Washington Post

"No words necessary"

--Your PDPBR compiler

Image from; see also

AL JAZEERA PROGRAM ON CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Selling America abroad - The Stream Team, Al Jazeera: "Can the government use music and art to build bridges with other countries? Cultural diplomacy is a rising trend in our international outreach efforts, and proponents say that it is a critical component of our global engagement. But critics argue that cultural diplomacy is a wasted investment, and is often undermined by U.S. foreign and national security policy. Has U.S. cultural diplomacy been successful at improving America’s image? Can it be done better? We’ll discuss at 7:30pm ET." Via CS on Facebook.


See also draft essay, John Brown, "Is American Cultural Diplomacy a Hot Potato?" Notes and Essays (May 30, 2013). Image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

US PD's finest hour - Adam Clayton Powell III, The Public Diplomacy Council, on Facebook: ttp://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/11/10/hagel-sends-us-troop-into-philippines-to-help-with-post-typhoon-humanitarian/

Foreign students continue to flock to U.S. colleges: A record number of international students were in the U.S. in 2012, a new study reports, with USC attracting the largest number of them - Jason Song, latimes.com:  "The number of international students studying at U.S. colleges and universities grew to a record high last year and USC remained their most popular destination, according to a new study. The private university had 9,840 international students, about 1,400 more than UCLA, which ranked sixth in the survey conducted by the New York nonprofit Institute of International Education, in partnership with the U.S. State Department. USC has had the largest number of foreign students for a dozen years in a row. Overall, the number of international students in U.S. institutions increased by about 7% last year to nearly 820,000. The largest group came from China, which sent about 236,000 students, nearly double the number of students from India, the second-largest group. Several countries — including Iran, Brazil and Kuwait — increased their number of students in the U.S. by at least 20%, but 'most of the growth was fueled by the undergraduate Chinese students,' said Rajika Bhandari, deputy vice president for research and evaluation at the Institute of International Education. ... The other countries with the largest groups of students at USC are South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Canada. California attracted the largest number of foreign students nationwide, with about 111,000, followed by New York and Texas, which had 88,000 and 63,000 international students, respectively. The University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign had the second-most international students with 9,800. Purdue University's main campus had 9,500 foreign students, placing it third, while New York and Columbia universities ranked fourth and fifth in the survey, respectively."

Selling America abroad - The Stream Team, Al Jazeera: [Comment by: John Ferguson · Executive Director at American Voices] - "I am the Executive Director of American Voices. We have been doing Cultural Diplomacy and Engagement around the world in over 120 countries since 1993. www,americanvoices.org and www.yesacademy.info We are currently in Sudan with a YES Academy program bringing US specialists in hip hop (rap, break dance, art), social theater, circus arts, jazz and rock bands and Broadway musical theater. I can be reached in Khartoum on +249 92 952 1587 if you wanted any comments. Uploading a video from here is not an option. The point I would like to make is that we see a real difference between cultural 'diplomacy' and cultural 'engagement'. The latter implies a deeper, longer term engagement with return visits and long-term goals. Cultural diplomacy to us implies one-off concerts and collaborations and possibly the goal of a feel-good moment, which we like, to change the topic from political or other policy conflicts or disagreements. Engagement implies the committment to the artistic and personal development of the participants, over a longer period of time as well as a long term committment to audiences and local media. We have been working in this way in the Kurdistan reach of Iraq for 7 seasons now. There we are committed to our summer Academy programs as well as to training selected young professional for degree programs and professional teacher training in music in the US. This is the kind of programming that is dearest to our hearts and inspires us as teachers. We see the development of our participants over time and see how they emerge as the next generation of teachers, performers and cultural leaders. To recap, both Diplomacy and Engagement are great, but the Engagement approach is what is most needed in countries like Sudan, Iraq or Pakistan that are suffering from levels of isolation and lack of opportunity for young artists and for their audiences hungry for live cultural events. Best regards, John Ferguson americanvoices@gmail.com." Entry also includes a comment by your PDPBR compiler -- on the origins of the term "cultural diplomacy."

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Voice of America English News fails to report on Obama meeting with Cuban dissidents - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "While VOA English News report “Obama Calls for Updated US Policy on Cuba” lacked both substance and balance, the VOA Spanish Service and Radio and TV Marti provided more comprehensive reporting.


Unfortunately, English-speaking international audiences and audiences of other VOA foreign language services relying of VOA English News may have been poorly informed and even mislead by VOA report." Image from entry, with caption: During a visit to Miami on Nov. 8, President Barack Obama met with Ladies in White leader Berta Soler and Sakharov Prize winner Guillermo Fariñas, two Cuban dissidents currently visiting the U.S. These photos were posted online by Radio and TV Marti (Office of Cuba Broadcasting – OCB). They were not used by Voice of America English News, which also failed to report on Obama’s meeting with Cuban dissidents but posted a short and confusing news item on Obama calling for updating U.S. policies toward Castro’s Cuba.

Deeper look into Ukraine Ministry Leaks - disdroid.co.uk: "It’s not a secret that activation of Ukraine-EU relations is accepted by Russia as a challenge and in turn Moscow uses whole arsenal of counter-campaign tools – from public diplomacy to informational support of anti-European tendencies in Ukraine. Original Source: Deeper look into Ukraine Ministry Leaks."

A critical stage for the peace process - Ihsan Bal, Head of USAK Academic Council, turkishweekly.net: "It looks as if in the months ahead of us there will be heated discussions inside the PKK over whether to continue seeking their rights through violence. For the other party in the peace process, the Turkish Government, one of the most contentious issues will be whether the democratization package will effect the jump-start and change in climate desired. USAK’s Analist magazine published an analysis of the peace process in its March 2013 edition under the headline 'The Peace Settlement Process Should not Lack a Settlement'. In essence, the article inquired how a peace process of this sort would be managed, the dynamics upon which it should rest, and how probable risks and pitfalls could be overcome at minimum cost. In short it went over the ways to meet the pre-conditions necessary for success in the peace process. At that date I had expressed my view that the peace process would require a social and political coalition, transparency, correct public diplomacy, and comprehensive feedback. Today the peace process has arrived at a stage which demonstrates how right and appropriate these warnings were, and that even though many of them were ignored there is still time to achieve social peace."

Korea traditional wedding procession in the heart of San Francisco 'eye': Consulate General of the Asian Art Museum, Korea co-hosted the first anniversary of married couples hero ... [Google "translation"] - The event 'public diplomacy' (public diplomacy) would be a good example of South Korea and the U.S. have a good chance to strengthen mutual understanding.

Wine for China - myrightword.blogspot.com: "With the ongoing boycotts around the world of products


made in Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron), the Shomron Regional Council’s public diplomacy delegation scored a victory this recently when it launched an alliance between Shomron winemakers and the Italian Winemakers Association."Image from heading of entry; see also.

Call HRW Banned Sunni Muslim Eid prayer in Tehran, Iran Embassy Denies [Google "translation"] - republika.co.id: "Embassy (Embassy) in Jakarta Islamic Republic of Iran denied the claims of the group Human Rights (HAM) International, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is calling banned Sunni Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha in Tehran.


Embassy of Iran through Public Diplomacy Officer, Ali Rad Pahlevani sent a letter of clarification to the ROL, the news titled 'Prohibited Sunni Muslims Celebrate Eid al-Adha in Tehran, HRW Give Warning' that was published on Monday (11/11). ROL citing news from the official website of HRW. In clarification, the Iranian Embassy in Jakarta said, every year the entire Muslim community of the Islamic Republic of Iran celebrated the feasts prayers of Islam in various cities of Iran." Image from article, with caption: Iran flag

RELATED ITEMS

Is John Kerry Too 'European' for American Diplomacy? - Leon Hardar, Huffington Post: The continuing hyperactive American diplomacy in the Middle East that Kerry is pursuing, including by launching a new Set of Israeli Palestinian negotiations and managing the rapprochement with Iran, reflects the same commitment that Washington had made at the start of the Cold War and against the backdrop of the collapse of the British and French empires to defend the political and economic interests of the Western alliance in the region which traditionally was considered to be the strategic backyard of Europe. Containing regional and global threats to stability there, protecting the access to the oil resources, and working to advance Arab-Israeli peace were the kind of national security services that Washington that benefited European interests during the Cold War and its aftermath. And Kerry seems too intent on continuing to provide


these services to the Europeans who, unlike the Americans, are dependent on the oil supplies from the region and are affected directly by instability in that region, including through the flow of Muslim immigrants from there, while their cities could be threatened by Iranian nuclear missiles more than, say, New York or Chicago. And let's not forget the sense of nostalgia they may feel towards their former imperial outposts in the Levant and North Africa. Image from

John Kerry’s ‘third intifada’ - David Keene, Washington Times: A secretary of state has to speak clearly and precisely, lest other nations misunderstand him and act on that misunderstanding. Mr. Kerry’s penchant for loose talk is on constant display these days as he careens around the Middle East. When Mr. Kerry landed in Israel, the potential consequences of the dangerous imprecision of his words became clear. Mr. Kerry threatened the Israeli government and predicted that if the Israelis don’t buckle under, there would be “chaos” and perhaps a “third intifada” that would leave the Jewish state isolated and alone.
John Kerry’s Middle East dream world - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post: Imagine a world in which the Middle East is not descending into carnage and chaos but is on the brink of a monumental series of breakthroughs. By next spring,Iran’s nuclear program will be secured and Egypt will be a liberal democracy.


Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has stepped aside. And, not least, Israelis and Palestinians have settled on the terms for a Palestinian state. This is the world that John Kerry inhabited as he shuttled across the world last week: a fantastical realm created by his billowing vision of what he can accomplish as secretary of state.  Image from

A Doable Iran Deal - Roger Cohen, New York Times: It is of critical importance to seize the moment and clinching an exacting interim deal that gets all that Iranian nuclear capacity in a verifiable box and builds the confidence needed for a broader accord.

America Has Nowhere to Go on Egypt - Aaron David Miller, New York Times: There’s no doubt that American policy toward Egypt and the political turbulence in the Middle East has lacked direction. Yet the Obama administration’s approach — working with, not against the military, and essentially giving up on any serious effort on democratic reform — is both logical and necessary. We must continue to press General Sisi to see through his road map for parliamentary and presidential elections — but accept that they may not meet our democratic ideals.

U.S. Loses Voting Rights at Unesco - Alissa J. Rubin, New York Times: The United States lost its vote at Unesco on Friday, two years after cutting off its financial contribution to the organization over the admission of Palestinians as full members. The move undermined America’s ability to exercise its influence in countries around the globe through the United Nations agency’s educational and aid programs, according to Western diplomats and international relations experts. Via MS on Facebook

Salvaging Obama - Bill Keller, New York Times: Among suggestions for how Obama might lift his presidency up from the bottom: For years the administration has talked of “rebalancing” our military strategy to address an increasingly assertive China. The Pentagon, liberated from Iraq and drawing down in Afghanistan, has taken some modest steps in this direction, deploying more of the Navy to Asia, devoting more resources to China’s space and cyber threats. But our rivalry with China is not, and should never be, primarily military. We need to compete on the fields of economics and diplomacy. Unfortunately the civilian custodians of our foreign policy have been bogged down in the Middle East, a region that matters a lot, but not as much as it did when we were more dependent on imported oil. The biggest item awaiting some Washington juice is the Trans-Pacific Partnership, an immense, stalled, Asian free-trade agreement that would do more to counter burgeoning China than any number of battleships.

After aiding U.S. in Afghanistan war, interpreters are being denied visas - Kevin Sieff, Washington Post: A growing number of Afghan interpreters who worked alongside American troops are being denied U.S. visas allotted by Congress because the State Department says there is no serious threat against their lives.

Drew University in Madison will explore effects of Nazi propaganda in Middle East on Nov. 15 - nj.com: Though it is widely known that the Nazis used propaganda during World War II as a way to spread anti-Semitism throughout Europe, it is less well known that much of this propaganda was re-packaged as radio broadcasts to Egypt and other countries in the Middle East and is believed to still have influence today. A panel of scholars will speak about the impact of this propaganda and its effect on world religions at a forum on Nov. 15, sponsored by the Drew Center for Holocaust/Genocide Studies. The conference begins with coffee and registration at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3 p.m. The conference, to be held in the Concert Hall of the Dorothy Young Center for the Arts, is titled “Understanding the Long Rippling Effect of Nazi Propaganda in the Arab World.” It is presented through grants from the New Jersey Council on the Humanities, the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education and support from the center’s patrons and sponsors.

Max Blumenthal’s "Goliath" seen as threat at heart of Israel’s propaganda machinery - Benjamin Doherty, electronicintifada.net: Today in Tablet, Liel Leibovitz reviews Max Blumenthal’s Goliath. Leibovitz derisively calls Goliath a “brilliant new novel,” but Blumenthal’s book is not a novel and not fiction. Indeed, author Chris Hedges, former New York Times Middle East bureau chief, calls Goliath “one of the most fearless and honest books ever written about Israel.”


And it’s currently the number one seller on Amazon.com in the category of Israeli history. Leibovitz has done key propaganda work for the Israeli army and is a principal of Thunder11, a public relations firm notorious for creating the fake “human rights” group Iran180. Leibovitz’s intervention is a clear indication that Blumenthal’s Goliath is perceived at the very heart of Israel’s propaganda machinery as a threat that must be countered. Image from entry, with caption: Israel lobby astroturf initiative Iran180 sodomized Ahmadinejad with a papier mâché nuclear bomb in San Francisco’s pride parade in 2011.

AMERICANA

US sees 25 percent surge in women hunters since 2006 - foxnews.com: The number of American women spending time hunting has spiked 25 percent between 2006 and 2011.


According to Census Bureau statistics cited by National Geographic, while men still make up the majority of the 13.7 million hunters in the United States, 11 percent are women. Many states, the magazine reports, are now hosting workshops, titled “Becoming An Outdoors-Woman” (BOW), which instruct participants in archery, shotgun and rifle shooting. Via MC on Facebook. Image from

"H. G. Wells once famously described Henry James as a hippopotamus trying to pick up a pea."

--Poet Christian Wiman; cited in the Times Literary Supplement (November 8, 2013), p. 7; image from

MEETING

Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy Meeting Set for 2 December - pdaa.publicdiplomacy.org: "The first quarterly meeting of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy since its reinstatement is scheduled for Monday, 2 December 2013 in in Washington, DC at the Capitol Visitor’s Center, Room SVC203-02. The topic of the meeting is “The State of Public Diplomacy,” and will include a review of the audits and scholarly research conducted on public diplomacy and international broadcasting in the last decade. The commission will also be introducing its agenda and work plan for 2014. To receive an invitation, contact the commission’s executive director Katherine Brown, PhD at BrownKA4 [at] state [dot]gov."

BROCHURE

The U.S. Department of State Student Internship Program

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

America’s Muslim cleric confronts questions of loyalty, identity - Hannah Allam, mcclatchydc.com: "With his trim, gray-flecked beard, crisply ironed clothes and genteel demeanor, Mohamad Bashar Arafat hardly cuts a controversial figure. Yet his public appearances draw visceral reactions – from hearty welcomes to sneering disdain – depending on how the audience views a Muslim cleric who for a decade has worked with the U.S. State Department as a quiet, informal envoy to the Islamic world. Through public diplomacy programs, Arafat has traveled to at least 26 countries in a role he sees as his patriotic duty as an American and his religious duty as a Muslim imam. His roots in Damascus, where he was born and studied before emigrating in 1989, make for a third facet to that role now as diplomats, congregants and friends ask him, 'What should the U.S. do about Syria?' Detractors, on the other hand, would prefer he keep his answers to himself.


They regard him as, at best, a token and, at worst, a sellout – an apologist for the invasions, occupations and drone strikes that define recent U.S. policy in the Muslim world. At nearly every public event, in the United States and abroad, there are whispers and sometimes even chants: 'FBI imam!''Spy!' ... Arafat was introduced to State Department officials in 2002 through a Roman Catholic cardinal friend he’d done interfaith panels with for years. 'The next thing I know, there’s a phone call from the State Department saying, ‘Can we speak with you?’ ' Arafat recalled. In no time, he was giving talks to diplomats who were heading to the Muslim world and advising a then-fledgling State Department program called YES, for youth exchange and study, which brought teenagers from throughout the Muslim world to study in the United States. Arafat’s group helped administrators, students and host families navigate thorny issues such as attending church, wearing the head scarf and dealing with Christmas. A couple of years later, he also began to travel abroad under State Department auspices, through a program for international speakers that’s administered through U.S. embassies. The State Department didn’t respond to queries seeking comment on Arafat’s work. But his visits have received high praise from State Department officials, whose descriptions of his programs are included in once-classified diplomatic cables that were published by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. Cables mentioning Arafat came from embassies throughout the Arab world, but also from Indonesia and Austria, among others. The correspondence also supports Arafat’s recommendations for U.S. funding of education and exchange programs."Image from article, with caption: Mohamad Bashar Arafat stands outside the Muslim Community Center, Nov. 8, 2013 in Silver Spring, MD.

EU: Sec. John Kerry's Forum, Use The Structural Funds To Reduce Taxes Business And Youth Employment Guarantee [Google "translation"] - agenparl.it: "It ended Thursday, November 7, the first edition of the Forum organized by the U.S. Department of State (entitled Secretary John Kerry's Forum) on the theme of European Guarantee for Young People (cd Youth Guarantee) program . ... The work of the Forum - organized by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and Public Diplomacy office for Europe and EurAsia at the Mission of the United States of America in the European Union in collaboration with the American embassies in Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Spain and Sweden - has emerged is the value expressed by the re-programmable resources for the period 2007 - 2013 that by about 100 billion forecast for the next cycle that will go from 2014 to 2020 considered the more concrete form with which to support the critical employment situation in our country, with special reference to the young and the South."

LA Times Crossword Answers 10 Nov 13, Sunday - laxcrossword.com: "105. Old Voice of America org. USIA [.]The United States Information Agency (USIA) was established under President Eisenhower in 1953, and continued operating until 1999. It's mission was 'public diplomacy', another term for propaganda broadcast


over radio airwaves. The intent from day one was to avoid having the broadcasts identified as propaganda, and speaking as a former listener to the USIA’s Voice of America (VOA) over in Europe, there were a lot of fun programs that had one coming back to hear more, but we all knew it was propaganda quite frankly ..."Image from entry

Freaky Friday foreign policy reboot - Susan Harris Rimmer - onlineopinion.com.au: "Our standing is new – Australia is used to working as middle or pivotal power, and trying to 'punch above our weight'. Now the Abbott Government finds itself on the United Nations Security Council until next December and the host of the Group of 20 Leaders' Summit in Brisbane in November 2014. Australia is the 12th largest economy in the world, out of 193. That is not the middle. Not even close. These are forums where real power is wielded, and new global orders are shaped. The ALP has thrust greatness upon the Coalition in foreign policy terms. Our diplomatic style has remained fairly pragmatic but perhaps out of touch with this new power standing. When we don't send a minister to climate negotiations, or our minister does not attend his final press briefing at the G20 Summit, these days we look arrogant rather than amateur. Messages meant for our domestic election campaigns affect our neighbours such as Indonesia and Malaysia in a manner that is taken far more seriously since the Asian Century white paper and the US pivot to Asia-Pacific. DFAT has a particularly strong Secretary in Peter Varghese at present, but the pollies representing us overseas need to lift their game across the board, because the region is watching closely. Our public diplomacy strategies are nowhere near as sophisticated or resourced as they need to be for a country with our role and comparative economic outlook. ... Tony Abbott ... needs to ... pick some Prime Ministerial priorities in the international sphere – the G20 Summit being the most urgent - and leave the rest to the Ministers in charge so that coherence around our public diplomacy messages and action on our stated priorities can begin to build up."

Iran Launches Flashy Nuclear Website | The Iran Primer - iranian.com: "Tehran has a launched sophisticated new website, NuclearEnergy.ir, to convince the world – in English – that its nuclear energy program is both peaceful and necessary for modern development, despite Iran’s vast oil and gas resources.


The Islamic Republic’s ambitious public diplomacy campaign confronts the most controversial issues head on in an attempt, it claims, to be transparent."Image from entry

Into the Fray: My billion-dollar budget: If I were PM (cont.) - Martin Sherman, jpost.com: "Readers will recall that I have criticized the abysmal performance of Israeli public diplomacy (PD) and its failure to present its case assertively and articulately to the world. I likened the effects of this failure to those of the HIV virus that destroys the nation’s immune system, leaving it unable to resist any outside pressures no matter how outlandish or outrageous. Given the gravity of the threat, I prescribed that, as prime minister, my first order of business would be to assign adequate resources to address the dangers precipitated by this failure. To this end I stipulated that up to $1 billion should be allotted for the war on the PD front, and demonstrated that this sum was eminently within Israel’s ability to raise, comprising less than 0.5 percent of GDP and under 1 percent of the state budget. ... This then has been the cumulative impact of years of dereliction and neglect of Israeli PD: The total inability to resist external pressures however pernicious – and the capitulation of some of the most stalwart advocates of resistance. ... In approaching the construction of my $1b. “battle formation” for the PD war, several principles would apply, including: • It would be organizationally separate from the Foreign Ministry and under my direct control as PM – similar to the National Security Council – in the form of a national authority for the conduct of strategic diplomacy. • It would interface with Zionist NGOs and help finance their pro-Israel activities, enhance their impact and expand their reach – as a counterweight to the massive funding that post- and anti-Zionist NGOs receive from foreign governments. • Its activities would be assertively offensive, geared to uncompromisingly attacking and exposing the mendacious and malicious nature of Israel’s adversaries – a necessary condition for international understanding of Israel’s policy imperatives. • Its staff would not be professional diplomats but articulate and committed intellectual ideologues, neither bound by the constraints of diplomatic protocol nor versed in the niceties of diplomatic etiquette but rather adept in the mechanism of mass media, cyberspace and social networks (see my 'Intellectual warriors, not slicker diplomats'). • Their task would not be to interact with foreign counterparts but to wage diplomatic warfare, at home and abroad, with a $1b. budget at their disposal to saturate the Web with polished, professional Zionist content – on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and by means of fullpage 'infomercials' in the leading printed media. ... Don’t underestimate the impact that an annual $1b. PD offensive could have over the four years of my incumbency on editors, opinion-makers and other politically engaged publics."

Century China Western Returned Scholars Association was established enterprises “going out” strategy - coinposts.com: "Western Returned Scholars Association and the Chinese overseas talent Entrepreneur Development Foundation jointly announced on the 8th, as the Western Returned Scholars Association 100th anniversary series of activities, the twelfth Session of Chinese enterprises “going out” strategy forum will be held on December 8 was held in the Great Hall. Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Western Returned Scholars Association to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the General Assembly in his speech pointed out that the face of the new situation and new tasks, Western Returned Scholars Association · Chinese students studying to play the masses, high intellectual, the united front of the characteristics and advantages, based on domestic and overseas, and strive to become a talent pool to serve the country abroad, offer advice and suggestions of the think tank, to carry out public diplomacy force, the Party and the overseas students as a bridge between the party and government to do the work of assistants overseas students, the majority of students studying from home, the majority of students studying closely unite around the Party."

Edward Luttwak Explains Why China Should Be Nice to People - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "Edward Luttwak always writes interesting stuff – a couple of my favourites are his Strategy and The Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire. I’ve just come across his 2012 book on The Rise of the China vs the Logic of Strategy. I don’t think that this is one of his best but there are a couple of public diplomacy angles that deserve comment. The argument is that if China thinks that using its rapid economic rise to fuel its military build-up will increase its influence in the world it’s wrong. In order to increase its influence China should minimize the expansion of its military forces and revert to a policy of peaceful development. ... Luttwak expects China to keep on annoying the neighbours and for an anti-China coalition to emerge. The second half of the book is a country by country examination of how this is happening. ... [I]f we want to think about China’s public diplomacy we have to keep the structural dimension in focus. Whatever CCTV or the Confucius Institutes say about China they are operating in an environment structured by the reality of China’s increasing weight in the world. While communication and psychology matter in public diplomacy they’re not the whole story."

Public Affairs 101: Here's how Channel-4 Callum Macrae should be handled - Daya Gamage, asiantribune.com: "The Asian Tribune remembers only a single Sri Lankan overseas diplomat very effectively used his skills in public affairs, public diplomacy and strategic communication to negate the message of anti-Sri Lankan documentary


“No Fire Zone: The Killing Fields of Sri Lanka” produced by Callum Macrae for the British Channel-4 [:] Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Belgium, Luxembourg and the European Union P.M. Amza. Amza image from entry

Has Austria become a case for the psychoanalyst? - Valentin Schipfer, blog.inpolis.com: What does a nation stand for? A question almost as hard to answer as the most fundamental question about the meaning of life. On behalf of Austria’s Federal Ministry of Economy the policy consultant Simon Anholt from Great Britain dared to tackle this question in a project called, Nation Brand Austria for 750.000,- Euros. Since 2011, the beginning of this project, he underlined that it would be nothing like the creation of just another logo or another advertising campaign. Anholt, the godfather of the term Nation Brand and the creator of the Nation Brand Index, instead was focused on a comprehensive communication strategy. ... More than two decades later Austria’s image is still lagging behind the present. Now the Federal Ministry of Economy wanted to give it another try. Mr.Anholt was assigned with initiating Austria’s quest for a competitive identity. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Innovation and the Federal Chancellery also took part in the project. The country expects to attract more investors, companies and talents from this self-discovery process.



As Anholt states in one of his first books “Competitive Identity” the public needs to be lured away from its comfort-zone of current perceptions towards something more unfamiliar and more ambitious. Over the course of two years Simon Anholt invited a finely balanced group of persons of the public life to so-called 'conversazioni'. Similar to a psychoanalyst he held 40 meetings behind closed doors together with more than 270 stakeholders from politics, economy, art and culture, education, media and civil society. They elaborated how Austria could place itself as an international brand. It turns out that the answers are found in the past. It concluded that the country should continue to be positioned as “bridge builder”. Between 1989 and the extension of the European Union in 2004 Austria established itself as a hub between Eastern and Western countries. According to Mr. Anholt’s findings this is not sufficient anymore. Austria should expand its intermediary role to Central Asia and North Africa. ... The concept further suggests the instalment of three new structures: a Nation Brand Agency which probably will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy; a secretariat for public diplomacy under the head of the Ministry of Foreign Policy and the web portal www.austria.eu (which currently just forwards you to the website of the Federal Chancellery)."Image from entry, with caption: Felix Austria by Thomas Draschan, 2011

European Union Film Festival, Nov. 14 – Dec. 1 - ottawafestivals.ca: "Established in 1976, the European Union Delegation to Canada is a fully-fledged diplomatic mission and maintains an open dialogue with different sectors of the Canadian society by engaging in various public diplomacy activities designed to enhance the knowledge and understanding of the European Union as well as EU-Canada relations among Canadians."

Why Miley Cyrus Smoking Pot Onstage Was Actually An Act of Cultural Diplomacy- Julia Emmanuele, hollywood.com: "Miley Cyrus has taken her 'Just Being Miley Tour of Antics' abroad this weekend when she appeared at the MTV European Music Awards ceremony, which was held in Amsterdam. While she was accepting an award for her 'Wrecking Ball' video, she appeared to pull a joint from her purse and light it up onstage. When MTV re-aired the awards in the U.S., they cut her speech short, which seemed to confirm that Cyrus had indeed smoked pot onstage. But before we jump to conclusions about Cyrus or judge her latest behavior, we should consider the fact that Cyrus was a tourist in Amsterdam, a place where marijuana is both legal and a significant part of the culture.


Perhaps instead of simply trying to shock the world yet again, Cyrus was actually trying to be a respectful visitor and abide by the laws and customs of her host country. After all, Americans abroad don't have the best reputations, so it's possible she was just trying to make a good impression. We've come up with five other possible performances that Cyrus could have staged as part of her goal to be a respectful tourist, based on things that are illegal in the United States, but legal elsewhere in the world. ... So, before you judge, consider thanking Cyrus instead for simply trying to do her part to improve American relations abroad. And if she's ever looking for new performance ideas, we're always here to help."Cyrus image from entry


U.S.- Mexico Public Diplomacy: A Conversation with Ambassador Arturo Surakhan - lgsausc.wordpress.com: "November 13, 2013 12:00PM – 1:00PM Venue: USC; ASC 207 (Geoffrey Cowan Forum)



Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s former Ambassador to the United States, will be in residence as the 2013-14 CPD Distinguished Fellow. He will be speaking on a history of perceptions and realities in the Mexico-US relationship, and the implications for public diplomacy engagement."Uncaptioned image from entry

The Road to 100,000: A Music Video as Strategic Communication - Gabriel Bernadett-Shapiro, PD News – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "[D]ue to changes in the structures of communication systems, small teams working around issue-based advocacy campaigns no longer face the hardship of limited exposure that hamstrung their efficacy in the pre-social media era. Citizen public diplomats unchained from governments or institutions are now only limited by their own creativity, resources, and time when conducting an advocacy campaign."

Morning Mirror - dailycaller.com: “'Heading to al-Jazeera America for a bracing discussion on public diplomacy for The Stream. About to execute the rare blazer-sweater TV combo.'– The Guardian’s Spencer Ackerman to MSNBC’s ultra-feminine and jumpy Chris Hayes. Hayes, never one to shy away from conversing with a Boy Bander, remarked, 'High degree of difficulty as I’ve learned the hard way.' Ackerman replied, 'Goal is to sartorially reassure viewers of my wisdom.' Yes, Ack, please reassure us of your brilliance."

Farnsworth Discusses Election on National Media - Brynn Boyer, eagleeye.umw.edu: "Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science and director of the University’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, delivered a lecture to foreign service officers at the


U.S. State Department entitled, 'International News about the US: Challenges for Public Diplomacy,' on Nov. 1. The talk was drawn from his new co-authored book, 'The Global President: International Media and the US Government.'” Boyer image from entry

RSVPs open for new events - saiswomenlead.org: Wednesday, November 13 - "Brown bag lunch with Allison Hart [;] Co-hosted by the SAIS International Organizations Career Club [;] Ms. Hart, a SAIS alumna, is Special Advisor in NATO’s Public Diplomacy Division, where she is part of a team working to develop the division’s outreach strategies and coordinate implementation. She is the lead officer for outreach to the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Ms. Hart will meet will discuss her career path and experience at NATO."

RELATED ITEMS

What About US? - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: America’s interests today lie in an airtight interim nuclear deal with Iran that also opens the way for addressing a whole set of other issues between Washington and Tehran. “Just because regional actors see diplomacy with Iran as a zero-sum game — vanquish or be vanquished — doesn’t mean America should,” said Karim Sadjadpour, the expert on Iran at the Carnegie Endowment.

The U.S. leaves comrades behind in Afghanistan- Editorial Board, Washington Post: 1,648 interpreters have received Afghan special immigrant visas out of the 8,750 allocated by Congress. Many interpreters are waiting in the pipeline, and plenty of visas are waiting to be granted.


Clearly something has gone wrong here. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, a decorated war veteran, ought to step in and order the situation fixed immediately for Afghan interpreters who can demonstrate faithful service to the United States. Image from

'Kerry, You're Spreading Palestinian Propaganda': Alan Baker, head of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, sends strongly worded rebuke to US Secretary of State John Kerry - Tova Dvorin, israelnationalnews.com - Alan Baker, the head of the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, has sent a strongly worded rebuke to US Secretary of State John Kerry after Kerry's public statements supporting Palestinian Arab incitement.


The letter attacked Kerry's statements that Jewish building in Judea and Samaria is "illegitimate," saying that the label is "a factual and legal mistake." Image from

U.S. popularity in Germany on a steep decline in wake of spy scandal: To most Germans, Snowden is a hero: Matthew Schofield , mcclatchydc.com: A new poll by German public television (ARD) indicates that only 35 percent of Germans still see the United States as a good partner. That figure has fallen 14 points since just this past July when about half of all Germans saw America as a partner they could trust. The new poll, done Thursday, also indicates that 61 percent of Germans now see the United States as an untrustworthy partner. The poll reflects the deep unhappiness in Germany over the spy scandal, which has seen outrage consistently build from the summer. The upside of the poll might be that the United States is still seen as more trustworthy a partner than Russia, but only just. Russia, which, remember, did impose communism on half this nation in the wake of World War II, was seen in the poll as an untrustworthy partner by 74 percent of Germans. Via MC on Facebook

Wave of propaganda in China - Jayadeva Ranade, newindianexpress.com: Disconcerted by the publication over the past two years of a growing number of articles espousing “liberal” themes, which at times seemed to challenge the authority of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the new CCP leadership took a deliberate decision this January to rein in and discipline the media. The campaign is being driven by the CCP’s propaganda department, which controls and supervises the media and has the authority to guide and shape the party’s narrative. Significantly, the campaign to overhaul, reform and discipline the media coincides with CCP’s severe “mass-line” campaign that focuses on restoring adherence to its ideology, traditions, values and discipline.

For Lakhan Lal Mehrotra, the new Indian high commissioner in Colombo, the initiation into the rough and tumble of Indo - indiatoday.intoday.in: Sri Lankan diplomacy came sooner than expected. Barely weeks after taking over from the aggressive and high-profile J.N. Dixit, Mehrotra was realising what it means to be in the hottest seat in India's diplomatic arena. In this case, it was like literally walking into the Tigers' den. Even as the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) continued their protracted peace talks, an already - nervous New Delhi found itself the target of the communiques issued by the Sri Lankan Government in Colombo at the end of each day's negotiations. Clearly, the LTTE was determined to use the peace talks as a forum for propaganda against India and the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF).

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“Whenever one speaks, especially in this type of setting, I am reminded especially of what a friend in Texas told me. ‘Public speaking is like a Texas longhorn: there’s a point here, a point here and a lot of bull in the middle.’”

--Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico’s former ambassador to the United States and current fellow at USC’s Center on Public Diplomacy, in a panel on United States-Mexico relations; image from

VIDEOS

[WATCH] 2013 Public Diplomacy Symposium at Syracuse - Michael Ardaiolo, thepublicdiplomat.com


Steven Seagal: “Obama Regime Very Good At Controlling Media and Propaganda” - truthfrequencyradio.com: "Steven Seagal Lets Rip in Exclusive Interview with RT." Seagal image from entry

Hollyweed: 4 Funniest Pot Propaganda Films - hightimes.com. See also, "Miley Cyrus Reveals Why She Sparked a Joint Onstage at EMAs"; also John Brown, "Holy Water and Marijuana," Notes and Essays; image from


Sick Propaganda - cfrankdavis.wordpress.com: "H/T Walt for the following antismoking video. ... I had just one question after watching it. The expectant mother was clearly smoking a real cigarette. If smoking really is believed to be so dangerous for a developing foetus, why did they ever ask her to do something so dangerous?"

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Aid after typhoon in Philippines shows the politics of generosity - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post: "[T]he American dream is looking rather tarnished these days, and not only to Americans. To much of the outside world, the United States appears unpromising and unwelcoming, especially compared with the largest economy in East Asia, the new land of opportunity. We are growing far more slowly than China. Our middle class is downwardly mobile. ... U.S. foreign policy isn’t popular at the moment either, especially among our allies. ... And yet, when a disaster unfolds and resources have to be rapidly mobilized, it’s as if nothing had changed. ... One of the largest typhoons on record hit the Philippines last week. The extent of the damage isn’t yet known. But the U.S. response is already larger — by a factor of hundreds — than that of the largest economy in East Asia. The United States is sending an aircraft carrier and other ships to the worst-hit regions and has promised $20 million in emergency aid. Millions more will be raised by U.S. charities. The British are sending a warship and $16 million. Even the Vatican has promised $4 million. And the government of China, the new land of opportunity? One hundred thousand dollars. ... But these differing responses to the typhoon also signify a different set of attitudes toward power, and not just 'soft power': Americans, like Europeans, have long believed that strength and wealth entail responsibility. That’s why two former U.S. presidents voluntarily coordinated the international response to the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, even though Indonesia had no U.S. naval base. That’s why massive amounts of U.S. aid went to victims of the 2005 earthquake in Kashmir, even though relations between the United States and Pakistan were deteriorating at the time. That’s also why an American president who is actively uninterested in engaging with the Syrian conflict has pledged $1.16 billion in humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all such aid; European contributions as a whole make up a good percentage of the rest. China’s contribution, meanwhile, comes to $3 million, less than that of Luxembourg. ... U.S. strength may be waning, U.S. status may be fading and U.S. attraction for talented foreigners may soon taper off. But when America is no longer a superpower, you will be sorry it’s gone."

Krenn presents research at the Norwegian Nobel Institute - news.appstate.edu: "Dr. Michael L. Krenn, professor of history and faculty coordinator for First Year Seminar at Appalachian State University, recently participated in a conference on 'Selling America in an Age of Uncertainty: U.S. Public Diplomacy in the 1970s' held at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo. ... Krenn’s presentation ... addressed ways the United States tried to portray its struggles to make civil rights a reality in the wake of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act. These acts were hailed as the most important civil rights legislation since the Civil War.


Krenn said the nation’s hopes that these acts would solve the racial problem in America were dashed as race riots broke out in Harlem in 1964 and even more explosively in Watts in 1965. 'In the face of concerns from U.S. allies and endless assaults by communist propaganda, the United States Information Agency used a variety of its own propaganda schemes to try and reassure the world that the race problem was being solved,' Krenn said. In his presentation, Krenn reported that notable African Americans were featured in USIA publications and films; the urban riots were portrayed as either the work of a small criminal element or, as anti-war riots joined in the tumult, as simply Americans trying to work out their own political and economic issues; and America’s commitment to racial equality was emphasized over and over. His research also showed that some of the propaganda reached surreal heights as when the USIA funded a French-language version of 'The Nipsey Russell Show' in 1969. 'Targeted at former French colonies in northern Africa, it was hoped that the sight of a well-dressed, intelligent, humorous African-American would help ease concerns about America’s race problem,' he said. 'That it did, but an unforeseen complication was that the ‘skimpily clad women dancers’ on the show brought down a firestorm of protest from the large Islamic population in those areas.'” Image from

Trudeau, China and Political Warfare: Liberal leader's comments may reveal impacts of Chinese regime's influence, says activist - Matthew Little, Epoch Times: "Liberal leader Justin Trudeau has managed a rare feat for a Canadian political leader—he has acknowledged that China is ruled by a dictatorship. ... Trudeau hasn’t explained exactly how he views China’s dictatorship. It could be that the Liberal leader is indifferent to the regime’s bloodiest atrocities—which amount to some of the most egregious human rights abuses in history—but that seems unlikely. It’s more likely that Trudeau really has no concept of what it means to live under communist rule, says prominent Chinese democracy activist Sheng Xue. ... 'An important Canadian politician has this kind of admiration of China’s basic dictatorship. We all know that China’s soft power has landed in Canada already,' she said. It’s a question that warrants scrutiny given the amount of resources the Chinese regime puts to the pursuit of soft power and political warfare. Those resources were recently documented in detail by the Project 2049 Institute, a U.S.-based think-tank focused on guiding decision makers towards a more secure Asia by mid-century. 'Political warfare is a critical component of Chinese security strategy and foreign policy,' begins the report. Its aim is to influence the emotions, objective reasoning and behaviour of foreign governments and others so they act according the the regime’s political-military objectives. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) takes a multi-disciplinary approach to political warfare, notes the report. Several different organizations and departments play different roles.


While historically the People’s Liberation Army General Political Department was the lead, a network of state organizations actively engage in political warfare. While much of that effort is focused on Chinese citizens or Taiwan, the regime does extend its efforts overseas. When an MP gets an angry call from the Chinese embassy for supporting Uyghur dissidents, that is political warfare. So too, depending on various definitions of the term, are China-sponsored Confucius Institutes at universities across Canada that give the regime’s sanctioned version of higher education. The export of English-language Chinese state-controlled media like Xinhua, China Daily, and CCTV can also be seen as another platform to carry out political warfare. 'While public diplomacy seeks to influence opinions of mass audiences, political warfare involves a calculated manipulation of an opposing side’s strategies, defense policies, and broader international norms,' reads the report. Political warfare often uses coercive persuasion to weaken an opponent’s political will—for example, a scathing rebuke for a world leader who dares to meet with the Dalai Lama. The China Energy Fund Committee (CEFC) is one platform for political warfare known to be active in Canada, says the report. The CEFC describes itself as a 'non-profit, non-governmental think-tank devoted to public diplomacy and research on strategic issues with emphasis on energy and culture.'” Uncaptioned image from article


Live: 2013 Beijing Int’l Forum on People to People Friendship - "The Beijing International Forum on People to People Friendship was started in 2011, when 50 international organizations from 28 countries shared their experiences on the influence of public diplomacy on international exchanges and world city construction. Held biennially, it aims to promote cooperation among international associations for friendship and the world’s sister cities.


It also serves as a platform for collecting constructive suggestions on developing Beijing into an international city."Image from entry, with caption: The 2013 Beijing International Forum convenes in Beijing.

Friday links+ Event - The View from Taiwan: Commentary from Taichung, Taiwan - michaelturton.blogspot.com: "The Taiwan Research Programme (TRP) has invited Dr Michael Danielsen to present a seminar concerning the work of Taiwan Corner, a membership organization based in Copenhagen that works through briefings, advocacy and public diplomacy to inform civil society and political interests concerning Taiwan. The advocacy group works through its website, through media work and personal contact. Dr Danielsen sees opportunity 'in the dormant support for Taiwan among politicians and the public, which can be', he argues, 'awakened with a strong public relations strategy.' In the past five years Taiwan Corner has had direct contact with Danish government and EU institutions and has sought to represent Taiwanese interests in those circles, as well as providing briefings, information and articles in European and Taiwanese media. In recent years, some casework has involved defending the civil and human rights of European citizens against arbitrary action by the Taiwan government. Taiwan’s ambiguous and difficult international situation has led the island to be called 'the Forbidden Nation'. Taiwan Corner’s work is done against the backdrop of an official representation of East Asian geo-political affairs constrained by a 'One-China Policy', interpreted variously by European governments, and at the EU level. The TRP believe that this seminar and the following Roundtable raise issues of keen interest not just for scholars with an academic interest in Taiwan, but also serves as a valuable case-study for scholars concerned with political process of civil society advocacy, lobbying, and foreign policy formation at national, EU and global levels. The Taiwan Corner website can be seen here: http://taiwancorner.org/"

Time to challenge India for its stranglehold on funding for rights organizations - Ravi Nair, opendemocracy.net: "It’s a fact little discussed outside India that the Indian government’s approach to foreign funding for human rights work is probably as draconian, or more, as that of Russia or apartheid South Africa. The state uses an antiquated law on foreign funding for non-government organizations like a surgeon’s scalpel, carefully and incisively stifling dissent and regulating non-state activity with any significant level of funding. European governments, all true defenders of the human rights faith when it comes to Mugabe’s Zimbabwe, fail to challenge the Indian state on this because India is too important a trade partner. Under the so-called Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) law, all organizations seeking to receive foreign funding must first apply for the permission from the Union Home Ministry.  ... Meanwhile, those organizations that try to push the boundaries using foreign funding, such as the Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) with its recent protests against the Kudunkulam Nuclear Power project, simply find that their FCRA permit has been suspended. ... INSAF is challenging the state’s decision in the courts, arguing that the FCRA law goes against the fundamental rights chapter of the Indian constitution. The governments of donor countries must use more spirited public diplomacy to support brave organizations as they challenge India’s restrictive policies on international funding."

MEA takes out ads in Chennai papers highlighting aid to SL Tamils - firstpost.com: "Seeking to assuage the feelings of the people of Tamil Nadu opposed to India’s participation in the CHGOM [see] meet in Sri Lanka, the centre [not specified what center -- JB] today detailed its relief and rehabilitation efforts for minority Tamils in the war-torn island nation. Print advertisements issued by the Ministry of External Affairs listed out implementation of 'Indian Assisted Projects for Tamil people in Sri Lanka since 2009' and recalled that even before the '30-year armed conflict' came to an end, India had sent emergency relief assistance for internally displaced Tamils. ... The advertisement, carrying a tagline 'Indian Public Diplomacy - Advancing India’s Conversations with the World [,]' noted that India has implemented projects worth Rs 577 crore under grant assistance programme since 2009 'and is committed to spending an additional amount of Rs 1300 crores over the next three years.''Further, the Government of India has committed Rs 4000 crores under Lines of Credit for implementing the Northern Railway Project, of which Rs 1685 crore has already been spent,' it said, adding, India was among others, involved in restoration and renovation of war-damaged schools, setting up educational institutions, implementing livelihood programmes and engaged in demining activities."


The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict- “It Is Easy To Take a Side, It Takes Courage To Be Objective” - ctwac.wordpress.com: "On October 23rd, the World Affairs Council of Connecticut (WACCT) hosted the first part of its two part discussion series titled – Is it Now or Never? - Resolving the Israeli Palestinian Conflict. The first part focused on the Palestinian perspective of the conflict; and the second part, that took place on November 5th, focused on the Israel perspective on the conflict. I am extremely grateful that WACCT organized this event and provided presentations from both sides so that the audience had the opportunity to form their own conclusions. ... The second part of the discussions series, on November 5th, featured Gil Lainer, Consul for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate General of Israel in New York."

Falkland Islands newly-elected members' portfolio responsibilities - mercopress.com: "Portfolio One –Policy and Public Relations. Held by Michael Poole MLA, Deputy Holder Jan Cheek MLA. Includes: National Statistics; Environmental Planning; Archives; EU Issues; Legislature, and Public Relations/Public Diplomacy, FIGO."

Лекция «НАТО и новые вызовы международной безопасности» - mgimo.ru: Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges, NATO - "Jamie Shea is NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges. He has been working with NATO since 1980.


Positions included Director of Policy Planning in the Private Office of the Secretary General, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for External Relations, Public Diplomacy Division, Director of Information and Press, Spokesman of NATO and Deputy Director of Information and Press, Deputy Head and Senior Planning Officer at the Policy Planning and Multilateral Affairs Section of the Political Directorate as well as Assistant to the Secretary General of NATO for Special Projects. ... He also is a regular lecturer and conference speaker on NATO and European security affairs and on public diplomacy and political communication and lobbying."Shea image from

Veterans Call for Promoting Peace on Veterans Day - thepeacewager.org: "About mikejb79: "Michael Bassett holds highly controversial views of North Korea, which are deeply rooted in two contemporary paradigms: the ontological social construction


of international reality - theoretical and analytical approach to international relations (constructivism), and soft power methodology to peace and conflict resolution (public diplomacy)."Bassett image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

A different Israeli take on Iran: Despite Netanyahu's hard line, many Israelis believe diplomacy can work - Dalia Dassa Kaye, latimes.com: Israelis no doubt expect the United States to bargain hard and to live up to President Obama's commitment to prevent the emergence of a nuclear-armed Iran. Yet not all Israelis are as distrustful of Obama as Netanyahu appears to be. Below image from; another below image from



French Muscle, American Cheese - Roger Cohen, New York Times: The overall feeling in France observing U.S. actions in the Middle East is of a troubling uncertainty, a retreat that tends to leave a vacuum, a new American determination to work with a “light footprint” that can give the impression of disinterest.

Will peace come to Colombia? - Editorial, latimes.com: A tentative deal reached this month between Colombia's largest rebel group and President Juan Manuel Santos' government could finally lead to an end to the country's bloody, decades-long conflict. The Obama administration should continue to stand by Santos' government, because its approach represents the best chance for peace in Colombia.

Polish march: provocation or consequence of propaganda? - voiceofrussia.com: All Polish experts involved in the analysis of the events at the so-called Independence March on November 11, agree on one thing: the damage to the Russian embassy was done by a relatively small group of hooligans.


Hence, it would be incorrect to draw any conclusions about the attitude of the Polish people towards Russia on the basis of these events. This point can be considered valid, but it is still worth noting that hardly such an act of vandalism would be possible without the appropriate anti-Russian atmosphere that had been created in Poland in recent years. Image from entry

Charles Urban and Britain’s first war propaganda film - nationalmediamuseumblog.wordpress.com: Entrepreneur Charles Urban is one of the most important figures in the early history of cinema. He was a pioneer of documentary, educational and scientific films, and during the First World War, Urban was involved with British propaganda filmmaking, which began with Britain Prepared in 1915. British propagandists were slow to exploit the medium of film, and at the start of the war cameras were banned from the front. In 1915, the British Topical Committee for War Films was formed to lobby on behalf of the film industry, with Charles Urban as its chairman. Toward the end of 1915, the War Office were persuaded to send the first two official cameramen to the Western Front, meanwhile, Urban had approached Charles Masterman


who headed the propaganda agency at Wellington House. A Cinema Committee was formed, producing and distributing films to allied and neutral countries. Britain Prepared was the first of these films; it used military footage to promote ideas of British strength and determination in the war effort. Britain was impressed, and the American Charles Urban was sent to try and get British propaganda films onto US screens. You can find out more about Urban’s role in British film propaganda on www.charlesurban.com. In 1937, Urban donated his extensive archive to the ScienceMuseum, and it is now cared for as part of the National Cinematography Collection. Image from entry

AMERICANA

Share of young U.S. adults who move hits 50-year low - Hope Yen, Associated Press, Washington Times: U.S. mobility for young adults has fallen to the lowest level in more than 50 years as cash-strapped 20-somethings shun home-buying and refrain from major moves in a weak job market. The District of Columbia, with its high share of young adults, had the lowest homeownership rate across all age groups at 41.6 percent, followed by New York at 53.9 percent. West Virginia had the highest homeownership rate at 72.9 percent.

IMAGE


--Showing proportion of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Guns, c. 1915, unknown photographer

BRANDING AT ITS BEST (VIA PR)



--Image (slightly different from the one in above referenced item from)

“I stood in line for an hour and a half to eat really bad pizza.”

--U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, a Rhodes scholar recalling his first visit to the Soviet Union in 1983; image from:  Pizza Hut Express sign in cyrillic, dated 6 July 2007

VIDEO


EVENT


APDS Conference 2013: Public Diplomacy of the Americas - pdscholars.org: "Join USC Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars tomorrow [November 15] for their annual APDS Conference: Public Diplomacy of the Americas. Hearing from experts and practitioners speaking on cultural diplomacy, the diplomacy of trade and investment, and broadcast and digital diplomacy. They hope to see you there! Via GH on Facebook"

COLLOQUIUM

Heatherly, Metzgar to present at next Research Colloquium - Indiana University School of Journalism:

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Exporting Education - Online courses are taking off in developing countries, but there’s a major downside - Anya Kamenetz, Slate: "Though the modern massive open online course movement (MOOCs) originated in North America, two-thirds of their users live abroad—in places like Rwanda, China, and Brazil. ... Around the world: U.S. embassies in more than 40 countries are hosting weekly discussions for students enrolled in single MOOCs in partnership with Coursera. Embassy employees and Fulbright fellows host the free 'MOOC Camp' sessions. Sites include India, China, Bolivia, and topics include English, science, technology, engineering, business, and U.S. government and politics.


All of this activity aimed at extending access to learning is encouraging, but it’s important not to be so carried away by techno-exuberance that we lose sight of some of the potential opportunity costs involved. The danger in overreliance on global MOOCs is that they don’t build local capacity for education, research or knowledge creation in the education sector. ... It’s easy to imagine a future in which the educational equivalent of reruns of Baywatch—a limited menu of glossy American fare—comes to dominate the cultural landscape in developing countries around the world, making it more difficult for cash-starved universities in those countries to pursue scholarship relevant to local contexts. This potential undermining of local education becomes especially problematic when the U.S. government takes an official role in promoting the use of MOOCs as a form of public diplomacy."Image from article, with caption: Bolivian students in 2010. Can rising computer-teaching in developing countries enhance, rather than compete with, existing education systems?

[U.S. Ambassador to Russia] Michael McFaul - Facebook: "Hosted a fantastic concert by Bill Evans


and his Soulgrass band tonight. Cultural events at Spaso House [ambassador's residence] are one of he best benefits of this job!" Image from entry

Spying allegation will not affect US-Malaysia ties: US State Dept - Bernama, nst.com.my: "Allegations pertaining to the United States spying activities would not adversely affect Washington-Kuala Lumpur ties, said Jane Chongchit Houston, the US State Department's country coordinator for Maritime Southeast Asia, Office of Public Diplomacy. She said the US was open to any dialogue if there was disagreement, and the strong people-to-people connection between Malaysians and Americans would help overcome any issue involving the two countries.' It is easier to solve matters if there is more human interaction between two countries. People-to-people relations between Malaysia and the US is very strong, with annually more than 100 people involved in exchange programmes at various levels, including students and professionals,' she told Bernama during a dinner with Malaysia-American Exchange Programmes Alumni organised by the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur here last night.
Houston, who is based in Washington DC, was on a two-day visit here after visiting Manila, Jakarta and Singapore. She visited Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unitar) to discuss opportunities for the students to undergo internship in the US and the Islamic Arts Museum. Houston said since US and Malaysia established diplomatic ties in 1957, more than 6,000 Malaysians had been sent to the US for various exchange programmes, including the International Visitor Leadership Programme, trainings, internships and student exchange programmes.' These exchange programme alumni members have better understanding on the US and will make positive impact in bilateral ties when they become leaders in future. The alumni members are the solid foundation for a stronger US-Malaysia ties later,' she reasoned."

EU Leaders Should Change Tone When Talking to Rest of the World- Mai’a K. Davis Crossand Jan Melissen, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Europe can still pull itself together. With its highly-active populations, assertive regions, diverse member states, activist town halls, and attractive cities, Europe remains a mosaic of collective projection capacity without equal in the world. Future public diplomacy should build on Europe’s evident strengths at the sub-national level, closer to civil society. European policy-makers must also wake up to the fact that maintaining the traditional separation of domestic and external communication spheres is completely out of touch with the reality of vast information flows that simply ignore borders. Recurring criticism of EU foreign policy chief Lady Ashton has compounded difficulties for Europe’s diplomatic service to fight Europe’s negative image in the world. It is time to start trusting EU diplomats to develop new public diplomacy traditions that are also in the interests of states. The EU External Action Service could be instrumental in moving away from the EU’s greatest shortcoming in public diplomacy: its tendency towards talking at others. Beyond such one-way ‘infopolitik’, internal image and external image are of course related. When others start talking about Europe in a more positive light, Europeans themselves may even start believing that there is some truth to what they say."

Summit “Serbian International Model NATO- SIM NATO 2013″ Held In Belgrade- inserbia.info: "An international student summit entitled 'Serbian International Model NATO- SIM NATO 2013', during which the decision-making process in the Alliance was simulated in the previous five days, ended in Belgrade on Friday. On the final day of the summit, Slovakian Ambassador in Belgrade Jan Varso, whose state is a contact embassy between Serbia and the Alliance, underlined the importance of the exchange of information between Belgrade and Brussels. Varso placed a special emphasis on public diplomacy


and mutual visits of officials from Belgrade and Brussels as part of the efforts that the Slovakian Embassy is investing in that segment of its work. The summit, which began on November 11, brought together around one hundred young people from 50 countries. The young people could get acquainted with NATO’s specific mission, purpose and competencies by simulating decision-making procedures within the Alliance. The event was organized by the non-governmental organization 'Association for International Cooperation and Dialogue'." Image from entry

China’s soft power failure in the Philippines deepens - Heather Timmons, qz.com: "China’s paltry aid to the Philippines—the government at first offered just $100,000—has been roundly criticized as a failure of humanitarianism and a blow to the country’s efforts to increase its soft power . ... Who is giving how much to the Philippines is becoming seen as more than just a matter of humanitarian aid. The situation is now being interpreted as a mounting point of dissent between China and the many nations who disagree with the country’s South China Sea push.


Some policy experts in China said the paltry aid came because Chinese officials didn’t want to upset the Chinese public, who believe China rightfully occupies islands near the Philippines, not because they didn’t understand international diplomacy. 'Nationalist sentiment' is strong in China and people are 'vindictive,' Qiao Mu, the dean of the Centre for International Communications Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, told the South China Morning Post. 'Public diplomacy is outweighed by domestic public opinion.' Comments by Chinese citizens dismissive of the tragedy that appeared on Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter, were so widely-circulated that the Foreign Ministry was forced to address them in its daily briefing on Thursday.'For God’s sake give them nothing,' said one Sina Weibo user. 'We’ve given them enough in the past.''Believe me that the Chinese are a nation who have a lot of sympathy, a people who love peace, who are happy to do good deeds,' ministry spokesman Qin Gang said. 'I believe that the vast majority of the Chinese people are understanding and sympathetic towards the situation of the Philippine people.'” Image from entry, with caption: Not much need for blankets

Is Kerry aiming for an Israeli coalition crisis? - Mati Tuchfeld, israelhayom.com: "In his column, which was written while the government and the IDF Spokesperson's Unit were busy with public diplomacy efforts meant to explains Israel's position, while simultaneously battling an international incitement campaign promoted by Turkey, Shelah [MK Ofer Shelah] wrote: 'Nations that wish to remain members of the international community, and Israel must be among them to ensure its survival if nothing else, simply do not do such things. They do not sic armed soldiers on ships carrying civilians, even if they are trying to breach the sacred blockade on Gaza.'"

Comment: Did Israel really poison Yasser Arafat? - Ran Edelist, Sof Hashavua, Jerusalem Post:


result of radioactive polonium being inserted into his food or drinking water.' ... For the most part, the Israeli reaction to the Swiss report was all-out denial of the assassination. ... Former minister and intel officer Rafi Eitan, who claims that assassinations are a legitimate tool against security threats, estimated that 'the possibility cannot be ruled out that Abu Mazen (PA President Mahmoud Abbas) and [former PA security chief Mohammed] Dahlan are behind the assassination.' ... There are scientific explanations as well. Dr, Ehud Ne'eman, a radiation specialist at the Environmental Protection Ministry believes that 'in no laboratory, as sophisticated as it may be, is it possible to discover that any amount was allegedly put in food.' Radiation expert Dr. Dario Vertnik also joined the scientific public diplomacy attack, claiming that 'getting polonium is not a problem...you can go to a mine, give a few bucks, buy the mineral and extract from it polonium...' From here on out Dr, Vertnik became Sherlock Holmes: 'In the eight years since Arafat died, it was possible to add the polonium to his belongings.'"Image from article, with caption: Former Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat surrounded by doctors from Tunis, Egypt and Jordan

Marking International Education Week in Montana - Abraham Kim, mtpr.org: "According to the Institute of International Education, the U.S. is still viewed as the land of educational opportunities and attracts more than 819,000 university students from all over the world. These thriving foreign students are contributing in numerous ways to their host communities. Economically, foreign students injected more than $24 billion to the U.S. economy in 2012. In addition to economic benefits, incoming foreign students have filled the increasing need in this country for more students in the science and technology fields. Furthermore, international students have connected the world to our U.S. classrooms and diversified our communities across the country.


These foreign students are often the most promising young people in their respective countries and are anticipated to return back to their home nations to become the next generation of political, business and academic leaders. In the U.S. academies, these emerging leaders are building relationships with their American peers and forming a deeper understanding of the United States. This people-to-people engagement in our schools may be one of the most effective forms of public diplomacy in reinforcing U.S. foreign relations in the long-term. Despite these clear benefits, the state of Montana collectively is only attracting approximately 1,600 foreign college students each year. Even with these comparatively small numbers, incoming students have been a boost to our state economy by contributing more than $42 million in 2012. With the natural beauty of Montana, our world class universities, and being one of the most livable places in the U.S., there is much potential for growth. Looking ahead, the state and its universities may need to make a better effort in marketing to attract foreign students, in actively building relationships abroad with academic institutions in key markets like China and South Korea, and in aggressively expanding exchange programs to draw students and professionals to Montana."Image from

Kalamazoo Russian Festival Returns To WMU Nov. 15-16 - Casey Watts, westernherald.com: "The annual Kalamazoo Russian Festival is returning to Western Michigan University to celebrate its 18th year. The Russian Festival is an all day event featuring Russian cuisine, Russian tea service and souvenir shopping. The festival will also hold a combination of programs featuring musicians, dancing and a variety of lectures. According to Judith Rypma, the vice president of the Kalamazoo Russian Culture Association (KRCA)


and an English professor at WMU, the festival was initially organized during the early days after the breakup of the Soviet Union, when the need for closer ties between the United States and the new Russian Federation seemed more important than ever. 'Now, in a time of fresh disagreements between the governments of the two nations, it remains critical that our peoples share each other’s cultures and friendship,' Rypma said. Rypma said that the festival began as an all-volunteer event and a non-profit venture, with the added goal of raising money for needy causes in Kalamazoo’s partnership city: Pushkin, Russia."Image from entry, with caption: Kate Koppy and Judith Rypma wearing folkloric costumes at a previous Russian Festival. Photo courtesy of Judith Rypma. Via SS on Facebook

Glory Days: Four Washingtonians reminisce about private high school in the ’50s and ’60s - Christina Ianzito, washingtonian.com: "James K. Glassman Sidwell Friends School, Class of 1965 - Glassman is founding executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, a public-policy center in Dallas. He has spent time as a business writer, magazine publisher, TV news-show host, and undersecretary of State for public diplomacy. He lives in Bethesda. A lot of students were the children of teachers and government bureaucrats. There was one place to go in Washington if you wanted cachet, and that was St. Albans and National Cathedral.


The one big negative was that we were the last segregated class at Sidwell Friends. I don’t know if black kids were specifically excluded, but there weren’t any. After school, we would go to the Hot Shoppes drive-in restaurants. You’d walk around and see who was there and drive around. That was major entertainment. When JFK was killed, I was a junior. I remember very clearly that I was in biology class. The big question was whether we would have a party or not on Saturday night and we did. I feel embarrassed about that, but we did. People in my generation remember the Cuban missile crisis because we thought we were all going to die in a nuclear war. There was this feeling of helplessness. I had a friend whose family drove to Canada."Image from entry

The Substance of Style - Robert Reilly, intercollegiatereview.com: " Robert Reilly has taught at the NationalDefenseUniversity and has written for The Wall Street Journal, National Review, Claremont Review of Books, and The Washington Post.


He has served in the White House as Special Assistant to the President (1983-85) and was Senior Advisor for Information Strategy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (2002-06). He is a former Director of the Voice of America." Uncaptioned image from article

Susan C. Hovanec, public affairs officer, dies at 72 - "Susan C. Hovanec, a public affairs officer with the U.S. Information Agency and a senior adviser at the State Department’s Office of International Women’s Issues, died Oct. 10 at her home in Oxford, Md. She was 72. ... Mrs. Hovanec worked for USIA from 1976 until its merger with the State Department in 1999. Her early public affairs postings took her from Africa to Central America to Europe. She was a public affairs adviser in Belgrade during the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s and spokeswoman for the U.S. embassy in Zagreb, Croatia, in the early to mid-1990s. She was deputy director of public diplomacy in the Bureau of South Asian Affairs from 2001 to 2003. She was then a senior adviser for press and public diplomacy in the Office of Women’s Issues until her retirement in 2006. She was a contractor for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration before leaving in 2007."

RELATED ITEMS

16 American cities foreign governments warn their citizens about - Reid Wilson, Washington Post: Planning a trip abroad? It’s probably best to check out the State Department’s list of travel warnings for countries with unsafe political situations.


At the moment, the State Department has issued travel warnings for 34 countries, from the Central African Republic and El Salvador to Iraq and North Korea. Well, just as State warns Americans about dangerous places to travel, so too do foreign ministries in other countries — and some countries warn their citizens to avoid heading to certain cities in the U.S. France, in particular, warns travelers to be careful in a large number of specific cities. Image from article

Sweden and Switzerland launch joint campaign to help Chinese tourists tell them apart- globalpost.com: Sweden and Switzerland have launched a joint campaign to help Chinesetourists tell the two countries apart. While the mix-up isn't solely a problem for the Chinese, it has become a particular issue for those from the Asian nation because both countries' names are written similarly in Mandarin — Ruidian (Sweden) and Ruishi (Switzerland) — and begin with the same symbol. In a bid to clear up the confusion, the Swedish and Swiss consulates in Shanghai have launched a competition on the Swedish consulate website that asks the Chinese to come up with funny ways to help people keep the two countries separate. Via PR
Showtime for Psy-Ops! Why “Homeland” Is The Most Insidious Propaganda On American Television - Rob Williams, vtcommons.org: "True confessions. I enjoy 'Homeland.' Like six million other weekly TV viewers, including President Obama, I tune in every week to Showtime’s wildly successful Emmy Award winning spy show, conceived by '24' creators Alex Gansa and Howard Gordon, and based on Israeli writer Gideon Raff’s series 'Hatufim' ('Prisoners Of War'). Where else on TV will you find a fictionalized dive into (in no particular order) C.I.A. intrigue, PTSD’s impact on war veterans, sexting and teenage angst, drone warfare, Beltway family jockeying, Middle Eastern money laundering, and the spinning of super-secret spy and counter spy scenarios? Not to mention great sex, and the chance, in this new third season, to vicariously voyage to Venezuela. Let’s also acknowledge that 'Homeland' serves up some of the most insidious propaganda on American television. Hear me out.


We probably can all agree that few viewers ever expect TV shows to tell them the truth. Most of watch to be entertained and amused, rather than enlightened (and when we are laughing, by the way, we are not thinking). Let’s also acknowledge that the Beltway crowd has a long history of using mass media to massage American hearts and minds, winning over popular support for controversial U.S. policies where we might least expect: at our movie theaters, in our living rooms, and (now) on our iPads. In perhaps the baldest statement ever made by a spook, C.I.A. director William Colby once observed that his agency 'played the media like a mighty Wurlitzer.' Indeed, 'PsyOps'– psychological operations – have been a C[.]I.A. strategic staple for decades. If in doubt, just read Tricia Jenkins’ excellent new book The C.I.A. In Hollywood: How The Agency Shapes Film And Television. With such a rich legacy, the C.I.A. is now using 'Homeland' as a weekly pop culture-as-propaganda syringe, injecting powerful pro-U.S. ideas into the body politic."Image from entry

AMERICANA


From: Adam Ellis, "Here’s What Happens When You Ask People To Draw A Map Of The USA From Memory," buzzfeed.com

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"In the middle of a second Age of Anxiety they decided to make Americans more anxious."


--Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan on the Obama administration and Obamacare; image from

"How many PRT [U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Team] staff members does it take to screw in a light bulb? One to hire a contractor who fails to complete the job and two to write the press release in the dark."

--Quotation from Peter Van Buren's We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People (2011)

"Despite all of the website problems, the approval rating for Obamacare [see] has gone up. Unfortunately, I can't give you the exact number because it's listed on the Obamacare website."

--Talk-show host/humorist Conan O'Brien; image from

RECENT REPORT

Engaging the Muslim World: Public Diplomacy after 9/11 in the Arab Middle East, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (CSIS Reports) [Kindle Edition] Walter Douglas (Author), Jeanne Neal (Author): "Public diplomacy supports the interests of the United States by advancing American goals outside the traditional arena of government-to-government relations. Since 9/11, with the rise of al Qaeda and other violent organizations that virulently oppose the United States, public diplomacy in Muslim-majority countries has become an instrument to blunt or isolate popular support for these organizations.
Efforts in this direction complement traditional public diplomacy that explains American policies and society to foreign publics. This report identifies six areas of primary concern. The first is a larger strategic issue; the other five are directed at the on-the-ground implementation of public diplomacy: (1) Define the goals; (2)Listen; (3) Measure success; (4) Reach the target audience; (5) Exchange people and ideas; (6) Get outside the bubble. There is no one path to success. Public diplomacy must be consistent, multifaceted, and localized to advance American goals in Muslim-majority countries. This report sketches a way forward to accomplish these goals."

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

US Politicians, Media Blame France for Washington’s Failure in Geneva Talks - farsnews.com: "Foreign Policy wrote that France’s negative stance vis-à-vis the nuclear deal has two negative consequences: First after defeat of the negotiations only the military option will remain that no one even France does not support, and second if France insists on its stances, the US and Britain will most probably


reduce their cooperation with France.... The US realized that it has come to be the loser of public diplomacy due to France’s opposition, and the public opinion in the US and the world consider the West as responsible for the failure in negotiations, therefore US Secretary of State John Kerry in a futile scenario in the UAE tried to introduce Iran as blocking progress in the talks."Image from entry, with caption: Several US politicians and media blamed France for the dead-end in the recent talks between Iran and the six world powers (the US, Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany) in Geneva on November 7-9.

Debate Between American and Australian about War against Fanatical Islam - kotzabasis.jigsy.com: "American says, ... I'm talking about the hearts and minds issue. There is a hard core of dyed-in-the-wool militant jihadists with an uncompromising Salafist ideology.


They are not going to be swayed by US public diplomacy, or by forseeable changes in US policy. They can only be dealt with forcibly. They must either be captured or killed, and their plans must be disrupted."Image from

by my2cents » 24 Sep 2013, 12:34 - socioeconomicforum50.blogspot.com: "Jendayi Elizabeth Frazer (born 1961) is the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, heading the Bureau of African Affairs. She currently serves as a Distinguished Service Professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz College and Department of Social and Decision Sciences. ... Frazer's tenure as Assistant Secretary of State was a controversial one: She was considered one of the most powerful and outspoken Assistant Secretaries in the Bush Administration. Yet, an August 2009 report by the State Department's Office of the Inspector General reviewed 50 years of Africa policy and criticized the Africa Bureau describing it as low resourced and being hobbled by low morale, and a lack of qualified personnel and a 'failed' public diplomacy program. The report focused on 50 years of the bureau's history and not specifically Frazer's tenure."

Saving Lives, Saving Knowledge - thirteen.org: "I’m Richard Heffner, your host on The Open Mind. And those of you who have joined us here before know that each week I end our program…'As an old friend used to say, Goodnight and Good Luck'. Well, that 'old friend'– and dearly missed mentor – was, of course, Edward R. Murrow, America’s best and best known broadcast journalist. And this week, quite appropriately, I’m able to begin Open Mind with a Murrow reference as well. For as all who knew him understood, Ed was first and foremost an educator. And he was famously, indeed quite boldly to argue in his notable 1958 Chicago speech to the Radio and Television News Directors Association, for him, broadcasting’s instruments – radio first, then television – 'can teach…can illuminate…can even inspire…but only to the extent that humans are determined to use [them] to those ends. Otherwise, [they] are only wires and lights in a box.' Thus, Murrow the educator, tying him so closely to our program today about teaching and learning, about scholars and scholarship the world over, about IIE, the renowned Institute of International Education and its dedicated Scholar Rescue Fund, where, indeed, in the early 1930’s a young Edward R. Murrow became IIE’s Assistant Director, going on then for so many years to CBS and ultimately to John F. Kennedy’s Presidential Cabinet as Director of the United States Information Agency. So that we come full circle today, for joining me here to discuss IIE and its work 'Saving Lives, Saving Knowledge' around the world are two of its distinguished leaders. Dr. Allan E. Goodman is IIE’s 6th President. Previously, he was Executive Dean of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, served as Presidential Briefing Coordinator for the Director of Central Intelligence, and has had a long and distinguished career in foreign affairs and in the Academy. ... HEFFNER: Well, I’m very much aware of the Scholar Rescue work that you do. Interestingly enough, too, I’m … I realize you administer such programs as the Fulbrights [see]. Is that a significant part of IIE’s activities? GOODMAN: It’s really the flagship public diplomacy program of the US Department of State and the United States government. It’s been our privilege to administer it since the program was created in 1946. So we had a time when Edward R. Murrow was working on Fulbright and a time when he was the boss of Fulbright, when he was the head of the US Information Agency. So Fulbright is, is our nation’s gift to the world and our gift to future generations. HEFFNER: How have you two managed, over the years, to stay out of trouble at home? GOODMAN: In the education space you have to have an open mind. You have to listen, you have to understand where people are coming from … HEFFNER: Even those who don’t have open minds in this country? GOODMAN: Most Americans have an open mind about education. And most Americans are very glad that international students are here, that the Fulbright program exists because they 'get' what it does for mutual understanding and they “get” what it does for peace. And people would much rather have peace than war."

Book Review: American Statecraft [American Statecraft: The Story of the U.S. Foreign Service By J. Robert Moskin] - Steve Donoghue, openlettersmonthly.com: “'Today,' J. Robert Moskin tells his readers in his magisterial new book, American Statecraft, 'U.S. Foreign Service members and retirees of the Department of State belong to an organization of more than 58,000 men and women. American Foreign Service officers serve at some 268 posts in 190 of the world’s 192 nations. They are honed to a professional proficiency.' Foreign Service members, he points out, are the face of


American diplomacy, the calming layer between foreign frictions, the bending, flexing ligaments that allow the bones and muscles of realpolitik to operate. ... Moskin clearly did enormous amounts of research in the preparing of this book, but he keeps that research firmly subordinate to narrative throughout his long book, constantly stressing the precarious challenge of the job itself: ['] The challenge of communicating directly with people is complex. An audience that is sophisticated and educated requires a certain level of material, while 'the street' demands a more simplified approach. Public diplomacy also has to meld the objectives that come out from Washington and the know-how amassed by USIS [U.S. Information Service] personnel in Upper Volta, Ouagadougon, Baghdad, or London.['] Moskin fills his nearly 1000 pages with all the great and famous names from American history. Presidents and senators rumble through these chapters, but always in the foreground is a cast of characters Moskin invests with far more detail: the men and women who took orders from those presidents and senators and then went out to their far postings and tried to make those orders work in the real world."Image from entry

Larisa GP - Facebook [on Peter Van Buren's We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People (2011)] : "По существу, книга может служить практическим пособием по публичной дипломатии. В ней есть яркие примеры проектов американской публичной дипломатии, раскрываются причины, по которым они не работали в послевоенном Ираке. Почему 'мягкая сила'не улучшила имидж США во время 'пост-иракской'кампании ни на международной арене, ни в самом Ираке? Прочтите книгу, она подскажет. In fact, the book can serve as a practical tool for public diplomacy. There are vivid examples of American public diplomacy, disclosed the reasons why they did not work in post-war Iraq. Why 'soft power' has not improved the image of United States during the post-Iraq campaign on the international stage, in Iraq itself? Read the book, it tells you. (Translated by Bing)

Doug Christie Wants To Play Ronald Reagan - A Gentleman's view "'By the end of his term, 138 Reagan administration officials had been convicted, had been indicted, or had been the subject of official investigations for official misconduct and/or criminal violations.


In terms of number of officials involved, the record of his administration was the worst ever.' ... 1. Carl R. Channel – Office of Public Diplomacy, partner in International Business- first person convicted in the Iran/Contra scandal, pleaded guilty of one count of defrauding the United States 1. Richard R. Miller – Partner with Oliver North in IBC, a Office of Public Diplomacy front group, convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States." Reagan image from

Smart Geostrategy for the Eastern Partnership - Richard Youngs, Kateryna Pishchikova, carnegieeurope.eu: "The European Union’s (EU’s) relationship with Eastern Europe and the Caucasus is at a turning point. Russia’s increasingly assertive tactics have chipped away at the ties that bind the six Eastern Partnership countries to the EU, and the entire Eastern Partnership is on the verge of unraveling. To rescue its association with its Eastern partners, the EU must deliver more tangible results. Europe can be both geopolitical and committed to reform—but to strike the right balance, the EU must be more strategic. ... There are a number of sectors in which legal scope exists for the EU to front-load the benefits it offers to Eastern partners in a way that provides targeted solidarity against likely post-Vilnius Russian restrictions. Better outreach and public diplomacy will be required to enhance support for the EU option, as at present Eastern populations remain largely ignorant of what the confusing array of association agreements and deep and comprehensive free-trade agreements really offers."

The new multipolar media world: consequences for media support: The BRICS countries' growing role was the focus of the German Media Development Network's (FoME) annual symposium. Patrick Leusch, head of DW Akademie's International Cooperation, looks at how that affects media support - dw.de: "China is increasing its economic engagement in Africa, accompanied by China's growing interest in news production and the media. This is part of China's public diplomacy campaign. ... There are ... indicators clearly showing that China, with India close behind, will play a key role in the global economy. Both countries are well aware of their growing importance and are building global communication capacities to underline their presence and by using their own narratives. Russia has established Russia Today as the main platform for telling the Russian story the Russian way. The strategy is clearly to underpin Russia's global image via a quality global news channel and at the same time to increase coverage of the country's issues.


This is similar to China's strategy, but on a smaller scale. ... China is developing some of its national media as a global media. This began with the state news agency Xinhua and the broadcaster CCTV. China's global media strategy is thus not only aimed at professionalizing its news but also on creating a down-up approach to reach the users of social media. ... [I]n Africa, ... the Xinhua News Agency has 26 bureaus in Africa alone. In 2012 CCTV International began broadcasting a daily one-hour program from its state-of-the art news hub in Nairobi, Kenya. In addition to its news reporting capacity, China has begun investing in media markets, especially in South Africa. ... Among the BRICS countries, China and Russia are clearly focusing on news as a vehicle for shaping public opinion and pronouncing the 'rise of the rest' with a global soft power campaign. ... India's Foreign Office only recently created a division in charge of developing soft power strategies. Different from the news media approach, India's current influence on public opinion is based on its growing movie industry. ... [T]he Brazil media market has for more than 50 years been driven by large family-owned holdings. In the Portuguese-speaking world, Brazilian 'telenovelas' since the 1980s have been successfully exported to Angola and Mozambique. Since then, characters from successful telenovelas have been influencing lifestyles; children, for example, are often named after telenovela characters. Globo TV has licensed its most successful telenovela 'Brazil Avenue' to more than 106 countries and is increasingly turning its business model away from export and towards co-production. Brazil is a good example of how a country has managed to get its own narratives told using sun, beaches, samba, soccer and fashion. ... 'Tell your story your way' is certainly in the news and fiction sectors the common strategy being applied by most of the rising economies, and concerted efforts are being made to counter the dominance of Western-based global media. This process will increase over the next decade and other players will be investing in the same strategy. Al Jazeera has just launched a US edition of its TV channel, produced at the heart of New York with top US journalists on board and a state-of-the-art news hub."Image from

Bollywood´s African Safari In The Ethopian Capital Addis Ababa! - bxshowbiz.com: Bollywood fever is sweeping Africa’s political capital, Addis Ababa with a week-long festival of 14 films, including blockbusters like ‘Sholay’ and ‘Three Idiots’, enthralling cinegoers. The films are being screened at The National Theatre in downtown Addis Ababa. The Indian Film Festival, being advertised through the catchline ‘Come, fall in love with the magic of Bollywood’, kicked off with a screening of ‘Three Idiots’ May 20. The film had powerful resonance with Ethiopians as the film is about the failure of a regimented education system. 'I just loved it. We could identify with the story as everybody has a stake in the education system. The music was great,' Mathew Tadesse, who teaches at a high school said. There was a mini stampede when ‘Sholay’, the all-time Bollywood hit action thriller made in 1975, was screened at the 1,200-capacity hall. 'I loved the dialogues and dishum-dishum (fighting),' said Ellene Medhin, a 20-something student who has been sold on the charms of Bollywood since her teens. 'There was a virtual stampede at the screening of


‘Sholay’,' said Navdeep Suri, joint secretary in charge of public diplomacy division in India’s external affairs ministry, who conceived of the festival. Ethiopians can’t seem to get enough of Bollywood, with two shows being held every day since May 20. Romantic song-and-dance extravaganzas are as popular with Africans as action thrillers. The selection of films is an eclectic one, including critically acclaimed films like ‘Taare Zameen Par and ‘Iqbal’, blockbusters such as ‘Gadar’ and ‘Koi.. Mil Gaya’, as well as those that didn’t do too well back home in India – ‘Yaadein’ and ‘Paheli’, for instance. The films struck an emotive chord with the audience that included teenagers as well as the nostalgic elderly who had seen classics like ‘Mera Naam Joker’. In fact, Bollywood is an old weakness Ethiopians readily confess to, an affair that cuts across national boundaries in Africa. From Marrakesh to Maputo and from Dakar to Durban, Indian films and music are a rage. Legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Dilip Kumar to contemporary icons like Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai are equally popular not only in Ethiopia but across Africa."Image from; see also John Brown, "Is the U.S. High Noon Over? Reflections on the Declining Global Influence of American Popular Culture" (2004).

Keran: The Intelligence Games - Team SAISA: "Congressional committee system is a valuable scheme providing checks and balances and intentionally dilutes power. In practice, the lack of communication and coordination can create confusion and limit support, oversight, and understanding the requirements of various programs. In the context of national security, from strategic communication and public diplomacy to the balancing of diplomacy and military power, support and oversight of executive branch institutions, budgets, and programs need to be put in place."

A direct result of Kerry’s threat to Israel: Palestinian murders soldier in Afula - anneinpt.wordpress.com: "[Comment by] anneinpt . ... Organizations like Honest Reporting, Stand With Us, all the links down my right sidebar, plus all the bloggers and Israeli news organizations


like the Jerusalem Post, Arutz Sheva, Times of Israel (NOT Haaretz, extreme leftist) are doing our best. Of course the haters call us agents of 'hasbara', not understanding that 'hasbara' simply means 'explanation'. It is used in modern usage to mean public diplomacy."Image from blog heading

French to Anglo-Saxons: English? Who Needs It?  - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: “I loved this report from the New York Times from earlier in the week Education First, a commercial education provider, has been compiling an index of proficiency in English across various countries. And apparently the French have been slacking: [‘]The study put the country’s average English language skills in the 'low proficiency' bracket, between China and the United Arab Emirates — and last among European nations. It also found that France was one of only two European countries where proficiency had decreased over the past six years. According to Ms. Bell, the level of English proficiency among French adults suffers both from inadequate teaching at high school level and the reality that — despite fears of French culture’s being overwhelmed by American pop culture, very little English is actually used in everyday life. France’s secondary school system, which has only recently started testing English oral skills as part of the Baccalaureate, is a major reason for poor language skills, she said.[']”

RELATED ITEMS

Not the Time to Squeeze Iran - Editorial, New York Times: A rare opportunity for a diplomatic resolution to the dispute over Iran’s nuclear program is at risk because many lawmakers, urged on by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, are insisting that Congress impose tougher economic sanctions, perhaps next week as an amendment to the defense bill. Sanctions have been crucial in keeping the pressure on Iran.


But doubling down on them at this delicate moment, when Iran and six major powers, including the United States, have made progress toward an interim agreement, could cause negotiations between the two sides to collapse and, worse, become a pathway to war. Image from

An Iran nuclear deal doesn’t have to be perfect — just better than the alternatives - Kenneth M. Pollack, Washington Post: We are still a long way from a formal international agreement restraining Iran’s nuclear program, but the contours of a deal — both an interim accord and the final agreement — are slowly coming together. It won’t be perfect, but our worst mistake would be to make an impossible ideal the enemy of a tangible, “good enough” agreement.

A changing world order? - Robert Kagan, Washington Post: Like the heralding of “American decline,” warnings about “the coming global disorder” have often proved premature. But with Americans and others rethinking the U.S. role in the world, and with no other nation, group of nations or international institutions willing or able to take its place, global disorder seems a more distinct possibility than it has since the 1930s. Perhaps the challenge is to fashion an international order that somehow accommodates both global wariness of U.S. power and Americans’ wariness of their global role. History does not offer much reason for optimism. The world order rarely changes by means of smooth transitions. Usually, such change is a result of catalytic upheaval.

Why Music? A Look at Art & Propaganda - Elizabeth Whitcombe, counter-currents.com: Music has always been an attractive vehicle for propaganda. Music’s power to persuade is at the heart of Plato’s argument for censoring the Arts [Plato, The Republic (Barnes and Noble, 2004).] The strong emotional pull, but vacuity of specific content, make music the perfect propaganda tool.


I can use the tune of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy to celebrate Humanism, Christ, or the European Union. Art doesn’t get much more pliable than that. The average person is a hearer, not a listener—people are uneducated about their own minds and the music they put in them. A perfect target for indoctrination! Image from entry, with caption: Matthias Grünewald, “Concert of Angels,” detail, 1515

HISTORY

Nov. 16, 1933 | U.S. Establishes Diplomatic Relations With the Soviet Union - learning.blogs.nytimes.com. Image from entry, with caption:


Maxim Litinoff was the Soviet leader at the time his country and the United States began a diplomatic relationship on Nov. 16, 1933.

IMAGE


--Naked volunteers pose for Spencer Tunick in the building Europarking in Amsterdam, June 3, 2007. (Reuters / Koen van Weel; image from

"When Blücher [Hannah Arendt’s devoted if wayward husband Heinrich Blücher] tries to leave one morning without kissing her, since 'one should never disturb a great philosopher when they’re [sic] thinking,' she replies, 'but they can’t think without kisses!'”

--From the film, "Hannah Arendt: a film by Margarethe von Trotta," cited in Mark Lilla, "Arendt and Eichmann: The New Truth," New York Review of Books; image from

VIDEO

Arabs Got Talent: American woman sings in Arabic, stuns jury, public - moroccoworldnews.com

(PAST) EVENT

November 15: Russian Diaspora and Cultural Diplomacy - nyufreeandpublic.blogspot.com: "The NYU Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia and the Russian American Cultural Heritage Center welcome you to 'Russian Diaspora and Cultural Diplomacy,' a conference on the impact of Russian-Americans. Friday, November 15, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Hemmerdinger Hall, Silver Center for the Arts and Science 100 Washington Square East The conference, which comes 80 years after the establishment


of U.S.-Russian diplomatic relations, will consider the role of the Russian-American community, through cultural diplomacy, in developing mutual understanding between the two nations.  Attending the conference will be representatives of the Consulate General of Russia in NYC, Rossotrudnichestvo, representatives of local government, the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund, the governments of the city and state of New York, and representatives of Russian-American community organizations, and the leading centers for the study of Russia in the US."Image from entry

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Angela's Ashes - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "As for Angela's Ashes [by Frank McCourt, see], I am almost done and this is my favorite passage to date. Probably because it hits on public diplomacy, and the role of international broadcasting in telling of the world to listeners. ... ['] After the news there is the American Armed Forces Network and it's lovely to hear the American voices easy and cool and here is the music, oh man, the music of Duke Ellington himself telling me take the A train to where Billie Holiday


sings only to me, I can't give you anything but love, baby.  That's the only thing I've plenty of, baby. Oh, Billie, Billie, I want to be in America with you and all that music, where no one has bad teeth, people leave food on their plates, every family has a lavatory, and everyone lives happily ever after.[']"Image from;see/hear video: "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, Baby," YouTube.

Peace: The toughest selling job in the world -- With the Israeli-Palestinian talks in crisis, negotiators need to learn how to craft a deal that their publics will actually buy into. Polling, luckily part of both political cultures, is a key tool. - Colin Irwin, haaretz.com: "When it comes to making peace, a problem for the Israelis is a problem for the Palestinians, and a problem for the Palestinians is a problem for the Israelis.


Polling, public opinion research and public diplomacy can all be used to help identify both problems and their solutions, to refine the Final Status Agreement, to win a referendum and to ensure the very best prospects for its full implementation. None of which will be easy. But why make it more difficult than it has to be when we know how to do things so much better?"Image from entry, with caption: Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat (right), with the U.S.' John Kerry (center) and Israel's Tzipi Livni.

From the Salzburg Festival I (Great Shostakovich and Propaganda) - Jens F. Laurson, seenandheard-international.com: "Since the unstoppable rise of Gustavo  Dudamel, Venezuela’s OrchestraAcademy El Sistema (FESNOJIV) has become a brand. The Simón Bolivar Orchestra (SBO) became its flagship and Dudamel is the brand ambassador. A strong presence at this year’s Salzburg Festival, El Sistema is present with seven branches: four orchestras, a chorus, and two ensembles. The SBO, three genuine youth orchestras—the Teresa Carreño Youth Orchestra, the Youth Orchestra of Caracas, and the National Children’s Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, the Venezuelan Brass Ensemble, the Simón Bolivar String Quartet, and the Simón Bolivar National Youth Choir. ...


 A wonderful concert, rightly rewarded by standing ovations which, had it ended then and there, would have been a subtle victory of culturally diplomacy on the strength of its music-making. But it wasn’t to be. Out came the lazy but effective encores. Out came the choreographed instrument swinging-and-twirling, the coordinated spontaneous swaying and dancing and the clap-along bits. Out came even the propaganda jackets which were finally tossed into the grateful, over-the-moon audience. It was a breathtakingly cynical, and crude display of political instrumentalization, which might have been genuine the first time around, many years back, but is scripted and calculating now. (Even the Red Army Chorus in the KennedyCenter was more subtle, back when they invaded Afghanistan). Let’s assume—for sanity’s sake—that it was all dedicated to the political prisoners in Venezuela, suppressed journalists, and the victims of state-graft and massive government corruption. Alas, it wasn’t, and even more sadly: the audience swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. Image from article, with caption: Youth Orchestra of Caracas in propaganda-action.

Keeping The Memory Alive – International Poster Design Competition  -  marchoftheliving.org:
 “'Keeping the Memory Alive' is an International Poster Competition funded by the grant program of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research (ITF). Partnering in the project: Yad  Vashem, Israel, together with the Israel Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs; Mémorial de la Shoah, France; and theEuropean Shoah Legacy Institute, Czech Republic, in cooperation with the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. The theme for the 2013-14 competition is Journey’s Through the Holocaust. ['] Find out more at http://www.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/international_projects/posters/ (information about the 2013-14 competition is coming soon).

The Israel Defense and Rescue Forces - israelhayom.com: "The writer


is the vice president of public diplomacy for the Jerusalem Institute of Justice."Image from entry

A moment to correct India’s Lanka policy - M K Bhadrakumar - blogs.rediff.com: "On the face of it, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid would have had two constituencies on his mind when he made the strong remarks about India’s Lankan diplomacy once he was airborne from Delhi en route to Colombo to represent India at the Commonwealth heads of governments conference [CHOGM] — a) his distinguished cabinet colleagues and senior party leaders A. K. Antony, P. Chidambaram and Jayanti Natarajan, and/or b) Tamil Nadu leaders Jayalalithaa and M. Karunanidhi. ... Was he afraid of taking up cudgels with grassroots politicians? No, Khurshid  was indulging in public diplomacy. His intended audience was Colombo. Khurshid apparently made a smart estimation that if he projected himself as a foreign minister under siege, that’d impress the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa."

Femmes en Or 2013: la liste des nommées dévoilée ! - aufeminin.com: "Femme de Média ... Nahida Nakad, Journaliste reporter, Consultante en relations internationales à Public Diplomacy, Auteur de Derrière le voile, un livre de décryptage sur le foulard islamique et la laïcité."


Image from entry

Maxwell Alums Return to Syracuse for the 2013 Public Diplomacy Symposium - maxwellalumni.wordpress.com: On November 1st, Maxwell grads returned to campus to participate in the 2013 Public Diplomacy Symposium.




Images from entry

RELATED ITEMS

No new Iran sanctions now: Congress should give negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program more time to bear fruit - Editorial, latimes.com: There is no guarantee that the current negotiations will bear fruit. After feverish speculation about an imminent agreement, high-level talks in Geneva adjourned a week ago without a deal. Still, there are strong indications that the government of President Hassan Rouhani is serious about an arrangement in which Iran would abandon any ambitions to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for relief from existing sanctions. This week the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran's new government has slowed expansion of its nuclear program almost to a halt since August. As Kerry put it, Congress should "calm down" and let the negotiations continue.

The stakes of an Iranian deal - David Ignatius, washingtonpost.com: Netanyahu seems to think that if sanctions have brought Iran to the table and gained concessions, then more sanctions will force Tehran to give up its nuclear program altogether. But administration officials fear that imposing more sanctions at this delicate moment (as Netanyahu is pushing Congress to do) will just blow up the negotiations. The administration thinks that Tehran, rather than surrendering, may accelerate the nuclear program — producing the very result that Israel fears. Better to seek a turn in relations with Iran through diplomacy that can limit its nuclear program, Obama reasons. He’s right.

Something for Barack and Bibi to Talk About - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: Secretary of State John Kerry is teeing up not one, but two negotiations that involve the most neuralgic issues facing Israel today: the Iran threat and Palestinian statehood. Israel soon could face two of the hardest strategic choices it’s ever had to make at


the same time: trade West Bank settlements for peace with the Palestinians and trade sanctions on Iran for curbs on its nuclear program. I’d say Obama and Netanyahu better get one of those unlimited minutes plans — or maybe just install a hotline. Image from

How big an Army do we need? Congress is in the mood to cut, but danger lies in slashing recklessly without a real strategy - Michael O'Hanlon, latimes.com: We can indeed cut the Army, but not with reckless abandon, and not in the absence of a strategy.

Dreams of a Different China - Ian Johnson, New York Review of Books: Last November, China’s newly installed leader, Xi Jinping, asked his fellow Chinese to help realize a “Chinese dream” of national rejuvenation. Xi’s definition of China’s dream has caused much discussion. While the slogan seems to directly mimic the term “American dream,” it is almost the antithesis of that dream of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—personal goals that in Xi’s vision are replaced by a collective, national pursuit.

Why are writers being curbed by NSA surveillance? - David L. Ulin, latimes.com: PEN AmericanCenter’s report “Chilling Effects,”  offers some disturbing data about the effect of government surveillance on free expression and self-censorship in the literary world. Of more than 520 American writers surveyed, 16% have avoided writing or speaking on what they consider controversial topics, and 11% “have considered doing so.” The percentages are even higher when it comes to phone or email conversations and social media, which is increasingly part of the writers’ toolbox.

Sri Lankan diplomat says rights criticism a 'proxy propaganda war' - Susannah Cullinane, CNN: Sri Lanka's high commissioner to Britain has blamed criticism of his country's human rights record on a "proxy propaganda war" being carried out by those who funded the nation's "terrorist conflict."


The prime ministers of Canada, Mauritius and India have withdrawn from the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, or CHOGM, beginning in Colombo on Friday, amid concerns about the rights situation in Sri Lanka after its 26-year civil war with separatist Tamil rebels. Image from

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"In The Drowned and the Saved, Primo Levi’s final book on his experiences at Auschwitz, he makes a wise remark about the difficulty of rendering judgment on history.


The historian is pulled in two directions. He is obliged to gather and take into account all relevant material and perspectives; but he is also obliged to render the mass of material into a coherent object of thought and judgment."

--Mark Lilla, "Arendt and Eichmann: The New Truth," New York Review of Books; image from

AND ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“The surest way to get a secret into mass circulation is to tell it to Hitchens, swearing him to silence as one does so.”


--Irish-born Alexander Cockburn (deceased) regarding British-American Christopher Hitchens (deceased); both lived in America; image from

--Image from

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique, just like everyone else."

--Anthropologist Margaret Mead

"[W]e have a lot of fun and we’re basically saying that we’re not just stuffy diplomats, but also like anybody else, like Slovaks."

--Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Amid Nuclear Talks, Iran Pushes Diplomacy Online - nhpr.org: "On Wednesday, diplomats from the United States and Iran — along with five other world powers — go back to Geneva and the negotiating table. They'll be discussing a possible deal to limit Iran's controversial nuclear program, which has sparked international tensions for a decade. ... Just before the last round of negotiations, the website NuclearEnergy.ir launched, apparently the work of the Iranian government.  ... It's clearly an attempt to reach out to the outside world, most notably, the United States," says journalist Robin Wright, a distinguished scholar in the Middle East program at the WoodrowWilsonCenter. ... Wright, who also maintains the website The Iran Primer, says that the online push by Iran's leaders amounts to 'the most ambitious public diplomacy campaign since Iran's 1979 revolution.' ... 'One of the most interesting things about Iran's public diplomacy campaign is that it is certainly much more ambitious and aggressive than anything the Americans are doing," she says. 'In a Twitter war, the Iranians are winning decisively.'"Imge from

'Slovaks can do something about it' - spectator.sme.sk: "The Slovak Spectator spoke to Sedgwick [outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Slovakia Theodore Sedgwick] about the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the rule of law and the business environment as well as his diplomatic mission here in Slovakia. ... TSS: Even Slovaks who know very little about diplomacy may have noticed you performing in a band with several diplomats. How has this experience enriched your mission here? TS: We’ve had a lot of fun with the band and this is something that shows that music is a medium to communicate very effectively with people. I went to a wonderful concert last night by an American mezzo-soprano and she communicated with people on a very emotional level, while showing the best of the US. I don’t know if my piano playing shows the best of the US, but we have a lot of fun and we’re basically saying that we’re not just stuffy diplomats, but also like anybody else, like Slovaks.


It’s been very positive for public diplomacy. TSS: What are some of the highlights of your diplomatic mission to Slovakia which you will remember long after you have left the country? TS: I’ve had a wonderful time here, your country is a beautiful region, and Bratislava is so centrally located that within a very short time you can go to so many beautiful places, while it is such a culturally rich environment. In terms of my diplomatic accomplishments, I have most enjoyed programmes to cultivate entrepreneurship and connections between the US and Slovakia by bringing Slovaks to the US. The projects we are doing are not just about me or the embassy staff, but they work through local NGOs, which then adopt them. I am very proud of the programme Re-Start Slovakia, which challenges Slovaks to come up with the idea to use social media to fight corruption, suggesting that Slovaks can do something about it. Sedgwick image from article

Assistant Secretary For Educational and Cultural Affairs Evan Ryan- Department of State Public Schedule Monday, November 18, 2013, posted at rockycoastnews.blogspot.com: "2:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Ryan delivers remarks at the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Quarterly Business Meeting, at Pitzer College, in Claremont, California. 4:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Ryan delivers remarks at University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy'Conversations in Public Diplomacy” series, in Los Angeles, California. 6:00 p.m. Assistant Secretary Ryan attends the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board dinner, in Claremont, California.'"

Egypt: NCHR Chairman - Egyptian-Russian Cooperation On Human Rights Essential - allafrica.com: "During meeting with a Russian public delegation in Cairo, Chairman of the National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) Mohamed Fayek stressed the importance of public diplomacy in fostering relations between countries at the official and diplomatic levels. He highlighted the importance of maintaining reciprocal relations between Egypt and Russia in a way that serves the interests of the two peoples, affirming the significance of having an Egyptian-Russian joint cooperation in the field of human rights as an essential cornerstone for the regional and international cooperation."

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s visit to China this month has been postponed to next year - trinidadexpress.com: "Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s visit to China this month has been postponed to next year. ... Persad-Bissessar, in June, during the


visit of President Xi, said Government was also considering the establishment of a Trinidad and Tobago cultural institute, which will be attached to the Diplomatic Mission in Beijing. She said the centre would promote this country’s creative industries through cultural exchanges, training seminars and cultural exhibitions in China and could also feature highly in Trinidad and Tobago’s public diplomacy initiatives in Asia."Image from

The Economic Benefits of Major Int'l Summits – Can They Be Estimated? - thecurionomist.wordpress.com: "[Comment by]: TK 8:30 am on November 18, 2013 ... [I]t's the geopolitics of organising international summits and the nation branding that accompanies it. This is in effect public diplomacy at work and what Joseph Nye would term 'soft power'."

RELATED ITEMS

Israel's policy of erasure: A path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians requires not simply dealing with settlements but with the whole complex of displacement, suffocation and erasure - Saree Makdisi, latimes.com: The revelation last week that Israel wanted to plan for 20,000 new settlement housing units received the usual outraged responses from around the world. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, mindful of a backlash in the midst of the Iran nuclear negotiations, walked the revelation back, but not very far. Just a few days earlier, Secretary of State John F. Kerry, in Israel trying to keep peace talks afloat, reiterated the U.S. view in an interview: "We do not believe the settlements are legitimate. We think they're illegitimate." the settlement program is only one component of a broad complex of Israeli policies that has come to define the rhythm and tempo of life for Palestinians, not only in the occupied territories but inside Israel itself. These policies express Israel's longstanding wish to erase the Palestinian presence on land it considers its own.

Give Snowden Asylum in Germany - Malte Spitz and Hans-Christian Ströbele, New York Times: It’s a hopeful sign that the surveillance frenzy of the American intelligence agencies is being reviewed and that their activities are likely to be better supervised and limited in the future. This also has to apply to foreign countries, especially America’s allies. The planned discussions between German and American legislators are welcome and necessary, both to exchange information and talk about much-needed reforms.


We have to mend our relationship, reduce the reach of intelligence agencies and bring their work under the rule of law in order to protect the right to privacy and free, unmonitored communication that both Germans and American hold dear. But we still owe a basic debt to Mr. Snowden. We demand an immediate change in the government’s policy. Edward Snowden should be given a safe residence in Germany or in another democratic European country and be allowed to stay permanently if he wants to. Image from

WHO'S THE DONKEY?

"When Brandeis University president Jehuda Reinharz stepped down three years ago, he moved back into his old faculty office. But unlike most history professors, Reinharz does not teach any classes, supervise graduate students, or attend departmental meetings. He did not bother posing for the department photo. The chairwoman for Near Eastern and Judaic Studies said she did not even know whether he was officially a member of her department. Yet Reinharz remains one of the highest paid people on campus. He received more than $600,000 in salary and benefits in 2011, second only to the


new Brandeis president, according to the school’s most recent public tax returns. And that’s on top of the $800,000 Reinharz earned in his new job as president of the Mandel Foundation, a longtime Brandeis benefactor. ... The one area where Reinharz was specific about how he spends his time was his own research, including a book he is co-writing on the history of the donkey in literature, arguing that the animal is often used as a substitute for people. 'There are smart donkeys, stupid donkeys, evil donkeys, etc., and no one has ever contemplated this on a large scale,' said Reinharz, who commissioned an artist to make a wood carving of a donkey that stands proudly on his desk. 'It’s probably the most ambitious topic I have ever contemplated.'"

--From Todd Wallack, "A gilded goodbye for many private college leaders: Presidents’ retirement pay and perks can run into the millions, one more driver of soaring college tuition costs," Boston Globe; via PR on Facebook; image from

For this entry, please go to

"I've had a come-to-Jesus moment."

--Doug Stanglin, "Toronto Mayor Ford says he's giving up alcohol for good," USA Today; Ford image from

"I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. I really have no idea."

--Gary Locke, the first Chinese-American ambassador to Beijing, who will be leaving his post early next year to rejoin his wife and three children in Seattle.

"[I]t didn’t hurt that he was assassinated.”

--Historian Robert Dallek about John F. Kennedy

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

China, US to boost people-to-people ties - Chen Wihua, usa.chinadaily.com: China and the United States hope that people-to-people exchanges can play a larger role in their bilateral relationship, which is often rattled by strategic distrust, trade friction and even potential military competition. Chinese Vice-Premier Liu Yandong and US Secretary of State John Kerry are both expected to highlight the significance of that dimension at the 4th China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange (CPE) to be held on Thursday in Washington. Susan Stevenson, deputy assistant secretary for public diplomacy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific affairs, said that although the CPE is represented by US and Chinese government officials, it is different from the dozens of other dialogues between the two countries, such as the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, human rights dialogue, and the energy policy dialogue held in Beijing late last month, which were government-to-government. 'What we're really looking at is expanding and strengthening the ways in which our two publics interact,' Stevenson told a press conference in Washington on Monday. Former Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama talked about setting up such a mechanism when they met in Beijing in late 2009.


The CPE was launched in 2010 by Liu, then a state councilor, and then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Liu and Clinton, a likely Democrat presidential candidate for 2016, will attend a seminar on early childhood development at the Brookings Institution on Wednesday. While Stevenson, who had served in the US embassy in Beijing from 2006 to 2010, described the relationship as important, she said 'what is unsung is throughout the year the many activities that we do between the Chinese and American public. The Consultation on People-to-People Exchange is really a long-term investment in the bilateral relationship because we realize that these exchanges, particularly among youth at much younger ages, help to create those bonds of understanding and those bonds of cooperation,' she said. 'As this generation grows older, there are certainly much broader connections between our two countries than there were when I was growing up,' Stevenson said. Describing the many successes in the five pillars of the CPE — education, science and technology, culture, sports and women's issues — Stevenson said the CPE this year brings together American and Chinese counterparts to identify new opportunities and perhaps new barriers to enhancing bilateral engagement. 'We still are confident that there's room for growth,' she said. 'We want to foster even greater exchange between our two peoples and develop solutions to global challenges,' she said, citing the expansion of the Fulbright program to create opportunities for more Chinese scholars. The two sides are expected to produce a fact sheet on Thursday to identify key programs for cooperation in the five areas in the coming years. Liu and Kerry will both address a conference of the 100K Strong Foundation on Thursday to promote Obama's 2009 initiative of sending 100,000 American students to China over a period of four years. The 2013 Open Doors report released by the Institute of International Education (IIE) showed that China was the 5th destination for US students going overseas, trailing Britain, Italy, Spain and France. In the 2011-12 academic year, about 15,000 US students studied in China, a rise of 2 percent from the previous year and making up 5.3 percent of all US students studying abroad. However, the IIE report did not count an estimated 10,000 US students studying in China each year in non-credit and short-term language and volunteer programs. James Sasser, former US ambassador to China, said more cultural and people-to-people exchange between the two countries will be helpful. Citing the growing number of Chinese students in the US, which numbered 235,000 in the 2012-13 academic year, Sasser said it has a very beneficial effect on bilateral relations. 'It also has a very beneficial effect on some in the Congress, because many of these students are studying in their congressional districts. They come to realize that they are valuable assets,' Sasser said. Liu kicked off her busy schedule with a full day of events in Chicago on Monday, visiting a children's hospital, attending an education forum and meeting local officials. In Washington, Liu will also attend the unveiling of the US center of the Confucius Institute, which promotes Chinese language learning and cultural exchanges. The US now hosts 98 Confucius Institutes and 355 Confucius Classrooms, making it the most in the world, according to Yuan Guiren, China's minister of education. Liu's visit draws special attention this time as she is the highest Chinese official to visit the US since the Third Plenum of the 18th Communist Party of China Central Committee held a week ago. On Thursday, she will speak at the US Institute of Peace and likely touch on reform measures and the path forward, before moving on to her last stop in New York City." See also. Image from

US cultural exchanges and political system into a hamper [Google "translation" from "simplified Han"; includes video]: "America in the fourth cultural exchanges and consultations on the 21st will be held in Washington, DC. Although the Obama administration has been hoped, be able to promote non-governmental exchanges in the United States, but there are still many obstacles, including political factors.Look at our station reporter from the bottom of Washington reported. US cultural exchanges and consultations fourth Thursday in Washington hosted by U.S. Secretary of State Warren and the Chinese Communist Deputy Prime Minister Liu Yandong chair. U.S. State Department officials (Susan Stevenson, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs): 'This program aims to promote bilateral cooperation in civil education, culture, science and technology, sports and women's issues on the exchange.' [U]nder U.S. Institute of International Education recently published a report, China has become the United States to study the largest number of countries, accounting for 29%. The American students studying in China accounted for only 5% of its overseas students. Although the U.S. government in 2009 announced the launch of one hundred thousand strong program and I hope the end of 2014, to recruit 100,000 American students to study in China, to deepen exchanges, but still there are many factors that make American students about Chinese prohibitive."

U.S. warming up to Northeast India - Syed Miraz Ahmed, assamtimes.org: "Keeping with the U.S.' interest in India's Look East Policy the American Center, Kolkata for the first time organized an Alumni Entrepreneurship Road Show anmd Mentorship Program in the city capital recently. It aims to forge a long-term relationship with the alumni of the U.S. State-Department’s professional exchange programs and encouraging young leaders and entrepreneurs. India's Look East policy was framed to cultivate extensive economic and strategic relations with the nations of Southeast Asia in order to bolster its standing as a regional power and a counterweight to the strategic influence of the People's Republic of China. Initiated in 1991, it marks a strategic shift in India’s perspective of the world. The Alumni Entrepreneurship Road Show, an interactive networking event for aspiring entrepreneurs, students and young professionals was conducted by some of the most successful entrepreneur business leaders in the northeast. Five Northeast business leaders, all alumni of U.S. State Department Exchange Programs conducted the youth engaging workshop, providing them with pointers to make them aware of the climate for entrepreneurship in the country, proven entrepreneurial and stories of success and failure, leads for potential sources of capital and emerging collaborative opportunities. The U.S. Consulate in Kolkata has a major interest and regional role to play in public diplomacy and trade. Its Consular region includes 10 states with 170 million people which is about 14 per cent of India's population and 11 per cent of India's GDP.


Assam is a key economic center of its Consular district producing 60 per cent of India's tea, 40 per cent of its onshore crude oil and 31 per cent of onshore natural gas production. The Alumni Mentorship program had 25 young alumni leaders host a mentoring and training event for one hundred young leaders selected from the Northeast focused on entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, human rights, global health and the environment. The participants competed for a grant where they will work on a sustainable community service project or a training program. ... When the U.S. Consulate General Helen LaFave first visited Assam in September 2013, she interacted with students of the prestigious Cotton College in Guwahati which was facilitated by the Youth Forum for Foreign Policy (YFFP). YFFP is an independent, nonpartisan and non-profit initiative lead by Gaurav Gogoi, son of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. It seeks to develop an informed and substantive dialogue on foreign policy issues among India’s youth and to ensure that India’s foreign policy is more responsive to the concerns of the youth. It endeavors to connect Foreign Policy Stakeholders (policy makers, government officials, members of political parties, policy think thanks) and youth groups from India and abroad on the same platform to discuss specific thematic and regional foreign policy issues. LaFave also met the local alumni of various U.S. Department of State-funded exchange programmes including the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), civil society leaders and local NGO members. Asked about the process of selection for the Consulate Programmes, Deputy Director of the American Center Rachel Sunden said, 'We look for the best qualified people and the best fit. The process is a year round process. Myself, my colleagues from the Consulate were constantly traveling all over our districts which includes the Northeast, Bihar and Jharkhand. We are traveling all over setting appointment for meeting up people, reading papers, magazines, watching the news and we are looking at what people are doing and when we see somebody doing amazing work, we work very hard to know them.' The candidates are nominated for programmes of specific interest to the U.S. Department, she added."Image from

Soulgrass Concert at Spaso House Highlights Cultural Diplomacy - Jordan Bryan, Moscow Times: Often, the enjoyment of a work of art requires one to forget about its message and simply focus on its sensory appeal. In other cases, the work of art is the message. The project of cultural diplomacy often straddles this border between agenda and art for art's sake, and at a time when U.S.-Russian relations are publicly frayed, cultural exchange can help to keep tensions at bay. Last week, Grammy Award-winning American saxophonist Bill Evans, a former bandmate of Miles Davis, performed with his band 'Soulgrass' at Spaso House, the official residence of the U.S. ambassador. This concert marked the end of the group's 12-concert tour through Russia. Evans and his rugged clan seemed slightly out of place against the backdrop of blue-white curtains and ornamental columns of Spaso House, but that did not seem to impede the audience's enjoyment of the music itself. ... While most of the audience seemed satisfied with the performance, a look around the room suggested that events like these were largely decorative, not diplomatic. The crowd was mostly made up of embassy contacts: people in the commerce sector, folks from the NASA Moscow Liaison Office, and executives of Russian branches of large companies like Ford.


The impact of cultural exchange in the embassy itself was thus significantly dampened due to the fact that the people watching already had significant exposure to American culture. However, outside the walls of Spaso House, the U.S. embassy's cultural agenda takes a much more important, if more subtle form. Along with hosting artists at semi-annual private events like the concert on Thursday night, the embassy finances and arranges tours for visiting performers. 'On this particular tour we were able to get outside of the major cities, and we were able to meet people that don't normally get the opportunity to meet people like us or hear the kind of music that we play,' Evans said during the show. 'The U.S. embassy and the people here made that possible, so that's a good deed.' ... Supporting musicians is not the only way the U.S. Embassy promotes cultural exchange — Spaso House also recently played host to a reception celebrating the 20th anniversary of FLEX, a program giving gifted youth from the former Soviet Union a chance to study in the U.S. At the reception, former U.S. Senator Bill Bradley, a founder of the program, met with FLEX alumni, many of whom have gone on to have impressive careers in business and government."Image from entry, with caption: Guests from a variety of backgrounds, many of them with close ties to the West, mingled before the concert.

21st-Century Diplomacies: The State Department's Identity Crisis - Heather Hurlburt, worldpoliticsreview.com: "[T]he traditional forms and modalities of diplomacy—and even the construct of the place diplomacy occupies in world affairs—have come under strenuous challenge from developments in the democratization of politics, the diffusion of power and the opening up of communications technology in recent decades. ... Some of the tasks traditionally shouldered by the State Department are being addressed elsewhere. Public diplomacy is perhaps the clearest example.


During the Cold War, some aspects of information dissemination—propaganda, less politely—could only be handled by governments, as the societies the U.S. was most concerned with were closed to private-sector penetration. Moreover, well-integrated and influential diasporas from those societies were eager to make their talents available to craft cultural and information programs that were famously well-received. Neither of those factors obtain today. Neither of those factors obtain today. For better or worse, Washington can do little that competes with Dennis Rodman’s



visits to North Korea or the release of Rambo movies in Lebanon. ... It is possible, and even likely, that United States diplomacy will fall into the role of convening, facilitating and connecting the larger, better-funded and more flexible drivers of American power and outreach—both nongovernmental and governmental. This could happen in a deliberate, planned way; but if not, it will certainly happen by default. Hulburt image from; below image from;  comments on article at.

Putting faith in public diplomacy - Mark Edwards, "Of course, foreign affairs has always been the least democratic field of national government—the least transparent and the most immune to popular pressure. Not that people haven’t tried to grow U.S. statecraft from the grassroots. Early-20th-century educators and social reformers envisioned a nationwide network of local 'social centers' where citizens could deliberate, among other things, their nation’s role in the world. World War I rapidly transformed existing social centers into vehicles for anti-German and pro-American propaganda. The passage of the National Security Act of 1947—which created the Department of Defense, the CIA, and Edward Snowden’s National Security Agency—similarly betrayed the values conflict between efficient execution of war and civilian control of the military. To be sure, the national security state was accompanied by new attention to 'public diplomacy,' as historian Justin Hart puts it. The Cold War 'public' was never intended to be the source of superpower decision-making, however. The American people instead would be subject to all the latest advances in state manipulation of majority sentiment. Yet history may still surprise us. Between the world wars, there were several efforts to democratize foreign policymaking—efforts undertaken, ironically, by elites. The Foreign Policy Association began to support public lecture series, discussion clubs and other popular educational efforts, partly in hopes of overcoming its members’ isolation and exclusivity. The FPA’s sister organization, the World Affairs Council, likewise looked to conduct foreign policy deliberation on the ground through open meetings with experts. I’ve just begun to look intently into another such effort: the establishment in 1938 of a network of Foreign Relations Committees sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations. The original design of the committees called for bringing together, in small-group deliberation, 'leading individuals' who in turn would shape 'the opinion and action of the masses.' Bankers, lawyers and professors would dominate most of the committees, which numbered eight in 1938 and around 20 by 1950. ... Whither public diplomacy today? In 1995, the Foreign Relations Committees were incorporated as the DC-based American Committees on Foreign Relations, 'dedicated to facilitating debate on international events—primarily as they relate to the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy—between Washington and the heartland(s) of the United States.' Local World Affairs Councils also continue to operate under the headship of the World Affairs Councils of America. Still, it’s much harder for these groups to compete for citizens’ attention in the age of Manning, Cyrus and Kardashian. After 9/11, the CFR launched a new public diplomacy initiative, eventually published as Finding America’s Voice. The report concluded that 'effective public diplomacy now requires much wider use of newer channels of communication and more customized, two-way dialogue and debate as opposed to ‘push-down,’ one-way mass communication.'”

U.S. image on roller coaster ride since Cold War- Bruce Stokes, CNN: "The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War ushered America’s principle [sic] post-war rival off the world stage. But U.S. preeminence was short lived, a victim of both Washington’s foreign policy initiatives undermining America’s brand and the rise of China. The upsurge in U.S. favorability in the wake of the 2008 presidential election and signs that this now may be tailing off are a reminder of the current volatility of America’s international image. And prolonged negative sentiments about the United States in much of the Middle East suggest ongoing challenges for public diplomacy in the region.


Yet one abiding sentiment is the continued popularity of at least some aspects of American soft power. Ultimately, if there is any lesson to be learned about America’s standing in the eyes of world publics since the end of the Cold War, it is that a snap shot belies the reality of a moving picture. The U.S. global brand is constantly evolving – sometimes for better, sometimes for worse."Uncaptioned image from entry

50 years on, the enduring lessons of JFK's presidency - Andrew Hammond, CNN: "As JFK would surely have appreciated, there is a compelling need for redoubling efforts to win the battle for moderate 'hearts and minds.' This can be best achieved through a vigorous re-assertion of U.S. soft power, combined with prudent use of hard power.


Such an agenda would require much greater resourcing for activities such as public diplomacy, broadcasting, development assistance and exchange programs. U.S. public diplomacy is in particularly strong need of revitalization, with a clearer long-term strategy essential."Image from entry, with caption: President John F. Kennedy greets supporters during his visit to Fort Worth, Texas, on Friday, November 22, 1963. This month marks 50 years since his assassination in Dallas, an event that jarred the nation and fueled a multitude of conspiracy theories about whether Kennedy was killed by a single gunman acting alone in the Texas School Book Depository.

Hard lessons for soft power: In a revealing book about the limits of public diplomacy, a long-time U.S. State Department official analyzes why "soft power" didn't work in post-war Iraq - Larisa Permyakova, russiadirect.foreignpolicy.com: Peter Van Buren, a U.S. State Department official with 24 years of experience, describes in his book We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People the types of public diplomacy projects carried out by the United States in Iraq, with an emphasis on how much money they cost U.S. taxpayers. The book could, in fact, serve as a practical guide for public diplomacy anywhere in the world. ... As the head of the Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team (ePRT), Van Buren


had enormous sums of money at his disposal, however, according to him, they were spent on the botched plan to 'win the hearts and minds' of Iraqis. The author notes in particular that the directives issued from the U.S. State Department usually contradicted each other and were largely cut off from reality. They were not backed up by any sustainable strategy either from the State Department, or from the U.S. Department of Defense. ... Van Buren’s book is in its own way a warning to those who believe whole-heartedly in the power of public diplomacy and 'soft power.'"Image from entry

Armenia hosts NATO Week - vestnikkavkaza.net [19 November]: "Armenia is hosting NATO Week. A round-table conference on the management of international crises and peacekeeping was held at the Armenian Foreign Ministry yesterday, News Armenia reports. The Defense Ministry will host expert talks on Tuesday. The Foreign Ministry will organize a video conference between Armenian peacekeepers in Kosovo and their families on Wednesday.


Attendants of the conference will visit the peacekeeping brigade of Armenia. A video conference with high-ranking officials of the NATO public diplomacy department will take place on Thursday. NATO Week will be concluded with a visit to the Vanadzor State Pedagogic University."Image from entry

Fathoming Iran's nuclear intentions - Akiva Eldar, monitor.com: "Shmuel Meir, former officer in the Israel Defense Force’s Intelligence and Planning Section, former researcher in the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University and blogger for Haaretz ('Strategic Blog) [:] ... 'It is a shame that the background noise and 'public-diplomacy messages' surrounding our public discourse prevent us from seeing what is really happening with what is called 'the Iranian threat,'" said Meir.


He feels that expressions such as 'It's the year 1938' serve to eclipse solid facts provided by the content of IAEA reports and American intelligence evaluations, as well as American satellite coverage. "According to all these sources, Iran had already decided last summer to freeze its nuclear program. Today’s Iran is the most supervised country in the world, including the permanent presence of IAEA inspectors on its land, weekly visits to centrifuge sites and video shots sent directly to IAEA headquarters in Vienna.'"Image from entry, with caption: Iranian students hold up their hands as a sign of unity as they form a human chain around the Uranium Conversion Facility to show their support for Iran's nuclear program in Isfahan, 450 kilometers (280 miles) south of Tehran, Nov. 15, 2011.

CSTO expects no massive incursion from Afghanistan - news.belta.by: "The Collective Security Treaty Organization expects no massive incursions from Afghanistan into CSTO member states after the international coalition forces pull out from Afghanistan in 2014. The statement was made by Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolai Bordiuzha at the session of the Russian Public Council for International Cooperation and Public Diplomacy under the Public Chamber of Russia on 19 November."

Diplomatic Dispatch: Walking the Palk Strait tightrope - Saurahab Aurabh, HUKLAdailymail.co.uk: "India had an uphill climb at the CHOGM summit in Colombo with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh deciding to skip the summit following protests from the Tamil Nadu parties, including some of his own ministers - but the damage was minimised by some astute out-of-the-box diplomacy. ... While in Sri Lanka, New Delhi sent



out a message to Colombo that true devolution of powers in the Northern province and the rights of the Sri Lankan Tamils should be protected. But with politics heavily guiding their diplomatic engagement, there was some element of smart public diplomacy as well, led by Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh."Images from entry, with caption: India rushed to explain the sensitive situation to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa ([top]) when PM Manmohan Singh ([below]) skipped the CHOGM summit in Colombo.

Ethiopia: Govt Pledges 50 Million Br to Support Saudi Returnees - allafrica.com: "The Ethiopian government has allocated 50 million Br for the evacuation and rehabilitation of Ethiopians returning from Saudi Arabia, according to Tedros Adhanom (PhD), Minister of Foreign Affairs. The minister, who met some of the returnees on Thursday, November 14, 2013, disclosed that more funds would be allocated as required. ... The Minister has established a crises group in the foreign office on Menelik II Avenue, comprising directorates of the Middle East, International Organisations, International Legal, African and Public Diplomacy affairs, sources disclosed."

GCC Role in Regional Dynamics - "Arab-Us Policymakers Conference – 2013[;] Gulf Cooperation Council: Role In Regional Dynamics - susris.com: "Speakers: ... Ambassador Richard Schmierer – Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy, Bureau of Near East Affairs, U.S. Department of State; former U.S. Ambassador to the Sultanate of Oman."

A Week With Ambassador Arturo Sarukhán - neontommy.com: "During the 'Public Diplomacy of the Americas' conference hosted by the USC Association of Public Diplomacy Scholars, former Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhán discussed U.S.- Mexico relations, highlighting the importance of increasing the digital component of Mexico's


diplomacy to deal with issues such as trade relations, transnational crime, and immigration. Sarukhán has served as a career diplomat in the Mexican Foreign Service for over twenty years and was appointed ambassador to the U.S. in 2006 by President Felipe Calderón. Serving until 2013, he became the youngest and longest serving Mexican ambassador in Washington in recent history. He is currently serving as Chairman of Global Solution/A Podesta Company, a strategic consulting firm in Washington, D.C."Sarukhán image from entry

UN Chief Ban Ki-moon Received Vytautas Magnus University Honorary Doctorate in Kaunas - baltic-course.com: "The title of VMU Honorary Doctor has been granted to Ban Ki-moon for his persistent efforts to spread the ideals of


public diplomacy, work towards assuring peace and security in the world, and unite the international community as it rises to global challenges. As the Secretary General of the UN, Ban Ki-moon is recognised as one of the world’s leading diplomatic officers."Uncaptioned image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

Poll: Large Majority Of Americans Support Nuclear Deal With Iran - Ben Armbruster, thinkprogress.org: A new Washington Post/ABC News poll released on Wednesday found that a large majority of Americans would support an agreement between the United States, its international partners and Iran that would allow some easing of sanctions on the Islamic Republic in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Via LH on Facebook. Image from


Let’s Make a Deal - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: In the long run, the deal Kerry is trying to forge with Iran is good for us and our allies for four reasons: 1) In return for very limited sanctions relief, the deal is expected to freeze all of Iran’s nuclear bomb-making technologies, roll back some of them and put in place an unprecedented, intrusive inspection regime, while maintaining all the key oil sanctions so Iran will still be hurting aplenty. 2) While Netanyahu believes more sanctions will get Iran to surrender every piece of its nuclear technology, Iran experts say that is highly unlikely. 3) Iran has already mastered the technology to make a bomb. 4) The only lasting security lies in an internal transformation in Iran, which can only come with more openness. Kerry’s deal would roll back Iran’s nuclear program, while also strengthening more moderate tendencies in Iran.

It's possible to work with Iran: The 30-year-old Iran-United States Claims Tribunal shows how - Richard M. Mosk, latimes.com: Even during the darkest days of Iranian and United States relations, the two governments have been able to come to an agreement and abide by it. They should be able to do it now.

Obama Trades Places With France: At the Geneva talks on Iran, two allies with differing agendas - Matthew Kaminski, Wall Street Journal: Paris retains from imperial days an appetite for overseas engagement. And, virtually from the United States' founding through the de Gaulle era and to our time, France has by reflex pushed back at the English-speaking power across the Atlantic. Now, though, the French are anxious about perceived American weakness and—along with Israelis, Saudis and others—trying to adjust. The game in the Middle East is to secure limited interests in a vacuum created by the Obama pullback.


Taliban And NATO War on Twitter - Sam Schneider, Daily Beast: As NATO forces prepare to leave Afghanistan, the group is waging a battle for the hearts and minds of Afghan youth—and it’s spilling onto social media. The Taliban are avid tweeters. This may come as a surprise, given that the group’s reign in the 1990s has often been described as “medieval,” with the outlawing of modern technology just one item on a laundry list of brutal policies informed by its austere brand of Islam. Yet tweet it does—and, in what’s likely to come as less of a surprise, the Taliban is engaged in a longstanding Twitter feud with NATO.


the Twitter accounts of the Taliban and ISAF reveal another war that is not so undecided— the struggle for the support and confidence of the Afghan people. The theater of battle for combatants may remain in the poppy fields of Helmand and mountains of Kunar, but another has opened up online. Whether it is ISAF promoting social progress and calling out the Taliban for killing civilians, or the Taliban trumpeting battlefield victories and accusing ISAF of the same, the two sides chose tostart a Twitter beef, and like celebrities’ social media feuds back in the U.S., it is all about image. Via CS on Facebook; image from entry


How do International Organisations Tweet? - twiplomacy.com: The social networking site has become a formidable broadcasting tool and an indispensable communication channel for international organisations to amplify their messages to a global audience.


No international organisation can ignore the power of digital communications and especially Twitter.
Via LOS on Facebook

Enabling Bashar: To 'disarm' Syria, President Obama makes a partner of the Assad regime - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: The most lethal WMD in Syria today is Bashar Assad himself. If Mr. Obama were serious about stopping the killing in Syria he would not make a partner of the principal killer.

16 People On Things They Couldn’t Believe About America Until They Moved Here - Michael Koh, thoughtcatalog.com: A lot of people around the world have ideas of what America is like, possibly thanks to Hollywood, or their local news channels, and maybe from what they’ve heard from families and friends. But then, they came here, to the grand old United States and their minds exploded.

AMERICANA [video]

Millennials in the Workplace Training Video - via LJB

THE SUN WILL NEVER SET ON THE BRITISH EMPIRE

From: Andrew Lloyd Webber: 'I want to give something back'- Nick Curtis, standard.co.uk: Today, though, his [Andrew Lloyd Webber's] thoughts are as much on the future as on the past, specifically the opening next month of his 16th musical, Stephen Ward, the story of the osteopath who unwittingly set in motion, and later became the sacrificial victim of, the biggest scandal still to haunt British politics, the Profumo Affair. In the early Sixties Ward was well connected enough to sketch the royal family and count Winston Churchill and Mahatma Gandhi among his patients. He was also a voyeur who delighted in hedonistic


parties, and who acted as a sort of hands-off sexual svengali to two young girls, Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies. When Keeler’s black ex-boyfriend Johnny Edgecombe fired a gun at Ward’s West End flat while the two girls were inside, one morning in 1963, the press sensed a story, and found that Keeler had previously had an affair with the Secretary of State for War, John Profumo, at the same time as (possibly) sleeping with a Russian attaché. Profumo lied about the affair to Parliament and his subsequent resignation mortally wounded Harold Macmillan’s government. Vengefully, Ward was charged with living off immoral earnings and killed himself on the last day of the trial.

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ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Nobody in America but 8th grade U.S. History teachers has given a crap about the Monroe Doctrine for the last 100 years."

--Diplomat Peter Van Buren

SOVIETICA


--From

"The reality is that public diplomacy is an empty shell ... "

--Blogger extraordinaire Paul Rockower, on Facebook; full quotation below, in the section at near end of this entry "A Terminological exchange on Public Diplomacy" [scroll down link for Rockower comment]; image from

PHOTOS

Hilarious Photos of the East German Secret Police at Work - New Republic. Image from entry, with caption: Fom [sic] A High-Ranking Official's Costume Party.


Agents Dressed Up As Groups—Priests, Atheletes, Peace Activists—Under Stasi Surveillance.

EVENT SUMMARY

Baltic Public Diplomacy - No One Size Fits All - Bruce Gregory, Public Diplomacy Council: "The Council’s successful First Monday lunch conversations on public diplomacy as a global phenomenon focused in December [December 2] on the Baltic States. Participants on a panel were Maria Belovas, Press and Cultural Officer, Embassy of Estonia, Jurijs Pogrebnaks, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Latvia, and Simonas Satunas, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Lithuania. The event was moderated by the forum’s organizer, John Brown. The diplomats' insightful remarks focused on goals, activities, and challenges in the public diplomacy of small states. Ms. Belovas opened with a conceptual overview in which she questioned top down approaches and hard distinctions between 'diplomacy' and 'public diplomacy.' Today’s public diplomacy, she observed, occurs in a marketplace where gaining attention, creating a positive image, building a good reputation, and setting clear objectives and priorities are key. Mr. Pogrebnaks focused on ways to create brand identity with implications for city diplomacy. 'Brand Riga' is often more recognizable than 'Brand Latvia.' Mr. Satunas, using wit and an informative slide show, addressed public diplomacy issues in the context of Lithuania’s current Presidency of the European Union Council, its election as a member of the UN Security Council in 2014, and its contributions to NATO’s forces in Afghanistan. Finding ways to create brand identity and a positive image were dominant themes for diplomats representing states who worry about casual confusion between the Baltics and the Balkans, as well as between Latvia and Lithuania. Cultural diplomacy.


Sports diplomacy. Celebrity diplomacy. Place branding. History. Memories. Geographic location. These issues are important in the diplomacy of small states seeking trade, investment, and tourism – states with much in common, diverse interests, and friendly rivalries. Personal contact -- the 'personal touch' as Estonia's Maria Belovas put it -- is a major focus of their work. The diplomats also stressed eagerness to engage their diasporas in the U.S. (85,000 Latvian-Americans and nearly one million Lithuanian-Americans by their estimate), and expressed pride in the achievements of these communities. The Baltic States panel reminds again that public diplomacy is now part of a robust global conversation in which no-one-size-fits-all. This forum and earlier Public Diplomacy Council programs this fall with diplomats from Israel, Japan, and Turkey (together with the Public Diplomacy Alumni Association's November event at the House of Sweden with diplomats from Sweden, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom) demonstrate there is much to be learned by scholars and practitioners from comparative assessments of public diplomacy. Kudos to the Public Diplomacy Council and the University of Southern California for sponsoring this innovative and highly informative series." Image from

CONFERENCE

A New Era in Cultural Diplomacy: Rising Soft Power in Emerging Markets -- USC Center on Public Diplomacy hosts its 2014 conference examining the impact of soft power for emerging countries, such as China:"On February 28, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy will host a major conference on cultural diplomacy in emerging markets at USC Annenberg School for Communication AND Journalism. ... Panel #1: Cultural Diplomacy: Adapting to the 21st Century [-] This panel will address the adaptations and changes that cultural diplomacy has undergone in the 21st century, considering the multitude of actors now present in the cultural diplomacy sphere. Panel #2 - Confucius Institutes: A Global Cultural Exchange Endeavor [:] The Confucius Institutes are a platform for Chinese cultural diplomacy through language learning and cultural exchanges.


This interdisciplinary panel of experts will discuss the Confucius Institutes’ operations the United States and South Africa. Panel #3 - Dialogues Through Film [:] Film festivals are flourishing around the world, yet their role in fostering cultural exchange remains under-examined. This panel will examine how film festivals are a platform for creating shared cultural space." Image from

MORE PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

NSA Spying: A Threat to US Interests? Big-data snooping by the NSA and US companies unnerves many Europeans, polls suggest - Bruce Stokes, YaleGlobal: "The exposure of NSA spying has had an impact on America's image abroad, especially in Europe. In spring 2013, before extensive revelations of NSA activities, a median of 62 percent in five European Union nations – Britain, France, Germany, Poland and Spain– had a favorable view of the United States, according to a Pew Research Center survey. That included 76 percent for Italians, 64 percent for the French and 53 percent for Germans. That median was already in decline, down from 67 percent in 2009. It’s unclear whether the NSA affair will accelerate that erosion or prove a minor bump in the road in transatlantic relations. But there are some early warning signs. A recent poll by the German public broadcaster, ARD and the German daily Die Welt, found that only 35 percent of Germans consider the US government to be trustworthy.


Moreover, the US government's respect for individual liberty has long been a strong suit of American public diplomacy. Even in many nations where opposition to US foreign policy is widespread and where overall ratings for the United States are low, majorities or pluralities maintained that the country respects individual rights. ... Americans are of two minds about recent allegations of NSA surveillance of phone and email communications. They worry about its impact on international relations and their own privacy. But that concern continues to be trumped by an ongoing anxiety about terrorism. Europeans similarly share concerns about spying’s impact on privacy, but they generally do not think national security concerns are more important than privacy."Image from

A U.S. Reply, in English, to Terrorists’ Online Lure - New York Times: "For the past three years, a small band of online analysts and bloggers in a tiny State Department office have focused their efforts on trying to understand what inspires their target audience — men 18 to 30 years old, mostly in the Middle East — to violent extremism, and on finding ways to steer them away from that. The analysts speak Arabic, Urdu, Somali and Punjabi. In the pilot program that began Wednesday, the same analysts will for the first time also post messages on English-language websites that jihadists use to recruit, raise money and promote their cause. For now, the analysts will post only images and messages, not engage extremists in online conversations, as they do in the other languages. 'We need to be ready to blunt their appeal,' said


Alberto M. Fernandez, a former American ambassador to Equatorial Guinea who is the coordinator of the State Department office, the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications. ... The State Department efforts are part of a broader public diplomacy push across the United States government to combat violent extremism. The military’s Central Command established a Digital Engagement Team in 2008 to carry out similar tasks. The team consists of 12 native speakers of Arabic, Pashto, Dari, Urdu, Persian and Russian. ... In September, the United States and Turkey announced the creation of a $200 million fund to combat violent extremism by undercutting the ideological and recruiting appeal of jihadists in places like Somalia, Yemen and Pakistan. The new fund, the Global Fund for Community Engagement and Resilience, will award grants to an array of projects, including websites and social networks to educate young people about the dangers of extremist ideologies. ... Administration officials acknowledge that many challenges remain. Financing delays and bureaucratic inertia have in the past hampered Mr. Fernandez’s center and its three dozen staff members. But State Department officials said that the Boston attack and mounting evidence of Al Qaeda’s appeal to English speakers also focused attention on the problem in recent months at other agencies, including the F.B.I., the C.I.A., the Department of Homeland Security and the Pentagon, as well as, most important, the White House."Fernandez/Hughes image from


Susan Rice: Obama Administration leads on human rights - sdgln.com: "The Obama Administration has created the new positions of Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the State Department and Coordinator for Disability and Inclusive Development at USAID.


With the leadership of these senior officials, the United States can better ensure that foreign assistance and development programs incorporate persons with disabilities, that the needs of persons with disabilities are addressed in international emergency situations, and that our public diplomacy addresses disability issues."Rice image from

Funds crunch squeezes people out of jobs - tabalwor.com: "An estimated 30,000 mostly young men are likely to have lost jobs with the disbanding of PRTs [Provincial Reconstruction Teams], introduced by the US in 2002 to support public diplomacy and reconstruction efforts in less secure provinces. Until a year ago there were PRTs in 27 provinces under the charge of the various ISAF partners. The Ministry of Economy has announced PRTs (provincial reconstruction teams) have shut down in all but three provinces 0 Ghazni, Uruzgan and Farah. ... Najibullah Amin, the spokesperson for the ministry, confirmed the vast majority of those whose jobs with PRTs were terminated are still jobless. Gul Rasoul, a resident of Khost province, who has lost his job says, 'Many young people like me are jobless. We were working in PRT.' PRT projects -the Ministry of Economy estimates 900 million dollars were spent by PRTs in Afghanistan – were handed over to provincial governments like in Paktika. But they are cash strapped and work is at a standstill.

Civic Engagement in a Global Context or What Is a Service-Learning Coordinator Doing in Pakistan? - Katie Peacock, mncampuscompact.org: "My work at the University of Minnesota is to support and promote civic engagement in curricular and co-curricular education. The main focus is working with local organizations and faculty to integrate community engagement into courses across the U of M, so it seemed strange to me why I was being invited to Pakistan. The U of M was selected as one of five U.S. institutions to participate in a new initiative organized by Innovations in Civic Participation (ICP) in Washington DC. Sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, the project twinned five U.S. and Pakistani universities to build capacity for civic engagement and youth leadership. The year-long project resulted in a series of exchanges, including visits to partnering campuses. The Office of Public Engagement (OPE) under the leadership of Dr. Andy Furco


was the anchor for the U of M’s involvement on the project but there was also participation from a wide range of units across campus. Amber Cameron, Associate Director of OPE, Ross VeLure-Roholt, Associate Professor in Youth Studies, and myself would be the 3-person team to travel to Pakistan to teach and learn about civic engagement. Why Pakistan? The US State Department has identified Pakistan as a critical geo-political nation for US international relations. It borders Iran and Afghanistan to the west, China to the northeast and India to the southeast. It is one of three nuclear powers in the region (along with India and China) and is also a critical relationship in US diplomatic relations with the Middle East. The grant through the US State Department was to fund 'public diplomacy'–citizen to citizen interaction to move beyond political and military relations between the two countries. Higher education and civic engagement were the content areas to achieve the public diplomacy goal."Image from entry, with caption: U of M delegation with faculty and students from UVAS and U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan, Richard Olson.

About YALI - youngafricanleaders.state.gov: "The Obama Administration’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) is a signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. Nearly one in three Africans are between the ages of 10 and 24, and approximately 60 percent of Africa’s total population is below the age of 35. President Obama launched YALI in 2010 to support young African leaders as they spur growth and prosperity, strengthen democratic governance, and enhance peace and security across Africa." Via ACP III on Facebook

CNN Has Obama Nominee Connect Mandela to Obama -- Without Disclosing He's an Obama Nominee - Matt Hadro: newsbusters.org: "On Friday morning CNN hosted Richard Stengel, an Obama administration nominee, to discuss the President's connections to the late Nelson Mandela without disclosing Stengel's pending


State Department position. Stengel is the former managing editor of Time magazine and hailed Obama's 'eloquent' words: 'I thought the President was very eloquent yesterday, talking about what President Mandela meant to him. I think, in many ways, Mandela was partially responsible for Barack Obama's own political awakening.'" Image from entry

Biden with granddaughter - Kim Jae-won, koreatimes.co.kr: "U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is being accompanied by his granddaughter Finnegan Biden on his three-day visit to Korea, which started Thursday. According to experts this exemplifies a part of American diplomacy that seeks to communicate directly with the public of the country involved. ... It is common for American leaders to bring family members on official overseas trips. U.S. President Barack Obama took his two daughters ㅡ Malia and Sasha ㅡ to France, England, Russia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton was also accompanied by his daughter Chelsea from time to time during his overseas trips. However, taking family members as matter of public diplomacy


is still unfamiliar here. Former President Lee Myung-bak drew criticism for taking his daughter and granddaughter on an official visit to India in January 2010, though Cheong Wa Dae said the family covered their expenses for the trip. Back then, opposition parties issued statements, criticizing him for spending taxpayers’ money on his family. However, such an idea seems to be changing of late. Some citizens say that there is nothing wrong for the head of state to be accompanied by his or her family members, if they pay their own expenses. 'I think the U.S. adopts sophisticated strategies in implementing public diplomacy with families of the president and the vice president. Taking family members on official trips is an effective way to approach the foreign public in a pleasant and comfortable fashion,' said Lim Soo-hyang, a 32-year-old housewife in Ilsan, Gyeonggi Province."Image from entry, with caption: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, left, and his granddaughter Finnegan Biden wave upon arriving at Osan Air Base in Osan, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday.

State Department Buys Million Dollar Granite Sculpture from Irish-Born Artist - At the end of September, the federal government's fiscal year was drawing to a close, the threat of a shut down was increasing, and the State Department was shopping for art.  Four contracts were awarded in the last two weeks of September, including $1,000,000 for a granite sculpture by Irish-born artist Sean Scully to be installed at the new U.S. Embassy in London.  Notice of the awards was posted Sunday afternoon of Thanksgiving weekend on the Federal Business Opportunities website. Although the form of the Scully sculpture is not identified in the award notification, the artist has produced granite sculptures before, including this one entitled 'Wall of Light Cubed 2' in 2008:


The remaining three awards include a bronze sculpture, 'Flowers', by American artist Donald Baechler ($150,000), for the new U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan; a mosaic mural by Miotto Mosaic Art Studio in Carmel, NY ($150,000), for the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil; and a work entitled 'The Black Arch' by Saudi Arabian writer Raja Alem and artist Shadia Alem, for the new U.S. Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. When asked for comment on the contract awards, a State Department official provided the intended destinations for the artwork, as well as the following statement: [']The Department of State’s Office of Art in Embassies curates permanent and temporary exhibitions for U.S. embassy and consulate facilities. For the past five decades Art in Embassies has played a leading role in U.S. public diplomacy with a focused mission of cross-cultural dialogue and understanding through the visual arts and artist exchange.  Art in Embassies is a public-private partnership engaging over 20,000 participants globally, including artists, museums, galleries, universities, and private collectors, and encompasses over 200 venues in 189 countries. The art pieces listed below will become part of the collections at diplomatic posts and in some cases, comply with host city planning requirements that art be incorporated within the design scheme and displayed in public spaces.  These pieces are permanent purchases, not on loan. ['] The State Department's 2013 budget request included $2.5M for the Art in Embassies program." See also (1) (2) (3).

PR Club Hamburg: American Public Diplomacy - Interior Views of a decision maker [Google "translation'] - business-on.de: "Event Mon, 09 December 2013 19:00 - 21:30 clock Amerikazentrum Hamburg ... Thomas Miller, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs (Press and Culture) of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, on 9 December 2013 to host PR Club Hamburg. The event starts at 19 clock in the Americas Center in Hamburg in the HafenCity. Thomas Miller, Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs (Press and Culture) of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, holds a keynote speech, followed by a discussion on the topic: 'American Public Diplomacy: Interior views of a decision-maker.' Lecture and discussion will be held in German. The event is conducted by the PR Club Hamburg in cooperation with U.S. Consulate General Hamburg and the Hamburg America Center."

Voice of America English news website features Russian spokesman but not Ambassador Rice on rights violations in Russia and interference in Ukraine [December 5] - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "Decline of the Voice of America (VOA) English news website continues as it fails to post and update news stories in a timely fashion. Today, the VOA website featured a Reuters report on the Russian human rights spokesman but had nothing on U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice sharply criticizing China’s and Russia’s human rights record and Russia’s interference in Ukraine. ... The VOA English website also used today a Reuters report on Secretary Kerry’s comments about the situation in Ukraine rather than providing its own original reporting. ... The Voice of America English news website has also failed to report on numerous comments about the situation in Ukraine form members of the U.S. Congress."

Czech Helsinki Committee calls on BBG Chairman Jeff Shell to stop discrimination of foreign journalists at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty- BBG Wathcer, BBG Watch: "In a letter addressed to new Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) Jeff Shell, Czech Helsinki Committee Chairwoman Tana Fischerova


asked him to put a stop to discrimination of foreign-born journalists employed by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) at its headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic. Tana Fischerova was a candidate in 2013 Czech presidential elections and is a former member of the Czech Parliament. She is also a member of the board of the Vaclav and Dagmar Havel Foundation VIZE 97 and a member of the Amnesty International. ... The latest sharp criticism of RFE/RL and BBG by the Czech Helsinki Committee is seen as a public diplomacy embarrassment for the United States. But management practices that have given rise to this criticism are even more embarrassing for the U.S. federal agency which has as its mission to support freedom and democracy."Fischerova image from

Martial law prisoners in Poland praised Reagan, Voice of America and Radio Free Europe - BBG Watcher, BBG Watcher: "In some countries like Iran, Tibet and China, even in the age of the Internet and smart phones, radio broadcasts remain the safest and still a vital link to uncensored outside information for pro-democracy and human rights activists and their families and supporters. ... In the early 1980s, America’s attention was on Poland and on Solidarity trade union leaders being interned by the communist regime of General Wojciech Jaruzelski, who on December 13, 1981 had declared martial law. President Ronald Reagan and the rest of America immediately offered their moral and material support to Solidarność. ... In addition to U.S. broadcasts and public diplomacy outreach to the people of Poland, millions of U.S. dollars were channeled to underground Solidarity organizations and their supporters in the West to pay for printing of underground newspapers and purchases of other necessary equipment."

Public Diplomacy On the Way to the Office - Jonathan Henick, takefiveblog.org: "On my relatively short commute the office this morning I came across three separate examples of public diplomacy— each of them conducted by a foreign country with target audiences in the United States. First, I read a charming op-ed by the Chinese Ambassador in the Washington Post that begins with the line, 'Many people don’t realize it, but there are actually two Chinese ambassadors in Washington: me and the panda cub at the National Zoo…' ... Next, I listened to an NPR story from over the weekend reporting


that the Cuban government has decided to relax restrictions to allow its baseball players to go abroad and accept contracts to play in foreign countries.  ... Finally, I was greeted upon my arrival to the Foggy Bottom Metro station (the closest metro station to the U.S. Department of State) by a massive advertising campaign funded by the Canadian government.  ...  As we continue to debate the merits of public diplomacy here in the U.S. and appropriate levels of funding, we should take note of the fact that other countries clearly recognize its value and actively use it to advance their national interests.  We would do well to do the same! Image from

Philanthropy Notes: December 2013 - Matthew Vadum, capitalresearch.org: "Goldman Sachs is planning to help the cash-strapped central bank of Marxist Venezuela fence almost 1.5 million ounces of gold between now and October 2020, according to the El Nacional news website in Caracas. The bullion is reportedly on deposit with the Bank of England. Goldman expects to create a financial instrument in order to trade the precious metal in the international market. The Venezuelan regime, which owns oil giant CITGO, conducts a robust so-called public diplomacy program in the U.S., donating home heating oil to help the poor and funding radical illegal-alien groups like Casa de Maryland."

A conversation with David Menashri on Iran - jewishjournal.com: "David Menashri, Iran has been isolated in the world. There was tremendous pressure, and the sanctions were really making life bitter for the people of Iran. And since the election of [Iranian President Hassan] Rouhani, we could see that they signaled that they want change. … For the president of Iran even to speak over the phone with President [Barack] Obama was a great step forward. Now I don’t think that Iran is willing to give up everything and go entirely in a new direction. But I think the signal is we are serious about their desire to go in a new direction. They have permission from the Supreme Leader to go to this direction.


But they don’t have much time. Steven Spiegel: Who made out better? DM: I think that the Iranians gained more because they made some concessions on the nuclear program that is, by and large, reversible. The concession that the West has done toward Iran with the sanctions, with unfreezing assets, it [will] be much more difficult to reverse. So I think that the Iranians have good reasons to be happy. And when they see the Israeli statements, they are even more happy because the public diplomacy of Israel convinces them that they’ve made a good deal. SS: Some have even suggested that [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu went a bit overboard as a favor to President Obama for that very point that you’ve just made. DM: Imagine that Israel was making statements about how wonderful is the agreement. I can assure you that the reaction in Iran would have been different."

India 'more important' than China as an ally to US: China zooms past US as top economic power; US retains top slot in military power - Bruce Stokes, business-standard.com: "21 per cent of Americans have no opinion of the world's second most populous country, suggesting New Delhi faces a public diplomacy challenge in the United States. The perception of India among some US foreign policy experts is more favourable. When members of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a grouping of former diplomats, government officials and international relations specialists were asked in a separate Pew Research survey about which countries will be more important to the United States in the future, 37 per cent named India, while 35 per cent said  China and 25 per cent identified Japan. Only 20 per cent said the European Union. Nevertheless, this is a smaller portion of the CFR membership who named India than just four years ago, when 55 per cent saw India as a key future ally. The survey of the American public surfaced some good news both for Indian companies hoping to do more business with the United States and for the Indian government intent on deepening formal trade and investment ties with Washington. Fully 77 per cent of Americans say that growing trade and commercial ties between the United States and other countries are good for the US. ... There is less good news for Delhi on a neuralgic friction point in Indo-American relations: access to the US labour market for high-skilled Indian workers. ... So, while Americans are more open to economic engagement than they have been in the past, they also continue to exhibit a wariness about refocusing US policy toward Asia and have misgivings about accepting more high-skilled immigrants. Deepening and broadening the Indian-US relationship in the near term may prove an uphill struggle in this atmosphere."

World leaders and their China tours - People's Daily Online: "Prior to his state visit to China from Monday to Wednesday, British Prime Minister David Cameron expressed excitement at the anticipation of a ride in a Chinese high speed train and a hotpot in Chengdu, giving a touch of informality to the official event.


Over the past few years, world leaders like Cameron have often shown that they share the same interests in China as ordinary tourists, 'signaling that they really like the country', according to Yu Jun, professor at the Chinese Academy of Governance who has studied public diplomacy for years. Chi huo, the Chinese equivalent of 'foodie', referring to someone who has an ardent interest in food, is a buzzword in China. Now, in the eyes of many Chinese netizens, Cameron can add it to his resume. As a matter of fact, many other world leaders share Cameron’s fondness for Chinese food. During his visit to China, US President Obama demonstrated considerable proficiency in using chopsticks, considered by many as evidence that he had had plenty of experience eating Chinese food."Image from entry, with caption: British Prime Minister David Cameron (L) enjoys Chinese tea at the Thatched Cottage of Du Fu in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 4, 2013. Du Fu was a famous Chinese poet in Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.)

What Foreign Confucius Institutes Directors Learn in China - Falk Hartig, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "CIs are not a propaganda tool if we understand the term in its negative and sinister sense. ... As any other government that runs cultural institutions abroad, the Chinese government sets up and partially funds CIs not just for fun and idealistic purposes, but for practical reasons as well. These include promoting Chinese language and culture, but CIs should also promote a positive image of China (whether this works or not, is another story) and they should contribute to creating a Harmonious World, which is one of China’s current foreign policy slogans.  Confucius Institutes therefore do not exist in empty space but should be seen in the broader context of China’s foreign policy. Again, I would say CIs don’t do politics as such by celebrating the CCP; but claiming that politics do not play a role, also does not work."

Super Typhoon Haiyan and Public Diplomacy of the Deed - Shannon Haugh, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The typhoon crisis [in the Philippines] shows the importance of addressing suffering with empathy and compassion in a timely fashion. Key to public diplomacy is engaging and listening. This is the moment for China to do both of these things. Will Chinese leaders be able turn the ship around?"

China’s Uyghur question as a strategic pit - Kilic Bugra Kanat, worldbulletin.net: "The recent Tiananmen incident that led to the death of five people once again revived the debate on the Xinjiang/Uyghur question. The Uyghur issue not only exposes deficiencies in human rights and fundamental liberties in China but also appears as a hurdle for China’s two most pronounced strategic imperatives, namely 'building a harmonious society' and the 'peaceful rise of China.' ... Through the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, China


is on the one hand trying to eliminate the existence of Uyghur dissent groups, and on the other hand, to form a 'democracy prevention' program to stop the spread of ideals of human rights and democratization to Xinjiang and beyond. ... Public diplomacy campaigns by the Chinese government to promote and project its soft power fail to bring about significant results when the Xinjiang syndrome of China shapes its foreign policy towards the region."Image from, with caption: Under the officially declared fight against “three evil forces”, the Chinese government continues to stigmatize and repress its most vulnerable Uyghur population.

EU financial instruments for external action - libraryeuroparl.wordpress.com: "PI: a new instrument, replacing the Instrument for cooperation with industrialised and high-income countries. It will be the main instrument for cooperation with middle and upper income countries, including Russia, Brazil, and India. The PI will be used to implement the international dimension of the Europe 2020 agenda, including cooperation with partners on issues of global concern; to facilitate market access, trade, investment and other business opportunities for EU companies; and to improve the EU’s visibility internationally through public diplomacy."

Lithuanian Presidency reaches agreement on EU external financing - In one of the major achievements for the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council, the Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER II) on December 3 endorsed the agreement with the European Parliament on seven legislative acts setting the rules for some EUR 51 billion in EU development aid, assistance to pre-accession and neighbouring countries, strategic partners, promoting human rights and responding to crises in the financial period of 2014-2020 . ... EU will provide some


EUR 2 billion in assistance through the Instrument for Stability and spend more than 1 billion euros to promote human rights through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights. EU strategic partners are set to receive almost 1 billion euros to implement the international dimension of the Europe 2020 strategy, pursue public diplomacy, cooperation in science and education as well as economy."Image from entry

Removal of visa barriers would allow Russia and EU to develop humanitarian and economic ties - Alina Zaychikova, moonproject.co.uk: "According to some observers, visa-fee regime or simplification of visa requirements stimulates socio-cultural contacts, is favorable for economic co-operation between the countries and contributes to the development of public diplomacy, which makes a significant contribution to strengthening international understanding."

Workshop at Masdar Institute Highlights GCC's Interest in Clean Energy Solutions - cpifinancial.net: "Hosted by Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi, the ‘EU-GCC Renewable Energy Policy Experts’ Workshop was organized by the Decision Support Systems Lab at the National Technical University of Athens (EPU-NTUA, of ICCS), in cooperation with the Gulf Research Centre (GRC) and Masdar Institute.


The workshop was part of the EU-funded public diplomacy project on 'Promoting Deeper EU-GCC Relations'and was actively endorsed by the 'EU-GCC Clean Energy Network', an initiative created jointly by the EU and the GCC to catalyse cooperation among the two regions on clean energy topics of common interest."

Co-op between NATO and Azerbaijan being discussed in Brussels - Sabina Ahmadova, Trend: "A two-day seminar titled 'Opinion Formers From Azerbaijan' has begun its work in NATO headquarters in Brussels. On the first day of the event, NATO coordinator for South Caucasus Despina Afentouli, head of NATO's Euro-Atlantic integration and cooperation Department James McKay, employee of the Department of Public Diplomacy Daniel Rigio, a representative of the program of cooperation and regional security Alexander Defazio and representatives of the Azerbaijani mission to NATO informed the participants about NATO's activity and cooperation between the alliance and Azerbaijan."

Mashav: Still up and running - Philip Marcus, jpost.com: "Mashav is the organization that puts into effect the emphasis on Development Diplomacy, which is an important focus of Israel’s foreign policy. From the foundation of the state, Israel has been a kind of development laboratory in numerous fields, and in 1958 Mashav was created so as to offer the fruits of


Israel’s experience to other nations. Since then, Mashav’s activities have broadened from assistance in agricultural methods, education, particularly in early childhood, public health and the role of women in promoting development to include humanitarian projects, including assistance to nations suffering from the effects of natural disasters . ... Mashav is a significant player in Israel’s ongoing public diplomacy efforts, despite its minimal budget, and its widespread activities are proof that the suggestion that Israel is isolated has no basis in fact."Image from

Nollywood as a tool for International Rebranding and Diplomacy- Bandana, naijastories.com: "Film is seen by public diplomacy advocates as an enormously important avenue for otherwise diverse cultures to understand each other. It involves the use of truthful propaganda to communicate with citizens in other societies rather than their governments. Nigerians and Africans in Diaspora are constantly being barraged with news about high scale corruption, criminality, kidnapping etc. by aggressive and overbearing foreign media agencies. We must get adjusted to the fact that the world does not view us as we see ourselves.


Any time there was an explosion in the Niger Delta, the whole world raised their arms in despair to the extent that the world oil prices shot up. To an average foreigner, Nigeria was then in a state of war and the Niger Delta being compared to Darfur in Sudan. We can use our films to talk to world citizens and explain the true position of things, even to our fellow Nigerians abroad who are even afraid to come back home to visit or to come and invest in the economy. Through our movies, intending tourist will learn to disregard Travel Advisories pasted in their airports warning them about travelling to Nigeria."Image from

Aizaz Chaudhry likely to be Foreign Secretary - brecorder.com - "There are strong indications that career diplomat Abdul Basit may be picked up as Pakistan's High Commissioner to United Kingdom, paving the way for Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry to be the next Foreign Secretary . ... Aizaz has served as Ambassador of Pakistan to the Netherlands (2009-2012). Represented Pakistan in The Hague based international organisations, including OPCW. He conducted public diplomacy in co-operation with Pakistani community to bring the people of Pakistan and the Netherlands closer."

Ministry withdraws summary of suspending gas to textile mills - brecorder.com: "Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources has withdrawn summary of suspending gas supply to textile mills in Punjab during peak winter season, said reliable industry sources. It may be noted that the Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Chief Minister Punjab had held a detailed meeting with textile industry leadership in Lahore. Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab


S M Tanveer and Gohar Ejaz had led a 20-member delegation and made an effective representation for seeking uninterrupted gas supply during extreme winter so that Punjab-based textile industry remain operative to produce textile goods predominantly meant for exports. Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif had also strongly supported the textile industry cause before the Federal Minister, who according to the reliable sources, has directed the ministry to withdraw summary of cutting gas supply to textile industry in Punjab during December and January, followed by once a week gas supply during the month of February. The textile industry circles have eulogised the role of Chief Minister Punjab as well as paid kudos to the APTMA leadership for effective public diplomacy in the earnest need of hour." Image from

cafecito - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "First Mexican gastrodiplomacy experiment of the morning: trying to figure out if the


coffee maker heats the water hot enough to kill all the microbes."Image from

Lost for words: the value of investment in language training for diplomats - Alex Oxborough, diplomacy.edu: "The recent opening of a British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Language Centre, a replacement for the FCO language school closed in 2007 to cut costs, has highlighted the role languages play in diplomacy here in the UK. ... A report  published



this week by the British Academy - Lost for Words - warns that if the UK government does not urgently increase its commitment to language skills, and develop its capacity, the UK is in danger of losing influence. Bill Rivers, Executive Director for the US Joint National Committee for Languages, who himself speaks Russian and French to a professional level, along with 'smatterings' of Spanish, German and Kazakh, said: 'In the States, we've long recognized the value of linguistic and cultural skills for diplomacy and security.'"Image from

Sexist baggage revealed - Alison Broinowski, smh.com.au: "Perhaps the most fundamental change we have seen around the world is not in gender roles but in the practice of diplomacy itself, whose inherited tradition of ostentation and keeping up appearances, once supplemented by the inherited fortunes of diplomats, is unsustainable and irrelevant to the modern world. ... Many foreign services now use social media to make contacts and promote their countries, relying more on public diplomacy than lavish entertainment, and engaging a wider range of people."

Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics -- Joseph S. Nye - Review by Aldo Matteucci, posted at vietthuc.org: The concept of ‘soft power’ as developed by Nye is akin to that of mana among the Maoris. The authority of the chief is augmented by his successes in war. He increases his mana by marriages, feasts and displays of power. His mana is diminished by overt humiliation, or loss in war or negotiation – the Chinese might call it ‘losing face’. Napoleon’s secret weapon was the aura of invincibility that froze his opponent’s hearts and minds. Modern words would be ‘political capital’ – the ability of a leader to rally the electorate around his political goals. Image and ‘public relations’ are everyday terms for ‘soft power’. In the business world one would use the term ‘goodwill’. ... So what else is new?


Little, I’m afraid. The book is a rather tortured and repetitive exposition of plain old truths – states have images; rulers have always been keen to enhance their image and they have not recoiled from doing so deliberately and often deviously. Reputations of states and leaders can be made, and destroyed also, as Napoleon discovered to his chagrin in 1812. Calling image ‘soft power’ does not really add to our ability to understand the issues."Image from

Restricted U.S. Army Psychological Operations Officer Training Manual - blacklistednews.com: "Army PSYOP is the preeminent IO core capability and the U.S. military’s primary vehicle for communicating U.S. themes and messages to foreign TAs and influencing their behavior. As a core capability of IO, PSYOP supports U.S. public diplomacy, public affairs, interagency communications, as well as unit commanders. Both science and art, PSYOP are inherently effects based and frequently require joint and interagency coordination.


PSYOP help shape the physical, informational, and psychological dimensions of the battlefield and provide a nonlethal capability across the range of military operations. As information delivered for effect during peacetime and conflict, PSYOP inform and influence. When properly employed PSYOP saves lives of friendly and adversary forces, as well as noncombatants."Image from

A Delightful Brainstorming with Prof. Dr. Bağcı in the Near East Institute - duyuru.neu.edu.tr: "3rd lecture of Public Diplomacy Certificate Program organised within the scope of Lifelong Learning Programs of Near East Institute (NEI) attracted a great interest of the attending body as the previous courses did. ... The participants truly enjoyed the course because the lecturer, Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı enriched the course by interactive presentation and anecdotes.


Prof. Dr. Hüseyin Bağcı delivered information on the concept of public diplomacy, its history by associating concept with current local and international issues. He provided precious information to assist the participants to understand perception management easily. ... The next session of the certificate program will be held at the Green Hall of the Faculty of Engineering of NEU. Prof. Dr. Hasan Koni, Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of Kültür University, will give 2 lectures on ‘Socio- Psychological aspects of Public Diplomacy’ and ‘What is Soft and Intelligent Power? How is it applied?"Uncaptioned image from entry

IUM Students participated in the seventh International Peace and Sport Forum - monaco.edu: "The seventh International Peace and Sport Forum organized by Peace and Sport took place in the Principality of Monaco between the 6th and 8th November, in Monte Carlo Bay Hotel. We were fortunate enough to participate in the Forum on Thursday and Friday morning plenary sessions, which turned out to be extremely interesting. The Peace and Sport Forum is held every year since 2007. It is a neutral platform for networking, exchange and dialogue. It is already a major event on the sporting, political and diplomatic agenda for sustainable peace and its idea is to expand every year. ... The theme of the first plenary session on Thursday was 'Sport, a peace-building tool at the service of governments'.


The main themes were about how sport can be placed at the service of society, and be seen as an instrument of public policy. The moderator also asked the speakers about how governments can use sport as a vehicle for social cohesion. The session was started with keynote speaker H.E. Young Sam Ma, Ambassador for Public Diplomacy of the Republic of Korea, who spoke about the many sport initiatives the Government of Republic of Korea has initiated, many of them in co-operation with Peace and Sport Monaco, e.g. Table Tennis Tournament to bring both Koreas together in a friendly environment."Image from entry, with caption: Opening Ceremony of the Peace and Sport International Forum 2013

Sié Fellowship - du.edu: "The Sié Fellowship is a two-year, free-tuition scholarship to the Korbel School of International Studies awarded each year to ten outstanding master's degree-seeking students from the U.S. and abroad. The fellowship is highly selective and is granted to applicants that have superior academic credentials and significant work experience in the field. Sié Fellows are given a number of opportunities through each academic year to meet personally with the high-ranking figures that visit Korbel. This has included meetings with former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright  speakers that present in the Public Diplomacy Speaker Series, and many more.

International Relations Conference at Symbiosis Institute of International Studies - thepunekar.com: "It will be interesting to attend an International Relations Conference on ‘India and Development Partnerships in Asia and Africa: Towards a New Paradigm’. This is conducted with the support of the Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India."

Suzanne Nossel to Speak in Scarsdale December 15 - scarsdale10583.com: "Nossel was named Executive Director of the PEN American Center in January, 2013. Her career has spanned government service and leadership roles in the corporate and non-profit sectors.


Prior to joining PEN she served as Executive Director of Amnesty International USA . ... Before joining Amnesty Nossel served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations at the U.S. Department of State, where she was responsible for multilateral human rights, humanitarian affairs, women's issues, public diplomacy, press, and congressional relations."Uncaptioned image from entry

Yo Soy I am: Bicultural empowerment for Latina entrepreneurs - Susana G. Baumann, voxxi.com: "How does a little girl from Manati, Puerto Rico, who was transplanted to Norfolk, Virginia at six years old end up in Texas signing a contract with a multibillion dollar corporation to distribute her own designs and products? Ivette Mayo, a multicultural entrepreneur, motivational speaker, trainer, and owner at Yo Soy I Am, LLC, managed to make her American Dream a reality.

Hispanics seek networking help with federal jobs - Emily Wax-Thibodeaux, Washington Post,standard.net: "In the small city of Belen, N.M., Paco Perez didn't have one relative or neighbor who worked for the federal government. 'No one ever talked about it as an option,' said Perez, 30. While attending law school at the University of New Mexico, he met Martin Brennan, a former ambassador to Zambia and Uganda,who was at the school as part of the Diplomat in Residence Program. Established in 1964 at colleges that are historically black or have other large minority populations, the program was set up to end the 'bastion of white men in the State Department through recruiting,' said Terry Davidson, its coordinator. While studying for the bar exam, Perez decided to take the highly competitive Foreign Service exam. He started meeting 'religiously' with the diplomat and his successors at the school. 'They would have me for dinner and coach me. I don't think I would have made it with out them,' Perez said. He passed the test and joined the Foreign Service as a public diplomacy officer in 2008."

A Day in the Life of a Foreign Service Officer – Digger Diplomat - internationalrelationsonline.com: "Digger Diplomat is a United States Foreign Service Officer and blogger. On her personal blog: Life After Jerusalem, she chronicles her unique experiences as a US Diplomat and her musings on all things foreign policy. Digger Diplomat was kind enough to answer a few of our questions and we are more than delighted to share her incredible insight. Read ahead to learn about her journey toward a career in foreign service, her travels, her tips for acing the Foreign Service Officer Test, and her advice for any one considering a career in US Diplomacy. ... What foreign service officer career track did you choose? I am a Public Diplomacy coned officer. I picked this track because my background is in journalism and anthropology and seemed to be suited to this career track. Plus, since my wife is a political officer, we knew it would be easier to serve together if we were in different cones."


Rooting her feet in her beloved Puerto Rican traditions, she helped others discover new growth strategies to complement their overall business objectives. ... She has also been recognized for her work as a Latina entrepreneurial leader in empowering women on a global level. She was appointed by the U.S. State Department to the Public Diplomacy Program in January 2013."Image from entry, with caption: Ivette Mayo, a Latina entrepreneur, motivational speaker, trainer, and owner at Yo Soy I Am.

The Best Advice I Ever Took: Pursue What You Love, or How Benedict Cumberbatch Saved My Master’s Degree - beckymezzanotte.com: "I studied British public diplomacy and how the British have taken to using celebrities and pop culture to create a positive image for themselves."

Anti-Islam tattoos should be banned in U.S. Military - Letter to the editor, Daily Trojan: "The U.S. government is often accused of foreign policy objectives that promote a 'War on Islam,' and these tattoos do nothing more than reinforce that generalization. For a country that has invaded two Muslim nations, continues drone strikes in several more and suffers from an extreme deficit of trust with the Muslim population of the world, the United States should take more seriously the appearance standards of its service members. Anna Burns Graduate student, public diplomacy [.]"

Young Jewish entrepreneurs earn grants for social initiatives - stljewishlight.com: Four young Jewish entrepreneurs received grants to encourage social entrepreneurship among young Jews. ... The recipients ... [include] Naomi Leight, assistant director for Research and Publications at the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy, for her work in Jewcer.com,

Media and Communications Officer, United Kingdom Joint Delegation to NATO - naombakazi.blogspot.com: "MAIN ROLE



Lead in coordinating and implementing media strategies for top-level NATO events, particularly ministerial meetings and the 2014 NATO Summit; Drive and develop communications policy for the UK in NATO, representing the UK on NATO’s Committee for Public Diplomacy, and shaping communications strategies in support of NATO business (operations, partnership cooperation, capabilities). Work to secure an improved understanding of the Alliance among key audiences; Support the work of the UK Delegation by developing and delivering its public diplomacy and strategic communications strategy, using a full range of communication tools including digital media to deliver UK NATO policy objectives." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Propaganda fails in Afghanistan, report says: A British expert says U.S. commanders are routinely conned by propaganda contractors - Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today: U.S. propaganda efforts in Afghanistan have failed because of poorly designed programs by contractors who often propose expensive marketing solutions to U.S. commanders incapable of making informed choices, according to a study published by the Army's War College. Examples of failed efforts, according to the paper, include a proposal to pay $6,000 dowries to Afghan men to keep them off the battlefield — a scheme that could have cost $4 billion.



That project, ultimately rejected, fits into what the U.S. military calls Information Operations programs. The dowry program and ineffective television ad campaigns "represent merely the tip of the iceberg: over the years, huge amounts of money have been spent on IO programs that are largely anchored in advertising and marketing style communication with little concurrent investment, it would appear, in detailed understanding of audiences and environments," the report concludes. Image from

Our good war turns bad - Roger Simon, Politico: Why don’t we say “mission accomplished” and bring our troops home? True, there are things our forces can still do in Afghanistan such as counterterrorism, which is not to be confused with counterinsurgency. Counterinsurgency is when you try to win the hearts and minds of the enemy. Counterterrorism is when you kill the enemy and then try to win their hearts and minds.We have achieved our goals in Afghanistan. We have won. It is time for our troops to come home. If we stay for another decade, our good war could come to a very bad end.

Biden's Pacific 'Status Quo': U.S. weakness will invite more Chinese military intimidation - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: Joe Biden visited Beijing Wednesday on a trip that was originally supposed to be about trade. Instead the U.S. Vice President carried the message that Washington is concerned about China's new air defense identification zone over the East China Sea. The U.S. should tell Chinese leaders that if their new zone remains in place, U.S. air and naval forces will begin joint patrols around the Senkaku islands. Such a firm stand now would be better for peace in the long term than allowing Beijing to continue its military intimidation.

Obama's Red-Line Presidency: The next president will have to restore the tradition of durable U.S. foreign commitments - Henninger, Wall Street Journal: America's red lines can be blurred, moved or erased at whim. The U.S.'s postwar system of foreign alliances is cracking, or even collapsing. The next president will have to restore the idea of a U.S. commitment to its original, more durable meaning.

Obama's bad foreign policy: War on Terror



has not made us freer or safer - Thomas Mullen, Washington Times: Twelve years of war in the Middle East has accomplished absolutely nothing. The past decade has seen American society adopt a national security state footing that bears far too much resemblance to 1930’s Germany.  Image from

Exclusive: State Department Seizing U.S. Passports in Yemen - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: According to exclusive information obtained through a U.S. government whistleblower involved directly with U.S.-Yemeni affairs, the American Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen unlawfully seized over one hundred U.S. passports from Yemeni-Americans (some place the number at 500 passports), resulting in multiple lawsuits in Federal court.

In Tripoli’s Public Square - Khaled Mattawa, New York Times: "I thought we had accomplished something bold. Twenty minutes earlier, we had finished screening several short films against violence on a makeshift stage set up beside the Maidan Al-Jazair Mosque. But as we packed up our equipment, I could not believe what I saw: A play was being performed on the very steps of the mosque. In front of an enraptured crowd of several hundred, an actor playing an old sailor was reminiscing about the time before Muammar el-Qaddafi’s regime when police officers did their jobs and protected the people. It is a measure of their despair at the worsening security situation that the ordinary people of this city, who were removed and forlorn even during the 2011 revolution, are now gathering at a venerated public site to criticize the government in the open. ... Khaled Mattawa is a professor of English at the University of Michigan and co-founder of the Arete Foundation for Arts and Culture in Tripoli."

Public Sees U.S. Power Declining as Support for Global Engagement Slips: America’s Place in the World 2013 - people-press.org: Growing numbers of Americans believe that U.S. global power and prestige are in decline. And support for U.S. global engagement, already near a historic low, has fallen further. Views of U.S. Global Power Fall to 40-Year LowThe public thinks that the nation does too much to solve world problems, and increasing percentages want the U.S. to “mind its own business internationally” and pay more attention to problems here at home. Yet this reticence is not an expression of across-the-board isolationism.



Even as doubts grow about the United States’ geopolitical role, most Americans say the benefits from U.S. participation in the global economy outweigh the risks. And support for closer trade and business ties with other nations stands at its highest point in more than a decade. These are among the principal findings of America’s Place in the World, a quadrennial survey of foreign policy attitudes conducted in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a nonpartisan membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy. Via RB on Facebook. Image from entry

Augustine's World: What Late Antiquity says about the 21st century and the Syrian crisis - Robert D. Kaplan, foreignpolicy.com: Authority, once so secure and conveniently apportioned across the globe, seems in the process of disintegrating into small bits, with sects and heresies -- Salafists, cybercriminals, and so on -- entering from the side doors. The United States still reigns supreme economically and militarily, with immense stores of natural resources. Nevertheless, American power is increasingly stymied by these new and unpredictable forces. Sheer might -- tanks and jet fighters, nuclear bombs and aircraft carriers -- seem increasingly like products of an ever-receding Industrial Age. Via LH on Facebook

American students trail East Asians, most Europeans in reading - Hector Tobar, latimes.com: While U.S. students scored



near the global average in reading, they were 36th in mathematics, performing well below the global average. See also; map from

What You Need to Know About the International Test Scores - Diane Ravitch, Common Dreams: U.S. students have never been top performers on the international tests. The creative, can-do spirit of the American people, on its character, persistence, ambition, hard work, and big dreams, cannot be measured by standardized tests like PISA.

The ubiquity of propaganda obscures the American military's true role - Jeffrey Polet, Bridge Magazine:  Gone are the times when universities were hotbeds of anti-militarism. Instead, they have been co-opted by research dollars – the Pentagon’s 2014 budget asks for $330 million in university research initiatives, a number which doesn’t include the maintenance of university-based


research centers, which would increase the amount by over $100 million – and have turned their public events into propaganda, the players themselves made avatars of military “virtues.” Image from article, with caption: Uncle Sam Wants You: Americans are comfortable with a level of military propaganda that would be disconcerting coming from another country.

Relations with Iran: Between truth and propaganda - Abdulrahman al-Rashed, Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has resorted to an old Iranian style of politics in which the media is used to exert political pressure. He voiced his complaint that his request to visit Saudi Arabia was rejected. However, the truth is the complete opposite as his request was approved and an appointment was scheduled with his Saudi counterpart; but he himself rejected moving forward with the meeting. Whether Zarif visits Saudi Arabia or not and whether he continues this negative marketing against it or not, the issues of our region, which is packed with problems and suspicion, cannot be resolved through the use of propaganda. The most important step to reform Iranian-Gulf relations requires proof of good intent.

Iranian regime’s propaganda use of Jews would make Goebbels proud - Karmel Melamed, jewishjournal.com: Those of us who live in the free world cannot allow the Iranian regime to win the public relations war that it wages to portray itself as a lover of the Jews or a granter of wide freedoms and equality to non-Muslims living in Iran. We must call out the Iranian regime’s propaganda and expose the truth about its brutality not only to Jews living in Iran but toward Baha’is, Christians, Zoroastrians, Sunni Muslims, Kurds, LGBT, women, labor movement leaders, journalists and others in Iran who have been randomly imprisoned, tortured and executed by the Iranian regime’s leadership for no reason at all.

Why Israel is losing the propaganda war and what she should to do about it - Ted Belman, canadafreepress.com: There are thousands of left wing NGO’s, academics and journalist who make the case against Israel in factual terms by distorting the facts and in emotional terms by weeping for the “blameless” Palestinians. Where is Israel in this debate. She is passive and silent for the most part. The European countries and, to lesser extent, the US accept the lies and propaganda of the left and repeat it as truth, because it serves their purpose. Israel must be steadfast in asserting the truth and her rights. She must do so at every opportunity.

BBC Promotes Hezbollah’s Anti-Israel Propaganda - Hadar Sela, algemeiner.com: The BBC clearly has a problem knowing how to relate to the streams of all too predictable propaganda regularly produced by regimes and terrorist organisations in the Middle East. Its current practice of uncritical repetition and amplification of baseless rumour, conspiracy theories and propaganda is clearly incompatible with its obligation to “build a global understanding of international issues” and its self-declared aspiration to “remain the standard-setter for international journalism.”

Russian news agency RIA Novosti closed down - bbc.co.uk: Russia's President Vladimir Putin has abolished the country's state-owned news agency RIA Novosti. In a surprise decree published on the Kremlin's website on Monday, Mr Putin announced it would be replaced by a news agency called Russia Today. The new agency will be headed by journalist and keen Kremlin supporter Dmitry Kiselev. The state-owned Voice of Russia radio station has also been closed. The decree was effective immediately. Sergey Ivanov, the head of the Kremlin administration, has told journalists in Moscow that the news agency is being restructured in order to make it more economical while increasing its reach, Interfax reports. Mr Ivanov was quoted as saying that the agency, which is being dissolved and reorganised as International News Agency Russia Today, needs to make "more rational use of public money" and that it has to be more effective. "Russia pursues an independent policy and robustly defends its national interests. It's not easy to explain that to the world, but we can and must do this," he said. For many Kremlin critics in Russia, that phrase suggests this is a sinister move by President Putin, says the BBC's Daniel Sandford in Moscow. During Mr Putin's time as Russia's leader, RIA Novosti



has tried hard to produce balanced coverage for Russian and international audiences, our correspondent says. Although state-owned, it has reflected the views of the opposition and covered difficult topics for the Kremlin, our correspondent adds. Mr Kiselev is known for his ultra-conservative views, including recently saying that gay people should be banned from giving blood, and that their hearts should be burnt rather than used in transplants. Reporting on its own demise, RIA noted in its news report that "the move is the latest in a series of shifts in Russia's news landscape, which appear to point toward a tightening of state control in the already heavily regulated media sector."Image from

A TERMINOLOGICAL FACEBOOK EXCHANGE ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Gary Rawnsley
December 4 via mobile
@GDRaber: Just seen "Sauna diplomacy" and "hip hop diplomacy". Can we please stop adding any noun to "diplomacy"? It makes mockery of what diplomacy is
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Gary Rawnsley John, to some this may seem like a flippant point, but I really do worry that we are losing sight of what diplomacy means. When everything becomes an act of diplomacy, what does it mean as a concept and as a practice? Likewise soft power, whereby the power side of the equation seems to have been seriously overlooked of late.
December 4 at 9:46am via mobile · Like




John Brown The same dilution of the term "public diplomacy" is occurring. It's amazing -- and somewhat troubling -- to see how it is now applied to innumerable activities that are by no means alike.
December 4 at 9:51am · Like · 1

Paul Rockower Sorry fellas, the PD juniority is gonna push back here. For starters, yes you are correct that most of these things are not diplomacy but most relate to public diplomacy. The general public doesn't know this because in general we as public diplomats have failed to educate on what we do and what the field is about. But using these various endeavors as a medium to connect people is what public diplomacy is all about. Hip hop diplomacy is a part of cultural diplomacy, just as jazz was prior. The reality is that public diplomacy is an empty shell of which we add notions and concepts to imbue it with meaning. I agree that "diplomacy" has more form. Yes, I agree sometimes the noun + diplomacy gets a lil inane, and I am very much guilty of such bastardizations, but it reflects a broader way in using different mediums and methods to connect people, and that is what PD is all about. And ultimately, I think it is a good thing that pd is more malleable and dynamic than its stodgy cousin diplomacy.
December 4 at 10:03am · Edited · Like · 1

James R Vaughan Let's verb it instead! We could Diplomacise Hip Hop. Or, then again, maybe not...
December 4 at 1:21pm via mobile · Like

John Brown Paul: Nice phrase, giving food for thought: "public diplomacy is an empty shell" ... Not to overly prolong the discussion, but of all the adjectives added to diplomacy my favorite is "pubic" ... I even wrote a piece on it some years ago: http://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/.../070711_public.../

Public Diplomacy Goes ‘Pubic’ | USC Center on Public Diplomacy | PD News – CPD Blog
uscpublicdiplomacy.org
The University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy is a joint acad...See More
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AMERICANA



Megan Garder, "Congratulations, Ohio! You Are the Sweariest State in the Union: Phone-call data track the distribution of courtesy (and the lack of it) over recorded conversations. We'd thought better of you, Buckeyes," Megan Garder, Atlantic

MORE AMERICANA

"polls show over half of American adults don’t know which country dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima."

--Lawrence Davidson, "Why Americans Are So Ignorant -- It's Not Only Fox News, There Are Some Understandable Reasons for it: Sure propaganda, government secrecy and Fox News have a lot to do with it. But there are broader societal pressures as well," Consortium News; via BB on Facebook

PHOTO OF THE DAY: DIPLOMATIC SECURITY'S SMOKY SCENARIO TRAINING (VIA DIPLOPUNDIT)



Image from, with caption: U.S. government personnel evacuate a building through a smoky scenario September 9, 2013, at the Diplomatic Security (DS) Interim Training Facility in Summit Point, West Virginia. All government personnel serving at U.S. embassies or consulates in high-threat regions of the world must undergo DS’s Foreign Affairs Counter Threat training before their deployment. (U.S. Department of State photo)

RUSSICA

"The Russian and the Bulgarian are walking down the street and find a 25-ruble bill. The Russian, all excited, says, 'Let's share it as brothers would!' The Bulgarian replies, 'No, thanks. I'd rather share it equally.'"

--Soviet era joke

"protiv kogo viy druzhite [against whom are you waving friendship?]

--Russian play of words; cited in James Sheer, Hard Diplomacy and Soft Coercion: Russia's Influence Abroad (2013), p .9

--49 Russian Diplomats/Spouses Charged With Picking Uncle Sam’s Pocket in Medicaid Scam - DiploPundit

Proper link is at

--Beth Z., a math teacher in Alaska; image from

VIDEO

100 Movie Quotes (American Film Institute Top 100 Movies) - flixxy.com; Via DRH on Facebook

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

OMG -- Is that Public Diplomacy?

Mandela’s funeral brings foreign rivals together - dawn.com: “'The world literally is coming to South Africa,' said the government’s head of public diplomacy, Clayson Monyela [one of many articles mentioning Mr. Monyela and his position].

Effects of public diplomacy hard to prove- Zach Rausnitz, fiercehomelandsecurity.com: "Public diplomacy does not have a clear way to measure its effects, said Walter Douglas, minister counselor for public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, India. Douglas spoke during an event on Nov. 25 at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he was a State Department visiting fellow in 2011-2012. 'It's very difficult, because you can measure inputs but you can't measure outputs,' he said. 'Nobody has really come up with an idea' for how to show when populations 'have changed their way of looking at the United States based on what we have given them.' Knowing which programs your agency should support doesn't have to be a guessing game. Even with social media, now a key channel for public diplomacy messaging, outcomes can be difficult to measure even though the metrics for inputs are clear. Instead, Douglas said public diplomacy should have a clear message, identify success stories, and seek out influential people as the prime audience. 'If your narrative makes sense, people can probably trust that you're onto something,' he said.


Douglas was an advertising executive before he joined the State Department. While advertising and public diplomacy bear some resemblance to each other, decision-making in the advertising business is far more clear-cut, Douglas said. The success of advertising can often be reduced to whether a product sells or not. U.S. public diplomacy has in recent years focused heavily on countering anti-American views in Muslim-majority countries. One lesson Douglas said he has drawn from his experiences is that it helps to discuss the importance of religion to Americans. Many are surprised to hear about the prominence and prevalence of religion in the United States, he said, since they often learn about U.S. culture from entertainment that doesn't capture a complete picture of American life. 'I think that's something that is a barrier and breeds a lack of trust in who we are, because religion is so important to them,' he said."Image from entry

No deal with Iran: The United States and other powers appear resigned to conceding, in the final stage of a future agreement with Iran, that Tehran has a right to enrich uranium. They're wrong to be - thecommentator.com: "It took only 100 days in office for Iran's new president, Hassan Rouhani, to fool the United States and its Western allies into believing that his charm offensive was a genuine change of direction. As a result, in Geneva three rounds of negotiations began the process for an interim nuclear agreement that will leave Iran with its ability to build a nuclear bomb intact while giving Tehran the much-coveted sanctions relief the regime needs to keep its economy afloat. How did such a capitulation happen? After demanding for seven years that Iran halts all its enrichment-related activities, including research and development, the international community is prepared to settle for a deal that will not stop Iran's enrichment activities and may ultimately recognise Tehran's demand that enrichment be considered 'an inalienable right'. Iran's demand has been a key element of its public diplomacy for over a decade. And while many members of the international community have been nervous about Iran's nuclear ambitions, few outside the small circle of Western democracies are entirely comfortable with foregoing in principle the ability to enrich."

Iran: Parliament launches new push to improve ties with West - aawsat.net: "'Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also said last week that the Iranian parliament is to decide on the formation of an Iran-US parliamentary friendship group. These developments follow statements by Iran’s deputy speaker of parliament, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, known to be a member of the conservative camp, who said in October that 'parliamentary diplomacy between Iran and America must take shape before official diplomacy.' Bahonar said: 'Official diplomacy has limitations that public diplomacy does not have. Public diplomacy can start with a soccer match, parliamentary consultations or lobbying.'”

Iranian Embassy, shuttered for decades, was known for hedonistic, star-studded gatherings - Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post: "The Iranian Embassy at 3005 Massachusetts Ave. was once 'the number one embassy when it came to extravagance,' wrote frequent guest Barbara Walters in a memoir. As tuxedo-clad musicians serenaded, the flamboyant ambassador welcomed Washington’s A list with endless bowls of fresh Caspian Sea caviar


and glasses of Dom Perignon. All that came to a shuddering halt in 1979, when Islamic revolutionaries replaced the shah with a theocracy and the partying stopped.  The 34-year freeze between Iran and the United States has in some ways been colder than the Cold War, when the United States and Iron Curtain countries at least had diplomatic relations and embassies. Since the 444-day hostage crisis, representatives of the United States and Iran have had scant direct communication. Nuclear negotiations over the past few weeks have represented the most extensive overt diplomatic contact in decades and have set off speculation about the possibility of renewed relations between the former allies." Via HD on Facebook. Image from entry

RFE/RL counters Russian state media propaganda on events in Ukraine - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch - "This has been posted on Facebook by the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG)[:]


Russian state-controlled television channels have been treating its viewers to a raft of disparaging, often bizarre reports downplaying Ukraine’s protests. –>http://bit.ly/1bx4XXn Luckily, RFE/RL‘s reports are making it far and wide, as yesterday’s CNN screengrab will attest. (It was shown on ABC World News as well.)VOA Ukrainian Service is also doing an outstanding job of reporting despite limited resources and general management disarray within Voice of America and the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB). But while there are exceptions among some language services, generally, the Voice of America is failing to report news in a timely and professional manner. The Voice of America English News and VOA English news website have been an especially great embarrassment because of late and inadequate reporting and failing to report on many important news developments in Ukraine and elsewhere. While the Voice of Russia (VOR) covered this U.S.-Ukraine news story in English, the VOA English website did not report on Vice President Joe Biden’s phone call today with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.  Earlier last week, the Voice of America English website also failed to cover Biden’s speech in Beijing, China, on human rights and media freedom."Image from entry

Russia Today now reports on Biden’s call to Yanukovych– still nothing on VOA English website - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "Over the weekend, most VOA reports from Ukraine were from Reuters. They received even fewer Facebook 'Likes' compared to thousands Facebook 'Likes' for Russia Today and BBC reports on demonstrations in Kiev."

Putin Overhauls Russia's International Broadcasting: Back to Propaganda 1.0? - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "Russia's primary public diplomacy objective: gaining true recognition and acceptance among the big power players of the world. ... Seems like despite all the years and money spent on various public diplomacy and propaganda (and I won't shy away from using this term here) campaigns with little to no results, Kremlin still stubbornly believes that its approach is the right approach. And the approach is very similar to the Russian (military?) saying: Не знаешь — научим, не хочешь — заставим! If you don't know [something] -- we'll teach you. If you don't want to -- we'll force you to."

RELATED ITEMS

John Kerry's high-wire diplomacy: Has the new secretary of State eclipsed Hillary Clinton on the world stage? - Doyle McManus, latimes.com: In 10 months, Kerry has embarked on a whirlwind of diplomacy. He helped conclude an interim deal with Iran that puts a ceiling on Tehran's nuclear enrichment. He launched new Israeli-Palestinian peace talks with the goal of producing a deal next year. And he secured a date for negotiations to end the war in Syria, although it's still not certain who will show up.One reason Kerry has been given so much leeway to try his hand on Iran, Israel and Syria: They're all issues the White House is happy to drop into someone else's lap. But it does lead some diplomats to wonder whether Obama and Rice can be counted on to back up Kerry when he makes a deal.

A Breakthrough Agreement at Risk - Editorial, New York Times: The interim deal nuclear deal with Iran stated that no further sanctions should be imposed while it was in force. New penalties would betray that agreement, feed Iranians’ deep mistrust of Americans, deny Mr. Obama negotiating flexibility and, most likely, crush any hope that a diplomatic solution is possible.

What to do about Syria: The situation is heartbreaking. But a more aggressive approach by the U.S. could backfire - Editorial, latimes.com: As grievous as the humanitarian situation in Syria is, a unilateral military campaign by the U.S. — even if it were supported by Congress, which is unlikely — could prolong the war, exacerbate the suffering of the Syrian people and make it even harder to achieve the political solution that remains the best hope for ending the violence.

Don't Expect Germany to Stand Up to Russia: With Washington in retreat and Berlin still allergic to conflict, Ukraine and its neighbors are on their own against Putin's aggression - John Vinocur, Wall Street Journal: If you analyze what the EU—notably German leadership, because it is largely their show—isn't saying about Russia isolating Ukraine as its ward, and add in American silence on this issue, the situation has become an accelerating challenge to Western notions of a European future "whole and free."

A Global Dining Empire Loses an Outpost - Jane Perlez, New York Times: BEIJING — The last meal at Maison Boulud in China, at least for now, was served on Sunday. The restaurant, run by the New York chef Daniel Boulud in the former American Embassy not far from Tiananmen Square, closed after five years, the victim of a falling out with Chinese partners and perhaps the staid habits of Beijing. Maison Boulud had a certain cachet because of its home in the two-story structure that served as the American Embassy; it was one of the first buildings in the capital to use imported steel and lumber from the United States. Newspaper accounts from the period note that Sidney H. Nealy, an architect for the State Department, designed the chancery, separate residences, servants’ quarters and an ice factory. “These buildings are such as might be put up in Washington for a similar purpose,” said an article in The Washington Post. “They are in every respect first-class gray brick and granite structures with every modern improvement.” The article said Mr. Nealy learned “enough of the language to handle the native laborers,” who “had to be taught in an American way.” When the Communists took power in 1949, the embassy, set on a square known as the Legation Quarter, became the property of the government. Before the 2008 Olympics, developers leased the chancery and the accompanying buildings and renovated them for commercial use in what was planned as a plaza of restaurants and galleries. The interior of the chancery, where the Maison Boulud dining room is on the first floor, retains much of its original look. The white carved banister of the staircase, the black and white marble floors in the bar area and broad beam timber floors in banquet rooms upstairs are still intact. A large room at the back of the lobby, now swathed in red wallpaper, was described by the restaurant as the place where Henry A. Kissinger and Zhou Enlai met secretly in 1971 to plan President Richard M. Nixon’s visit to China the following year. In fact, those meetings took place at the Diaoyutai State Guest House compound some distance from the old American Embassy, said Winston Lord, who participated in the 48 hours of talks as an aide to Mr. Kissinger. Mr. Lord later became United States ambassador to China. “We left Diaoyutai once — for a secret tour of the Forbidden City, followed by a secret lunch with Zhou Enlai in the Great Hall of the People,” Mr. Lord said. Via ACP III on Facebook

Egypt's new hijab-clad superheroine - Dina Demrdash, BBC Arabic: She's got comic strip superpowers, fights for justice and gives bad guys a hard time. If this makes you think of Catwoman, then think again - for this is a new kind of superheroine with a visible difference. Meet Qahera - the hijab-wearing Egyptian comic-book


character fighting back against crime and prejudice. She is the brainchild of a young Egyptian artist who created the first ever Egyptian superhero in a web comic, and its picking up a growing fanbase. "It all started as a joke with a group of friends," Deena Mohamed says. Via ACP III on Facebook. Image from entry

AMERICAN DIPLOMACY IN ACTION: SHOWING YOUR AMBASSADORIAL BASKETBALL WOUNDS ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA



U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on Facebook, with above photo included: "Yesterday My new cast (it may not look high-tech but it is). It covers up my newly constructed finger, now stronger than ever with a titanium plate and pins. To remind, I fractured my finger playing in a friendly basketball match between Russians, Americans and a few others. You see how much I am willing to sacrifice to improve U.S._Russian relations !"

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