“There's an old saying about those who forget history. I don't remember it, but it's good.”

―-Stephen Colbert; image from

VIDEO

[The Babushka] - YouTube

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission: 2013 Joint Annual Report - "Executive Summary: Now in its fourth year, the U.S. – Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission represents the sustained efforts of our governments to strengthen and expand cooperation between the United States and Russia. Over the past year, the Commission’s structure has evolved and grown to reflect our shared interests and common goals. Today, the BPC counts 21 working groups, drawing on the talents of over 60 offices, agencies and departments across the whole breadth our nations’ governments, as well as enjoying contributions from non-governmental organizations and private sector businesses. ... Education, Culture, Sports, and Media Working Group [:] The Education, Culture, Sports and Media Working Group (ECSM) is one of the most productive working groups, with more than 100 completed cultural programs, meetings, and exchanges since its inauguration in 2009. The Education Sub-Working Group completed this year the fourth Fulbright Community College Administrators Seminar, which enabled high-level representatives from both countries to exchange views on the structure and management of technical and vocational schools.


During the seminar, education administrators also signed a number of Memoranda of Understanding on technical innovation and training. As part of its efforts to enhance opportunities for U.S. and Russian students and faculty, the Moscow Fulbright Office partnered with Moscow State University and the Higher School of Economics in hosting summer schools on sustainable development and humanities. The Culture Sub-Working Group has sponsored an unprecedented amount of cultural programming and promoted common historic and cultural heritage by joint celebration of Fort Ross 200th anniversary. An excellent example of the melding of great American and Russian culture was the tour of the American National Youth Symphony Orchestra which brought together 120 American teenagers from 42 states to perform Russian classics under the direction of Russian Maestro Valery Gergiev. In another example, the unparalleled Bolshoy and Mariinsky Ballets entertained audiences from California to Washington D.C. during their U.S. tours in May and October 2012. Additionally, an American ballerina, Keenan Kampa, was invited to tour with the Mariinsky group – the first such invitation ever. Other highlights included tours of Russia by American rhythm and blues singer Maya Azucena, the Santa Fe Ballet and the Quebe Sisters Band. Music has only been one of many forms of artistic expression through which American-Russian cultural appreciation has flourished. Young writers have been able to connect through exchanges and workshops, such as those led by Christopher Merrill, Director of the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program. The popular 'Show US!' American Documentary Film Festival showcased American films in Moscow, the Urals and Tatarstan. The Sports Sub-Working Group completed a number of unique programs this year. Highlights include a visit by the first Muslim woman to represent the US in an international competition, fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad. In October, 2012, Russia hosted 20 high school-aged American ice hockey players for a week of hockey diplomacy. Future programming includes an exchange for high school athletes to tie into the 2014 Paralympics. The Mass Media Sub-Working Group has also actively continued its work this year, meeting in Washington, DC in October, 2012, and in St. Petersburg in August, 2013. The meetings focused on such themes as: the Business of Media; the Evolving Practice and Profession of Journalism; and New Media Technologies. To put words into action, the Mass Media sub-Working Group organized the Young Professional Journalist Exchange, which took place in November/December, 2013. Twenty four young American and Russian journalists participated in the four-week exchange that placed them in news organizations in Moscow and around the U.S., respectively." Image from

State Dep't Sends Condolences To Iran FM Via Social Media - Golnaz Esfandiari, rferl.org: "The U.S. State Department has turned to social media to express its condolences over the passing of the mother of Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.  State Department Farsi spokesman Alan Eyre expressed his condolences over the death of Efat Kashani on his Facebook page, which has over 70,000 likes. He also shared the Internet link to his message via Twitter. Eyre wrote that he heard about Kashani's death with the ‘deepest regret’ and added that he prayed God might give the family ‘patience.’ The United States has extensively used the public-diplomacy tools at its disposal to reach out to Iranians. But Eyre's message is a rare -- perhaps unprecedented -- instance of the State Department using social media to reach out to an Iranian government official."

What Can Public Diplomacy Learn from Netflix? - Jonathan Henicks, Take Five: I had the pleasure and privilege to attend yesterday’s meeting of the Broadcasting Board of Governors as a member of the public. The session featured two fascinating presentations and discussions. First, Voice of America Director David Ensor gave an inspirational presentation on the mission, goals, accomplishments, and challenges facing the Voice of America. Later, we listened to an insightful panel on Technology and Innovation that featured Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Coordinator for International Information Programs at the U.S. Department of State Macon Phillips, and Chief Technology Officer for the Atlantic Media Group Tom Cochran. Among the many important issues raised in these discussions are a few key themes facing all of us who are engaged in the practice of public diplomacy. The dominant issue – as is often the case – is how to use our scarce resources most effectively. ... The VOA discussion featured a number of comparisons with broadcasting organizations of other countries like CCTV, Russia Today, and the BBC (usually to illustrate that VOA is relatively underfunded). ... The Innovation panel also proved exceptionally interesting, highlighting the significant challenges that technology poses for the BBG (and the State Department). Netflix CEO Reed Hastings emphasized the need to always keep the big picture of the future in mind if we hope to develop tools and programs that will be effective in the future. He noted, for example, that Netflix always believed that streaming video was the future of the company and that snail mail DVDs were always considered an interim measure. Likewise, we in public diplomacy should all keep in mind that in another 20 or 30 years the internet will be everywhere, even overseas (a remark that caused many in the audience to ponder a future when television and radio will simply be obsolete). Another interesting theme was the benefits and dangers of 'personalization' (using technology to deliver customized content to individuals as Netflix does) and 'balkanization' (the development of virtual 'gated communities' in which there are no longer public squares and water coolers where people are forced to debate issues of general interest). ... The author is a State Department officer specializing in public diplomacy, currently detailed to the IPDGC [Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication] to teach and work on various Institute projects."

VOA News not reporting on American Greenpeace activists leaving Russia - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "The VOA English website has two reports on Greenpeace activists – five Britons and one Canadian – who have left Russia after being granted amnesty from charges of hooliganism. Neither of the two reports mentions the two American citizens, Peter Willcox, the Greenpeace ship’s captain, and Dimitri Litvinov, of the famous Litvinov family from Russia."

Former Israeli Amb. To the U.S. Michael Oren Speaks at IDC Herzlyia Ambassador Club - israelseen.com: "Over 250 students attended the opening of the 8th year of the StandWithUs Ambassadors Club at the IDC Herzliya’s Raphael Recanati International School (RRIS). The opening event, with a keynote address from Ambassador Michael Oren, until recently Israel’s Ambassador the United States, was held in the largest auditorium on campus. ... Ambassador Oren gave one of his first lectures since completing his post as Israeli Ambassador to the United States.


He discussed the importance of speaking up and telling Israel’s story around the world in an educated and effective way. Oren spoke about the experiences and challenges he faced as Ambassador to the United States, providing the students with a better understanding of what they may face as the future leaders and ‘ambassadors’ for Israel. This marks the 8th year of the successful ‘Ambassadors Club’ program which has become the go-to program at the IDC Herzliya for Israeli public diplomacy, educating students who want to represent Israel to the best of their abilities around the world. Previous speakers included Alan Dershowitz, Natan Sharansky, Mark Regev among many other top politicians, diplomats, educators and media personalities. Image from entry, with caption: StandWithUs and IDC Herzliya ‘Ambassadors Club’ Launches 8th Year with Keynote Ambassador Michael Oren, Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States headlines launch of public diplomacy program for international students in Israel.

Between Support and Discord: Gulf-Egypt Relations after June 30 - Sherif Elashmawy, "Though Mohamed Morsi’s first overseas trip as president of Egypt was to Riyadh, the gesture proved to be of little importance. ...  Following Morsi’s ouster by the Egyptian military on July 3, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was the first head of state to congratulate interim President Adli Mansour after his appointment by the country’s military overlords. ... From the perspective of Egypt’s new rulers, the support from the Gulf provides international legitimacy they otherwise lack.


While Cairo has been seeking world recognition through an extensive public diplomacy campaign, the only countries President Mansour has visited since July 3 are Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Kuwait, and the UAE. Image from entry, with caption: The Gulf governments’ decision to back Morsi’s ouster has not been without its costs.

2013: A fruitful year in Chinese diplomacy - Shen Qing, xinhuanet.com: "Senior diplomats from Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spoke highly of China’s diplomacy in 2013. Speaking at the '2013 Chinese Diplomatic Discussion' in Beijing on Wednesday, they defined the year of 2013 as a 'fruitful year in foreign affairs of China'. ... Senior diplomats restressed the importance of public diplomacy, saying promoting the mutual understandings between China and other countries is the task public diplomacy faces.


China needs to build its image at the international stage. Traditional media and new media have vital social responsibilities in making international voice on Chinese-related information and matters and showing positive and contributive images of China, they added." Image from entry, with caption: Senior diplomats from Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs attend “2013 Chinese Diplomatic Discussion”, Dec. 25, 2013.

On the Study of US-China's Trade Diplomacy - gilangardana.blogspot.com: "For its Public Diplomacy strategy, China seeks understanding for its political system and policies rather than pressuring other to accept their ideology, China is not following US Public Diplomacy that stressing that their ideology, which is democracy, is the best practice for political ideology.[5] In practice, China did that with its Confucius Institutes, the institutions that emphasis teaching than intellectual exchange and imparting an understanding of China rather than seeking common values through dialogue. Likewise, The U.S. government public diplomacy aim in large part to cultivate shared democratic values among the professional and leadership classes of foreign countries. And for some, it is not appreciating other’s political ideology. That is why in term of public diplomacy in gaining foreign market, China is arguably has more strategic policy than US. ... [5] d'Hooghe, I. (2007, July). The Rise of China's Public Diplomacy. Clingendael: Netherlands Institute of International Relations."

BBC plans big expansion of arts coverage and cultural fare - James Pickford and Henry Mance, Financial Times: "The BBC will appoint a senior executive next year to lead a big expansion of its arts coverage and build relationships directly with artists and arts institutions. Lord Hall, BBC director-general, has made arts a priority since taking the reins at the corporation in March 2013, pledging a 20 per cent rise in funding for arts television programmes, more broadcasting of live events, online expansion and more cultural fare on the flagship channels BBC One and BBC Two. A new arts supremo will be asked to drive plans to bring music, opera, ballet and visual arts to mainstream audiences and make the most of the BBC’s arts content. ... The arts drive will rely heavily on the use of digital technology, which is rapidly becoming more important as a means of delivering BBC content."

Afghan Women Writers To Speak With New Voice At Richmond Hill Library - theforumnewsgroup.com: "Queens residents will have the opportunity to hear intimate, first-person accounts of life in Afghanistan read aloud next month at the Richmond Hill branch of the Queens library. The library will be hosting the Afghan Women’s Writing Project for a special reading featuring the work of Afghan women writers. The event will take place Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. The library is located at 118-14 Hillside Ave. Admission is free. ... The Richmond Hill event will feature a reading by


Masha Hamilton, the founder of the AAWP and the author of five novels, including 'What Changes Everything,' which centers on the way both Americans and Afghans grappled with the most recent Afghan war. She previously worked in Afghanistan as the Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy." Image from entry, with caption: Masha Hamilton, the founder of the Afghan Women’s Writing Project, will read from her work at the Richmond Hill Library on Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Canelons for St Stephen’s Day, December 26th, in Catalonia - rachellaudan.com: "Well, if the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia can tweet my 2012 piece on this 'traditional' dish (albeit with the caveat that retweets are not endorsements), I reckon I can re-post it. ... Today is St. Stephen’s Day, the day that Catalans celebrate by eating


canelones (cannelloni). When I was living there for a few months, I delved into the origin of this custom." Catalan canelons image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

Central African Republic needs international help - Dieudonné Nzapalainga and Omar Kabine Layama, Washington Post: We greatly appreciate the U.S. military and humanitarian assistance that supports the French and African forces. The aid and security forces have given our country the chance for a fresh beginning, but progress is fragile and these soldiers cannot shoulder this burden alone. We believe the most effective way to stop the killing is for the swift authorization of a U.N. peacekeeping force, which would have the resources to adequately protect our civilians. The United Nations should urgently move to approve and dispatch such a force. U.S. support for this force will be vital.

Geneva N-deal thwarted anti-Iran propaganda: Cleric - presstv.ir: A senior Iranian cleric says the breakthrough interim nuclear deal struck last month in the Swiss city of Geneva between Iran and six world powers over Tehran’s nuclear energy program frustrated anti-Iran propaganda.


“The favorable outcome of these [nuclear] negotiations was that the propaganda launched by the [global] arrogance against Iran faded out given that they had long been falsely claiming that the Islamic Republic of Iran is pursuing atomic weapon while we have always stated that we are seeking to acquire nuclear science,” Tehran interim Friday Prayers leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani told worshippers in Tehran. Image from entry, with caption: Tehran interim Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Emami-Kashani

‘Lincoln in the World: The Making of a Statesman and the Dawn of American Power’ by Kevin Peraino - Stephen Budiansky, Washington Post: Just as historians have long shown that beneath Lincoln’s self-deprecating dismissals of his talents as a political leader or military commander-in-chief lay a deep skill in judging and managing people and events, so Peraino argues we should be skeptical of the image of the “plain-talking Railsplitter” unschooled in diplomatic finesse.


On the contrary, Peraino writes, Lincoln understood realpolitik as well as any great-power leader, shrewdly exploited the new mass media to advance America’s interests by appealing directly to foreign public opinion, and “worked assiduously to build a centralized American state — a critical prerequisite to America’s later rise to power,” particularly by strengthening the role of the presidency as the “firm hand” on the nation’s foreign policy. Image from entry

Caroline Igoe campaigners quote Nazi propaganda - Supporters of a would-be model ordered to serve at least 20 years for murdering her boyfriend are quoting Nazi propaganda in their bid to free her. Caroline Igoe was jailed in 2010 after shooting Martyn Barclay in the head.


Now, on a Facebook page entitled The Case of Caroline Igoe, campaigners of the 35-year-old have published the words of Hitler’s henchman Joseph Goebbels. The paragraph reads: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Supporters claim Igoe was convicted using only circumstantial evidence and “deserves to have her full case heard in court." Ingoe image from entry

Inside the Rainbow: how Soviet Russia tried to reinvent fairytales - Marina Lewycka, Financial Times:


A new society was to be built from scratch. How to mould and inspire human beings fit for this wonderful new world was a challenge for artists and educators alike. Avant-garde writers, artists, cinematographers and musicians, many of them commissar Lunacharsky’s friends, were eager to be part of the great experiment. Resourceful writers sent their characters on adventurous trips, even while adhering to the party’s educational tenets. In Nikolai Bulatov and Pavel Lopatin’s The Journey Inside the Electric Lamp (1937), the discovery of electricity becomes a thrilling undertaking when two children, magically diminished in size, make the hazardous journey up an electricity cable into the heart of their reading lamp. The illustrations by M Makhalov – including a photomontage showing the two tiny figures balancing precariously on a looped and twisted cable, their shadows looming beside them – look every bit as exciting as a traditional adventure story. Image from entry, with caption: ‘Journey Inside the Electric Lamp’, illustrated by M Makhalov (1937) Via CDM on Facebook.

SOVIETICA


From: American photographer in the Soviet Union in 1931. Moscow - Deco Branson (Branson DeCou) - American photographer and traveler, skif-tag.livejournal.com. Sign reads (loose translation: "The station of fire-prevention propaganda." Via HS on Facebook

AMERICANA


[Interactive] Map: Property Taxes in Your County - brookings.edu. Via JMK on Facebook

"Love, and do what you like."

--Saint Augustine; St. Augustine image from

VIDEOS

U.S. Embassy in Uganda Slays Christmas - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well

Animated Soviet Propaganda - American Imperialist: The Millionaire - youtube.com. Via

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY


Don’t Assume Your Audience Knows What You Know - To Inform is to Influence: "I have been doing a fairly deep dive on Public Diplomacy and the BBG for the past year. They have a feedback mechanism which tells them how effectively their broadcasts are reaching the target audience, yet most of the information activity ‘cycle’ is hidden. The staff puts out 'fair and objective' reporting and then broadcasts it into denied areas. The focus is on reaching the most numbers. The focus is not on achieving an objective. What is that objective? The best answer I can ascertain is to 'promote democracy'. Other than that the objective is to merely reach the most numbers. The true measure of success, I have discovered in the past year, is only anecdotal.


After the fall of the Iron Curtain, we discovered that the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe and other International Broadcasting efforts were being listened to. I have yet to find concrete evidence that VOA or RFE contributed to the fall of the Iron Curtain, however, I would like to think so. I admit I have not done enough research in that area. My point is that I do not see adequate planning or research in the Public Diplomacy field, I don’t see stated objectives, I don’t see planning, I don’t see how the planning is effected by the feedback mechanism they have in place – except for broad policy and resource allocation changes." Image from

BBG Journalists Honored For Bravery, Excellence And Innovation - bbg.gov: "In 2013 the networks of the Broadcasting Board of Governors earned high-profile awards and accolades for their innovative use of technology, commitment to excellence and dedication to providing quality, unbiased information to audiences around the world. Journalists from the Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia, and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting received honors from the New York Festivals, the Association for International Broadcasting (AIB), the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, the Society of Professional Journalists and many other organizations."

VOA Russian Service reports on White House – NSC statement on terror attacks in Russia –- VOA English does not - BBG Watcher, BBG watch: "In effect, the VOA English website is not reporting on U.S. reactions to the terrorist attacks in Russia and neither is the vast majority of more than 40 VOA language services."

Public diplomacy meets social media: A study of the U.S. Embassy's blogs and micro-blogs - sciencedirect.com: "Xin Zhonga, School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China,[;] Jiayi Lua, School of Journalism and Communication, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China [.] Highlights: -- Traditional public diplomacy is transforming. -- We examine the U.S. Embassy's public diplomatic communication via social media. -- We use the methods of content analysis and interview. -- Experience-sharing and relationship-building is the core of new public diplomacy. Abstract [:] With the evolution of communication technologies, traditional public diplomacy is transforming. This study examines the practice of the U.S. Embassy's public diplomatic communication via social media, namely Chinese mainstream blogging and micro-blogging, sites using Tencent for a case study. This study analyzes the embassy's blog and micro-blog entries and an interview with the embassy's public diplomacy officer. Based on the content analysis and interview, this study discerns the key features of the U.S. Embassy's public diplomatic communication using social media and further suggests that the common values and interests related to the global public as well as experience-sharing and relationship-building might become the focus of new public diplomacy research." Via LOS on Facebook

First Lady of the United States Visits Pakistan and Tours Peshawar, the Khyber Pass, and Lahore [includes video of the United States Information Service film video of this even] - skepticalbureaucrat.blogspot.com: "Given that USIS was folded into the State Department back in 1999, I expect there are few active members of the U.S. Foreign Service today who have


any memory of when there was an independent government agency that did public diplomacy and broadcasting. ... In its last year of operation, USIS had 190 posts in 142 countries, an annual budget of $1 billion and change, and employed - even after a staffing reduction in 1997 - 6,352 employees, of whom 904 were Foreign Service personnel, 2,521 were locally engaged staff overseas, and 2,927 were Civil Service employees in the United States. How does that compare to the resources of the R Bureau [at the State Department] today? Badly, I know." Image from article, with caption: Arriving in Peshawar. On USIS/USIA, see.

Brazil’s top 10 foreign policy challenges in 2014 - Oliver Stuenkel,  Post-Western World: "7. Engage the public - both at home and abroad [:] "Few Foreign Ministers spent as much time talking to students, representatives of NGOs and academics as Antonio Patriota during his time in office. Rightly so: Itamaraty [the Brazilian Foreign Ministry] must convince civil society that Brazil should turn into a global actor strongly involved in many issues around the world. Yet foreign policy still plays only a marginal role in Brazil's bustling public debate. Itamaraty's greatest projects are often greeted with a mixture of neglect and rejection by both the media and public opinion. A supportive public, however, could help the Foreign Ministry precisely with the sort of problems it faced in 2013. A youtube channel, a public diplomacy blog, a twitter presence and an accessible Foreign Minister are important first steps. Launching a complete English-language Foreign Ministry website would make a tremendous difference to those who follow Brazilian foreign policy abroad, making Brazil's international strategy more transparent and accessible. ... 10. Keep opening up Brazil[:] Brazil has undergone an incredible and unprecedented process of internationalization over the past decade. Foreign investment skyrocketed. Never in history have as many Brazilians traveled or studied abroad. The number of foreign tourists, business travelers and exchange students has never been as high. And yet, Brazil remains, in many ways, more isolated than other countries. Far more tourists travel to Argentina than to Brazil. The number of foreign tourists coming to Paris alone exceeds that of visitors to all of Brazil by more than three times. The number of Brazilian students who go abroad remains low by international comparison. The government's growing financial support for exchange programs is thus to be welcomed. Universities should push governments to make recognizing diplomas abroad easier. Following the example of the Brazil-Russia visa waiver deal, visa requirements with other countries (such as the United States) should be eased. Brazil has little to lose and lots to gain from enhancing this international people-to-people diplomacy."

External interference aimed at impeding Sri Lanka's forward march - Daya Gamage, Asian Tribune: "Sri Lanka's Consul General-designate for eight western states in the United States Malraj de Silva didn't sound like he was unaware of how external factors affect a post-war Sri Lanka. He is well conscious of global nuances unleashed to isolate his country of birth by the agents who had been in collaboration with the defeated Sri Lanka terror movement to diplomatically achieve the objective the terror group failed before its domestic demise in 2009.He realizes the obstacles


Sri Lanka is facing to get her message across to American foreign policy framers and lawmakers. And then he advocates a concerted effort to invigorate a public affairs, public diplomacy and strategic communication campaign to erase the myths, half-truths, diabolical lies and misinterpretations that the pro-separatist elements in the Tamil Diaspora very professionally dispatch." Image from, with caption: A Sri Lankan ethnic Tamil woman dressed in traditional costume

Embassy of Israel at Limmud Conference - embassyofisrael.co.uk: "This week, Israeli diplomats attended Limmud Conference and participated in, and gave a variety of sessions on subjects close to their hearts. ... Ms Rony Yedidia-Clein, director of Public Diplomacy at the Embassy gave a talk on the importance of Israel for diaspora Jewry." On Limmud conference, see.

South Sudan on brink of civil war: who to blame, Riek Machar or Salvar Kiir? - Nangayi Guyson, guysontheinvestigator.wordpress.com: "The United Nations Secretary General, Mr Ban Ki-moon has asked [Ugandan] President Museveni to intervene and help find a solution to the ongoing crisis in South Sudan.


Head of public diplomacy at the ministry of Foreign Affairs Fred Opolot revealed last week at a media briefing on the state of affairs in the South Sudan. Political relationship between South Sudan and Uganda have been friendly for several decades, and the intervention could be of great importance since Uganda’s longtime President,Yoweri Museveni was a personal friend of South Sudan rebel leader John Garang and supported the (SPLA), which fought for the region’s independence." Image from

New Special Issue on Political Public Relations - political-public-relations.com:[Among them:] "Public Relations and Public Diplomacy: Conceptual and Practical Connections, by Kathy Fitzpatrick, Jami Fullerton and Alice Kendrick."


RELATED ITEMS

Kerry’s Energizer Bunny Diplomacy Takes Risks for Wins - Indira A.R. Lakshmanan, businessweek.co: Whatever their eventual outcome, Kerry has breathed new life into an array of long-shot talks.


He has stuck with negotiations late into the night in Kabul, Geneva, Jerusalem and Ramallah to secure pledges from allies and adversaries alike that many -- including officials in the White House -- considered unachievable. Via HF. Image from entry, with caption: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is departing on New Year’s Day for Jerusalem and Ramallah for another attempt at negotiating an end to 65 years of conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

New York Times under fire for 'propaganda' claiming video caused Benghazi attack - examiner.com: The New York Times sparked controversy Saturday with an article claiming, among other things, that the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in Benghazi that saw four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, killed, was the result of an obscure YouTube video.

West should drop 'inconsistent approach' to terrorism after Volgograd bombings - RT: Neil Clark [a journalist, writer and broadcaster']: "The West needs to change its policy towards Russia because there is a war being carried against Russia. That’s a kind of soft war, a propaganda war which has been orchestrated by the Western neo-conservatives and what I call the 'fake left' in Western countries, which is actually trying to demonize Russia for any reason, whether it’s Pussy Riot… whether it’s the gay rights law ... I think we need to work closer with Russia. We saw close cooperation at the Boston bombings, when we had the Russian warnings about the Tsarnaev brothers, but they were ignored by the Americans because again it’s Russian warnings. The West [must] cooperate more seriously with Russia, as equal partners, in this battle against the radical terror groups; that’s a major shift that’s got to happen. On the one hand, they say they are going to work with Russia; on the other hand, there is this kind of Cold War propaganda against Russia."

U.S. Cold War rivals China, Russia step up challenges to Obama’s Asia pivot - Guy Taylor, The Washington Times: As the Obama administration attempts an ambitious reorientation of the nation's strategic and diplomatic focus, two regional powerhouses and former Cold War adversaries are showing themselves increasingly keen to challenge Washington's dominance on the world stage. Foreign policy analysts say recent moves by Moscow and Beijing have been far-reaching, heavy with symbolism and clear tests of President Obama's intentions and resolve.

Iran, Turkey’s New Ally? - Vali R. Nasr, New York Times: With American influence in the region in decline, and with Israel and the Persian Gulf monarchies finding themselves united in their opposition to Iran, Turkey could find itself playing a central role thanks to its links with Iran.

Hey, Who’s that American? Probably a Special Forces Guy - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: The U.S. military as a whole has armed personnel in more than 150 nations worldwide.


The U.S. Special Operations Command has over 67,000 acknowledged personnel and a known budget of $7.483 billion for Operations and Maintenance; $373 million for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation; $1.6 billion for Procurement; and $441 million for Military Construction funding. Image from

'Baghdad: The City in Verse' finds poetry in Iraq's capital: The enlightening collection includes poets from Muti' ibn Iyas in the 8th century to Sinan Antoon and more in the present [review of book authored by Reuven Snir] - Hector Tobar, latimes.com


"Baghdad is a city that looms large in the American imagination. In 2003, at the start of the last Iraq war, it was occupied by U.S. troops. In the years that followed, thousands of U.S. citizens (soldiers, contractors, officials and journalists) passed through Baghdad. My own memories of the city are of its heat and light and the brokenness of its buildings and the kindness of its people. I lived there in 2003, briefly, as a reporter. The ongoing war and the constant fear of being swept up in the conflict that was destroying the city kept us Americans from exploring in it. The legendary Baghdad, that center and crossroads of Mesopotamian cultures, the city of "One Thousand and One Nights," remained unknown to us. Uncaptioned image from entry

If True That Foreign Diplomats in the U.S. Are “Eligible” for Medicaid — That’s Absolutely Bonkers!– Domani Spero, DiploPundit

MODERN SCIENCE (From: "Scientists tell us their favourite jokes," The Guardian, via Boing Boing; among them:)

An electron and a positron go into a bar.
Positron: "You're round."
Electron: "Are you sure?"
Positron: "I'm positive."

What is a physicist's favourite food? Fission chips.

A blowfly goes into a bar and asks: "Is that stool taken?"

A statistician is someone who tells you, when you've got your head in the fridge and your feet in the oven, that you're – on average - very comfortable.

There are 10 kinds of people in this world, those who understand binary, and those who don't.


Psychiatrist to patient: "Don't worry. You're not deluded. You only think you are."

What do scientists say when they go to the bar? Climate change scientists say: "Where's the ice?" Seismologists might ask for their drinks to be "shaken and not stirred". Microbiologists request just a small one. Neuroscientists ask for their drinks "to be spiked". Scientists studying the defective gubernaculum say: "Put mine in a highball", and finally, social scientists say: "I'd like something soft." When paying at the bar, geneticists say: "I think I have some change in my jeans." And at the end of the evening a shy benzene biochemist might say to his companion: "Please give me a ring."

--Image from

"So far her protégé, a desktop computer named Todai-kun, is excelling in math and history but needs more effort in reading comprehension."

--New York Times reporter Michael Fitzpatrick, on the efforts by Noriko Arai, a Japanese mathematics professor, to answer the question: "Can a Computer Enter Tokyo University? — the Todai Robot Project"; if the computer succeeds, Fitzpatrick notes, Arai believes "such a machine should be capable, with appropriate programming, of doing many — perhaps most — jobs now done by university graduates." Image from

VIDEO

Новогоднее поздравление посла США в России Майкла Макфола [New Year's greetings of U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul] - youtube.com

TOP TEN


The Ten Best of Public Diplomacy in 2013 - Brian Carlson, publicdiplomacycouncil.org; image from

REPORT

Open World Leadership Center: 2012 Annual Report

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Politic speaks with Ambassador Robert Gosende, who served for 36 years in the Foreign Service and the State Department - Elizabeth Miles and Justin Schuster, thepolitic.org: "Ambassador Robert R. Gosende served for 36 in the Foreign Service, in the U.S. Information Agency and the Department of State before joining The State University of New York (SUNY) in December of 1998. Gosende’s overseas experience includes tours of duty as a Cultural Affairs Officer in Libya, Somalia, and Poland and as Minister-Counselor for Public Affairs in South Africa and in the Russian Federation. He served as President Bill Clinton’s Special Envoy for Somalia, with the personal rank of Ambassador, at the height of the crisis in 1992-93. During 1994, he was Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, directing the U.S. Government’s support of the first multi-racial elections held in South Africa in April of that year. Following his career in the Foreign Service, Gosende served as Associate Vice Chancellor for International Programs at SUNY and as the John W. Ryan Fellow in Public Diplomacy at SUNY Albany. ... [Gosende:] We [Ambassador Gosende and his spouse] ended up staying in Uganda from 1963-1966, before the days of the Idi Amin — when it was like a paradise, safe and wonderful, with children more literate than those I had been teaching in MA because there was no television to distract them from reading all the time. It was in Uganda that I discovered the U.S. Information Agency, a separate executive agency under the president that works closely with the State Department but is not explicitly part of it.


It used to do public diplomacy work for our government, but we abolished it after we won the Cold War — which, I’ll say, was a stupid thing for us to have done. I then joined the Foreign Service in 1966, and we were sent to Tripoli in Libya. ... A couple of us are actually just now publishing a book that will come out in the fall called Outsmarting Apartheid. It’s a series of interviews with people who served doing public diplomacy work in South Africa from 1970 until the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994. It tries to speak to what we were doing there and how we thought we were contributing to a democratic transition. ... The Politic: As a final question, is there any particular advice you would give to university students today? Study abroad. I don’t know how to tell you how serious I am and how much you grow from this experience. First of all, you overcome a tremendous amount of parochialism. You can’t imagine how students live in other places, not only in Europe but also in parts of the developing world. This kind of exposure is so broadly necessary, regardless of what students end up doing in their professional lives." Image from entry

Return to the Events in Benghazi - Steven L. Taylor, outsidethebeltway.com:

1. "wr says:
   Sunday, December 29, 2013 at 17:41
   @Jenos Idanian #13: 'And the Obama administration spent weeks pushing the 'riot triggered by a YouTube video' angle while downplaying or dismissing the possibility that it was a pre-planned terrorist attack, even though they knew early on that it was a terrorist attack. [...]

   And now it turns out… it was triggered by the video. What the administration said all along turns out to be the truth. Which has Baby Jenos squealing that everyone but him is a racist because… well, because… um, because…

   Oh, screw it. It’s because he’s a mewling piece of crap who can never admit when he’s caught lying.

   Reply

   Highly-rated. Helpful or Unhelpful:  20  0
2. Steven L. Taylor says:
   Sunday, December 29, 2013 at 17:41
   @Jenos Idanian #13: They did not blame the deaths on the filmmakers, nor did they absolve the actual killers. This is simply, plainly, and unequivocally. nonsense.

   The issue of the film was always about public diplomacy–and it needed to be addressed whether you like it or not."

Talk about the work of the Information Department Qin Gang: both highbrow and low class - Distant Learning Home: "Original title: Qin Gang talk about the work of the Information Department: both highbrow and low class [.] People Beijing December 25 (by Yang Mu Zheng Qingting) Foreign Ministry Qin Gang's Press Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs this afternoon at the 2013 China's foreign Talk about introduced the Foreign Ministry spokesman and public diplomacy. Qin Gang said that the main responsibilities of the Information Department of the Foreign interpretation is, declaring China's foreign policies, is responsible for planning, implementing public diplomacy, is also responsible for foreign media and foreign correspondents work in China. Qin Gang said, the news department has three characteristics. The first feature, engaged in public diplomacy Information Division, the focus is to solve the problem of mutual understanding between China and foreign countries, it is the first step of diplomatic work. Mutual recognition of the problem, if not solved, we and other countries will deal with a bad relationship. The second feature, the news department's work both highbrow and low class. Highbrow


means that if we want to declare China of foreign diplomacy, it is necessary to understand and master the Chinese foreign policy and principles. This looks very high-end, but our public diplomacy work, to face the public at home and abroad, so we must use the language and the way the public can understand and explain our foreign policy and policies to the public at home and abroad can be more better understanding and acceptance of diplomatic work. Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their daily work, with a major event for each treatment, each made an important decision or decisions reflect public opinions through from start to finish in our deliberation, discussion, decision-making and implementation process, which indicates that the public diplomacy, public opinion and the country's image, has an important role in our diplomatic work. The third characteristic, public diplomacy work we are engaged in is a sunrise industry, occupies an increasingly prominent and important role in our country's diplomacy. We used to engage in diplomacy, more focus on content. Now China's development, and has attracted worldwide attention, and we not only want to well done, but also well said. The work of public diplomacy in our country's overall diplomatic work is increasingly important. Public diplomacy name suggests, is spread by means of communication, referral to the international community to declare the conditions shown in our country, roads, philosophy, and introduce the public to our domestic policy of the country's foreign policy, the public status of our country and the international community have an objective, comprehensive and correct knowledge, understanding and support of our national policy and diplomacy." Image from

Update on the CCR2P Presentation in Barcelona, Spain - ccr2padmin: "On Friday, November 29, 2013, the Canadian Centre for the Responsibility to Protect was invited to speak at a conference organized by the Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia in collaboration with the Barcelona City Council.


Entitled 'Effective implementation of the Responsibility to Protect: The Role of the European Union and the Civil Society,' this conference brought together experts from the civil society, the European parliament, and the general public." Image from entry

harvard law checks in with propaganda press - propagandapress.org: "who else reads propaganda press? John Brown, a Princeton PhD, was a US diplomat for over 20 years, mostly in Eastern Europe, and was promoted to the Senior Foreign Service in 1997. For the 'Open World Leadership Center Trust Fund' program, he lectures to its participants on the topic of 'E Pluribus Unum? What Keeps the United States United.' Currently affiliated with Georgetown University, he writes and shares ideas about public diplomacy. He is particularly interested in the relationship between public diplomacy and propaganda."

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Iran wants American tourists, and a boomlet has begun - Christopher Reynolds, latimes.com: The U.S. and Iran may have miles to go in their negotiations over curtailing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but the ease in hostility has already produced a boomlet in American travel to Iran. Three U.S.-based tour operators say they’ve seen a surge of bookings and questions about Iran in recent months. They’ve also heard encouragement from Iranian government officials, who met in New York with several U.S. tour operators during Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to the city in September.


This sudden flurry of activity doesn’t mean Tehran will be threatening Paris as a tourist magnet; U.S. visitors there are counted in dozens, not thousands. But it’s a notable shift for two countries that have been largely estranged since 1979, when Iranian revolutionaries seized the country and took 52 Americans hostage for more than a year. Iran, widely known as Persia until the 1930s, has 16 sites listed on Unesco’s World Heritage list. Top attractions include the city of Isfahan (known for its graceful bridges and 18th-century architecture) and the pre-Christian ruins of Persepolis, near Shiraz – both relatively far from Iraq and Afghanistan border zones, which the U.S. State Department urges travelers to avoid. Image from entry, with caption: The 17th-century Imam Mosque is one among many architectural wonders in Isfahan, Iran. Photo taken in 1998.

Bad decisions mean more violence ahead - Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star: The “global war on terror” has used drones to attack and kill militants and civilians in half a dozen countries in recent decades, with the result that today the Salafist-takfiri militants are the fastest growing political actors in the entire Middle East. Via LJB

Global Disorder Scorecard: As the U.S. retreats, a reader's guide to the world's traumas - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: The world is messy, and it is getting more so as the U.S. retreats from its role as the protector of global order. With civil wars, uprisings against governments and other bloody disputes proliferating, it can be hard to tell the good guys from the bad. The U.S. once would have led the world in defusing these conflicts, or at least trying to reduce their harm. But President Obama has disavowed any Pax Americana.

US News Hosts Allow Propaganda That Snowden Has Tried to Sell Secrets for Asylum - Kevin Gosztola, dissenter.firedoglake.com: "NSA has been desperate to feign transparency by engaging in clear public relations operations. Revolving door journalist John Miller essentially produced an infomercial for "60 Minutes" that had the blessing of NSA director Gen. Keith Alexander and gave the NSA plenty of opportunity to spout propaganda without challenge. Remarkably, not even the best efforts to push false government talking points have succeeded. The government has been unable to truly undermine Snowden and the work of journalists around the world reporting on documents. They have had to reluctantly embrace the debate—even pretend they “welcome” it. They have had to setup a review group to provide recommendations on how to make cosmetic changes to restore trust in the NSA.

‘Tis the season for anti-Israel propaganda at St James’s Church, Piccadilly - Richard Millett, cifwatch.com: St James’s Church, Piccadilly, in London’s West End has installed a life size 8 metre tall/30 metre long replica of Israel’s security wall in its courtyard as part of its Bethlehem Unwrapped festival. The replica wall is so vast that it obscures the Church itself.


The replica wall will be lit up at night and for the next twelve days of Christmas (until 5th January) a montage of images and slogans will be continuously projected onto it. Scenes include parts of London with a wall passing through. This replica wall has possibly cost thousands of pounds. There have been designers, architects, curators, materials, scaffolding and a team of builders. With mouths to feed and people freezing to death in this country alone it is shameful that St James’s Church, Piccadilly, has squandered so much on what is nothing more than an anti-Israel propaganda exercise. Image from entry

cuban propaganda posters at kemistry gallery - designboom.com: A private collection of over 40 Cuban propaganda posters is on display at Kemistry Gallery in Shoreditch, London until January 25th 2014.


Bold, colorful and eclectic, these posters by the Organization In Solidarity With The People Of Africa, Asia And Latin America (OSPAAAL) are considered the front-among the front runners in propaganda art. Image from entry

Life Under Russia’s ‘Gay Propaganda’ Ban - Mark Gevisser, New York Times: There are many reasons for Russia’s dramatic tilt toward homophobia. The country has always sought to define itself against the West. Now the Kremlin and the nationalist far right are finding common ground in their view of homosexuality as a sign of encroaching decadence in a globalized era. Many Russians feel they can steady themselves against this cultural tsunami by laying claim to “traditional values,” of which rejection of homosexuality is the easiest shorthand. This message plays particularly well for a government wishing to mobilize against demographic decline (childless homosexuals are evil) and cozy up to the Russian Orthodox Church (homosexuals with children are evil). Yet one often ignored cause for this homophobic surge is perhaps the most obvious: backlash.

9 Things the Russian Government Says Are “Gay Propaganda” - globalvoicesonline.org: Though it seems to have appeared on the Internet no later than December 2, 2013, Russian bloggers have suddenly discovered [ru] government censors’ revised criteria [ru] for recognizing information online that supposedly endangers minors. Russians can thank Roskomnadzor, the federal agency responsible for overseeing the media, for the new reading material, which spans roughly two thousand pages and twenty different sections. Many, however, are limiting their attention to Section 6 [ru] of the document, awkwardly titled “Criteria of Internet Content Harmful for Children’s Health and Development.” Even the report’s authors confess that the subject is quite “heterogeneous,” making it difficult to determine “unambiguous criteria” for identifying offending material. To resolve problems with definitions, Roskomnadzor adopts broad parameters, designating anything published online as “systematically disseminated” information. To qualify as propaganda, the agency concludes, the content must also contain “false information” and have been produced with the intent of influencing public opinion.

Propaganda Doughnuts opens for business: After a longer than anticipated wait, Propaganda Doughnuts finally opens doors to offer classic French patisserie doughnuts on South Division - Ana Olvera, therapidian.org: With an agrarian upbringing based on old world traditions, Tory O’Haire - also known as the Starving Artist - is bringing the classic French patisserie to Grand Rapids with Propaganda Doughnuts, 117 S. Division.


The shop’s soft opening was held this past weekend. Image from entry

AMERICANA


The 124 states of America - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post: Secessionist movements are all the rage these days. A handful of counties in Colorado tried to secede from the rest of the state earlier this year.  There's an attempt to create the State of Jefferson (northern California/southern Oregon) via ballot initiative in 2014.  And there's plenty more. What would the U.S. look like if all of the secession movements in U.S. history had succeeded?  Well, MansfieldUniversity geography professor Andrew Shears built a map to answer that question. (It covers secession movements through the end of 2011.)  His 124 states of America is below. Click the map to enlarge it. Via MT on Facebook

MORE AMERICANA

America in 2013, as Told in Charts - Steven Ratner, New York Times. Among them:

See.

"a sensible precept in public diplomacy, namely, superlatives should never be used."

--Commenter Ken Ward, reacting to an article on Australian-Japanese relations; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

US-Myanmar Rapprochement To ‘Hedge’ China -- Analysis - Emre Tunç Sakaoğlu, albanytribune.com: "Today, Myanmar and the U.S. are embarking on public diplomacy and people-to-people ties in addition to commercial and energy relations. USAID, together with many political activists from the United States, is currently assisting the government in Naypyidaw and the general public to prepare for full-scale democratic elections in 2015. Initiatives by the Fullbright [sic] and Humphrey scholarships and Peace Corps programs are also on the USAID agenda for collaborative efforts. Nevertheless, International Military Education and Training (IMET) programs are still prohibited from working with the Burmese military due to various political concerns. Still, the Burmese military was invited to observe the 'Golden Cobra' military exercises between the U.S. and its sole mainland ally, Thailand, in February 2013.


Also in the realm of cultural and political penetration, the United States plans to rejuvenate the American Center within the U.S. Embassy’s complex in Myanmar’s capital. As mentioned earlier, the cultural and scholarly outreach programs in Myanmar are currently increasing in number and effectiveness, limited though they are by the authorities’ wariness of foreign cultural influences. Though non-governmental aid is officially banned in Myanmar, Washington also aims to influence the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2015 through financial aid, NGOs, and official assistance to the opposition party through MP intermediaries. In addition, non-Burman minorities such as the Kachin and Karen are recieving U.S. relief through well-established NGOs. Furthermore, in order to educate voters and motivate ethnic minorities, Voice of America and Radio Free Asia are being utilized to propogate [sic] to the 'essence' and 'benefits' of democracy to the public through their broadcasts and publications. ... ... [I]t is important to realize that at this juncture U.S. diplomacy toward formerly outcast regimes such as the one in Myanmar, especially over China’s 'sphere of influence, is the midst of a systemic change."Image from

Diplomat Back in Iran After Exile in the U.S. - Thomas Erdbrink, New York Times: "One of Iran’s most prominent former diplomats, an ally of President Hassan Rouhani, has returned to the country, ending his unofficial exile in the United States, state news media reported on Tuesday. ... Analysts expect


Mr. Mousavian, who held several important posts, including that of ambassador to Germany, to remain an Iranian voice in its public diplomacy." Mousavian image from entry

US Embassy in Jordan offering additional funding for study in USA - for9a.com: "The Public Diplomacy section in the US Embassy in Amman, Jordan is offering additional funds for students who are going to study or are currently studying in the United States


to cover fees such as: -- Testing fees and/or test preparation fees (for the SAT, TOEFL, GRE, etc) -- Visa application and SEVIS fees -- Transportation costs (in-country and international airfare) -- Books -- Settling in allowances -- Excess baggage fees[.] Please note that this does not cover your tuition fees or accommodation fees. This is complementary funds to help you settling in."Image from entry

Obama, the Media, and the Truth about Ghouta - christiandemocracymagazine.com: "The push for war in Syria followed the same basic program as the build-up to the 2003 Iraq War, during which the Bush Administration relied on highly selective and manipulated intelligence to conjure up a prima facie unanswerable case for the invasion. One White House aide was famously quite candid about the creation of 'facts' out of thin air. After journalist Ron Suskind had written an unflattering 2002 piece for Esquire about a senior Bush administration official, Suskind met with the aide who told him that guys like [him] were [']‘…in what we call the reality-based community,’ which he defined as people who ‘believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernable reality.’ I nodded [writes Suskind] and murmured something about enlightenment principles and empiricism. He cut me off. ‘That’s not the way the world really works anymore,’ he continued. ‘We’re an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.’['][2] In this connection, recall also that in 2001 Colin Powell selected as Under Secretary of for [sic] Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs not a foreign service veteran but Madison Avenue advertising executive Charlotte Beers.[3] ... [2] Ron Suskind, 'Faith, Certainty, and the Presidency of George W. Bush,' New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/17/magazine/17BUSH.html?_r=0. [3] 'Secretary Colin Powell’s State Department: An Independent Assessment,' http://www.unc.edu/depts/diplomat/archives_roll/2003_04-06/fac/fac.html."

Russia promotes young editor to head new state agency - nst.com.my: "Russia’s new state media agency aimed at promoting Moscow’s views in the West on Tuesday appointed as its chief editor a staunchly pro-Kremlin young female journalist who currently heads the state-run RT English-language channel. President Vladimir Putin unleashed a wave of controversy in early December by dissolving Russia’s venerable RIA Novosti news agency and replacing it with a new company called Rossiya Segodnya (Russia Today). Putin added fuel to the fire by also appointing Dmitry Kiselyov — a controversial figure known for openly anti-gay and anti-US views — as the new outlet’s general director.


The station said on Tuesday that its news content will be overseen as editor-in-chief by Margarita Simonyan — the 33-year-old head of the state’s RT foreign-language network that is primarily aimed at audiences in Europe and the United States."Above image from, which also notes: "She [Simonyan] admits that Vladimir Putin once sent her flowers. ...  Though when asked about the flowers incident Simonyan explained [:]  "At a press conference, where President Putin was talking with the President of Tajikistan. It was my twenty-fifth birthday, which is a special anniversary. The other journalists were talking about it, the President heard them, and that was how I received the flowers.


It was very spontaneous. I don’t think that you can call it a presidential high regard." Below image from

India's ethno-religious violence reaches U.S. power centers - Daya Gamage, Asian Tribune: "A congressional resolution, endorsed by nearly fifty U.S. congressmen from both the Democratic and Republican parties, to India's utter embarrassment, ... urges the U.S. government to include religious freedom and human rights as part of the strategic dialogue between the two countries. ... What is interesting to note is how Diaspora Indian organizations immediately moved forward to condemn the House Resolution interpreting as interfering in the internal affairs of that country and disrupting the ongoing US-India Strategic Dialogue. The Indian organizations throughout the United States are coordinating to thwart the resolution. Asian Tribune recalls that when several resolutions criticizing and condemning Sri Lanka were tabled in the US Senate and the House there were not a single Sri Lankan association moved forward or coordinated with associations in other states to lobby the lawmakers and policymakers to present facts about Sri Lanka issues and what Sri Lanka went through during the separatist Tamil Tiger terror for almost thirty years. The interview Asian Tribune had with the Sri Lanka Consul General-designate for eight western states in the United States Malraj de Silva last week the highlight was Sri Lanka Diaspora organizations failure to create a voice to reach the American lawmakers. In his Asian Tribune interview Mr. de Silva realized the obstacles Sri Lanka is facing to get her message across to American foreign policy framers and lawmakers. And then he advocates a concerted effort to invigorate a public affairs, public diplomacy and strategic communication campaign to erase the myths, half-truths, diabolical lies and misinterpretations that the pro-separatist elements in the Tamil Diaspora very professionally dispatch."

Mirrors [video] - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "a well done


PD PSA in India to deal with staring issues."Image from

Jin: China the opportunity to become the world Opportunity - learnatchina.com: Original title: [first Southern Defense Forum] to the world the opportunity to become China's opportunity, opportunity for China to become the world's opportunities. Core Tip: December 5, 2013, by the Southern Newspaper Media Group initiated the formal establishment of the South defense think tank, the first forum held in conjunction with the South defense. The former military commander of the Lanzhou Military Region who Qianyuan Admiral Lee, former deputy political commissar of the Guangzhou Military Region will be added Liu, former director of the Political Department of the South China Sea Fleet, Hou Jian, Major General Political Department of the Guangzhou Military Region Air Force Major General Liu Bangcheng former deputy director, National Defense University professor Qiao floor, etc. as well as the construction of a number of defense, international relations, public diplomacy and other fields, experts and scholars attended the unveiling ceremony and participated in the meeting. New state leaders how to start diplomatic, vice president of international relations at Renmin University of China Professor Jin Canrong believes that diplomacy is now the new team is to play the periphery, the inside, to talk about friendship, and after talking about the issue."

ABC put on notice over foreign TV - theaustralian.com.au: "Foreign Minister Julie Bishop


has expressed concerns that the ABC is not meeting the terms of its $223 million Australia Network contract, after receiving negative feedback from its target audience. Ms Bishop's comments come as one of her most senior bureaucrats has admitted the department was 'closely monitoring' the ABC's management of the overseas network. Justin Brown, the first assistant secretary in charge of public diplomacy at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, has told Sydney broadcaster Michael Smith in a letter obtained by The Australian that there is 'ongoing contact' between DFAT and the ABC to 'identify what is needed to ensure the integrated Australia Network-Radio Australia service becomes a more effective vehicle for advancing Australia's broad and enduring interests in the Asian region'. A tender process for the 10-year soft-diplomacy broadcaster was scrapped in controversial circumstances in 2011 and responsibility for the service handed to the ABC. The Gillard government had received two recommendations that the contract go to rival bidder Sky News Australia, part-owned by News Corp Australia, publisher of The Australian. The Gillard government decision was later lashed in a scathing report by the Auditor-General. Submissions have been made to the government's National Commission of Audit calling for the tender to be reopened." Image from entry, with caption: Julie Bishop said the way the previous Labor government "corrupted the tender process ... and prevented a competitive process from occurring has result in ongoing concerns about the contract that was awarded to the ABC".

Tony Abbott could take a political and economic lesson from Paul Keating - smh.com.au: "The Abbott government's first budget is looming as the central political event for 2014, and there is considerable apprehension already about what it may bring. The government needs to find savings and new revenue of about $20 billion to $30 billion a year to set the budget on track for structural balance. ... So far, the Abbott government has been adept at highlighting the fiscal problems, and sheeting blame home to Labor. But its vision of what kind of economy - and society - it wants to build remains threadbare. This buy-in from the community is essential for good policy. It is also good politics. Labor gained an increased majority in the 1987 election, despite a tough budget less than a year before. The bizarre Joh-for-Canberra [see] tilt helped its cause but a balanced approach to a difficult budget and its public diplomacy laid the groundwork for victory."

What was Abe thinking, going to Yasukuni? - Tessa Morris-Suzuki,eastasiaforum.org: [Comment by:] Ken Ward 30th December, 2013, 1:39 pm [:] Mr Abbott’s description of Japan as 'our best friend in Asia' was a violation of a sensible precept in public diplomacy, namely, superlatives should never be used."

Methodically, if not quietly, Miri Regev is changing the Israeli consensus: Wherever there is an absence of initiative, vision or policy, the Likud MK creates her own - and others are compelled to follow - Zvi Bar'el, haaretz.com: "Israel’s most important political leader today is Likud MK Miri Regev. She is the only Israeli politician who has managed to learn the secret of how the country is run. Wherever there is an absence of initiative, vision or policy, she creates her own, forcing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to act like a eunuch.


Regev is like a female terrorist walking around with a hand grenade held in her clenched fist and the safety ring between her teeth. If the need arises, she will initiate a law for the annexation of the Jordan Valley or force the government to get rid of the African asylum-seekers who have come to Israel’s shores - or at least imprison them in an 'open' concentration camp. It's also her duty to declare the moral borders of the Jewish state and define the identity of its citizens. At least once a day, as befits this self-appointed national public diplomacy spokesperson, her nerve-grating screams can be heard on one of the country’s radio or television stations. Her chauvinistic-racist populism is as lethal as the point of an arrow and no one, not even the prime minister, would dare criticize it."Image from entry, with caption: MK Miri Regev says she is against waving Palestinian flags at soccer games.

Ethiopia-Egypt Maneuvering Takes on “Black and White” Operational Guises - Oromo boy, ethiopianewsforum.com: "Observers in Cairo noted that the outbursts by Egyptian Pres. Mohammed Morsi and jihadist Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwan al-Muslimin) adherents against possible Ethiopian interference with the flow of the Blue Nile were an attempt to build up a distraction, and an external threat to Egypt, in the run-up to the planned June 30, 2013, major demonstrations against the Government. Significantly, after the public outbursts began against Ethiopia — and most of the attacks were widely- condemned by many Egyptian military and civil observers — Cairo changed some of its public diplomacy to promote the prospect of negotiation and cooperation. Some more radical officials, however, continued to make inflammatory statements against Ethiopia’s dam- building, while Egyptian defense officials indicated that any attempts to resolve the issue through military means would not be viable. Discreetly, Pres. Morsi and the Egyptian Intelligence Community began ramping up efforts to undermine security and stability in Ethiopia. ... By. Gregory R. Copley"

Baja Meets Boston and Bird Street - bajatimes.com: “On December 5, 2013, three internationally known Mexican artists, David Silvah, Nuria Bac, and Antonio Proa, teamed up with Emerson College faculty, students and alumni, for a weekend of art and fundraising events that benefited the Emerson College Bird Street Civic Engagement Project, a program that teaches at risk youth from Dorchester, MA, to communicate without violence. ... 'Baja meets Boston' is part of the 6-year ongoing 'Rediscover Rosarito Initiative,' a public diplomacy campaign led by the Communication Management program at Emerson College. Last month, a group of Emerson graduate students traveled to Mexico to participate in the fifth edition of the 'Rosarito Film Festival', a parallel event in the 'Rediscover Rosarito' project which seeks to raise awareness of this Mexican town through art and film."

Sochi 2014: Anti-Gay Laws, Terrorism And Financial Issues Plague Putin's Big Project - Bobby Ilich, ibtimes.com: "It's still several weeks before the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and the Games have already had a host of troubles. They've been shrouded in controversy and trivialized for possible doomsday sporting scenarios ranging from widespread condemnation over anti-gay legislation and scares of possible terrorist attacks, to more-mundane fears such as insufficient amounts of snow


in the subtropical Black Sea resort town. ... 'If things go poorly and the two recent terrorist events near Volgograd become part of a continued trend of violence, Putin will lose the sense that security is good in Russia and that he can be trusted to create safety and security,' said Tara Sonenshine, a former under-secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs."Image from entry, with caption: Vladimir Putin's reputation may be on the line when the Winter Olympics begin on Feb. 6.

New space race tells an old tale of nations' quest for soft power: Gary Rawnsley says China and India now seek what America had - scmp.com: "Without Apollo 8's success in 1968 it is unlikely that Apollo 11 would have taken man to the moon and back; and without the political motivation of the cold war, it is unlikely that space exploration would have occurred at such a gallop. Today, the world's new rivals, China and India, are locked in their own space race, with the former's unmanned mission to the moon launched just weeks after India's Mars orbiter began its year-long journey to the red planet. ... In the context of soft power, it is worthwhile remembering that actions always speak louder than words. While the financial cost of the space race is contentious, the soft power value is undeniable. ... Gary D. Rawnsley is director of international academic strategy and professor of public diplomacy in the Department of International Politics at Aberystwyth University, Wales."

Johnsons and Johnsons Printable Coupons - Marina Scholas, restaurantpromo.blogspot.com: "Johnson and Johnson could be a U.S transnational medical devices, pharmaceutical and shopper grocery manufacturer based in 1886. Its stock could be a element of the stock index Industrial Average and therefore the company is listed among the Fortune. Johnson and Johnson hierarchical at the highest of Harris Interactive's National company name Survey for seven consecutive years up to 2005, was hierarchical  because the world's most revered company by Barron's Magazine in 2008, and was the primary corporation awarded the man of science Award for Public Diplomacy by the U.S. State Department in 2005 for its funding of international teaching programs."

RELATED ITEMS

More Guns Will Not Save Iraq - Editorial, New York Times: The United States has a strategic interest in Iraq’s stability, which is undoubtedly at risk, making increased counterterrorism cooperation and intelligence-sharing essential. But even the most lethal weapons will not have much positive effect if Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki and other Iraqi leaders bicker rather than unite the country around shared goals through credible democratic processes.

America speaks: Get out of Afghanistan, most say - Cheryl K. Chumley, Washington Times: Only 17 percent of Americans now support the ongoing military operations in Afghanistan, with the vast majority saying the United States should get out and go home. A new CNN/ORC poll found that fully 82 percent oppose the operation — and that’s up from 46 percent, just five years ago.

The year of living dangerously? In 2014, American Jewish leaders might lose control of the Israel debate: Washington’s failure to clinch two-state deal would shift Palestinian focus to international groups and college campuses where organized Jewry holds little sway - Peter Beinart, haaretz.com: It’s no secret that young Americans are less unwaveringly “pro-Israel” than their elders. According to a 2013 PewResearchCenter poll, while a majority of Americans over 65 say they sympathize primarily with Israel, among Americans under 30 it drops to just over one-in-three, with a plurality of respondents saying they sympathize with both sides. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict isn’t a pivotal issue in American politics. But Iran is, and the generational divide is just as strong. The Iraq War was a far more disillusioning experience for young Americans than for their elders, and you can see Iraq’s legacy in the polling on Iran, where according to a 2012 Pew poll, Americans under 30 were thirty points more likely than Americans over 65 to prioritize “avoid[ing] military conflict.”  Via

Book Review: 'The Imperial Season,' by William Seale - Fergus M. Bordewich, Wall Street Journal: In the 1890s, U.S. plutocrats flocked to the Potomac, where they erected palaces imitating the great houses of Paris, London and Berlin. In "The Imperial Season: America's Capital in the Time of the First Ambassadors, 1893-1918," William Seale takes us on an urban safari into Washington's first gilded age, from the 1890s to World War I, when "world power, if yet untested, presented a wholly new context for the United States," turning the poky, dusty city into an aspiring rival to the capitals of Europe. Mr. Seale's wise and witty exploration of an earlier era's intersection of power and pretension comes at an apt time, as surging wealth, breakneck gentrification and cultural renascence are today once again transforming the nation's capital.


The author's seemingly cryptic subtitle refers to the upgrading of foreign diplomatic offices to full embassies during this period, in keeping with the nation's rising importance. Drawn by Washington's new glamour, the nation's plutocrats flocked to the Potomac, where they erected Beaux-Arts palaces in imitation of the great houses of Paris, London and Berlin, creating a grand architectural stage upon which the capital's elites could act out their imperial dreams. Mr. Seale observes with dry humor that the treatment of diplomats had changed since the 1820s, "when a Mediterranean emissary requested a concubine and was duly provided one at the expense of the American government." Among Mr. Seale's favorites is the obscure Alvey Adee, a deaf, lip-reading, cycling zealot who served as the State Department's arbiter of protocol and liaison to the diplomatic glitterati.

BBC Drops Propaganda Hammer on Thailand: Jonathan Head of BBC does disingenuous hit piece on Thai conflict. Exposing the BBC's lies -- point by point - landdestroyer.blogspot.com: When the BBC isn't taking cash to fix the news, as exposed by the Independent, or deceiving viewers with fake footage posted in documentaries, or posting pictures from atrocities committed by the West in Iraq on news articles for Syria, it is meddling in every other corner of the world, manipulating public perception for the benefit of the corporate-financier interests it gladly shares the Chatham House's corporate membership with. It is clear to see then, how  Hit pieces like the BBC's recent video report, "Thailand's 'red villages': The rural communities backing Shinawatra," come to be. BBC propagandist, Jonathan Head, has been lurking in Bangkok since the recent political crisis began - associating exclusively with the regime's supporters and mocking those who propose alternative views to the regime's narrative, which Head has been sent to defend.

Japanese Propaganda from World War II - Alastair Savage: "My grandfather was a Chindit, which meant that he fought in the jungle war during World War II. The Chindits were assembled from the British Army to take the war to the Japanese. They were under the command of Major-General Orde Wingate. ... This jungle war was also a battle for hearts and minds.


My grandfather preserved these three sheets of Japanese propaganda which had been dropped from planes. They clearly had the local population very much in their mind." Image from entry: British officers living like lords, while the Indians are left to do the real fighting.

Propaganda mechanic - gamedev.net: You are a dictator of a small island somewhere in the caraibean (or oceania or somewhere similar). You manage the economy, build infrastructure and deal with rebels, coups, uprisings. And don't forget the propaganda, so people love you or at least don't try to rebel so often. So, any ideas for propaganda mechanic in such game?

AN AMERICAN AMBASSADOR TO RUSSIA IN ACTION

--From

MORE AMERICANA

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AND EVEN MORE AMERICANA, OR HAPPY POST-NEW YEAR CELEBRATION

Book Review: 'The Trip to Echo Spring' by Olivia Laing: Some writers use alcohol like a steam catapult hurling a fighter plane off an aircraft carrier. Others to remember who they are at the end of a workday spent juggling realities - Henry Allen, Wall Street Journal:


Four or five of the eight native-born Americans who have won the Nobel Prize for literature were alcoholics. Image from entry

DIPLOMATIC LIFE


Gifplomacy - C'est la vie of French Diplomats. Via DiploPundit

BLOG OF INTEREST

Developing Tomorrow

IMAGE


Via RB on Facebook, with comment: "Uh, methinks the Associated Press needs to consider what their name looks like on the tab at the top of a computer screen."

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Best of Public Diplomacy 2013 - Brian Carlson, Public Diplomacy Council: "U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made our Ten Best of Public Diplomacy List when he participated in a seated volleyball


game with wounded Colombian veterans during an August visit to Bogota. The global media spread his example of inclusion to audiences around the world."Image from entry

New Year’s Message for Ukraine from Quincy Jones — New Year’s Demonstration in Turkey — But Nothing From Voice of America - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "Arrival of the New Year is not exactly unexpected news, but it traditionally becomes a main news story for many media organizations, at least for a few hours on December 31 and January 1. It did for the Voice of America (VOA) as well, a taxpayer-funded, U.S. government-run journalistic outfit. VOA is charged by Congress with providing news about America and the world to international audiences, many of which cannot get uncensored news from their own media. VOA released a video and a news report about New Year’s celebrations around the world.


But the report was completely bland as if made for an audience not concerned at all with anything political. The VOA report also missed a special New Year’s message to Ukraine from legendary American songwriter and producer, a winner of 27 Grammy Awards Quincy Jones — something that in the past VOA would have been the first one to report on especially by VOA’s former great music programmer and jazz promoter, the late Willis Conover. Nothing like this happened this year. This is not the first such failure at VOA in recent months and years."Image from entry, with caption: Quincy Jones New Year Message to Ukraine

Australia should consult more with Asian neighbors - Haeril Halim and Yohanna Ririhena, The Jakarta Post: "Given its proximity and geopolitical significance, Australia needs a more balanced, up-to-date strategic and policy framework in which Canberra consults more with countries in the region, a veteran diplomat says. Former Australian ambassador to Indonesia Richard Woolcott


said that Canberra needed to consult more with Asian countries when making decisions that may affect the region. ... Woolcott acknowledged that many Australians still regarded Indonesia as a chaotic and corrupt country in which Islamic extremism was rife while the rule of law was weak. Half of the population see Indonesia as a potential military threat. On the other hand, some Indonesians are largely ignorant and suspicious of Australia. 'Therefore, it is a pressing need for a major public diplomacy campaign in both countries to increase wider public awareness of each country,' he argued."Wolcott image from entry

Julie Bishop: ABC failing its mandate to promote Australian interests overseas Foreign affairs minister says she has 'concerns about the quality of the programming' on Australia Network service - Daniel Hurst, theguardian.com: "The foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, has added her voice to a chorus of conservative criticism of the national broadcaster by questioning whether the ABC-run Australia Network is meeting its goal of promoting Australia’s interests overseas. Her concerns, raised in a front-page story in the Australian newspaper on Thursday, follow a series of complaints by conservative politicians and commentators about the ABC. In December, the prime minister, Tony Abbott, and communications minister, Malcolm Turnbull, accused the broadcaster of making an error of judgment by collaborating with Guardian Australia on the story revealing Australia’s past efforts to spy on the Indonesian president. Other Coalition MPs questioned the cost of the ABC and whether it was meeting its charter obligations. ... Bishop


told the News Corp-owned Australian newspaper the way the previous Labor government 'corrupted the tender process ... and prevented a competitive process from occurring has resulted in ongoing concerns about the contract that was awarded to the ABC'. Bishop said she was aware of concerns within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Dfat) about the ABC’s fulfilment of its contractual obligations. 'I also have concerns about the quality of the programming and whether it is meeting the goal of promoting Australia's interests overseas,' she told the newspaper. 'It is meant to be a tool of public diplomacy and I am concerned by the level of negative feedback I receive from overseas.'"Image from entry, with caption: Julie Bishop said she had received negative feedback from overseas about Australia Network. See also.

The power of propaganda and misinformation - Maurice Ostroff, Jerusalem Post: "One of the main tools used by magicians is directing the audience to look away from the location where the trick actually occurs. ... This technique, which propagandists use to persuade us to focus disproportionately on the Israel-Palestine conflict, diverts our attention from the many grievous tragedies that are more deserving of our serious and immediate attention. ... The writer is a founder member of the international Coalition of Hasbara Volunteers, better known by its acronym CoHaV."

State Incentives and Jobs -- Yes, Incentives are Important - Stuart S. Malawer, globaltraderelations.com: "[T]ax and economic incentives for economic development and job creation are necessary. They need to be done carefully and are critical to economic competitiveness. They do not amount to corporate welfare or a 'beggar-thy-neighbor policy.' Better metrics and their measurement mean better policies and better implementation. Focusing on attracting foreign direct investment is particularly important in this era of globalization. All competition is global today. To me this debate over incentives is one of the most important issues confronting states today. This debate is not just one of theory but of very real consequences. State and corporate officials really need to create a better narrative to garner greater popular support. This is essential. Better public diplomacy is necessary for better public policies."

The Corrections - James Thomas Snyder, jamesthomassnyder.com: "From a friend working for an independent observer mission in Tblisi, Georgia, come the first corrections to my book The United States and the Challenge of Public Diplomacy.


She notes on page 147 that during the 2008 war between Russia and Georgia Russia sent forces into South Ossetia, not North Ossetia, and Carl Bildt is the Foreign Minister of Sweden, not Finland (apologies to Mr. Bildt!). I am very happy to make factual corrections such as these as well as engage in debate about the more subjective policy proposals in the book and on this site. Feel free to contact me here. (Dec. 31, 2013)"Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

In 2014, a chance to overcome our national despair - David Ignatius, Washington Post: To many Americans, this was a year when the nation’s declining global power perhaps seemed a reverse image of the confident, indomitable nation that, in the popular imagination, rolled to victory in World War II. “The Greatest Generation” felt like a relic not just of another century but of another nation. But let’s be frank at year-end: This sort of relentless pessimism is destructive and, what’s more important, it is inaccurate.

Which countries Americans like … and don’t - Bruce Stokes, pewresearch.org: The trend among the U.S. public increasingly has been to turn away from international issues and focus on the home front.


The Global Conflicts to Watch in 2014: From a cyberattack on America to a civil war in Iraq, the threats we'll be worrying about next year - Uri Friedman, theatlantic.com: As South Sudan, the world's newest country, veers dangerously close to ethnic civil war, we're already getting a glimpse of the international crises that could greet us in the new year. Now the Center for Preventive Action, an affiliate of the Council on Foreign Relations, has presented a more comprehensive view, releasing its annual forecast of the conflicts that could pose the greatest threat to the United States in 2014.


The survey, which asked more than 1,200 U.S. government officials, academics, and experts to assess the impact and likelihood of 30 scenarios, divides the results into three tiers of risk. And some of the findings are alarming. Beyond the familiar flashpoints—military intervention in Syria's civil war, strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities—the report raises concerns about overlooked threats ranging from turmoil in Jordan to civil war in Iraq to a border clash between China and India. The study is also notable for the risks it downplays, including armed confrontation between China and its neighbors over territorial disputes in the East and SouthChinaSeas. Image from entry. Via LH on Facebook

Sunni monarchs back YouTube hate preachers: Anti-Shia propaganda threatens a sectarian civil war which will engulf the entire Muslim world - Patrick Cockburn, Independent: Anti-Shia hate propaganda spread by Sunni religious figures sponsored by, or based in, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf monarchies, is creating the ingredients for a sectarian civil war engulfing the entire Muslim world.

"A Blanket for Gaza" -- Anti-Israel propaganda disguised as humanitarian aid - ANSAmed, elderofziyon.blogspot.com: The Palestinian ambassador to Rome launched a campaign Friday to raise funds through movements, associations and private citizens for the population of the Gaza Strip. ... "We are asking Italians to help prevent the latest in a long string of tragedies," Palestinian ambassador Mai Al-Kaila told journalists in outlining the initiative Una Coperta per Gaza ('A Blanket for Gaza'). Who would presume that blankets for people who don't have a blanket shortage is a cover for anti-Israel lies? Especially when Pope Francis is quoted to support the campaign of falsehood! This "charity" is nothing of the sort. It is skillful propaganda directed by the PLO. And they know, from experience, that anti-Israel lies will be swallowed whole, especially when disguised as "humanitarian aid."

21 Photos Of Vladimir Putin That Will Melt Your Heart - Adam Taylor, businessinsider.com. Via LH on Facebook. Among them the below, with caption: Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hugs a Bulgarian shepherd dog, after receiving it as a present from Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boiko Borisov (not seen) in Sofia, November 13, 2010


The Dozen Funniest Variations of Obama’s Pajama Boy Propaganda - Mollie Hemingway, thefederalist.com: President Obama sent out yet another plea for people to ruin their holidays by talking about his troubled Obamacare.


Next to an image of a creepy man-child in footie pajamas were the recommendations that folks “Wear pajamas, drink hot chocolate and talk about getting health insurance.” Some noted how far government propaganda had fallen since 1943. But sometimes the only way to respond to pathetic propaganda attempts is to mock it. Here are the dozen or so best send-ups of Pajama Boy. Among them:


FINLANDIA


Via ES on Facebook, with comment: In Finland people are 6 fingered

STATISTICS


--From

"We’ve got too many priests and not enough jesters."

--Intenet skeptic Evgeny Morozov; image from

VIDEO

This World Oft Can Be - Paul Rockower, Levantine: Covers the State Department Central Asian tour of the bluegrass group Dellas

AWARDS

Yeni Diplomasi’s Review of Digital Diplomacy in 2013 - thepublicdiplomat.com

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The future of digital diplomacy - Larisa Permyakova,  Russia Direct: "Now e-diplomacy tools have become a core part of public diplomacy, which has its goal establishing contacts with a target online audience and then directly addressing this audience with specific messages anywhere in the world. However, e-diplomacy is much more than mere public diplomacy. It also represents a form of information management, or the management of knowledge and experience accumulated by foreign ministries. In consular affairs, e-diplomacy tools simplify processing of visa documents and facilitate direct contacts with citizens abroad. And last but not the least, in the occurrence of emergencies and natural disasters, e-diplomacy tools become particularly useful, providing foreign citizens a means of communication with their state embassies or consulates. Today, the United States leads the way in digital diplomacy. The U.S. State Department has had an office of e-diplomacy since 2003, but it was Hillary Clinton who took it to a completely new level. In 2009, she launched '


21st Century Statecraft,' a program that was designed to complement traditional foreign policy tools with new innovations in statecraft that fully leverage the networks and technologies of an interconnected world. As a result, the State Department essentially become a global media domain managing 288 Facebook pages with 12.9 million fans; 196 Twitter accounts with 1.9 million followers; and 125 YouTube channels that have racked up 16.3 million views. However, digital diplomacy doesn’t seem to be improving America's image abroad. According to a  2013 BBC survey, U.S. popularity declined seven percentage points – from 47 to 40 percent – from 2009 to 2012. In fact, America’s popularity worldwide is now as low as when President Bush left office in 2009. It’s quite possible that’s why Hillary Clinton’s successor, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, still prefers offline diplomacy over online. In March 2013 in his briefing he emphasized, ‘The term digital diplomacy is almost redundant – it's just diplomacy, period.’ Kerry’s Twitter and Facebook accounts – last updated in 2012 - are dormant. The Department for Information and Press of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs carries out online communication on the Internet and manages Russia’s growing social media presence. In 2011, an official Twitter account of the Ministry was launched, and in 2012, an official YouTube account ('midrftube') was opened to the public. Whereas America’s '21 Century Statecraft' is a strategic platform, announced and published online, Russian digital diplomacy remains something still undefined."Image from

How China and American can keep a Pacific peace - Kurt Campbell, Financial Times: "In an incalculably high-stakes game of naval chicken, a US guided missile destroyer last month narrowly avoided a collision with an escort ship accompanying China’s aircraft carrier during routine deployments by both navies in the South China Sea. ... The Pentagon and US Vice-President Joe Biden, speaking during a trip to China, strongly objected to these 'provocative' acts and called on Beijing to implement effective communication protocols and crisis prevention mechanisms to help prevent misunderstandings and potential escalation scenarios in the future. ... China is concerned that even a narrow operational accord might undermine claims of legitimacy for its disputed 'nine-dash line', which encompasses most of the South China Sea. ... Global optics also come into play. The kind of operational protocols requested by the US were a feature of the cold war; Beijing, in public diplomacy, seeks to avoid triggering in America a sense that China is a global adversary in the way that the Soviet Union was. Finally, China and the US have very different ways of seeking deterrence. America often employs overwhelming displays of military capability – shock and awe – to create apprehension in the minds of potential adversaries or competitors. For China, deterrence – or, perhaps better, doubt – is achieved not through overt displays of power, but through creating uncertainty in the perceptions of others."

Foreign Policy Must Be Bolder - Arvind Gupta, newindianexpress.com: "Indian foreign policy achievements in 2013 were mixed. While there was considerable diplomatic engagement, in critical areas there were many problems. ... In 2014, Indian foreign policy


must become bolder and realistic. It is important to repair the relationship with the US at the soonest but the US must respect Indian sensibilities. In dealing with China, India should build its strengths to back its diplomacy. Going beyond government-to-government ties, an effort should be made to reach out to multiple constituencies. Public diplomacy will have to be strengthened for the purpose."Image from

2GB Breakfast –- Interview with Andrew Moore  Published By Foreign Affairs, foreignaffairs.co.nz : "ANDREW MOORE: Yes well it seems to have upset enough of us here, let alone for those people – I mean this Australian television network, this is the impression people are left with of this country when they’re watching it in places as afar as Pakistan or Malaysia, I’ve watched it in Fiji in the past – it goes all over the place. JULIE BISHOP: Well I have been speaking publicly in recent days about the Australia Network. It is a $230m funding agreement between the former Labor Government and the ABC, and I’ve had concerns from the outset because of the way the tender process for Australia Network was corrupted by the former government. ANDREW MOORE: Well it was badly botched; the recommendation was that it was going to be Sky News. JULIE BISHOP: Well the Auditor-General was scathing in the assessment of how this tender process was managed because the government – the Labor Government – essentially prevented it from being subjected to a competitive tender. ANDREW MOORE: Yes. JULIE BISHOP: And just awarded it to the ABC. Now, that’s fine, except that the whole process was corrupted, and that raises questions that still remain. The Australia Network is required to meet key objectives, including to foster and improve understanding of Australia’s global role, and to increase awareness of the links between Australia and Asia. It’s meant to be a vehicle that advances Australia’s national interests in the region – it’s a tool of public diplomacy, and I question whether it’s meeting that objective, because the feedback that I get from ex-patriots and local Asian viewers is largely negative, and that surely must be of concern to the ABC. ANDREW MOORE: Well what happens, Minister, if they don’t fulfil those objectives? JULIE BISHOP: Well the Australia Network contract is going to be viewed by our Commission of Audit. Your listeners will be aware that the Abbott Government has put in place a Commission of Audit that will look at government spending – all contracts and agreements and initiatives – and we will judge whether or not the contract is fulfilling its objective."

Reform list begins with ABC on top - dailytelegraph.com.au: "Any review of media must capture the fate of public broadcasting, particularly the disgracefully performing national broadcaster the ABC and its less-remarked upon sibling SBS. Former Labor communications minister Stephen Conroy should be paraded through the major cities as punishment for his appalling stewardship of the communications portfolio. Not the least of his abysmal performances was the awarding of the $223 million Australia Network contract to the ABC after serial recommendations that the contract go to rival bidder Sky News. Sky News Australia is part owned by UK-based pay-TV company BSkyB, which is controlled by 21st Century Fox, a sister company to News Corporation, the ultimate publisher of The Daily Telegraph. As Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told The Australian newspaper yesterday, the way the previous Labor government 'corrupted the tender process ... and prevented a competitive process from occurring has resulted in ongoing concerns about the contract that was awarded to the ABC.' She said she was aware of concerns within her department about whether the terms of the contract were being met, but also expressed wider worries of her own. 'I also have concerns about the quality of the programming and whether it is meeting the goal of promoting Australia's interests overseas," Ms Bishop said. "It is meant to be a tool of public diplomacy and I am concerned by the level of negative feedback I receive from overseas.' Just last month, the ABC chairman Jim Spigelman admitted that the Australia Network contract process had been 'flawed'. This is an understatement. If more proof was needed that the $1.2 billion-a-year ABC cannot manage itself, look no further than its pathetic and widely criticised coverage of Sydney's New Year's Eve fireworks display." See also: (1) (2).

USAK Director Sanberk: Turkey should make EU accession its top priority  - turkishweekly.net: "According to the latest poll sponsored by the German Marshall Fund of the United States, 44 percent of Turkish citizens support Turkey’s EU membership, down from 48 percent in 2012 and 73 percent in 2004. As another symbolic sign of resuming Turkish accession negotiation after a gap of three years, Turkey and the EU began a new round of membership talks in November with the opening of Chapter 22 (Regional policy and co-ordination of structural instruments) that would contribute in the coming years to reduce


the existing socio-economic disparities between the regions in Turkey. ... The latest progress report for Turkey released in October by the European Commission has been mainly positive, although it recognized some deficiencies in the fields of freedom of expression and media, judicial independence and freedom of assembly. A veteran diplomat, Ozdem Sanberk, who served as Turkey's ambassador to the United Kingdom, said that Turkey has been a victim of its own priorities in 2013.According to Sanberk, ahead of the elections marathon in Turkey starting in early 2014, the EU accession bid might become a domestic politics tool to further alienate public opinion from the EU agenda. ... 'At that point, both the Turkish politicians and the EU leaders need to give much more positive messages to Turkey to keep the accession ambitions alive, and play a sort of public diplomacy both vis-à-vis the political sphere and Turkish citizens,' he added."Image from

Grapevine: From Dimona to Davos - Greer Fay Cashman, Jerusalem Post: "After serving for 45 years in the Foreign Ministry, Gideon Meir, who is currently a senior deputy director-general heading the public diplomacy department, will be stepping down at the end of the month."

Government, Civil economic cooperation - significantly increase the social and cultural exchanges [Google "translation"] - news.donga.com: "North Korean authorities → private contacts unless extended review ...北provoking exchanges seemed to be resumed ministry is concentrated in North Korea on a private north-south flow of the contacts has decided to significantly expand. North-South economic cooperation and social and cultural exchanges are known to be considering expanding greatly. government officials for two days, 'the Korean peninsula in order to trust the authorities, but the relative progress of the process away from what had plenty of contact with the North Korean people to change their perception of reconciliation should be," he said. North Koreans against the kind of 'public diplomacy (Public Diplomacy)' means that the intends. Another said, 'Economic Cooperation, religion sports-related events and exchanges, including the excavation of Cultural Property Cultural Cooperation, aid organizations and the private sector than expanding initiative intends to improve inter-Korean relations,' he said.

Evgeny vs. the internet: Evgeny Morozov wants to convince us that digital technology can’t save the world, and he’s willing to burn every bridge from Cambridge to Silicon Valley to do it - Michael Meyer, Columbia Journalism Review: "Morozov obsessively, compulsively, sees the flaws in everything, including his own work. This trait has led him to burn numerous bridges with former allies, most notably with Ethan Zuckerman, who now directs the Center for Civic Media at MIT. An advocate of the Web’s ability to connect a global citizenry, Zuckerman brought Morozov


to the board of the Open Society Foundations’ Information Program in 2008, an important step in Morozov’s rise that eventually helped him land a fellowship in New York. Two years later, Morozov began slamming Zuckerman publicly for, among other things, taking research money from the State Department, and the two haven’t spoken since 2011. Zuckerman declined to be interviewed for this piece. 'I’ve alienated so many people that whatever conference invitation I get I look who’s there and say, ‘No, I don’t want to be there,’ ' Morozov says. 'It gets awkward for me. It gets awkward for them. So screw it. It saves me a lot of time for reading and writing.'” Uncaptioned image from entry

Yeni Diplomasi’s Review of Digital Diplomacy in 2013 - thepublicdiplomat.com: "Yeni Diplomasi, a Turkish website that covers all things digital diplomacy, released their review of 2013 last week. Gökhan Yücel and his crew compiled an impressive list of awards in this presentation: ...

Eytan Gilboa: “The only way to resolve the conflict is by peaceful means and not by violence” - "Eytan Gilboa is Professor of International Communication, Director of the School of Communication, and Director of the Center for International Communication at Bar-Ilan University in Israel.


Since 2005, he is also a Visiting Professor of Public Diplomacy at USC. He received his PhD from Harvard University and has been a visiting professor in several leading American and European universities including Harvard, UCLA, Georgetown, American University in Washington, DC, Tufts, and the University of Hamburg." Uncaptioned image from entry

Features [:]A selection of my feature articles on nation branding and public diplomacy - Samantha Manniex [:] Journalist specialising in place branding and public diplomacy - sjmanniex.com: "My interviews with key figures in place branding and public diplomacy."

2013: Three stories to tell - mylifeontheelist.wordpress.com: "I now work in international public diplomacy. It’s communications, but also research and event planning – two things I’m really excited to do more of."

RELATED ITEMS

Report: Arts, culture add $500B to nation's GDP - AP, Wall Street Journal [December 5, 2013] Creative industries led by Hollywood account for about $504 billion, or at least 3.2 percent of U.S. goods and services, the government said in its first official measure of how the arts and culture affect the economy. Via NI on Facebook

Troping the Enemy: Culture, Metaphor Programs, and Notional Publics of National Security - Robert Albro, robertalbro.com: The Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) – established in 2006 in the spirit of the Pentagon’s DARPA to sponsor research for groundbreaking technologies to support an “overwhelming intelligence advantage over future adversaries” – is a little-known US agency that social and behavioral scientists (especially sociocultural anthropologists) should pay more attention to. This is because IARPA is notably social scientific in orientation and has been developing concepts in specific ways for use by the intelligence community (IC) that US anthropology in particular is significantly historically responsible for introducing to the social sciences, if in different ways, most obviously: culture, its coherence and the extent of cultural consensus, its relationship to society and to human agency. At its inception IARPA was tasked with developing better ways, in USA Today-speak, to “help analysts measure cultural habits of another society.” And its portfolio continues to sponsor research intended to develop big data-type tools to process the linguistic and cultural information of countries, societies and communities of interest to US espionage.

India Finds New Methods to Punish U.S. Diplomats - Gardiner Harris, New York Times: India’s diplomatic corps, still seething over the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York, continued its tit-for-tat campaign against American diplomats this week, revoking privileges, beginning tax investigations and issuing new consular identity cards that say the card holder can be arrested for serious offenses. Outrage in India’s tiny diplomatic corps is particularly acute because those who deal with the United States often feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of communications. India has just three senior diplomats on its North America desk, who deal with scores of counterparts from the United States and Canada. And the issue of the treatment of domestic help does not resonate in India as it does in the United States. India is investigating whether spouses and employees of American officials are paying taxes on earnings made in India, particularly at the American schools in New Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. India has canceled the United States Embassy’s import privileges for food and alcohol. Via GG on Facebook

Afghanistan: A State of Fear (Part II) - Fahim Masoud, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Afghanistan is in disarray. The only way out of this miserable situation


is for a miracle to happen."Image from entry, with caption: Herat, Afghanistan. Taken by the author in 2013.

What the Mideast peace process needs - Yonatan Touval, Washington Post: Having already accorded Israel formal diplomatic recognition in 1993, the Palestinians have a strong case for objecting to the demand that they now recognize Israel’s national and cultural identity as well. The Palestinians may well seek to obtain an explicit apology for the consequences of Israel’s establishment, something Israel would be reluctant to offer. But Israel could acknowledge Palestinian suffering without undermining its own national narrative or — as it should be rightly wary — potentially exposing itself to legal charges in international tribunals. The United States should encourage Israel to move in this direction by tabling its own proposal for such an acknowledgment — one that might empower the Palestinians enough to reciprocate with the recognition Israel so avowedly seeks.

Obama's Magnitsky Walkback: The U.S. reneges on promises to sanction Russian rights abusers - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: The Magnitsky Act bans the worst abusers of human rights in Russia from traveling to or doing business in the U.S. Last April, the Administration sanctioned 18 Russian officials. the Administration is refusing to fulfill its legal responsibilities under Magnitsky in return for more illusory Russian cooperation.

RUSSICA


--Moscow’s 800th anniversary celebration in 1947. Source: Robert Capa © International Center of Photography/Magnum Photos/Grinberg Agency. From; via BB on Facebook

IMAGE


--From "Amazing portrait photography by Alexander Kharlamov," phictures.co. Via FW on Facebook

"Waste"

--Industry parlance for Internet "low-value targets," the bottom 20 percent of customers, who may spend “too much” time on customer service calls, and may cost companies in returns or coupons, or otherwise cost more than they provide; image from

ESSAY

Sochi, Tsar Vladimir's Black Sea St. Vladimirsburg - John Brown, Notes and Essays. Image from


PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

First Globals Technology Corps: Merging Jobs and Public Diplomacy- John Zogby, Forbes: "On one hand, we have a burgeoning leadership class in this huge region [Midddle east] crying out for technical support and training. These are people who want to start businesses, create capacity for enhanced internal and external communications in their nations, and do good things. On the other hand, the United States has an army of twenty-somethings with the best available education, desirous to be mobile, passionate about changing the world, and unable to find decent enough jobs. While the US Department of State is fond of funding $100 million grants that employ overpriced consultants and private security forces, why not take a page from President John F. Kennedy’s Peace Corps


and hire America’s First Globals at a much more reasonable stipend and place them in a situation where they meet with and learn together from their fellow Globals, provide the technical support, and build a bridge with another culture? This could and should move well beyond the Arab and Muslim worlds. I have raised this with highest levels of the State Department and they are 'pursuing it', which I actually believe."Image from

President Obama’s Leadership on International Human Rights (Part 8 of 8) - amnestystlouis.wordpress.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."

Seoul to drastically increase exchanges with Pyongyang - english.donga.com: "South Korea`s Ministry of Unification has decided to drastically expand inter-Korean exchanges to the civilian sector in the fields of bilateral economic cooperation and social and cultural exchanges. 'In order to make progress on the Korean Peninsula trust process, we should go beyond inter-governmental contacts and diversify contacts with North Korean residents to change their perceptions,' a South Korean government official said Thursday, suggesting that Seoul would


engage in 'public diplomacy' for North Koreans. Another official noted, 'The idea is that we will seek to improve the inter-Korean ties by expanding economic cooperation, exchanges in religious and sports events, cultural cooperation and exchanges, and private organizations` assistance to the North.'"Image from

Do the math –- Is N300 million for Ministry of Information PR really a big deal? - Oluwatosin Fatoyinbo, ynaija.com: "[N]ation branding has become important. The reputation of a nation can dramatically influence its success in attracting tourism and investment capital, exports, attracting a talented and creative workforce, Foreign Direct Investment and Foreign Portfolio Investment. It is also referred to as Public Diplomacy and a specie of soft power which is the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce, use force or give money as a means of persuasion.


The success of soft power depends heavily on the actor’s reputation within the International community, as well as the flow of information between actors. China is a perfect example. South Africa has also deployed the Mandela brand so effectively. So I was a little disappointed that a Nigerian media house will consider the effort of the Government at enhancing Nigeria’s image in the International community with a form of question mark."Uncaptioned image from entry

+18 Nigerian Christian Killing Muslims, Caught Live - thetaleofbittertruth.wordpress.com: "My very polite and very humble and warm hearted response to a slut [not identified - JB] who is self claimed herself as fuck of Public Diplomacy, Extensive real-world connections and personal relationships with political, business, media, and military leaders throughout USA, Russia, China, Poland, North Africa and the Middle East, Analysis of North Africa and Middle East issues, Analysis of insurgency and irregular warfare in the Arab world News Media Consultant and Liaison Media Rights Broker Full Member of International Public Relations Association (IPRA)."

Stand with us Israel: Defending Israel Amongst the Students of the World - jewlicious.com: "Stand with Us Israel was founded in Los Angeles in 2000 and has offices around the world. They were founded by a group of women in Los Angeles who were tired of hearing the anti-Israel propaganda during the second Intifada. Its mission is to educate students and faculty (both Jewish and non-Jewish) around the world about Israel and to counter anti Israel propaganda.


It also prepares and distributes a wide variety of materials to inform people about the many facets of Israeli society and its achievements in science and technology. ... Michal Faktor, 28, is another graduate of the Fellowship program. She was born in South Africa, grew up in Raanana and has been with the organization for three years. ... [S]he now works as the director of the Israel Fellowship program for Stand With Us Israel. ... [A]pplicants are asked to prepare a 60 second introduction about themselves and some use props. ... Michal said that they are ... 'looking for people who are intelligent, charismatic, who are born leaders, each in their own field. We identify the potential, the leadership qualities. It’s a program in public diplomacy, but it’s also a leadership program.'” Image from entry

PM appoints Javed Malik as special envoy - thenews.com.pk: "Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif has appointed Javed Malik as Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Overseas, Investment and Trade and designated him to the rank of Ambassador of Pakistan . ... This is Ambassador Javed Malik’s second diplomatic appointment. Earlier he served as Pakistan’s Ambassador at Large between 2008-2011 during which time he was engaged in several trade, cultural and public diplomacy initiatives in Middle East and Europe."

Pakistan's Foreign Policy: A Post 9/11 Review - shaikhabbas.blogspot.com: "The 9/11 incident restructured international politics and thereafter it occupied a centre-stage in conducting interstate relations. Pakistan due to its geo-strategic location and having diplomatic ties with Afghanistan, who was immediately labelled as a sanctuary of the terrorists headed by


Osama bin laden, Pakistan was bound to be frazzled in days ahead. ... As far as the compliance of the demands of the U.S is concerned, Pakistan did not have to make substantial concessions to the USA, as a couple of requests required no actions . ... The then president [ Musharraf] successfully adopted public diplomacy by addressing the nation on 19th October in which he stated that he was taking this decision to forestall the possibility of earlier mentioned threats. In this way he managed to contract the win-set of US because he excluded the Missile and nuclear assets, and the Kashmir cause, from the agenda of impending negotiations and included safe guard against the ‘external’ threat (read ‘Indian’) in it. 'Pakistan comes first, everything else is secondary' - President Musharraf."Uncaptioned image from entry

Mfumo wu pfula xitichi xa rhadiyo (Ubuntu) [Google English translation not available] - matimunews.co.za: "Rhadiyo ya Ubuntu leyintshwa ya 24 hour internet station yi ta pfuriwile ximfumo hi ti17 Nhlangula 2013. Rhadiyo leyi yi fambisiwaka hi Ndzawulo ya International Relations and Cooperation yi ta va leyi nga ta haxa mahungu ya Afrika. Nhloko eka Public Diplomacy, Tatana Clayson Monyela a byela vateki va mahungu e OR Tambo Building ePitori leswaku Afrika-Dzonga yi na mahungu lawa yi lavaka ku ya haxa hi tlhelo ra tipholisi ta matiko ya le handle."

RELATED ITEMS

Which Country Do You Think Most People Consider the Biggest Threat to World Peace? - Ayobami Olugbemiga, inthecapital.streetwise.co: An annual end-of-the-year poll conducted by Win/Gallup International shows that the biggest threat to world peace is not Iran, North Korea, or China. It is, in fact, the United States. According to the poll, 24 percent of people questioned in 65 countries around the world believe America is the biggest threat to world peace, including 13 percent of American respondents. Coming in at a distant second was Pakistan (8 percent), China was third (6 percent) while North Korea, Iran and Israel received 5 percent each. Among American respondents, however, Iran was named the greatest threat to peace (20 percent), followed by Afghanistan (14 percent) and North Korea (13 percent). The view that the United States is a threat to world peace is also held by some of America's closest allies: Greece and Turkey (45 percent each), and United Kingdom (17 percent). The survey also shows that there is an anti-American sentiment in both Russia and China.


54 percent of Russians say America is the greatest threat to peace and 49 percent of people in China believe the same. Note from: WIN/Gallup International Association or its members are not related to Gallup Inc., headquartered in Washington D.C which is no longer a member of Gallup International Association. Gallup International Association does not accept responsibility for opinion polling other than its own. We require that our surveys be credited fully as Gallup International (not Gallup or Gallup Poll). Image from

Military propaganda websites on verge of extinction - Ray Locker, usatoday.com: Barring a reprieve tucked into the upcoming $1 trillion spending bill working its way through Congress, the Pentagon's worldwide network of propaganda websites is nearing death. The annual defense authorization bill passed Dec. 19 and signed by President Obama last week calls for the end of the $22 million Trans Regional Web Initiative, a series of websites aimed at providing news to people in areas overseen by various military combatant commands. A GAO report issued in April 2013 but which the Pentagon attempted to keep from the public found that the websites were not well coordinated with other U.S. efforts. In Nepal, for example, GAO found that the embassy's public affairs office was "unaware of U.S. Pacific Command's website." State Department officials have expressed concern about U.S. Africa Command's website "about the Maghreb region of northern Africa, saying that a program marketed as a (Pentagon) operation may not be well received by countries traditionally sensitive to foreign military presence." Congress' decision to kill the sites comes after the Obama administration had asked for them to continue, saying in November they were "only synchronized online influence effort able to challenge the spread of extremist ideology and propaganda on the Web."

Stop coddling Egypt's military: The Obama administration should do more to demand that Egypt's military rulers make good on their promise to pursue an inclusive democracy - Editorial, latimes.com: The situation in Egypt is a textbook case of the tension between the United States' commitment to democracy and its more complicated strategic objectives. The sad truth is that U.S. military aid to Egypt is designed not to reward Egypt for adherence to democracy but to shore up the Arab-Israeli peace treaty and suppress terrorism in the Sinai Peninsula and elsewhere.


Even so, the Obama administration could be more consistent and forthright in insisting that the generals make good on their stated desire to follow a path to democracy. Image from entry, with caption: The Egyptian interim government has declared the Mohamed Morsi-led Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Above, supporters of ousted President Morsi hold a rally in Cairo on July 11.

Future terrorists: We need to build bridges to those most vulnerable to radicalization - Jane Harman, latimes.com: So if there's no road map for clearly identifying individuals who will become violent, we need to employ the best tools we know of to counter radicalizing messages and to build bridges to the vulnerable. Articulating the narrative about what the United States stands for is the first task, and so far, we seem to have had a hard time making the sale. But recent State Department efforts are promising. The Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications crafts Internet messages to counter extremism and to ask young people to turn away from terrorist groups. The best part of the program is that red tape has been cut: The team doesn't have to get approval for messages. They can react to extremist posts in real time using social media. This sort of direct, across-boundaries interaction is crucial, but by itself, it's not going to win the "argument" with the next generation of terrorists. This sort of direct, across-boundaries interaction is crucial, but by itself, it's not going to win the "argument" with the next generation of terrorists. We need communities and local police to tell us when someone is starting to drift toward forms of behavior that are illegal. Communities are a form of human intervention to counter the recruiter on the other side.

Tehran foodies flock to American-style burger joints - Jason Rezaian, Washington Post: high-end burger restaurants are suddenly popping up across the city, making the gut-busting American institution — and the quest for the best burger — the latest trend in Tehran dining.


Image from entry, with caption: Greasy burger joints have been part of Tehran’s fast-food landscape for decades, even in the years just after the 1979 Islamic revolution, when any symbol of U.S. culture was denounced as an example of “Westoxification.” Now, though, high-end burger restaurants are suddenly popping up across the city, making the gut-busting American institution the latest trend in Tehran dining. Via PR.

Table for Two (Countries) [Review of Ping-Pong Diplomacy: The Secret History Behind the Game That Changed the World by Nicholas Griffin] - Janet Maslin, New York Times: “Ping-Pong Diplomacy” builds up to the events of 1971, when an American team was unexpectedly invited to visit China to participate in a table tennis competition.


The book gives considerable credit to President Nixon, Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and Bill Cunningham — a careful China-watcher at the American Embassy in Tokyo who made the quick call that the team’s visit would not violate American foreign policy — for taking advantage of an unforeseen opportunity. Image from entry, with caption: Richard Bergmann was a world champion who fought on D-Day. His story is one of many told in "Ping-Pong Diplomacy."

The pretty face of Communism: Soviet style Pin Up art - rbth.co.uk: Among them the below, with caption: Russian Illustrator Valery Barykin successfully combines the vintage Pin Up Girls with Soviet art propaganda.


Artist from Nizhny Novgorod reinterprets the poster style used to arouse Soviet citizens’ sense of civic responsibility, with Leninist literature and heavy machinery supplanted by buxom girls and booze. Via RB on Facebook

The Power of Three - Susannah Jacobs, New York Times: A new study finds that in ads, stump speeches and other messages understood to have manipulative intent, three


claims will persuade, but four (or more) will trigger skepticism, and reverse an initially positive impression. The professors acknowledge their study’s limits. For one thing, their paper uses four experiments to make their case, not three. Image from

"While the civic, commercial context of the seventeenth-century public sphere was founded on rational exchange and the expectation that one's utterances would be accepted as truth, by the modernist period this 'ideal speech situation' had splintered; ... we have social disconnection rather than empathy, and a trustworthy interlocutor cannot be trusted."

--Alexandra Lawrie, "Enter the Genraniums" [Review of Kate McLoughlin, editor, The Modernist Party], The Times Literary Supplement (December 20 and 27, 2013), p. 29; image from

EVENT

Youth Exchange Program Value to be Discussed at February 2014 PDAA ["an association of Public diplomacy Professionals and formerly the USIA Alumni Association,']Lunch Program - pdaa.publicdiplomacy.org

BLOG OF INTEREST

Public Diplomacy two [scroll down link for item] - Public Diplomacy two: "PD20 (Public Diplomacy 2.) is the central place for news and info on the use of social media for public diplomacy. The internet site is a custom WordPress theme and features numerious customized functions, which includes Tasty and Twitter API integration. It is at the moment in development."


IMAGE


Image from, with caption: April 11, 2013 “Chuck Kennedy photographed the First Lady as she takes a ‘selfie’ with Bo, the Obama family dog, for National Geographic.” (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy); also see below "Related Items," as well as "OMG."

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

PD Honorable Mention - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Not quite a public diplomacy bronze medal or a Grammy, but my tour with Keola Beamer and Jeff Peterson, with Moanalani Beamer on American Music Abroad to Brazil received an


honorable mention for the Year in Public Diplomacy by the Public Diplomacy Council." Rockower image from

Ronald McAyatollah - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "American-style burger joints are all the rage in Tehran. Maybe the next round of nuclear negotiations should be at In and And Out.  If ever there was room for some gastrodiplomacy, this is it..."

VOA English News finds its ‘journalism-light’ niche - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "It appears that Voice of America (VOA) English website has finally found its 'journalism-light' niche. Every, even the most serious media outlet, needs to have a bit of tabloid in it. The questions are how much, what, and to what purpose? VOA English website has had a lot of fluff journalism in increasing quantities in recent years as a substitute for reporting and posting hard news and breaking news — all in an apparent attempt to increase online traffic and engagement through social media."

Turkey reshuffles envoys in Washington, London and Paris - hurriyetdailynews.com: "Turkey’s current ambassador to Tokyo, Serdar Kılıç, will be posted to Washington D.C., replacing Ambassador Namık Tan who has been representing Turkey in the U.S. since 2010. Tan is well-known for his expertise in Turkish-American relations and in public diplomacy, as he had served as the ministry’s spokesperson for years."

Love on the Road: 5 Questions to 5 Digital Nomad Couples: Uncornered Market [scroll down link for item] - Nomad is Beautiful, nomadisbeautiful.com: "Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott are an American husband-and-wife couple, full-time storytellers, photographers and adventurers.


Their passions are creativity, personal development, technology, public diplomacy, travel and street food. They hit the road six years ago to begin deep and off-beat trips around the world. Uncornered Market provides also New Media Marketing Consulting and training for the travel industry."Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

How Al Qaeda Terrorized Its Way Back in Iraq: As the country edges closer to civil war, much of the blame goes to Prime Minister Maliki -- and the White House - Max Boot, Wall Street Journal: Washington should make clear that military and intelligence help, which Baghdad has requested, will be forthcoming only if Mr. Maliki extends an open hand, rather than a clenched fist, to his country's Sunnis. Image from


Don’t Create a New Al Qaeda - Daniel Benjamin and Steven Simon, New York Times: Western governments must recognize the real possibility that a new cycle of conflict in North Africa could produce more terrorists who wish to target Americans and the West. Rightly or wrongly, Islamists view the status quo as supported — even engineered — by the United States. America has no good options at present.

The Costs of U.S. Retreat: Al Qaeda revives in Iraq and Syria's contagion spreads to Lebanon - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: President Obama and the Rand Paul Republicans want Americans to believe we can avoid the world's conflicts with good intentions and strategic retreat. The costs and consequences of that retreat are now becoming clear in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and beyond. Those costs may end up being far greater than if we had stayed engaged in Iraq and attempted to help the moderate opposition in Syria.

Taliban’s propaganda war - Tausif Kamal, pakistantoday.com.pk: Whenever there has been a face-to-face battlefield confrontation between the Pakistan forces and the Taliban combine, the latter have been pummeled and unable to fight and to withstand the punishing blows of Pakistan forces.


As a result, Taliban have resorted to adopting a strategy of vicious, false and misleading war propaganda so as to create an illusion of invincibility and fighting capability in the gullible, naive and sympathetic minds of our simple people. Image from

Another Step Forward on Okinawa - Editorial, New York Times: If the U.S. military is to remain in Okinawa for the long term, the United States and Japan must make a more compelling case to Okinawans for why the American presence is still needed. They also must be responsive to Okinawans’ concerns about jet crashes, crime, environmental degradation and noise.

Backlash Against Israel Boycott Throws Academic Association on Defensive - Peter Schmidt, New York Times: With its recent vote to boycott Israel’s higher-education institutions to protest the country’s treatment of Palestinians, the American Studies Association has itself become the target of widespread criticism and ostracism. It has gone from relative obscurity to prominence as a pariah of the United States higher-education establishment, its experience serving as a cautionary tale for other scholarly groups that might consider taking a similar stand on the Middle East. In sharp contrast to the international campaign for an academic and cultural boycott of Israel, which had been slow to gain a foothold in the United States, the campaign to rebuke the American Studies Association has spread rapidly since the group’s mid-December boycott vote. The presidents of more than 80 United States colleges have condemned the vote.

China’s wrongheaded crackdown on the media - Editorial, Washington Post: China’s leaders lord over information to preserve their monopoly on power. They fear that openness and freedom pose an existential threat to their control. They are right to be afraid; the digital revolution is only gathering force. President Xi Jinping would be better advised to let China’s journalists prepare themselves for tomorrow — to get in sync with the globalized information revolution — than to retreat behind the red banners of yesteryear. But he doesn’t dare.

Iranian Women Find Stylish Ways to Abide by the Government's Strict Dress Code - Pinar, mymodernmet.com: The Tehran Times is a blog devoted to documenting the style of Iranian women found on the street who have creatively approached the strict government enforced laws placed on how women dress.


Retaining a fashionable and artistic flair, the images reveal a generation of women who have taken the restrictive dress codes head-on, challenging the boundaries of their freedom. Though they may be expected to cover their heads, these young women do so by inching their headscarfs just a little further back. Image from entry. Via KA on Facebook

Propaganda or posterity? The photos the White House wanted you to see - Thomas Seymat, euronews.com: Soviet-style propaganda? On November 2013, 38 of the biggest news organisations in the United States sent a letter to White House Press Secretary James Carney to express their grievances. “Journalists are routinely being denied the right to photograph or videotape the president while he is performing his official duties,” the letter said.


“As surely as if they were placing a hand over a journalist’s camera lens, officials in this administration are blocking the public from having an independent view of important functions of the executive branch of government.” News agency AP Vice President and Director of Photography Santiago Lyon phrased the dispute in harsher words: “The photos […] are visual press releases and are carefully vetted by administration employees before distribution. Such images are increasingly offered to the media by the White House in lieu of real journalistic access and we and other media organisations find this unacceptable. “Media organizations generally do not reproduce written press releases verbatim, so why should we settle for these official images?” he asks. A Washington Post editorial went as far as accusing the White House of practices almost akin to Soviet propaganda. Perhaps inspired by the controversy, Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant published side-by-side on a double page pictures of the American president and of North Korean dictator Kim Jung-un


in similar poses The title of the article translates to “Propaganda-selfies to help,” Obama’s pictures are all Pete Souza’s. Above image from entry, with caption: March 23, 2013 “I was on the second helicopter which landed minutes before Marine One, and then photographed the President’s helicopter as it descended into a landing zone outside of Petra, Jordan.” (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

The Third Reich's Celluloid War: Propaganda in Nazi Feature Films, Documentaries and Television, by Ian Garden [2012] - A. A. Nofi, strategypage.com: A critical look at the Nazi use of the moving image for propaganda purposes. After a chapter on the importance of propaganda to Hitler and the Nazi regime, and another on the control of film propaganda during the Third Reich, British film historian and critic Garden examines two principal types of movies produced during the Nazi era, films made primarily to serve propaganda and those made primarily for entertainment purposes.


Some of Garden’s conclusions will come as a surprise. For example, in a point made by some other historians of the German motion picture industry during the Nazi era, Joseph Goebbels appears to have been a perceptive critic who could appreciate the skill of Allied film makers, and even urged German producers to measure up to the standards of Mrs. Miniver. Image from

Blackadder star denies show is 'leftist propaganda' - Paul van der Werff, 3news.co.nz: "As the centenary of the start of World War I approaches, a fresh battle has broken out over how the conflict is being taught to children in Britain. The Government there has criticised the use in the classroom of fictional TV shows such as Blackadder Goes Forth, saying it's leftist propaganda creating unpatriotic myths."

FROM THE UNKNOWN AUTHOR OF THE  BLOG DIPLOPUNDIT

"As it turns out, your blogger had reached a milestone this year, too. She has counted more than a dozen strands of gray hair and discovered that she is officially old. Okay, ADEA or AARP old, but not dead. But, hey, the last time she looked in the mirror, she was, well … a babe and now, ugh! she’s not. Anyway, whenever she start obsessing about that stranger in the mirror, one of you inevitably pulls out from somewhere a white rabbit that runs around, muttering something like, 'Oh dear! Oh dear! Something is happening over there!' And there we go with another chase down the hole; sometimes it’s pretty and fun, and sometimes it’s really not – especially the heartbreaking bits. In any case, your blogger is not sure how much longer Diplopundit will be able to stay around chasing rabbits."


That will depend principally on you, our readers. Your blogger has been entertaining thoughts of running off to Colorado to join the weed stampede of 'potpreneurs.' Apparently, that is the greatest new business opportunity since the fall of the Berlin Wall. However, your blogger has no idea which weed is pot and which weeds are not, so — the learning curve would be pretty high. She would much rather continue to follow the goings on in international affairs and the institution of our Foreign Service. But following these interests can no longer be exclusively the chasing of a diplomatic white rabbit down a hole to learn what delightful or frightful adventures might be discovered there. Pardon me? Oh, well, yes, she’s grown up and is now required to balance her check book and pay her bills. On average, roughly 130,000 visitors return to this blog each year. If everyone reading this gave $1, we would not have to worry sustaining this blog and your old blogger for three years. But we all know, it’s not as simple as that. If you find our work interesting or useful, or even entertaining at times, we hope you will support Diplopundit’s crowdfunding for 2014 via RocketHub."

--From: Domani Spero, "Help Diplopundit Continue the Chase — Crowdfunding for 2014," DiploPundit. Image from entry

AMERICANA


From: "This Arizonan Heartily Endorses Steven Seagal As GOP Gubernatorial Candidate," Princess Sparkle Pony's Photoblog

OUTERSPACIANA


Captain Kirk watches Miley Cyrus performance [video] - youtube.com. Via TB on Facebook; image from. See also.

"I’ve dedicated over a decade of scholarship to the topic without any acknowledgment from State."

--Jami Fullerton, "Do PD officers read the academic research on public diplomacy?"PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy; image from [see below, "A fruitful exchange on Public Diplomacy"]

"DSPD"

--Defense Support of Public Diplomacy

BLOG OF INTEREST

Reaching the Public: Personal Reflections on Public Diplomacy and Place/Nation Branding - efesevin.wordpress.com. Image from the latest entry of this blog


VIDEOS

CIEE Work and Travel USA - liveabroad.tv: CIEE Work and  Travel USA: "For over 60 years, CIEE has been leading the way in J-1 cultural exchange programs. Work and Travel USA promotes public diplomacy"

US anti-Iran bill, Israeli propaganda: Analyst - presstv.ir

Israel: Palestinians Fed Daily Anti-Israel Propaganda - cbn.com

The Power of Metadata: Deepak Jagdish and Daniel Smilkov at TEDxCambridge 2013 - MIT Media Lab graduate students Deepak Jagdish and Daniel Smilkov share some surprising insights from Immersion, a tool they built to make sense of email metadata. Via RMG

It’s Fun To Get Groped: TSA launches Propaganda Aimed At Children - Sam Rolley, personalliberty.com: "The TSA’s cartoon features a family of dogs making their way through an airport. When the reach a security checkpoint, the family’s pup asks, Why do we have to stop here? I just want to get on the plane!” Below image from entry


MEMO TO PRESIDENT OBAMA

NSA Insiders Reveal What Went Wrong - consortiumnews.com: "In a memo to President Obama, former National Security Agency insiders explain how NSA leaders botched intelligence collection and analysis before 9/11, covered up the mistakes, and violated the constitutional rights of the American people, all while wasting billions of dollars and misleading the public."

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

War in Afghanistan: The Jig Is Up - Kelley B. Vlahos, antiwar.com: "The last several years of US operations in Afghanistan have been an exercise in mondo message management. If it were a sport, it would be the highlight of the ESPN X Games. Between Afghanistan and the 'war of perception' in Iraq, students of so-called 'strategic communications' will be studying this stuff (the art of deception, the artful dodge) for years. ... Despite billions in so-called strategic communications spending (that not only includes public diplomacy abroad but recruitment, advertising and public affairs at home, a grand total of $4.7 billion in 2009 alone), the American people plainly have had enough. Pick your cliché – lipstick on a pig, selling ice to Eskimos – no one is buying it anymore."

Are International Exchange Programs Right for You? - Nicole Akoukou Thompson, latinpost.com:  "Student exchanges, sports exchanges, professional exchanges and other international exchange programs lead to the development of cultural understanding, exploration of varied terrain, public diplomacy, and the strengthening of empathetic global concern. These opportunities to venture to other countries, particularly to industrializing Latin American countries, could mean that students from the United States will have a chance to experience life outside of the ultra-consumerist American bubble in order to explore lives that are driven by tradition, customs and history; also, they have the chance to practice language through emergence. Some exchange programs involve a swap of sorts: institutions partner with other institutions and individuals are given placement.


However, that does not necessarily mean that each 'exchange' represents an actual exchange of persons. The U.S. government makes foreign programs available so that there is a conversation that can be achieved between local and international experiences. There are a number of privately and publicly funded exchange programs: Fulbright Programs, Critical Language Scholarship Program, International Military Education and Training Programs, Internal Visitor Leadership Program, Peace Corps, People to People Ambassador Program, and InterExchange. Each of these programs act as a method to inform and influence those who look to broaden their horizon, and they act as guided interactions for those who look to create a dialogue between American citizens and institutions and their counterparts. ... The lengths of the programs vary depending on the country, funding, and other factors. And the costs of these programs vary depending on whether housing or hosting is provided, and if scholarships or grants are issued. Both fully-funded and self-funded programs are made available. Beyond the U.S., Latin American countries do cultural exchanges with other nations. Exchanges have been established between Brazil and the Netherlands, and there are plans being developed so that Mexico and China might partner. However, the issue with Latin America being so receptive to foreign culture and ideologies is that other nations, particularly European countries, do not necessarily reciprocate this interest. In fact, according to the National University of Colombia, 'In Europe the receptivity towards Latin-American culture is only present in some specialists groups but at a greater level there's asymmetry.' Western ideas constantly pour into foreign nations, whether asked for or not. Individuals in third world nations gain a fleeting understanding of how life is in America and Europe, while many Americans and Europeans often have no idea or interest about life in foreign countries. Creating an awareness of Latin America's music, artwork, political figures and iconic landmarks is beneficial to anyone who truly seeks global knowledge or global responsibility, or to anyone who claims to find value in the Latin aesthetic." Image from

$60,000 Funding Available for Public Diplomacy Grant Program for South India - Varalakshmi Pulugurtha, targetednews.com: "The U.S. Department of State's Consulate in Chennai has announced that it expects to award a maximum of ten discretionary grants to develop and implement public diplomacy program."

Presidential Nominations Sent to the Senate - whitehouse.gov: "Alfredo J. Balsera, of Florida, to be a Member of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy for a term expiring July 1, 2014,vice Elizabeth F. Bagley, term expired."

Brazil Springs A WikiLeak... Assange Tags Newsman As Media Mole - capitalparanaense.blogspot.com: "With a London court ruling that media activist Julian Assange must now return to Sweden to face charges of sex crimes, the WikiLeaks founder has made his last dance a Samba, outing Brazil's most trusted newscaster as what some local media are caling an informant, even suggesting the journalist in question was an agent of the CIA, in place to promote US policy and business deals. According to a confidential state department cable published by Jornal do Brasil and other online media, the person of interest is William 'Bill' Waack. The 59-year-old Waack moderated a crucial presidential debate in last year's election and has been an anchor with Globo TV. Waack did a high profile interview with secretary of state Hillary Clinton that set the stage for president Barack Obama's 36-hour visit to Brazil and later helped facilitate the objectives of U.S. businesses and policymakers during the tour in March.

Featured Story: US Syrian-American Group Tied To US Muslim Brotherhood; Group Is Close With US State Department - gmbwatch, globalmbwatch.com: "Born in Hama, Syria to a family of eleven children, Dr. Yahya M. Basha was educated in Christian Orthodox and Muslim schools and graduated from the University of Damascus, Syria, where he earned his Doctorate of Medicine. Dr. Basha came to the United States in 1972 as an intern at Mt. Carmel Mercy Hospital and completed his residency at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan. In 1980, he began his own radiology practice ….In 2006 he was appointed a 'Civilian Ambassador' by the U.S. State Department, traveling to the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark, as part of Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes’ efforts to improve and clarify the U.S. image abroad."

U.S. International Media Reach Record Audiences, With TV Overtaking Radio - bbg.gov: "Programming across the Broadcasting Board of Governors’ global media networks reached an estimated 206 million people per week in 2013, including large audiences in countries that are strategically critical for U.S. foreign policy. The 206 million weekly reach reflects the combined TV, radio, Internet, and mobile audiences of Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio and TV Martí, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks


(Alhurra TV and Radio Sawa) and is a net increase of nearly 31 million from last year’s total, as detailed in the BBG’s 2013 Performance Accountability Report. For the first time, TV audiences have surpassed radio, with the TV audience measuring 110 million and radio reaching 109 million people per week. The Internet audience has grown substantially from last year, with 22 million reached online. Some of the increase represents data from countries that were not surveyed previously."Image from entry, with caption: Alhurra TV’s correspondent Omar Twati reporting from Libya

Voice of America did not report WIN/Gallup Int. poll finding US is a threat to peace - BGG Watcher, BBG Watch: "While BBC, RT (Russia Today), the Voice of Russia (VOR) and many other international media reported on WIN (Worldwide Independent Network of Market Research) / Gallup International global End of Year survey result showing that the U.S. is considered to be the greatest threat to peace in the world, followed by Pakistan and China, U.S. taxpayer-funded Voice of America ignored this news on its English website and on VOA websites in more than 40 other languages. See: 'US greatest threat to world peace – poll,' Voice of Russia (VOR), January 2, 2013. ... Ironically, at the December meeting of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), Director Ensor spoke proudly of his work as an American television network correspondent in Poland during Solidarity’s struggle for freedom. Ensor said in a media interview that 'Voice of America is not a propaganda organization and it is not a mouthpiece of the White House or of anybody else.''It is a proud journalistic organization more than seventy years old,' Ensor added. A good way to prove that VOA is a proud journalistic organization is to report hard news, such as the shocking WIN/Gallup International survey results, which show the failure of U.S. public diplomacy around the world. Reporting breaking news is what VOA has often failed to do under Director Ensor. A good way to prove that VOA is not a mouthpiece for the U.S. administration would have been to report criticism by former Polish President Lech Walesa of President Obama’s leadership in world affairs. Walesa, who is not exactly nobody, was commenting on U.S. foreign policy in an interview for a U.S. and international television network."

What’s VOA For? - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "VoA has a long term future ... that ... might be better achieved by a merger of VoA with the RFE/RL axis and possibly handing the whole lot over to the National Endowment for Democracy to run."

The recently approved NATO Policy on Strategic Communication defines Strategic Communication as 'the coordinated and appropriate use of NATO communications activities and capabilities – Public Diplomacy, Military Public Affairs, Information Operations and Psychological Operations, as appropriate – in support of Alliance policies, operations and activities, and in order to advance NATO’s aims' [.]


Strategic communication (SC) refers to focused US Government efforts to understand and engage key audiences to create, strengthen, or preserve conditions favorable for the advancement of US Government interests, policies, and objectives through the use of coordinated programs, plans, themes, messages, and products synchronized with and leveraging the actions of all instruments of national power. The US military plays an important supporting role in SC, primarily through information operations, public affairs, and defense support to public diplomacy. SC considerations should be included in all joint operational planning for military operations from routine, recurring military activities in peacetime through major operations. - Defense Support to Public Diplomacy (DSPD) DSPD


are those activities and measures taken by the defense components to support and facilitate public diplomacy efforts of the government. They may include the public affair activities. - Social Media e.g. the Facebook, Myspace, Bloge [sic], and etc. - Physical Destruction: by military assets and/or other means."Images from entry. Comments [as of ca. 2:30 pm Jan 8] on Facebook:

Canada, the G8, and a New D10 - Diplomat: "NATO remains primarily focused on Euro-Atlantic defence co-operation and excludes Asian partners. Current threats and challenges require a wider set of partners and actions, from sanctions to foreign assistance to public diplomacy.


Important objectives, such as the promotion of human rights and transnational justice, remain outside NATO’s purview."Image from entry, with caption: Through NATO, Cold War allies worked to unify military capabilities and co-ordinate strategies to contain Soviet expansion.

Sochi, Tsar Vladimir's Black Sea St. Vladimirsburg - John Brown, Huffington Post:" [T]oday, when nuclear blackmail is less of an option than ever to exert national power, the politically powerful in Russia are hoping to influence the 'near abroad' (former Soviet [r]epublics) by soft coercion/public diplomacy (PD) so as to enhance their country's own security (and their own influence at home) -- rather than to spread American-style PD universal 'values. The Olympics fit the bill -- the very expensive bill." See also, "Сочи - черноморский Санкт-Владимирсбург царя Владимира," chechenews.com; via PG

India is where real democracy is: Bilimoria on AAP success - business-standard.com: "India is the place where there is real democracy, highlighted by the stupendous performance of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that swept aside the ruling Congress to form the government in Delhi, Indian-origin British entrepreneur Karan Bilimoria said here Wednesday. Addressing a session on soft power at the ongoing Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), the largest gathering of Indian diaspora in the world, Bilimoria said Britain may have its Magna Carta on democratic reform and Westminster, 'but this (India) is where the real democracy is'. 'This is where the real democracy is, where a party can start from nothing and in one year win a state election,' said Bilimoria, to loud applause from the audience. Bilimoria's reference was to the AAP, which won the Dec 4 Delhi elections to oust the Congress after 15 years of uninterrupted rule. The AAP was formed in November 2012. Bilimoria, the owner of Cobra beer, also said Indians vote much more than in Britain. He said evidence of India's soft power could be seen in the 10,000 Indian restaurants in Britain and with Indian cuisine becoming a favourite food in the country. However, he said the Indian foreign service needs to be strengthened from the 600 at present to push ahead with public diplomacy."

Burma puts its stamp on the world: Philately and foreign policy - lowyinterpreter.org: "When subjects like soft power and public diplomacy are discussed in forums like this, few people have postage stamps in mind, but there has long been a close connection between philately and foreign policy. In themselves, stamps express sovereignty, but they are also examples of political iconography and visual indicators of official attitudes and policies, aimed at both domestic and international audiences. The use of stamps as projections of national identity can be traced back to their origin in 1840, when stamps carrying portraits of Queen Victoria began to be used throughout the British Empire. Even before the Universal Postal Union was formed in 1874 to permit the free flow of international mail, stamps were used to mark a country's independence, stake territorial claims, record military victories, honour statesmen and support multilateral institutions. There are now about 600 stamp-issuing entities, or 'authorities', around the world. Over the last century and a half they have produced an estimated 250,000 different designs. Through the use of unique and often striking visual statements in a small two dimensional space, they have covered themes as far ranging as nationalism, history, politics, economics, art, cultural identity and foreign relations. Authoritarian governments in particular have been quick to recognise the propaganda value of stamps, and to use them in international campaigns. During the Cold War, for example, the Soviet Union used stamps to trumpet the glories of communism. North Korea is still one of the most prolific issuers of stamps portraying icons of its own and other revolutionary movements. Cuba's stamps also display a stubborn attachment to such themes. These days, China has become particularly adept at promoting its relations with other countries through the issue of commemorative stamps, usually celebrating the establishment of diplomatic ties and other major events. Some joint issues have been paid for entirely by Beijing. Not only do such stamps promote China as a friendly global power, but they help strengthen its ties with strategically important states. It is also possible, through the study of a country's postage stamps, to see the historical development of its foreign relations. ... It is possible that in this era of emails, Skype and social media, the heyday of the postage stamp is over, but they are still important.


This is particularly so in countries like Burma, where electronic communications are under-developed. In any case, given the dearth of reliable information about Burma's domestic politics and foreign relations, no source should be seen as unworthy of serious consideration."Image from entry

New division for Bangladesh in Indian ministry - southasiarevealed.com: "Indian newspapers said the new foreign secretary Sujatha Singh effected the changes soon after she assumed charge. The public diplomacy and external publicity were combined into one division, among the many changes effected by Singh."

Uganda’s envoys should market Vision 2040 - Amama Mbabazi, observer.ug: Mbabazi [prime minister of Uganda and secretary general of the NRM]: "The ministry of Foreign Affairs organises biennial ambassadors’ conferences to take stock of planned achievements and the way forward. Government is focused on ensuring that there is a coordinated effort by all stakeholders – both in government and the private sector – to transform Uganda into a modern and prosperous country within 30 years. ... government is, nevertheless, aware of a number of challenges that we need to jointly surmount in working towards realising the implementation of Vision 2040. For example, there are negative elements in the diaspora, who are increasingly propagating falsehoods aimed at projecting the president and the NRM leadership as Uganda’s problem.


In addition, they highlight corruption, torture of the opposition, political transition, the public order management legislation, and the recently-passed Anti-Homosexuality Bill as areas where government’s efforts are wanting. Such detractors wrongfully distort both the real progress Uganda is making, and also tarnish the image of Uganda in the international community. This subjective propaganda should be challenged by simple presentation of facts on the principles and values that guide the progress that Uganda has made and continues to make. It is the responsibility of all our representatives abroad, to systematically carryout vigorous and strategic image-building programmes in their countries of accreditation to ensure that the image of Uganda is protected and promoted. In this regard it is important that every mission assigns an officer to be in charge of public diplomacy in addition to the other diplomatic roles. ... It is important to enhance the exchange of information between government departments and the ministry of Foreign Affairs to enable timely response to address both opportunities and challenges through sustained projection of the achievements of the government and opportunities in Uganda at every opportunity. This should include social media, at international conferences and any other fora that our diplomats are able to access."Uncaptioned image from entry

Danny Seaman: The Israeli official whose career died from foot-in-mouth disease: The former director of the Government Press Office never let Israeli policies get in the way of provocative propaganda - Matthew Kalman, matthewkalman.blogspot.com: "I shall miss Danny Seaman, the former director of the Israel Government Press Office. Seaman was suspended from his position as social media guru and deputy director-general for information at the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry last August after a series of flaming Facebook posts that insulted Muslims, Palestinians and Japanese in equal measure.

Seaman is no longer in government. I mistakenly placed him there this morning when I shared his latest wisdom – a measured response to the untimely death Wednesday in Prague of Palestinian Ambassador Jamal al-Jamal, killed when an old safe exploded in his home. 'Guess you can say that the Palestinian ‘Ambassador’ to the Czech Republic died of natural causes,' Seaman commented. Minutes after I shared it with my own Facebook followers, he removed it and, sadly, demoted me from his list of 'friends.'” Images from entry

Chinese Media Forum Votes Pope Francis a "Key Man of the Year 2013": Holy Father Came Third in Top Ten List - zenit.org: "A group of Chinese media and diplomatic representatives has voted Pope Francis one of the world’s top ten 'key men of the year 2013'. The 'China International News Forum', made up of 50 representatives from the most important media and diplomatic associations on mainland China, placed Pope Francis in third position among the top ten most important men in the world, according to Fides news agency. Others included the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, and the former Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi. No Pope or religious personality has ever appeared in the annual ranking of the organisation, Fides reported. The selection was made at the forum’s 15th annual conference on December 15 in Hainan, and made public on December 24. The event was cosponsored by Guangming Daily, China Public Diplomacy Association and Hainan Daily Press Group with the support of the China Telecommunications Corporation. Launched in 1999, the 'China International News Forum' is aimed at raising the quality of international coverage by China’s media, and improving coordination between media groups. Since it started, it says it has 'played a positive role in expanding Chinese media’s influence' and 'adhering to the correct direction of public opinion.'”

RELATED ITEMS

Congress Pulls Plug On Pentagon's Central Asia Propaganda - Joshua Kucera, eurasianet.org: It appears that the Pentagon's propaganda outlet in Central Asia is going out of business. The recently passed U.S. defense budget bill eliminated funding for the Trans Regional Web Initiative, a program that published a variety of regional "news" websites, including Central Asia Online.

Dennis Rodman gets angry in Pyongyang - Calum MacLeod, USA Today: "Former NBA star Dennis Rodman lashed out Tuesday at suggestions that he is playing a patsy to dictator Kim Jong Un by putting on an exhibition


game in one of the world's most brutal dictatorships. ... Fellow player Smith said the players were invited by North Korea to take part in a 'cultural exchange' with other Americans and to 'put smiles on people's faces.'"Image from entry, with caption: Dennis Rodman prepares to leave after he and other U.S. basketball players completed a television interview on Jan. 7 at a hotel in Pyongyang, North Korea. Rodman and a team of U.S. basketball stars will play an exhibition game on Jan. 8, the birthday of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. See also.

An atypical orchestra offers music for China's masses: The American Hollywood Film Orchestra, an ensemble definitely not from Hollywood that travels without instruments, rolls with the punches on its tours - Julie Makinen, latimes.com: The orchestra's grueling schedule — 5:30 a.m. wake-ups, 11 p.m. dinners, with travel, rehearsal and performances in between — attests to the popularity of Hollywood fare in China as well as the seemingly insatiable demand for Western orchestral music as the country invests heavily in new concert venues and classical music education.


In just the last few months, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the San Diego Symphony, the BBC Concert Orchestra, Canada's National Arts Center Orchestra and even Pierce College's L.A. Symphonic Winds have staged China tours. Also known as the Hollywood Concert Orchestra and the Hollywood Festival Orchestra, the movie-themed ensemble has been making the rounds in China for several years. Image from entry, with caption: Members of the American Hollywood Film Orchestra rehearse at the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing. The screen behind them reads, "Classic Oscar: The American Hollywood Film Orchestra New Year's Audio-Visual Concert."

India Halts 'Commercial Activity' at US Embassy - voanews.com: India has demanded an end to all commercial activities at a club at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, in what appears to be the latest retaliation for the arrest of an Indian diplomat. India's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday gave a deadline of January 16 for the U.S. to stop allowing non-diplomats to use the facilities at the American Community Support Association.


U.S. diplomats and other American expatriates pay thousands of dollars each year to join the club, which houses a bar, restaurant, swimming pool, gym, bowling alley and other amenities. Indian officials also announced they have pulled diplomatic immunity for U.S. officials who receive traffic violations. The moves stem from the December 13 arrest in New York of Devyani Khobragade. The diplomat has pleaded not guilty to charges that she hired a household maid at much less than minimum wage and lied about it on a visa application. Image from entry, with caption: A private security guard stands outside the U.S. embassy in New Delhi, Dec. 18, 2013.

John Kerry, Secretary of Unreality: The secretary of state hasn't outlawed war, as Frank Kellogg did in 1928, but his Mideast initiatives are a good imitation - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal: The world won't live in illusions forever.


Too bad the same probably can't be said for John Kerry. Image from entry, with caption: Frank Kellogg outlawed war in 1928. Kerry wants Mideast peace in 2014.

Not Just About Us - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: Naïve is thinking that everything is about the absence or presence of American power, and that the people of the Middle East region have no agency.

The moral case for ending America's cold war with Iran: The stakes are higher than restraining Tehran's nuclear program. Improved relations may be our last best hope of ending the Syrian civil war - Peter Beinart, Ending America’s cold war with Iran would deny Iran’s regime a key pretext it uses to repress domestic dissent. And it would increase the chances of ending a war in Syria that should shame the world.

France, Iran and the 'Front of Mistrust': Tehran makes a sly offer on nuclear talks; Paris leads the opposition - John Vinocur, Wall Street Journal: In the midst of the West's Christmas to New Year's snooze, Iran's ayatollahs demonstrated their share of big-time cunning. The result: remarks that look like an offer to the U.S. of one-on-one talks on Tehran's nuclear program, which would maximize its chances of getting a concession-laden deal from the Obama administration.

Is Mideast peace possible? Skepticism is understandable, but there is a glimmer of hope in the U.S.-led effort to broker a deal - Editorial, latimes.com: For Palestinians, being required to recognize Israel as a Jewish state would be a ratification of second-class citizenship for Israel's Arabs. Disagreement over this issue shouldn't be a deal-breaker. The Jewish character of Israel doesn't depend on any blessing from the Palestinians. If an agreement is reached in which the Palestinians recognize Israel and commit to ending hostilities — and in which both sides agree on borders, Jerusalem, security and the refugee question — that would be an extraordinary achievement that would be felt around the region and around the world.

Syria's Assad: Still the wrong choice: The U.S. should press Iran and its ally Russia to abandon him in favor of a more balanced and representative government - Nabeel A. Khoury, latimes.com: Rather than giving Assad a boost by talking to him, now is the time for the U.S. to encourage Iran (and its backer Russia) to abandon him in favor


of a more balanced and representative government in Syria. Image from entry, with caption: A Syrian boy sells sweets as civilians and emergency personnel inspect the damage in a street after government forces allegedly shelled the northern city of Aleppo.

The repercussions of America’s uncertain tone in the Middle East - James Jeffrey, Washington Post: How will Maliki, a Shiite, respond to U.S. admonitions that he take a different tack with Sunni Arab Iraqis if we take pains to emphasize that this is his fight, not ours? In purely realpolitik terms, this is our fight. A destabilized Iraq with a western region overrun by al-Qaeda is obviously not in U.S. interests if we want a calm Middle East and a secure homeland. Nor if we hope to see a functional Iraq export the 6 million barrels of oil the International Energy Agency estimates it could provide to world markets daily by 2020.

Preventing Civil War in South Sudan - Room for Debate, New York Times: South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, was formed in 2011 after more than 20 years of brutal civil war. The international community,especially the United States, was instrumental in the peace agreement that ultimately led to South Sudan’s independence. But since violence escalated last month because of tribal-infused political tensions, the rest of the world has been mostly hands-off. Given the critical role the United States and other foreign entities played in the creation of South Sudan, what is their responsibility as the region faces another civil war?

The end of human rights - Stephen Hopgood, Washington Post: America’s notorious skepticism about most human rights treaties has in the past been tempered because international rights seemed to go hand in hand with Washington’s goal of spreading democracy. But opponents can now see U.S. ambivalence about strengthening global liberal institutions — outside the trade and finance realm — and know there will be little pushback when the stakes are high.

China Confronts the Online Rumor Mill - Yu Hua, New York Times: The best way of putting an end to Internet rumors is for the government to stop disseminating lies. But the government will never do that, and so Internet rumors will continue to sprout and spread — even after the crackdown.

China-Japan propaganda war continues, compares to Lord Voldemort - ibnlive.in.com: China lambasted Japan on Tuesday for comparing it to Lord Voldemort, the villain in the Harry Potter stories, after both countries used the character to describe each other in a tit-for-tat diplomatic spat.


In an op-ed in Britain's Daily Telegraph, the Chinese ambassador to Britain, Liu Xiaoming, wrote last week: "If militarism is like the haunting Voldemort of Japan, the Yasukuni shrine in Tokyo is a kind of horcrux, representing the darkest parts of that nation's soul." In British author JK Rowling's best-selling series Harry Potter, Voldemort uses horcruxes to hold bits of his soul and extend his life. Image from entry, with caption: China-Japan propaganda ear continues.

Italian cardinal decries propaganda campaign to redefine marriage - catholicculture.org: In a strongly worded homily that he delivered on December 29, the feast of the Holy Family, the Archbishop of Bologna, Italy has decried the campaign to redefine marriage, saying that laws regarding marriage should not be revised “on the basis of fashionable trends.” Cardinal Carlo Caffarra charged that “powerful lobbies which are quite often in control of the means of producing consensus” have thrown their support behind the effort to redefine marriage. The propaganda campaign, he said, has managed to “distract men and women from listening to the voice of God speaking in their consciences.”

Public Service or Propaganda? Top Handout Photos of 2013 - Many images published around the world on a daily basis are not taken by news organizations or commissioned by magazines, but are instead provided by third-party vendors who are, for various reasons, closer to the source of the story. Whether viewed as a public service or as propaganda, widely-disseminated handout images provide visual material the public would otherwise rarely see.


They can also, at times, constitute a minefield for the sources and publishers working with the material. Handouts are often provided to news organizations and media companies — by governments, event organizers, private companies — in instances where access for photographers is either denied or not possible. Image from entry

Not your typical treat: Grand Rapidians buy into chef's doughnut propaganda - mlive.com: Propaganda doughnuts are fried in trans fat-free shortening special orders. Jams and jellies are sourced locally and made with organic ingredients (when available). It doesn’t make his doughnuts healthy, per se, you’re probably worse off eating a Snickers candy bar than a couple of his doughnuts.


Image from entry, with caption: Chef and owner of Propaganda Doughnuts Tory O'Haire stirs a Rose Turkish Delight used for his White Witch doughnut at his 117 Division Avenue South location in Grand Rapids on Sunday, January 5, 2014. O'Haire makes the pastries from scratch using organic ingredients.

AMERICANA


Key to the Map of U.S. Special Operations Forces around the world, 2012-2013 - Red markers: U.S. Special Operations Forces deployment in 2013. Blue markers: U.S. Special Operations Forces working with/training/advising/conducting operations with indigenous troops in the U.S. or a third country during 2013. Purple markers: U.S. Special Operations Forces deployment in 2012. Yellow markers: U.S. Special Operations Forces working with/training/advising/conducting operations with indigenous troops in the U.S. or a third country during 2012. -- From

ASU Halftime 2012 at Magic City Classic: Marching Hornet Band of Alabama St. University performing at halftime of the Magic City Classic 2013

MORE AMERICANA


--Peabody Library (Carol M. Highsmith) : The George Peabody Library at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Opened in 1878 as the Library of the Peabody Institute of the City of Baltimore, it features five tiers of ornamental cast-iron balconies and a skylight 61 feet above the floor. From: "Remarkable libraries across America," Los Angeles Times

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"I did not enjoy being secretary of defense."


--Former defense secretary Robert Gates; cited in Bob Woodward, "Robert Gates, former defense secretary, offers harsh critique of Obama’s leadership in ‘Duty,'" Washington Post; image from

A FRUITFUL EXCHANGE ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY (as of 3:00 pm Jan 8)

The CPD Blog is intended to stimulate dialog among scholars, researchers, practitioners and professionals from around the world in the public diplomacy sphere. The opinions represented here are the authors' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy.

PD News – CPD Blog

DO PD OFFICERS READ THE ACADEMIC RESEARCH ON PUBLIC DIPLOMACY? JAN 6, 2014Posted by Jami Fullerton All posts by Jami Fullerton I received a letter from the U.S. State Department last week. It was from a program officer in the office of International Visitors thanking me for hosting three Chinese journalists who were visiting the United States as part of the State Department’s Edward R. Murrow exchange program. It was a very nice thank-you note. The last line read: “Your generosity and kindness made a lasting, positive impression, helping advance the cause of America’s public diplomacy effort.” My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed having the Chinese visitors in our home. We even took them to a college basketball game, which was mentioned as a highlight of their trip in the State Department’s note. We learned a little bit more about China that day. I am a strong supporter of person-to-person citizen diplomacy and the State Department’s educational and cultural exchange programs. We often host international visitors in our home. However, I was slightly amused that this one dinner earned me a personal thank-you for advancing the cause of U.S. public diplomacy. After all, I’ve dedicated over a decade of scholarship to the topic without any acknowledgment from State. My colleagues who research and write about U.S. public diplomacy may feel as I do. We have devoted portions of our careers to shed light on U.S. public diplomacy efforts through our writing and research, but wonder if the State Department officers ever read a word of it. I can understand that the theoretical stuff may not be overly helpful to the folks who work in the public diplomacy trenches day-to-day, but much of what I publish (usually with Alice Kendrick of SMU), is very practical. For example, our recent article in American Behavioral Scientist contains evidence of how U.S. tourism advertising to international audiences can serve double-duty for the government, both economic and in terms of public diplomacy. Our university-funded data showed that among a large sample of Australian adults, not only did the tourism ads work to increase interest in travel to the U.S., but also in improved overall attitudes toward the U.S. government and U.S. people. I’m not completely sure, but I suspect that the State Department barely considered the positive spill over (what we have been calling Bleedover) effects that the Commerce Department’s “Brand USA” tourism campaign is having toward winning hearts and minds. And if they did, I doubt they saw our experimental research supporting the idea. Or maybe they have seen it and I just haven’t heard from them yet. That’s okay. The note last week was still a really nice gesture and greatly appreciated. Read Comments (7) | Add Your Own Comments Laura Belmonte on January 6, 2014 @ 5:56 pm Wonderful to see Jami Fullerton blogging here. Her current work on nation branding is excellent. Nick Cull on January 7, 2014 @ 1:12 am The whole issue of academic contact with government remains in play in various ways. Both sides need practice to be mutually intelligible -- like any two cultures -- and exchange visits work here too. I has helped USC to have diplomats in residence over the years, but conversation and readiness to express core ideas in shorter forms seem to help too. The 180,000 word monograph is not a form that plays well in DC -- I speak from experience! john brown on January 7, 2014 @ 8:09 am Public diplomacy is essentially something you do rather than write about. That in part may explain the existence of "two cultures," to use Professor Cull's words. Jami Fullerton on January 7, 2014 @ 10:37 am I think that there is an opportunity to do and to write. We've been trying to engage in both in Oklahoma -- in the form of hosting/sponsoring the many international exchange programs, Fulbrights, working/teaching overseas on State Department grants and generally participating in citizen diplomacy, like sister cities. But I also think that the work we do as scholars is valuable, much of which could be useful to the practitioners. Perhaps, it is the same difficulty that academe has with bridging to industry. We're in our ivory towers and they are in the trenches. 180,000 words is too many - but maybe there's a way to do a "Research in Brief" and share that with our colleagues in Washington. Or a joint conference around a particular public diplomacy topic, like the one I participated in after 9/11 at the University of Michigan. From the academic side, I'm sure we could do a better job reaching out to them with our work rather than just waiting to be noticed. Jonathan Henick on January 8, 2014 @ 3:46 am Speaking as just one practitioner, I must confess that we rarely have time to dig into the academic research. We tend to be overwhelmingly consumed with the day-to-day work of programming, information work, overall management, and simply keeping up with current events, not to mention policy! Academia has quite a bit to offer, however, and we would all do well to make efforts to bridge the gap more often. I have noticed, for example, that much of the academic research overly focuses on Washington structures and programs and fails to take into account the field perspective and innumerable programs, initiatives, and approaches taking place every day at our overseas missions. The Department needs to find better ways to make such data available to researchers. Conferences help (when we have time to attend!) and perhaps we could incorporate more of the literature into Foreign Service Institute training. Our PD Fellows at universities (and it is my privilege to be in such a position now) also can play a key role. I guess we'll all have to keep plugging away at it! Jonathan Donna Oglesby on January 8, 2014 @ 10:45 am I am currently researching how diplomats and academics teach diplomacy (including public diplomacy.) Specifically I ask what, if anything, is different about teaching and learning in diplomacy courses offered by practitioners and academics in American colleges and universities. I am finding -- through examination of syllabi and interviews with those teaching -- that what the two distinct communities teach in terms of skills and procedures as well as the beliefs that inform them, the values that sustain them and the theories that lie behind them differ significantly. I do find that some more theoretical literature in diplomatic studies is valued little by teaching American diplomats. I am not, however, finding any evidence for Dr. Brown's contention, that an understanding of an an appreciation for the practice of [public] diplomacy cannot be taught. Approaches may differ between those who come to teaching from practice and those who come to it from scholarship but there can be integrity and value in both paths to knowledge and excellence abounds. Craig Hayden on January 8, 2014 @ 11:47 am I think Prof. Cull's notion that "Both sides need practice to be mutually intelligible" is spot on, if the objective is cultivate and encourage a relationship that yields benefits that might not otherwise be available to either parties. That said, I don't think it's the job of public diplomats to consume academic work (they have a lot to do already) - but it couldn't hurt. This is especially obvious when there are meso-level theories (such as media effects concepts or cross-cultural communications concepts) that could directly inform thinking about PD practice. Theory serves the purpose of guiding questions and shaping analytical conclusions; it's not *just* navel-gazing or critical hand-wringing. At the same time it's not the job of the academic to craft his or her work in a manner that is on face useful to the practitioner. Academics, I would argue, have a rather distinct vocational obligation to think about questions that do not necessarily fit with the imperatives of policy or practice. Of course this doesn't mean they cannot or should not work to produce knowledge that can be helpful to planners and practitioners. As Emily Metzgar, Efe Sevin, and myself reported to the US advisory commission on public diplomacy last month, the fact of the matter is that most PD"research" pubs are not that theoretical and much more speculative than grounded in empirical study (obviously, Prof. Fullerton's work is an exception). As public diplomacy becomes a more mainstream object of study for more established theoretical frameworks, disciplines, and research methodologies, I think we can (and should) see a more robust agenda of rigorous and indeed useful writing.

"He Looks Like a Monster."

--The reaction of one Pyongyang man shouted, when he saw visiting former NBA start Dennis Rodman on the street; image from, with caption: Kim Jong Un and Dennis Rodman watch North Korean and U.S. players in an exhibition basketball game in Pyongyang last February; see also John Brown, "'He looks like a monster!': A Thought on Dennis and his 'Rod-men' in North Korea," Notes and Essays

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Fine print of new defense law reveals Obama-Congress power struggle - James Rosen, lebanondemocrat.com: "Before President Barack Obama finally signed it into law the day after Christmas, a defense-authorization measure bogged down for months in Congress over disputes about sexual assault prosecutions, terror detainees, Iran sanctions, surveillance of Americans and other hot-button issues. ... Congress declined to authorize continued funding of five post-9/11 websites that disseminate 'public diplomacy'– State Department lingo for U.S.-style propaganda – in southeast Europe, Turkey, Northern Africa, Iraq and Central Asia.


When Obama protested, lawmakers authorized spending $2 million, but with directions to use the funds to shut the websites down. 'We remain skeptical of the effectiveness of the websites,' said the legislative report accompanying the bill."Image from

Congress Renews Efforts to Kill COCOM Websites - Lawrence Dietz, psyopregiment.blogspot.com: "Essentially Combatant Commanders (COCOM) such as the Central Command (CENTCOM) and Pacific Command (PACOM) developed websites which were intended to directly support the COCOM CDR’s initiatives in the region. The General Account Office (GAO) asserted in its report that these efforts were not effective partially because they were not well coordinated with other US (read that State Department) efforts. This strikes me as a good decision. From what I can tell, most successful influence population efforts have been bottom up. This is particularly true in situations where the countries in question are rural, tribal and/or heavily illiterate as is the case in Afghanistan. Top down campaigns orchestrated by 4* Commands through intermediaries is not likely to be very effective. If the Trans Regional Web initiative was targeted against high level officials, the elite, diplomatic corps, academics, etc. then it was a battleship seeking to destroy a row boat – meaning that the website is not the optimal nor most cost efficient means to reach that audience. I have often lamented the lack of a National Influence Strategy and this most recent debacle confirms the need for such a document as guidance to DOD and the Department of State for them to harmonize their influence efforts. Another interesting angle is the ineffectiveness of US Public Diplomacy ultimately rests with the President and the Secretary of State, perhaps the Republicans will latch on to this as a plank in their platform to defeat the Democrat’s most likely Presidential Candidate, Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State."


West loses out in battle for 'hearts and minds': A new survey carried out in Afghanistan suggests NATO troops have a harder time winning over civilians than Taliban fighters. With withdrawal imminent, what lessons can the West learn from military intervention? - "After 12 years of war - at the cost of over 3,400 soldiers' lives- a new survey carried out in 204 villages across five Afghanistan provinces appears to show that ordinary Afghans prefer the Taliban to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The survey, conducted by a team from Yale and Princeton universities and based on interviews with nearly 3,000 Afghan men, found that while harm caused to civilians by ISAF soldiers increased support for the Taliban, the opposite did not hold true: Taliban violence did not result in more support for NATO. ... Some analysts raised questions about the reliability of the findings. ... The researchers attempted to waylay these concerns by using an indirect questioning method . ... But objections notwithstanding, even skeptical analysts


admit that the findings are probably accurate. 'It's nothing particularly surprising,' said Peter Quentin, a researcher at the Royal United Services Institute and former officer who served in Afghanistan with the British army in 2010. 'What is interesting is that this is saying: if there's one priority it should be minimizing exposure to violence for the civilian population.' That, Quentin points out, supports the counter-insurgency strategy - often called COIN - that President Barack Obama's administration expanded in Afghanistan. The theory, championed by General David Petraeus, ISAF commander from 2010 to 2011, was that counterinsurgency had to be bolstered by public diplomacy - even at the expense of taking more casualties. COIN has been roundly condemned as a failure in Afghanistan . ... The prevailing view at the moment seems to be that no kind of power - hard, soft, or some combination of the two - really works. And it will be long time before NATO gets its appetite for intervention back."Uncaptioned image from article

2014: The Year of Public Diplomacy- Tara Sonenshine, takefiveblog.org: "2014 could be the year of public diplomacy, particularly throughout the Middle East where citizens continue to exercise enormous influence over the direction of events on the ground, from Iraq to Syria, and from Israel to the West Bank. Public opinion in the U.S. matters, as does public opinion 'of' the United States around the world in an interdependent world. ... Official government-to-government relations will need to work in tandem with government-to-citizen relations in 2014 to take into account all the actors and voices in the Middle East drama of today.


A critical pillar of 2014 foreign policymaking rests in trying to achieve some equilibrium and public calm to lower the levels of violence which, left unchecked, threaten all of us, everywhere. ... Tara Sonenshine is a distinguished fellow at The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs. Previously, she served as Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, as well as Executive Vice President of the U.S. Institute for Peace."Image from entry, with caption: Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat (L-R), U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Israel’s Justice Minister Tzipi Livni shake hands at a news conference at the end of talks at the State Department in Washington, July 30, 2013.

Top 10 U.S. Public Diplomacy Priorities for 2014 - Matthew Wallin, americansecurityproject.org: "It’s a new year for public diplomacy, and one that’s likely to be filled with opportunities and challenges. With this in mind, I have assembled a top 10 list for public diplomacy priorities for 2014. While by no means serving as a complete list of all the important issues facing U.S.public diplomacy, it is a reflection of the numerous discussions I have held with officials, practitioners, and academics over the past year. In no particular order: 1.) Confirm a new Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs [.]2.)Keep an eye on IIP [:] 2013 saw the release of an Inspector General report on the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP). Of particular note was State Department spending on Facebook campaigns, which was held to particular scrutiny by the media. ... 3.) Merge the analog and digital [.] 4.) Incorporate metrics [.] 5.) Define a strategic narrative [.] 6.) Get serious about U.S. International Broadcasting [.] 7.) Train the next generation [.] 8.) Inform the Homeland [.] 9.) Iran ... For the sake of creating mutual understanding, the U.S. should be wary to not cede the public diplomacy realm completely to Iran and increase the use of PD as a tool in the effort to change the relationship between the two countries. ... 10.) Egypt ... The U.S. should make efforts to increase its on-the-ground understanding of the situation in Egypt, and assist where appropriate in the progress towards democracy."

My fake online friend-bots - Alex Beam, Boston Globe: "[T]he Associated Press reported that the State Department spent $630,000 buying 'friends' for its Bureau of International Information Programs’ Facebook page. The bureau self-describes as America’s 'foreign-facing public diplomacy communications bureau,' the linchpin of State’s 'growing social media community that numbers over 22 million followers.'


Many of them fake, alas. It would be nice to lay this scandal at the feet of the emotionally needy secretary of state, John Kerry, but the policy of buying friends for America redounds to his emotionally needy predecessor, Hillary Clinton."Image from entry

The State of Evaluation - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "Given the amount of time that people in the PD community spend worrying about evaluation you might be interested in a recent report from the UK National Audit Office on Evaluation in Government…put it this way given the size of PD budgets there are a lot of people with much bigger problems: The main findings [:] Despite polices that require evaluation of the impact of interventions British government actually evaluates in a pretty random way, departments don’t have a clear view of what they evaluate or why they do it. A graphic casually points to £51 Billion of defence expenditure that isn’t being evaluated at all (ie roughly 25 times the entire FCO Budget) Most evaluation fails basic standards of methodological adequacy Departments don’t use evaluation evidence in developing policy. Only a small fraction of requests for funding from The Treasury are supported by evidence from evaluations. Evaluation reports that are weaker in supporting the causal impact of interventions make bigger claims for policy effectiveness. So the next time someone asks you to justify the impact of public diplomacy expenditure you will be perfectly at liberty to ask them about the evidence that any other government activity actually does anything. The point is not that government activities don’t do anything (even though this might be the case) but that government isn’t very good at producing good evidence that they do."

UC expands partnership in Iraq with federal grant - Andy Brownfield, bizjournals.com: "The U.S. Embassy to Iraq is giving the University of Cincinnati a $300,000 grant to build partnerships in Iraq, the university announced on Thursday.


The money from the Public Diplomacy Grants Program is to build an alumni university program with Iraq as the U.S. continues its effort to rebuild the country. The alumni university program will expand a partnership UC participated in beginning in 2010 with the Salahaddin University-Hawler. UC was one of a handful of universities selected to participate in that three-year University Linkages Program. Image from entry

Syria and its exodus draw efforts from Baylor and resettlement agencies - Dianne Solis, thescoopblog.dallasnews.com: "Baylor University’s School of Music has started a scholarship fund to bring musicians from conflict zones such as Syria to the refuge of the Texas campus. The Texas university’s stepped up to help out with a crisis the world hasn’t seen in this dimension in many years.


They’re working with the U.S. non-profit American Voices—one with a 20-year track record of training and collaborating with young people passionate about music, dance and theater in more than 100 countries. Just before Christmas, we profiled here two promising students brought from Syria, Andreh Maqdissi and Amjad Dabi, on student visas. Dabi calls war 'when people stop seeing each other as human.'” Image from entry, with caption: Amjad Dabi prepares to play the piano at Baylor School of Music in this archived photo from 2013. Via PR

Security Cooperation, and Nonmilitary and Regional Effects - Chap Godbey, blog.usni.org: "Security cooperation (SC) is not very familiar to most operators in the Department of Defense. SC’s a difficult skill set. SC can pay off not only as a force multiplier, but also to provide diplomatic effects which can be game-changing. ... The benefits of SC have national influence, not just military, from public affairs/public diplomacy to changing policies in a country. SC also has a regional influence: in the ability to use the U.S. effort as a go-between between two partners unhappy with each other, in the ability to build regional ties with the U.S. invited to play, and in the ability to influence regional decisions based on a calculation from a nation that has to deal with what the U.S. has done in the neighborhood."

Officially In: Robert A. Wood — from USEU to the Conference on Disarmament – Domani Spero, DiploPundit: "On December 12, President Obama announced his intent to nominate Robert A. Wood, for Rank of Ambassador during his tenure of service as United States Representative to the Conference on Disarmament. The WH released the following brief bio: [']Robert A. Wood, a Career Member of the Foreign Service, Class of Minister-Counselor, is Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Mission to the European Union. ... Mr. Wood has been a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State and the former U.S. Information Agency since 1988. In Washington, Mr. Wood has worked as a public affairs advisor for the Bureau of African Affairs, as a Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, and in several positions dealing with the Balkans.[']"

Strange Rodman diplomacy comparable to ‘Ping-Pong’ diplomacy of 1970s - fergusfallsjournal.com: "Sports have long served as a diplomatic avenue to promoting friendship and camaraderie between nations. This cultural bridge has allowed both friendly and hostile nations put aside their differences and embrace their similarities via friendly competition. The ancient Greeks called an Olympic Truce every four years to ensure that all athletes and spectators could enjoy the games peacefully. The United States and Red China famously engaged in 'ping-pong diplomacy' in the early 1970s – breaking the ice for President Richard Nixon’s historic visit. The State Department regularly sends popular athletes, such as Michelle Kwan, Cal Ripken, Jr. and Ken Griffey Jr., overseas as public diplomacy envoys to promote dialogue and cultural understanding between the US and other nations. But none of that compares to the Dennis Rodman-style sports diplomacy that we’ve witnessed this week in North Korea. Following up on his bizarre yet relatively uncontroversial visits to the hermetic country last year, Rodman recruited a cast of 1990s NBA castoffs to join him in a basketball match commemorating the birthday of Kim Jung Un, the country’s young and ruthless dictator. ... Unsurprisingly, Rodman has been peppered with criticism over his 'diplomacy'. ... Maybe the state-run media will doctor footage to show the 5’6 Kim Jung Un dunking over Rodman. Or maybe sharpshooter Craig Hodges, the former Chicago Bull and current 'Rod-man', will reunite the two Koreas by shooting three-pointers over the demilitarized zone along the 38th Parallel. Similar quips were made about the U.S. and China exchanging table-tennis players in the 1970s. As insignificant as this strategy seemed, who could have predicted that the two countries would begin to reconcile within the decade? Perhaps Rodman diplomacy is worth a shot after all."

What Is [retired NBA basketball player] Charles Smith Doing in North Korea? - Jim Cavan, grantland.com: "[T]the Associated Press published a story stating that Smith [on Smith, see] was already regretting having made the perilous journey to Pyongyang:[']What we are doing is positive, but it is getting dwarfed by the other circumstances around it,' Smith told the Associated Press. 'Apparently our message is not being conveyed properly due to the circumstances that are much bigger than us, and I think that has to do with politics and government.' Circumstances that are much bigger than us.


Whether Smith is talking about the complex geopolitical overtones inherent in a contingent of American citizens traveling abroad to engage in public diplomacy with a sworn, crypto-Communist enemy, or about a guy who once wore full makeup and a wedding dress to a book signing is almost irrelevant. What is relevant — or at least endlessly fascinating — is what the hell Smith is even doing there at all."Image from entry

European Integration and Security Epistemic Communities - Mai’a K. Davis Cross, e-ir.info: "Since the Strategy [the 2005 Strategy on Radicalization and Recruitment (SRR)] was made public on 24 November 2005, ... The SRR became part of the more general EU Action Plan for Combating Terrorism . ... The new initiatives include: public diplomacy to explain and legitimate EU actions to the international community and to put forward a common EU image; information sharing across member-states; setting up funding for individual research that would aim to strengthen the relationship between civil society and European authorities, and multinational funding to generate policy proposals that would require a European approach to combating terrorism; and a new approach to extremism that would treat it as a danger within all religions, instead of emphasizing Islam alone."

Iranian FM calls on Iranian citizens living abroad to engage in citizenship diplomacy - irandailybrief.com: "Head of the Consular Division in the Foreign Minister Hossein Qashqai said that 5 million Iranians currently live outside Iran. Qashqai called on Iranian students abroad to become active in the public diplomacy arena and for them to participate in the citizenship diplomacy for their friends overseas. They must explain why sanctions against Iran are not achieving any results. According to Qashqai, 5 million Iranians live overseas who can participate in Iran’s diplomatic mission to approximately 20 million people, if each has 4 relatives and friends." Image from entry

South Koreans on Arab Airwaves: Seoul is making itself heard amid the din of Arabic-language broadcasters - Joseph Braude, majalla.com: "Audiences from Algeria to Iraq are tuning in to South Korea’s Arabic radio as the station’s personal touch proves to be a winning recipe for the country’s public diplomacy."


Image from entry, with caption: The N Seoul Tower next to a traditional bower on the top of Nam mountain in Seoul, South Korea. The tower was established as Korea’s first total electric wave tower to send TV and radio broadcasts in 1969.

Southeast Europe 2014 outlook: Starting the grand poker game - Ioannis Michaletos, rimse.gr: "Turkey continues in strong pace the "Neo-Ottomanization" of Muslim communities in the Balkans [:] The process bears the sign of the incumbent Erdogan-AKP Administration along with the alliance - now broken- with the powerful Gulen movement. The policy is based on public diplomacy-soft power structures and comes along with a definite religious and historical umbrella."

EU wants to help SAARC [The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation] with regional cooperation - thehimalayantimes.com: "KATHMANDU: Ambassador of the European Union to Nepal, Rensje Teerink, today said the EU wants to share its experience of regionalism and extend help in areas of trade facilitation and public diplomacy to SAARC countries. Speaking in a programme titled ‘EU-SAARC relations: Towards deeper engagement’ in the Capital today, Teerink pointed that the EU has expertise in achieving better cooperation among regional members, and would like to share the knowhow with the South Asian countries."

Q&A: Travel and Tourism Both Economic Boost, Environmental Hazard - Becker Sarah Williams, voanews.com: "[I]n her new book


Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism, former New York Times and Washington Post correspondent Elizabeth Becker notes the positive impact of the tourist trade is off-set by some less-desirable consequences. ... [Becker:] I found Deng Xiaoping in January of 1980, right after he wrested control, gave a series of six directional talks on why tourism was going to be so important to China as it opened up to the world. Now, the economic piece, that’s understandable. But then, he said he hoped that tourism would mean they would have a good environmental consciousness, that did not work out, obviously. But then ... he said that tourism would be important for what we would call public diplomacy. He said China does not have a great reputation out there in the broader world. These are my words, not his, obviously. And he said we have to learn how to treat tourism well, remember our hospitality which we used to have; we have to make every tourist a little sort of ambassador to go back, because the reputation of China after all those years of the Cold War wasn’t great. And he said part of that would be a tourist cadre. ... China is scheduled to be the biggest attraction for foreign tourists by 2020, and the same year they expect the Chinese to be the largest number of tourists."Image from entry, with caption: A new book by Elizabeth Becker offers insight into the impact travel and tourism have on the world economy and the environment

Israel trains Jirapa health workers - ghanaweb.com: "Health educators at the Herzog Hospital in Jerusalem, Israel, have trained about 25 doctors, nurses and midwives at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Jirapa in the Upper West Region on treatment of diabetes. The training is part of the Ghana ‘Tele-health Project’, a 10-week lecture series which centres on exchange of expertise and transfer of technical knowledge through videoconferencing. A statement signed by the Ms Mina Okuru, Public Diplomacy Coordinator of Embassy of Israel and copied to the Ghana News Agency, said."See also.

When I'm 34 - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I am 24. I am in Houston. I am working for the Israeli Foreign Ministry. I had never dreamed I would live in Texas, but I enjoyed it so. At the ripe age of 24, I get to speak on behalf of the State of Israel, and conduct her media and public diplomacy (a term I would yet understand). The weight of such responsibilities fills me with pride."

Rogel Alpher With Eytan Schwartz –- Journeys [video] - tlv1.fm: "Eytan Schwartz became a household name in 2005, when he won the popular reality TV show 'The Ambassador.' He spent the next year in the United States on a public diplomacy mission, primarily on university campuses. Today, Schwartz is Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai’s adviser for international affairs. In this episode of Journeys, he recounts amusing anecdotes of his speaking engagements in the US, which sometimes took him to the remotest of areas. He also explains how Tel Aviv’s reputation as an international center for industrial innovation and creativity, which attracts many educated and professional young Jews from Western countries, should be bolstered."

Media and Crises: The Art of Manipulation and Propaganda - "Date: 29-30 April 2014 Venue: Ibn Khaldoun Hall, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar [.] This international conference on 'Media and Crises: The Art of Manipulation, Distortion and Propaganda' comes at a time of widespread turmoil and conflicts in many parts of the world where news reporting and media coverage are in many cases characterized by censorship, disinformation, propaganda and manipulation. The international community is witnessing a conflict of cultures, stereotyping, racism, and hatred. In the midst of the escalating war in Syria, the current developments in the Arab Spring countries, the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the ‘War on Terror,’ to name a few of the international events, journalism practice is yet again under fire. ... Conference Themes: ... The media and public diplomacy."

The Foreign Policy Group (FP) - Nation Branding Research Fellowship - dpepisorority.blogspot.com: "The Foreign Policy Group (FP) is seeking a graduate‐level researcher with significant experience in international affairs to assist our international advertising sales team with a three month study on country promotion strategies. The Nation Branding Research Fellow will work closely with FP's nation branding staff to design the study and will be primarily responsible for its execution and analysis of results. FP intends to launch the study in mid January 2014 and present results at the end of March. ... Qualifications ... At least two years of professional experience prior to graduate school preferred; background in research or public diplomacy preferred."

RELATED ITEMS

Is Iraq’s Mess America’s Fault? Twelve takes on who’s to blame for the country’s downward spiral - politico.com. Via PVB

Grim Sequel to Iraq’s War - Peter Baker, New York Times: For two years, President Obama has boasted that he accomplished what his predecessor had not. “I ended the war in Iraq,” he has told audience after audience. But a resurgence by Islamic militants in western Iraq


has reminded the world that the war is anything but over. The turn of events in a country that once dominated the American agenda underscores the approach of a president determined to keep the United States out of what he sees as the quagmires of the last decade. In places like Afghanistan, Egypt, Libya and Syria, Mr. Obama has opted for selective engagement and accepted that sometimes there will be bad results, but in his view not as bad as if the United States immersed itself more assertively in other people’s problems. Image from entry, with caption: Iraqis fleeing violence waited on Wednesday at a checkpoint in Falluja. Sunni Islamist militants have taken over parts of the city.

Iran’s fingerprints in Fallujah - David Ignatius, The Obama administration, in its rush to leave the country, allowed the sectarian Shiite government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to undo many of the gains made against al-Qaeda. Second, Iran has waged a brilliant covert-action campaign that turned Maliki and Iraq into virtual clients of Tehran — and in the process alienated Sunnis and pushed them toward extremism.

Obama and the Sunni-Shiite War: The U.S. tilt to Iran is upsetting allies and disrupting the Middle East - Fouad Ajami, Wall Street Journal: The weight of Islam is in the Sunni states. If we opt for an alliance with Iran and its satraps, we should do so in the full knowledge that our choice places us as odds with the vast majority of the Islamic world.

Iran’s Path to Nuclear Peace - Siegfried S. Hecker and William J. Perry, New York Times: A successful nuclear deal with Iran would also provide an enormous boost for beleaguered global nonproliferation efforts and possibly lead to a productive American-Iranian relationship that could deal with the many complex security problems impeding stability in the Middle East.

A diplomatic insurance policy against Iran - Robert Menendez, Washington Post: As the Senate returns to work, let us concentrate our efforts on achieving shared goals: a diplomatic resolution to Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons, coupled with a diplomatic insurance policy should negotiations fail.Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Obama’s Afghanistan strategy was the start of a foreign policy transformation - Fred Hiatt, Washington Post: Obama's shift from idealism to what he sees as pragmatism may prove to be anything but realistic. With violence and misery radiating outward from Syria to Iraq, Lebanon and beyond, the United States is likely to be forced to reengage, and on less favorable terms than it might have found two or three years ago.

Why the suddenly aggressive behavior by China? Beijing is shedding its low profile — and causing regional waves - Gary Schmitt, latimes.com: From Beijing's perspective, the United States is Asia's interloper and the principal obstacle to obtaining its goal of predominance. And, like individuals, nations can be envious and resentful of those they perceive as standing in the way, even when economic and trade ties are substantial.

'The dark side' of America's fight against terrorism: The Senate Intelligence Committee's report on the post-9/11 detention and interrogation practices of the George W. Bush administration should be available to the American people - Editorial, latimes.com: It has been more than a year since the Senate Intelligence Committee approved a voluminous report on the detention and interrogation practices of the George W. Bush administration. But the 6,000-page document remains under wraps, even as defenders of "enhanced interrogation" techniques such as waterboarding continue to contend that they produced valuable intelligence, an assertion the study reportedly rejects. President Obama should move promptly to ensure that the public can scrutinize both the report and the CIA's response to it.

Another Anti-Israel Vote Comes to Academia: One scholar says being denied access to the West Bank violates her 'rights as an American citizen.' Huh? - Cary Nelson, Wall Street Journal: Save for some college students refusing to buy Israeli hummus, the "boycott, divestment and sanctions" movement against the Jewish state has had very few successes over the past decade. That changed last month when the American Studies Association voted to boycott Israeli academic institutions. Now the Modern Language Association (MLA), a far more prominent group, is poised to condemn Israel at its annual meeting in Chicago. Anyone interested in academic freedom should pay attention.

Chen Guangbiao Fights Propaganda Battle: Chinese Tycoon’s trip to New York was about adding fuel to a hoax - R. J. Mitchell, epochtimes.com: Chinese recycling tycoon Chen Guangbiao has been drawing mass attention with his quixotic attempt to buy the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, or another major U.S. media entity.


Chen Guangbiao may not be serious about his attempts to purchase U.S. media entities. But nonetheless, he is carrying out a major operation in “the battleground of thoughts” as regards Falun Gong adherents who survived attempted self-immolation in a 2001 incident that has since been thoroughly debunked. Image from entry, with caption: Chen Guangbiao sings karaoke at a press conference he called for the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 7, in a hotel in New York City. His eccentric presentation cloaked a serious purpose, reviving a propaganda hoax, argues R.J. Mitchell.

Propaganda: A Festival Celebrating Russian Voices Will Feature Michael Rosen, Thomas Schall, Uzo Aduba and Catherine Curtin - Carey Purcell, playbill.com: "Orange is the New Black" stars Uzo Aduba and Catherine Curtin and Michael Rosen and Thomas Schall will participate in Propaganda: A Festival Celebrating Russian Voices. Spotlighting Russia's recent anti-propaganda law in relation to sport, performance and LGBT and Olympic history, the festival of staged readings and panels will be held Jan. 18-19 at Cooper Union. Participants also include New York Times journalist Masha Gessen, Tobias Segal and Nadia Bowers, "Kings" star Michael Crane and Olympic medalist Derrick Adkins, as well as Russian playwrights.”

Condi: More Popular Than Angela Merkel, Less Popular Than Sarah Palin - Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog: It's Gallup, so take it with a grain of salt, but every year they poll dumb Americans who still have landline telephones "to name, in an open-ended format, the man and woman


living anywhere in the world they admire most." The results are impressive for America's Princess Diplomat, because, well, because she's on the list! Not bad for not having ever contributed anything of significance to society whatsoever other than her Lifetime Movie-esque biography. Snaps for Condi! Image from entry, with caption: (PSP Flashback to when Condi met Daffy, 09-05-2008!)

AMERICANA

"We now have more college graduates working in retail than soldiers in the U.S. Army, and more janitors with bachelor's degrees than chemists."

--Richard Vedder and Christopher Denhart, "How the College Bubble Will Pop: In 1970,
less than 1% of taxi drivers had college degrees. Four decades later, more than 15% do," Wall Street Journal

MORE AMERICANA


--The best worst U.S. map ever - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post: Here's the full explanation -- courtesy of Wysacki -- of how he arrived at the worst for each state. Some are -- surprise! -- less scientific than others.

"Effective public diplomacy is like motor oil; it may not fuel forward motion, however it greatly reduces friction along the way."

--newmoviex.net; image from

FELLOWSHIP

Fulbright - National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship - fulbrightonline.org: "2014-2015 Competition Deadline: February 28, 2014 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time [.] The Fulbright - National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship is a new component of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program that provides opportunities for U.S. citizens to participate in an academic year of overseas travel and digital storytelling in up to three countries on a globally significant social or environmental topic. This Fellowship is made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the National Geographic Society. The wide variety of new digital media tools and platforms has created an unprecedented opportunity for people from all disciplines and backgrounds to share observations and personal narratives with global audiences online. These storytelling tools are powerful resources as we seek to expand our knowledge of pressing transnational issues and build ties across cultures. Through the Fulbright - National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, Fulbrighters will undertake an in-depth examination of a globally relevant issue, comparing and contrasting how that issue is experienced across borders. Utilizing a variety of digital storytelling tools, including text, photography, video, audio, graphic illustrations, and/or social media, Fellows will tell their stories, or the stories of those they meet, publishing their work on National Geographic media platforms with the support of National Geographic’s editorial team.


In addition to receiving Fulbright benefits (for travel, stipend, health, etc.), Fellows will receive instruction in digital storytelling techniques, including effective blog writing, video production, and photography, by National Geographic staff prior to their departure. Fellows will be paired with one or more National Geographic editors for continued training, editorial direction and mentoring throughout their Fulbright grant period. Fellows will provide material for a blog on the National Geographic website on a frequent and ongoing basis throughout their grant term, and will have the opportunity to develop additional content for use by National Geographic and the Department of State. For the Fellowship’s inaugural year of 2014, applications will be accepted for the following themes: Biodiversity, Cities, Climate Change, Cultures, Energy, Food, Oceans, and Water." Image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

What America can learn from the Indian diplomat saga: humility -- Devyani Khobragade is headed back to India as tensions cool, but both countries believed they had the moral upper hand - Andrew Gawthorpe, theguardian.com: "The withdrawal of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade from her country's consulate in New York means we are entering the final stages of a row which has done unfortunate damage to Indian-American relations. Americans have met Indian outrage over the case with a mixture of bafflement and anger of their own, but what they also ought to do is consider what the case can tell them about how their own actions and power might be misunderstood overseas. This is not to say that American officials acted wrongly in the case against Khobragade. If the allegations against her are true, then she broke US law by paying her housekeeper less than the New York minimum wage and, worse, lying about it in official documents. To Americans and indeed most Europeans, what is at stake is a simple matter of social justice – if Khobragade couldn't afford to pay her domestic help a humane wage, she shouldn't have had domestic help at all. Many Indians don't see it the same way. ... Because the US is so powerful and so ubiquitous in today's world, it is often taken for granted that America's motives and aims are understood throughout the world. In addition, because Americans tend to believe that their government acts in the world with aims that are basically moral (although this sense may have been eroded in recent years), it is often hard for Americans to understand how anti-Americanism can be such a potent force, especially in the global south.


But American public diplomacy today faces the problem of convincing people in many countries that American foreign policy is indeed a force for good in the world. President Barack Obama has certainly faced these problems. Things such as the ongoing drone campaign in Pakistan (and beyond) and the NSA's surveillance activities make it hard to construct a positive narrative about American activity in the world. If American officials believe these programmes are necessary, they must understand that cultural barriers and a lack of understanding about American society and its aims often impede understanding of American actions, just as India's actions in the Khobragade case seem baffling. For those who wish to see a strong, positive role for America in a world where information is increasingly available for all, and so judgement is democratised, then better explanations are in order. .... [comment  by] RipThisJoint 10 January 2014 5:18pm [.]


I just noticed this article was under a 'Lessons for America' header. Fuck me purple [see]."Top image from entry, with caption: Devyani Khobragade is to leave the US after her diplomatic immunity was confirmed, allowing her to sidestep fraud charges in New York; below image in commenter's entry

Voice of America Seeks Farsi Language 'Hollywood News' TV Show to Air in Iran - Jeryl Bier, weeklystandard.com: "The federal agency that oversees the Voice of America is seeking someone to produce a TV entertainment show to be broadcast in Iran in the Farsi language that includes 'Hollywood news' and 'other interesting aspects of life on the West Coast of the United States.' The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), whose board members include Secretary of State John Kerry, is looking for a contractor to produce a 'weekly entertainment show that must be aesthetically and musically appealing to VOA’s [Voice of America] audiences in Iran.' ... The State Department declined to comment about whether or not such a program would enhance its diplomatic efforts in Iran, but rather deferred to the BBG for comment.  The BBG responded to a similar request for comment with the following from the public relations office of the VOA:  [‘]  California is home to a large and active Iranian diaspora community, and the lifestyle of these new American immigrants is of natural interest to Iranians living in Iran, especially the young people there who make up a large portion of the population. California is also home to the multi-billion dollar US entertainment industry, which exports movies, TV programs and other entertainment products that are of interest around the world, including Iran, where the government frequently bans them.  The VOA Charter, under which we operate, mandates that we not only report accurate and balanced hard news but also ‘represent America’ to foreign audiences.  During the Cold War, VOA was highly regarded for its jazz programs, which showcased one aspect of America’s vibrant cultural life, and drew huge audiences to our news programs.  Cultural programs that showcase our music, arts, entertainment and language are among the ways in which we show different aspects of our society and what makes us uniquely American. In public diplomacy terms, these cultural programs are often a reflection of a nation’s 'soft power,' and they are one of the ways we attract the attention of our audience, which in Iran was most recently estimated at more than 20 percent. It is also worth noting that the solicitation was designed to be open as well to Persian language production houses in L.A. because we want to know who is out there and what they might offer. [']"
Digital Diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa: A Review of 2013 - Samantha Manniex,yenidiplomasi.com: "Yeni Diplomasi recently released its comprehensive Digital Diplomacy Report, identifying key players in digital diplomacy on a global scale. Developing a report on the Middle East and North Africa was a logical next step. State of the Year - Iran [:] Iran made the biggest splash in the region with its digital diplomacy in 2013. This is especially notable considering that Iran still suffers from decades of strained relations with the Western world.


In terms of public diplomacyIran has come a long way, especially via its digital channels. A thaw is on the horizon and Iran is our choice for MENAState of the Year 2013. ... Best digital engagement by foreign embassy - UK in Lebanon[:] It’s not just home-grown digital diplomacy efforts that have caught our attention. Foreign embassies in the MENA region have also made great strides in their digital diplomacy engagement.In particular, the UK is running some excellent initiatives through its network of embassies across the Middle East. One of the best examples is UK in Lebanon. ... Instagram User of the Year [:] Instagram is a relative newcomer to the digital diplomacy game. But it’s beginning to gain traction. A few MENA governments have ventured boldly onto this new medium. Israel in particular has achieved impressive results with its ‘Once in a Lifetime’ campaign. Conducted by international organisation Stand With Us, the campaign brings the world's best Instagram photographers to Israel. ... Twitter Skirmish of the Year - US embassy in Cairo vs. Egypt[:] The reach and risk of digital diplomacy were well demonstrated back in early 2013 when the Mohammed Morsi government was still in power in Egypt. Following the arrest of political satirist Bassem Youssef, the US embassy in Cairo expressed its concern on Twitter. Debate erupted when the embassy tweeted a link to an episode of Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, featuring a discussion of Youssef’s arrest. The Egyptian government jumped on Twitter to blast the embassy for spreading ‘negative political propaganda.’ Morsi’s party joined in, lambasting the tweet as ‘undiplomatic and unwise.’  The debacle ended when the embassy took down its Twitter feed and removed the offending link before bringing the account back to life. This situation illustrates the power of digital diplomacy to produce immediate effects. Tweets are no longer trivial. ... Cultural Diplomacy Project of the Year - Turkayfe[:]  Despite recently appearing in the international news for less positive reasons, Turkey remains a popular place for foreigners to visit and reside. Widely viewed as one of the Middle East’s most stable nations, Turkey has managed to retain its appeal amid a backdrop of regional instability. Nevertheless, every nation brand can benefit from a boost every so often, and that is the aim of Turkayfe.  The long history and rich culture of Turkey make it perfect for imaginative cultural diplomacy projects. Turkayfe is one such project. This online cultural diplomacy hub draws on the concept of Turkey’s famous coffeehouses to create a virtual ‘coffeehouse’ where visitors can learn about Turkey and share experiences."Image from entry

Israeli embassy minister to speak in Virginia Beach - jewishnewsva.org: "Noam Katz, minister for Public Diplomacy for the Embassy of Israel will speak as a part of the World Affairs Council’s Great Decisions lecture series at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Virginia Beach. Katz oversees the public diplomacy efforts for Israel’s missions in the United States and Canada, including outreach to religious, academic, special interest and cultural organizations. Prior to his role in Washington, Katz served as director of the Public Affairs Department for the MFA. Katz has also served as the Ambassador of Israel to Nigeria, Ghana, and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Under his leadership, his embassy won the MFA’s “Outstanding Embassy” award. Katz is the recipient of several awards and medals: IDF Citation, MFA Award of Excellence, and the MFA Commendation for Excellence."

Dutch embassy hosts book exhibition - koreatimes.co.kr: "The Embassy of the Netherlands launched a Dutch book exhibition at the Seoul Metropolitan Library near City Hall, Tuesday, in collaboration with the library. ... A total of 182 books are on display to help give people a better understanding of the European country. The books cover architecture, the arts, economy and tourism in the Netherlands. Public diplomacy officer Sophie Park told


The Korea Times that the embassy donated the books, as well as CDs and other publications upon the request from the library. ... On Friday, a free waffle event also took place on the sidelines of the book exhibition. A Dutch waffle stand near the front gate of the library attracted hundreds of visitors who happened to pass by the area. Those who hit the 'like' button on the embassy’s Facebook page were treated to a free waffle. Our waffle stand has attracted many visitors today partly because of the sweet fragrance and partly because of its location near the Seoul Plaza Ice Skating Rink,' Park said."Image from entry, with caption: People line up at the Dutch waffle stand in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Library near Seoul Plaza on Friday to taste free “stroopwafel.” The Embassy of the Netherlands treated people to Dutch waffles in return for their hitting the “like” button on the embassy’s Facebook page.

China and Nation Branding: Beijing’s “all-culture” focus is delivering a poor return on its soft power investment - Nicholas Dynon, thediplomat.comEnshrined in the concept of 'national cultural soft power' (guojia wenhua ruanshili 国家文化软实力), Beijing’s cultural diplomacy


approach has sprouted deep roots. ... Culture is indeed benign and safe, but as the above evidence suggests, international audiences already have a high regard for Chinese culture. ... [R]ather than keeping politics out of the soft power frame, should China’s policymakers look to widen the frame to meaningfully incorporate issues of governance and domestic and foreign policy? Richard Conniff, writing for the Smithsonian Institute, suggests tongue-in-cheek that the best strategy may be to manage expectations: “China: Now 55 Percent Less Communist!”Image from entry, with caption:
Beijing opera via Tan Kian Khoon

Facing our war history: “Some time, the hating has to stop” - anglojapanalliance.com: “Memories of th[e] past war [World War II] are being turned into weapons in a new war of global public opinion. China’s Ambassador to Britain wrote a letter to the British newspaper the Telegraph on 1 January 2014, placing the international community on ‘high alert’ because PM Abe is attempting ‘the resurrection of Japanese militarism’. .... 'Some time, the hating has to stop' ... is a sentiment notably absent from China and Japan’s latest efforts at public diplomacy. I draw two conclusions from this: (1) This suggests the link China is making between Japan’s wartime aggression and the present disputes is most probably disingenuous, and therefore offensive to the memories of men like Eric Lomax; and (2) Japan is neglecting its history of reconciliation (stories like Takashi’s) as a source of soft power."

Historical Acts of Cultural Diplomacy - i-c-d.de: "Through the medium of art, music and sport, countless individuals and groups have employed cultural diplomacy


throughout history; drawing attention to issues of universal concern through cultural expression to ease conflict and promote international cooperation." Image from entry

The Daily: The Influence of Culture in All Its Forms - Michael Ardaiolo, thepublicdiplomat.com

50 Years Ago: Lyndon Johnson’s First Foreign Crisis - theglobalist.com: On January 9, 1964, a new president’s foreign policy skills were put to the test by a crisis in Panama - Alan McPherson, theglobalist.com: "Johnson had been a prodigious Senate leader on domestic issues, but his foreign-policy mettle had yet to be tested. As vice president under JFK, Johnson was kept on the margins. Johnson’s first test came fifty years ago today, in tiny Panama. On January 9, 1964, high school students from the Republic of Panama marched into the U.S.-controlled Canal Zone with their nation’s flag and clashed with U.S. teens trying to hoist a Stars and Stripes on their high school’s front yard. In the scuffle, the Panamanian flag was torn and a full-scale riot took off. ... The result: an international incident falling into Lyndon Johnson’s lap barely six weeks into his presidency.


By this point, Johnson was already consumed with civil rights issues at home and was preparing to launch his 'War on Poverty.' In foreign policy, the new president was debating whether to send U.S. combat troops into Vietnam, which still looked salvageable. But on that day, Vietnam could wait, while Panama could not. Johnson’s response would telegraph what kind of world leader he was to be. Most U.S. citizens were against negotiation: 56% supported a 'firm' stance against Panama. 7 out of 10 letter writers to the White House were described as ‘Hard Line’ (Send the Marines, Remember the Alamo, etc.)' by the State Department. Johnson, a former schoolteacher in southern Texas, seemed to agree. 'I know these Latin Americans,' he once privately told reporters. 'I grew up with Mexicans. They’ll come right into your yard and take it over if you let them. And the next day they’ll be right up on your porch, barefoot and weighing one hundred and thirty pounds and they’ll take that too. But if you say to ‘em right at the start, ‘hold on, just wait a minute,’ they’ll know they’re dealing with somebody who’ll stand up. And after you can get along fine.' One day into the riots, the new president confided to his mentor, Senator Richard Russell of Georgia, then-chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, that he was 'damn tired of packing our flag and our embassy and our USIS [public diplomacy centers] every time somebody got a little emotional outburst…They better watch it.' Johnson demeaned the Republic of Panama as 'no larger than the city of St. Louis.'” Image from

Green Hero: Sonita Lontoh - asianfortunenews.com: More Asian Americans than ever before are becoming pioneers in the sustainability movement. Because of this, we are running a series to recognize all the Asian American 'Green Heroes' in our community. This month, we are recognizing Sonita Lontoh, an Asian American green tech executive who is passionate about encouraging a green economy between Asian and Western countries. Lontoh received a Masters of Engineering from MIT and has been recognized with a 2012 contribution to American Public Diplomacy by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton."Uncaptioned image from entry

If You Are a Strong Constitutionalist... - theprojecttorestoreamerica.com: "Today, Project Fellow and Fox News Contributor Ric Grenell offers his valuable perspective on the new book to be released Tuesday called 'Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War.' For roughly eight years, Ric served as the Director of Communications and Public Diplomacy for the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations."

RELATED ITEMS

The misuse of American might, and the price it pays: The United States no longer knows how to win wars, but it continues to start them - Andrew J. Bacevich, latimes.com: The truth is something few people in the national security establishment are willing to confront: Confusing capability with utility, the United States knows how to start wars but has seemingly forgotten how to conclude them.


Yet concluding war on favorable terms — a concept formerly known as victory — is the object of the exercise. For the United States, victory has become a lost art. This unhappy verdict applies whether U.S. forces operate conventionally (employing high-tech "shock and awe" tactics) or unconventionally ("winning hearts and minds"). Image from

Only Obama can fix his broken foreign policy - David Ignatius, washingtonpost.com: Obama needs to own his foreign policy. He needs to be more strategic and less political. He needs to set a vision and articulate it to allies and adversaries. His national security adviser needs to help him focus and communicate policy decisions. An example of how Obama can drive policy is his approach to Iran. In dealing with Tehran, Obama has been strategic and disciplined, opening the door to negotiations on the nuclear issue and forming a U.N. coalition for tough sanctions to pressure Iran into dialogue.

Syria and the perils of proxy war: Saudi Arabia and Iran use the conflict to vie for power in the Arab Mideast - Doyle McManus, latimes.com: President Obama has said he would like to devote less of his attention to the Middle East. But now is not the time.


Image from entry, with caption: A rebel fighter gestures as he walks towards a checkpoint close to Jabal al-Zawiyaa in Idlib province. The United Nations and the United States hope to launch a peace conference for Syria on Jan. 22.

Fighting al-Qaeda in Iraq is in U.S. interests - James M. Dubik, washingtonpost.com: Certainly the violence in Iraq is an Iraqi problem. But it is a problem in which the United States has a stake. Years ago, our country sought to have Iraq as an ally in the war against al-Qaeda and to prevent al-Qaeda from establishing a sanctuary in Iraq. Those aims remain legitimate. No one wants another surge of U.S. troops to Iraq. But for not too great an investment of troops and diplomatic attention, and within reasonable risk, the United States can help itself and Iraq. Wishing Iraq were in a better position merely wastes time. We are at a point where we can only choose the best of bad options.

How Saudi hate propaganda empowered Iran - James Lewis, American Thinker: In foreign policy every government in the world has been watching Obama's high wire juggling act in the Middle East in horrified fascination. And the Saudis are now reaping the just harvest of anti-American and anti-Israel hatred they have sown throughout the Middle East and the world since 1973. If Iran conquers the Arabian Peninsula the Saudis will have no one to blame but themselves.

A millennial's Rolling Stone rant offers up some tired old 'solutions': A fashionably rebellious young writer revisits some ancient ideas: guaranteed work for everybody and communal ownership of property - Jonah Goldberg, latimes.com: One of the wonderful things about America is that both the left and right are champions of freedom. The difference lies in what we mean by freedom. The left emphasizes freedom as a material good, and the right sees freedom as primarily a right rooted in individual sovereignty. For the left, freedom means "freedom from want."

Belgian museum celebrates the immigrant experience: The Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp explores the stories of some of the 2 million Europeans who left for America on ships operated by the company. Among them: Golda Meir and Irving Berlin - Jane Levere, latimes.com: One became a prime minister. Another a songwriter whose compositions included "White Christmas."
Image from entry

The war that made Orwell: In 1937, George Orwell found himself in the middle of the Spanish Civil War. What he saw changed him forever - Robert Colls, Salon: "Orwell increasingly adopted Julien Benda’s argument that, as they were drawn into politics, intellectuals would find that if they told the truth they would


not be able to go on being political, and if they went on being political they would not be able to tell the truth."Orwell image from entry

German propaganda poster - murderbymedia.wordpress.com: Scanned from Michael Berenbaum’s The World Must Know: The History of the Holocaust as Told in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Revised Edition, (Washington, D.C.: USHMM, 2006) where it appears with following caption: “UPPER LEFT German propaganda poster explaining the development of the United States, Uncle Sam kicking out the Indians and then a Jew kicking out Uncle Sam. The poster states that a Jewish historian predicted in 1885 that a “great powerful Jewry will arise in the 20th century” and then comments that the


Jews have achieved their goal in the United States, where they have pushed the American people into war in order to expand their power over Europe and the rest of the world. Germany, 1942. USHMM, COURTESY OF DEUTSCHES \HISTORISCHES MUSEUM, BERLIN, GERMANY.” In 2013 a copy of the original poster sold for over $5,000 on the auction site kestenbaum.net. The following is an extract and partial translation from their listing: “Reproduces a 1909 drawing labeled,”History of the United States,” showing a Native American Indian being pushed off a cliff by Uncle Sam, who is in turn supplanted by a Jew.


The poster declares that the Jews are the true masters in the United States, and pledges to fight until the Jews are overcome: “They have driven the American people into war to take over Europe and to rule rest of the world. We will defend ourselves against them! We will not lay down our weapons until we get rid of the Jews and destroy their influence completely. We will put an end to the reign of the Jews!”” Images from entry

Why is Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' an e-book bestseller? - Hector Tobar, latimes.com:  On Amazon, the Kindle version of “Mein Kampf” ranks No. 1 in the category of Propaganda and Political Philosophy. “‘Mein Kampf" hasn’t made the New York Times' nonfiction chart since its U.S. release in 1939, the same year Germany invaded Poland, and its print sales have fallen steadily ever since,” Chris Faraone wrote for the website Vocativ. Faraone compared the Hitler book surge to the sales of "Fifty Shades of Grey.""These are things that people would be embarrassed to read otherwise," Faraone told ABC News. "Books that people would probably be a bit more embarrassed to read or display or buy in public, they are more than willing to buy on their Kindle, or iPads. California-based Elite Minds Inc. which publishes the 99-cent version, said that the sales were due primarily to “academic interest,” but Jewish leaders disputed that argument.

Power, Corruption And Propaganda: A Quotation Sampler - Russ Baker, whowhatwhy.com:


Among them: When smashing monuments, save the pedestals. They always come in handy - Stanisław Jerzy Lec. Lec image from

AMERICANA

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Obama’s senior thesis, “Princeton-Educated Blacks and the Black Community,” was exhumed from the archives of the university and fueled the perception that she detested it. “My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my ‘Blackness’ than ever before,” she wrote. “I have found that at Princeton no matter how liberal


and open-minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don’t belong. Regardless of the circumstances under which I interact with Whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be Black first and a student second.”

--Robin Givhan,"Five myths about Michelle Obama," Washington Post

RUSSICA

Perhaps because Russians, typically unceremonious about sex, had to endure an official Soviet culture of extreme prudery, a Russian sex scene tends to be a lot more fun to read than an American one, earthy and comic rather than earnest or violent: “And I want so much . . . to run the end of my tongue from one end to the other of the little seam you have down there,” Sasha writes to Volodya, adding “I read somewhere that the smelliest parts of the body are closest to the soul.”

--Boris Fishman, "Dear Sasha, Dear Volodya" [Review of ‘The Light and the Dark,’ by Mikhail Shishkin], New York Times

VIVE LA FRANCE

Gossip magazine Closer reported Hollande had been slipping out of the back door of the Elysee Palace and hopping on a motor scooter


driven by a bodyguard to Gayet's apartment. The magazine also reported the bodyguard brought croissants to the apartment one morning

--Ralph Ellis, "France's first lady hospitalized after report of Hollande's affair," CNN; image from

LANGUAGE

Dialect group's word of the year: Because. Because oh brother - Carolyn Kellogg, latimes.com: The American Dialect Society has named "because" its word of the year for 2013. What makes because special is its evolving usage.



Where once "because" needed to be followed by "of" or a full clause, now it can be followed by a noun or other fragment.  The organization allows that any "vocabulary item" can be its word of the year. Previous winners include "#hashtag" in 2012, "occupy" in 2011, "app" in 2010, "bailout" in 2008, "subprime" in 2007, "truthiness" in 2005, "metrosexual" in 2003, and "chad" in 2000. In 2009, "tweet" was word of the year and "google" named word of the decade. Image from
(from: source: Sona S. Hoisington, "Soviet Schizophrenia and the American Skyscraper," in Russian Art and the West (2006); via IK on Facebook



ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"No more U.S. lives, limbs, or treasure."

--tommythek50 at 6:02 AM January 11, 2014, reacting to Doyle McManus, "Syria and the perils of proxy war," latimes.com
AND ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"The secret of intelligence is to recognize the intelligence of others."

--A valued PDPBR subscriber

“What I mean to say is that the best way to judge a culture is to see what kind of people are in the jails.”

--Philosopher John Dewey; image from

VIDEO

Behind the scenes at Propaganda Doughnuts: Check out Grand Rapids' newest doughnut shop - woodtv.com: "It's a food loved and consumed around the world: doughnuts! We found a new shop in Grand Rapids that's putting a unique spin on a food that's considered pretty traditional. We're taking you inside Propaganda Doughnuts!"

ANNOUCEMENT

American Councils Seeks Scholarship Application Reviewers - pdaa.publicdiplomacy.org: "American Councils for International Education is in search of volunteers to evaluate scholarship applications of high school students from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Russia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and the United States.


Evaluation of applications will take place from November 2013 through March 2014. Only individuals living in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area can volunteer. Volunteers must participate in a training session; subsequently hours are flexible."Image from entry

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

U.S. ambassador in Moscow uses social media to bypass official line - Kathy Lally, Washington Post: "What’s a U.S. ambassador to do when he wants to get his message out in a country that enjoys making America look bad, has little patience for Western values and tightly controls the media? Call him @McFaul, the tweeting ambassador. For Ambassador Michael McFaul, the unfiltered communication offered by social media means he can tweet U.S. policy, blog it and post it on Facebook, an alternative to the mostly hostile traditional media here.


While Russian Internet use is widespread, the majority of people still get their news from television, so McFaul is unlikely to win the nation’s hearts and minds tweet by tweet. But his use of social media gets him buzz — and a direct line to a new audience. ... The December issue of State, the magazine published by the U.S. State Department, and the January-February issue of the Foreign Service Journal ran admiring this-is-how-you-do-it articles about his use of social media. ... McFaul, who reserves the daytime for face-to-face contacts, usually tweets late at night from his home office in Spaso House. He’s often alone




Japan tries to justify Abe's shrine visit - ecns.cn: "Japan has sent senior diplomats on far-flung missions worldwide to justify the troublemaking pilgrimage by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to the controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which honors convicted war criminals.


Meanwhile, more than a dozen Chinese ambassadors around the globe published articles in leading newspapers recently to criticize the hypocrisy behind the hawkish Japanese leader's 'no war' pledges. ... Publishing articles in influential newspapers is an effective way to boost public diplomacy and deliver needed information to the people there, said Ruan Zongze, vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies. 'Those nations have unforgettable memories of World War II, and many of them were even the contracting parties of key postwar legal documents, such as the Declaration of Cairo,' Ruan said. Abe has ordered Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to require embassies around the world to fight back and publicize his pledge of 'no war' during the pilgrimage, Japan's Jiji news agency confirmed on Friday. 'Abe is seeking another confrontation between Japan and China in the international arena of public diplomacy,' said Liu Jiangyong, deputy dean of the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University."Image from entry

This is what an academic boycott looks like: Two new campaigns target conferences hosted by Israeli universities - mondoweiss.net: "Recent decisions by prestigious US academic organizations to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement have sparked long neglected public discussion of the limits of academic freedom in the West, the deleterious effects of occupation on Palestinians, including university students and faculty, and Israel’s human rights abuses against Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line, not to mention African migrant workers, Jewish Arabs, political dissidents, and others. ... Israeli government and public relations officials confirm that the academic boycott has altered the global political conversation about Palestine. According to The Jerusalem Post, Israeli MK Ayelet Shaked recently referred to the academic and cultural boycott campaign as “the greatest threat faced by the country.”[2] Israel’s attempt to forestall these developments are revealed by revelations that the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has been funding 'covert units' that pay students to engage in public diplomacy and promote Israel’s 'pretty face' on social media, and by earlier reports that Israel advocacy groups have been targeting pro-Palestinian student groups in an effort to silence university-based criticism of Israeli policies [3] ... [2]. Shaked is chairwoman of the Bayit Yehudi party. Also see Electronic Intifada’s coverage of this story at: http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/boycott-greatest-threat-facing-israel-leaders-say [3]. http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/israels-pretty-face-how-national-union-israeli-students-does-governments;http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/.premium-1.541142;http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/letter-reveals-standwithus-bullying-socal-chinese-center-over-palestine"

Edirne to host event on Turkish-Armenian public diplomacy - news.az: "Edirne, Turkey, on 28-30 May will host an event titled 'Turkic Republics; Cultural Diplomacy and Tourism' | 'Turkic and Armenian Diasporas; Public Diplomacy: Opportunities and Risks'."

French Firm Acquires Famous DC Public Relations Company- inthecapital.streetwise.co: "The French are invading Washington: Famous government relations firm Qorvis Communications has been completely acquired by the Paris-based Publicis Groupe. The new combined agency consisting of 80 staff from Qorvis, and 30 employees from Publicis Groupe will be moving into Qorvis's old space on Connecticut Avenue, under the new name MSLGROUP.


Founded in 2000 by CatholicUniversity alum Michael Petruzzello, Qorvis Communications has grown in just over a decade from an eight-person operation focusing on Internet clients to a nearly 100-person-strong firm representing big names across the healthcare, defense and energy industries. Qorvis has also made a name for itself in Washington by signing lucrative contracts with the governments of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Fiji, focusing primarily on crisis management, while also providing services in government contracting, public diplomacy and mobile strategy."Image from

Birthday Bashing Kim Jung Un - Michael Bassett, thepeacewager.org: "While in my graduate program I wrote about different strategies to engage North Korea under new leadership. I profiled Kim Jung Un’s personality and background and determined that 'Basketball Diplomacy' was a good start to improving US – DPRK relations. At that time there was no public interest in Basketball Diplomacy, but less than a year later Dennis Rodman went to North Korea and started making attempts to restart his career, make some money, and play some basketball in North Korea. Because I had not expected Basketball Diplomacy to pan out, I had begun working on another project to improve North/South Korean relations, which I have often referred to as the 'Achilles Heel' of the quagmire. I spent a great amount of time and resources inside North Korea in 2013 working to facilitate a joint North/South orchestra similar to the Philharmonic. I sat by watching as Rodman made his own efforts.


Rodman’s heart was certainly in the right place but his brain is plagued by too much partying to articulate himself in ways appropriate for the role he has assumed, but that doesn’t mean he should be discarded, especially due to his rant on CNN, which he was baited into, as an easy target, to undermine his own efforts. ...Mr. Bassett is currently studying Public Diplomacy and Constructivism as a graduate student at American University's School of International Service, in the Executive Master's in International Studies program, in Washington, D.C." Image from entry

Guest blog: Diplomats need to be able to talk to locals, not just leaders - "Elder statesman of British Diplomacy, Ivor Roberts, has spoken out about the need for diplomats to be able to speak the local language. Now president of TrinityCollege, Oxford, and former UK Ambassador to Yugoslavia, Ireland, and Italy, Roberts is mostly known for being the Editor of Satow’s Diplomatic Practise, a classic text in the field of diplomacy. In an opinion article in the UK newspaper, the Guardian, Roberts welcomed the reopening of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office Language Centre, discussed in my previous post, and described the current situation as 'dire'. He quoted the figure that in 2012 language allowances, only given to those fluent in the local language of their host country, were paid to just 12 out of 1900 serving diplomats. ... Getting outside of the embassy or consulate, and outside of the diplomatic microcosm is a key part of the diplomat’s job. Roberts said, 'A good diplomat needs to have the language skills to communicate and interact with locals on the street. It is not sufficient to be able to speak to the country's leaders.' ... Diplomacy is a balancing act of listening, interpreting, contextualising, and influencing. Language skills empower diplomats to talk to people at all levels of society, and thereby perform their role more effectively."

Winter Faculty Books: Japanese Optimism Studies: Check out new scholarship and fiction from Duke faculty and staff members - Stuart Wells, today.duke.edu: "Roselle, Laura, co-author: 'Strategic Narratives, Communication Power and the New World Order' (Routledge)[:]This book explores the advent, use and transformation of the strategic narrative within global politics. From the "war on terror" after the 9/11 attacks to the recent use of 'Obamacare,' politicians have realized the potential of narratives to sway beliefs. Laura Roselle is a visiting professor with the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. She and her co-authors also explore public diplomacy in terms of social media and the power of individual citizens to frame policies and actions. The book is part of a series edited by Ken Rogerson, a Duke lecturer in public policy."

RELATED ITEMS

Authoritarian regimes retool their media-control strategy - Robert Orttung and Christopher Walker, Washington Post: Authoritarian governments willfully deprive hundreds of millions of people of authentically plural and independent information and analysis. The intense attention devoted to the rise of new media in recent years has led many to underestimate television’s enduring and powerful role as an undemocratic force in authoritarian societies.


But through their dogged control of traditional media, and increasing ability to impede the political content of new media, authoritarian regimes are shaping an entirely different understanding of “breaking the news.” Via AK. Image from

Treading Water on Syria - Editorial, New York Times: One of the most alarming developments has been the extent to which better-equipped and better-trained Islamist and Qaeda-linked rebel groups have come to dominate the battlefield over more moderate, secular and Western-oriented opposition forces. Administration officials are now considering resuming the nonlethal assistance, which is run by the State Department, after some of the Islamists fought alongside the Free Syrian Army against ISIS and the Islamic Front returned the warehouses and some of the contents. Providing such aid could strengthen the moderates and encourage them to attend peace talks.

Time for a Big-League President: The antidote to global chaos is American leadership - Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal: The Obama edition of left-wing isolationism is about one thing: reprogramming money out of defense and global security back into domestic spending.

Apartheid in Israel? Hardly: Those who call for a boycott of Israeli universities should take this little quiz - Seth M. Siegel, Israel isn't a perfect country. Criticism of Israel is legitimate, and Israelis themselves do it every day.


But whatever Israel is, it isn't an apartheid state. Image from entry, with caption: Observant Jews gather at the Wailing Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Israel’s propaganda targets Christians - Ray Hanania, saudigazette.com: "This week, the American Jewish Committee, one of Israel’s strongest advocates in the United States, issued a press release criticizing Muslims for the destruction of Al-Saeh, a Christian library in Tripoli, Lebanon. This raises an interesting issue that I have been harping on for years about the American Arab community. I mean, here is a pro-Israel activist group seemingly standing up to defend the rights of Christian Arabs in the Middle East. You almost think the AJC’s concern for Christian Arabs is genuine, until you realize that the AJC hasn’t spoken out, for example, against the more frequent attacks by Israeli settlers against Arabs in Palestine. Many of those attacked are Christian."

Marxist party of Sri Lanka changes election propaganda methods - colombopage.com: Sri Lanka Marxist party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) has changed its traditional propaganda methods for the upcoming Western and Southern Provincial Council elections. JVP politburo member K.D. Lal Kantha said that the leaders of the districts and electorates are promoted at this election.


Earlier, the party did not promote individual candidates. Lal Kantha said that the party would request the polity to give priority to these candidates when electing representatives to the Provincial Councils. Image from entry

AMERICANA

President's Home or Prison? - Ri Rivard, insidehighered.com: The new Alabama State University president’s contract comes with strings attached -- to her love life. Gwendolyn Boyd is coming back to her alma mater from Johns Hopkins University to shepherd Alabama State through a rough patch involving a damning audit aimed at the university. Boyd’s new contract is pretty standard -- $300,000 a year, a car and the presidential residence -- except she can’t have lovers staying overnight for an extended period of time. Boyd, who is single, said she didn’t have a lawyer when she signed the contract but has no problem with the language.



“I do live alone, so it was not problematic for me,” she said. But the phrasing may be illegal nonetheless, said Raymond Cotton, a Washington lawyer who has negotiated several hundred presidential contracts. Cotton, who represents boards and presidents alike, said he's never seen such language in any public or private college president’s contract. Image from

MORE AMERICANA

U.S. charitable giving jumped 13% in 2013 to a record, report says - Ronald D. White, latimes.com: Preliminary figures show that 2013 may have been the biggest year ever for charitable donations, according to a Dallas-based group that mines economic data to come up with its numbers.
More Americans donated money for human needs and disaster relief services both here and abroad in 2013, making it the fastest growing category of generosity. The Atlas of Giving said that charitable donations from the U.S. reached $416.5 billion.

AND MORE AMERICANA



From: Radley Balko, "Photos of the day: Scenes from a militarized America," Washington Post; image from entry, with comment: "These were sent to me by criminal defense attorney Rick Horowitz (who is also a photographer). The police in the photos are guarding the Fresno County, California jail."

21ST CENTURY POETRY

“If there is a great power war in this century, it will not begin with the sound of explosions on the ground and in the sky, but rather with the bursting of kinetic energy and the flashing of laser light in the silence of outer space.”

--Ian Easton, in a report published by the Project 2049 Institute, saying China’s hypersonic weapons are part of what he called “the Great Game in space”; see also  Pascal,  “Le silence éternel de ces espaces infinis m'effraie."

IMAGE


--Via SD on Facebook

"I was put off by the way the president closed the meeting. To his very closest advisers, he said, 'For the record, and for those of you writing your memoirs, I am not making any decisions about Israel or Iran. Joe [Biden], you be my witness.' I was offended by his suspicion that any of us would ever write about such sensitive matters." (p. 393 of former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates's"Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War.")

--Cited in Bret Stephens, "Robert Gates's Dereliction of 'Duty,'" Wall Street Journal; image from

VIDEO

Video: Kerry gives Lavrov Idaho potatoes before talks in Paris - youtube.com. Via LOS on Facebook

FELLOWSHIP AWARDS


PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

America’s Cultural Exports Now: How the world sees the United States. American cultural exports now, from Miley Cyrus to “The Hunger Games” - Tom Ashbrook, onpoint.wbur.org: "Tune in to the Golden Globes from anywhere in the world in this age of global media, and you’ll see plenty of glam and smarts – and Tina Fey and Amy Poehler going pretty racy to introduce Leonardo DiCaprio. Tune in to the MTV Video Music Awards from Yemen or Malaysia, and you got near-naked Miley Cyrus in full twerk.


In the US, we are inured to the racy and raunchy of our popular culture these days. My guest today says much of the rest of the world is not, and it’s costing us. This hour On Point: The commercial media takeover of American public diplomacy, soft power, and its price. Guests [:] Martha Bayles, humanities professor at BostonCollege. Author of 'Through a Screen Darkly: Popular Culture, Public Diplomacy and America’s Image Abroad.' R. Nicholas Burns, professor of the practice of diplomacy and international politics at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Former U.S. Foreign Service official, U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and U.S. State Department spokesman."Image from entry, with caption: A still from pop singer Miley Cyrus’ music video for her song “Wrecking Ball.”

Ted Cruz, Cannabis, Public Diplomacy, And The Kitchen Sink - developingtomorrow.wordpress.com: "Public diplomacy, brace yourself you pd definition whores, is the act of a government explaining itself and its policy to a foreign publics, in order to, massage a better diplomatic relation into the hearts and minds of those foreign publics. All countries do it to some degree, so it’s not a purely US practice. With that understanding in mind, I pose these questions: How does a public diplomacy officer explain to a world of religious people that somehow the US government knows better than God? How does a public diplomacy officer explain to a world of people who want to be free from an overbearing government that it is okay to ruin the lives of people who consume a particular plant? How does a public diplomacy officer explain to a world full of people that don’t want to see violence and crime that as a result of your policies you have given rise to extreme violence and organized crime? These are some tough questions, even tougher is explaining the very real national security threats, which must be addressed, if cannabis policy were to change."Uncaptioned image from entry

Hillary Clinton’s Unapologetically Hawkish Record Faces 2016 Test: Burned by Iraq in 2008, but still a strong voice for military action - Michael Crowley, Time: "If Clinton runs for president in 2016, she’s likely to emphasize the more dovish aspects of her record—including her public diplomacyto


repair America’s international image, her focus on building ties in Asia, and her attention to women’s rights and development issues."Image from entry, with caption: Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers remarks after being presented the 2013 Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize Dec. 6, 2013 in Washington, DC.

They fall right into his lap: Journalists jump for jobs on President Obama’s team: Struggling news business cited as a factor in migration - Jim McElhatton, Washington Times: "Journalism and open government groups have criticized President Obama for falling short of promises to increase transparency, but that hasn’t stopped reporters and editors from gobbling up jobs in his administration. One of the latest to go from covering the administration to promoting it is Dorie Nolt, who left her job as education reporter for The Associated Press to become press secretary at the Education Department.


She joins at least 22 other former journalists who have worked or who continue to work in the administration, according to White House announcements, ethics filings and media reports. They include prominent media figures like former Time Magazine employees Jay Carney, the reporter turned White House press secretary, and managing editor Richard Stengel, who took a roughly quarter million dollar bonus before he left for an under secretary post [Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs] at the State Department. Image from entry, with caption: President Barack Obama reacts to a BlackBerry message in the Treaty Room office in the private residence of the White House, March 21, 2010.

Unify the Tribes [includes video] - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Audiopharmacy drops some phenomenal beats while on their American Music Abroad tour through Indonesia, Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Samoa. They were the only ensemble chosen for back-to-back seasons of the State Dept music program. This year, they are headed to the Middle East and North Africa."

Op-Ed: RFI explaining French ways to global audience, even love and sex - Ted Lipien, digitaljournal.com: "Radio France Internationale understands the need for describing in its broadcasts, and increasingly online, some of the uniqueness of French culture, politics and mores. Other state-owned media outlets do the same for their countries. U.S. could learn. Unlike some Voice of America (VOA) executives in the U.S. who seem to think that cultural differences can be ignored, (everybody wants to be like Americans after all), Radio France Internationale (RFI) reporters generally do an excellent job of explaining France to international audiences. My congratulations today go to RFI's Angela Diffley who gave RFI's English-speaking web visitors short, witty and educational look at France and its latest sort-of political scandal over President Hollande's apparently busy love life. ... VOA executives seem to think ... that the job of explaining America to the world can be left to the British-based news agency Reuters."

Russia expels US journalist David Satter without explanation: Moscow authorities ban writer from the country in first expulsion of US journalist since the cold war - Luke Harding, The Guardian: Satter first visited Moscow in 1969 as an Oxford graduate student.


Between 1976-82 he was the FT's correspondent in the city. In 1979, the authorities threatened to expel him for 'hooliganism', only to back down later. He returned to post-communist Russia in the early 1990s and went back to Moscow from the US for another stint last autumn. Satter's new role was an adviser to the broadcaster Radio Europe/Radio Free Liberty, which is funded by the US Congress. He was also working on a book on Russia's post-communist history. Satter said he had been unable to collect his notes, clothes and other belongings, which remain in his flat in central Moscow. Asked why Russia had kicked him out, Satter said he did not know the answer. Satter image from entry. See also.

BBG Demands Reversal On Russian Visa Denial For Journalist David Satter - bbg.gov: "On behalf of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which oversees civilian U.S. international media worldwide, BBG Chair Jeffrey Shell today issued the following statement regarding the Russian government’s refusal of a visa for David Satter. ['] The Broadcasting Board of Governors views the Russian government’s denial of a visa to David Satter, an RFE/RL journalist adviser, as gross interference in the operations of Radio Liberty.


We support the right to free speech and journalistic liberty everywhere. The BBG and the management of RFE/RL demand that this decision from Russia regarding Mr. Satter be reversed. Russian journalists from RT and other media are able to work in the United States without interference or censorship. We insist on the same for our journalists and our broadcasts in Russia [']." Image from. See also.

CUSIB Statement on Denial of Visa by Russia to David Satter - bbgwatch.com: "Committee for U.S. International Broadcasting (CUSIB) is appalled by the Russian Government’s denial of visa to distinguished American journalist and advisor to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) David Satter. We share RFE/RL President Kevin Klose’s expressions of concern. We hope Moscow will reconsider its unfortunate decision. Any further Russian Government’s actions against any RFE/RL journalists will be met with vigorous protests from all media freedom organizations, including ours, CUSIB Executive Director Ann Noonan and CUSIB co-founder Ted Lipien said in a statement."

Why Voice of America Should Not Have Ignored Religious Freedom Message from President Obama to Orthodox Christians in Egypt- BBG Watcher, bbgwatch: "9. Administration and U.S. Congress Focus on Religious Freedom As Important Goal of U.S. Foreign Policy The Voice of America is not required to be a mouthpiece for the Administration or the Congress or to actively engage in public diplomacy abroad on behalf of the United States, but it is required by law to report news as well as to “present the policies of the United States clearly and effectively.”

EU political changes create unique opportunity for stakeholders - Michael Carney, neurope.eu: "Within the EU, the institutions recognize their responsibility to inform and involve the people of Europe. Beyond its borders, Europe provides development assistance and promotes democracy, yet its young diplomatic arm is still overshadowed by member states. As EU delegations take on more of the functions traditionally associated with those embassies, they will have to find new ways to go beyond the norm and engage in a dialogue with foreign publics.


There is a strong tradition of such 'public diplomacy' in Europe, where the forerunner of the EU serves for some practitioners as a powerful example of the benefits of nontraditional diplomacy. This is what will define Europe to new generations around the world. And make no mistake about it: the EU’s “brand” is subject to the vicissitudes of public opinion. In Canada, for example, favorable opinions of the EU dropped from 73% in 2007 to 57% in 2013. Regardless of the cause, that’s a significant change. At the same time, it is even more important for non-European stakeholders to participate in the policy-heavy conversations that are taking place in Brussels."Image from entry, with caption: A member of the EU Parliament gives a thumb up as he takes part in a vote during a plenary session at the European Parliament.

Religious radicalism threatens Kosovo- peacefare.net: "The Pristina daily Zëri has kindly given permission for republication in English of this interview with Petrit Selimi, Deputy Foreign Minister of Kosovo: "With 2013 behind us, can you make a list of accomplishments and commitments that have not been completed and that are to be fulfilled this year? I am happy with the work done during 2013. We started some interesting processes within my work portfolio in public diplomacy and these results were also recognized by the international community and partners of Kosovo diplomacy. Even in the field of interfaith dialogue as an element of public diplomacy as well as in the digital diplomacy we had a year with measurable results, receiving high praise from around the world. Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe development bank is also very important to the penetration of Kosovo’s multilateral diplomacy and its strategic objectives, although few commented on it. Recognitions of Kosovo’s statehood during 2013 are also important. ... Religious radicalism is problem number one and the greatest risk to the national interests in the long run. Corruption and organized crime present also great problems to all Balkan countries, but we have the additional element that is used as hostile propaganda against Kosovo – that supposedly we are a fertile territory for terrorism and religious radicalism. I believe that those who speak today in absolutist terms about religion and who do not focus on diversity and tolerance – all of them add water to the mill of Serbian propaganda."

The legal case for Judea and Samaria- Nadav Shragai, americanisraelite.com: "Alan Baker, an attorney and a member of the Levy Committee ... The former Israeli ambassador to Canada, Baker heads a new group of experts in international law which has already written to Kerry and EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in protest of their 'mistaken and misleading' positions. ...'The Israeli government for years has refrained from waging a hasbara (public diplomacy) campaign based on advancing our rights,' Baker said. 'Instead, it has waged a hasbara campaign based on apologies. The right thing to do was to operate out of a sense of advancing our rights, the rights of the Jewish people as an indigenous nation in its land.' Baker said Israel 'has refrained from emphasizing that what we are dealing with is not occupation.'”

Israel Is Probably The Most Unbeatable Army In The World [...]: The significance of the Six Day War - foundtracks.co.uk: "Many of the most important events in the Middle East are ahead of us. I think there will be more major confrontations that will similarly change the situation and the mentality of the people involved. I think that Hezbollah will eventually be destroyed or sent into exile from Lebanon. The Palestinians will one day have to choose between radicalism and pragmatism, and it may be a violent choice. Syria will disintegrate, and Egypt has to arrive at a more democratic way of government or face upheaval. Jordan will distance itself from its nutty fellow Arab strongmen. Israel has to learn as much from its foreign policy and public diplomacy blunders as it does from military setbacks."

Yaakov Kirschen, ‘Jerusalem Post’ cartoonist, wins Bonei Zion award - Sam Sokol, Benji Rosen, Jerusalem Post: "Jerusalem Post columnist and solar energy pioneer Yosef Abramowitz was also recognized by Nefesh B’ Nefesh [a private organization that runs Israel’s immigration operations in North America] for his work in the technology sector. Calling Abramowitz 'the founding father of Israel’s $20 billion solar market,'the aliya organization stated that the American immigrant 'embodies positive and powerful hasbara (public diplomacy) as his efforts showcase Israel – and by extension the Jewish people – as a compassionate driven provider of renewable energy development for the betterment of the world.'”

Culture Post: Basketball Diplomacy in CNN’s Court - R.S. Zaharna, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Sports diplomacy is often presented as a slam dunk approach for building relations across political divides. Last week veteran NBA star Dennis Rodman took a shot at 'basketball diplomacy' in North Korea and showed how professed good intentions can go afoul. It also demonstrated the deft role of the media as the tables turned on the NBA players following a confrontational interview between Rodman and CNN New Day anchor Chris Cuomo. The NBA players not only lost control of the ball but became the ball on CNN’s court." [PDPR compiler note: my comment to this interesting piece was identified as "spam" by USC PD when I submitted to Dr. Zaharna's thoughtful article. The harmless piece at].

CPD’s New Year’s Resolutions - Jay Wang, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "As CPD enters its 10th year, our mission remains the same. Our work continues to be guided by a global vision, a drive to integrate research and practice for distinctive social impact, and a commitment to preparing the next generation of public diplomacy leaders and practitioners. We share your belief that public diplomacy plays a crucial and expanding role in fostering peaceful, productive relations between nations and peoples. 1. Sharpen research focus ... 2. Strengthen global PD community ... 3. Transform research into practice ... 4. Expand editorially ... 5. Enhance digital capabilities ... 6. Broaden audience segments both domestically and internationally ... 7. Enlarge our support base."See also.

International Relations Seminar Spring 2014 Purvis - purvis-blog.blogspot.com: "There will be four major components of the seminar. ... I.  Focus on context and concepts in international relations – past, present, future ... This segment will include ... Power – Elements of power, limits of power, arrogance of power; Soft power, public diplomacy."

After the Virsarjian - Unboxed Writers: " Sagar Shiriskar is a photographer, works on various documentary and fiction films after having finished his post-graduate studies at the Film and Television Institute of India. ... Travel Photo Competition


by the Get Lost magazine, Australia. He also won the India Is- Photography Challenge 2012 (Series 3), an initiative by the Public Diplomacy Division (PDD) of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), supported by Incredible India."Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

How Muslim Women Should Dress In Public (Not That It's Any Of My Business) [includes video] - skepticalbureaucrat.blogspot.com: "I probably know more foreigners than I do Americans.

But, people, please respect the f-o-r-e-i-g-n, and do not assume that foreigners all around the world just naturally like the same things you like, or want the same things you want. They have their own ideas about that."Image from entry

How to poison the Iran talks: A push in Congress for new sanctions complicates already delicate nuclear negotiations - Editorial, latimes.com: If the current negotiations fail or Iran reneges on its commitments, there will be ample time for Congress to enact new sanctions.


Meanwhile, the best congressional insurance policy for preventing a nuclear-armed Iran is patience. Image from entry, with caption: An Iranian technician is seen at the International Atomic Energy Agency inspecting the site of the uranium conversion plant in Isfahan, Iran in 2007.

Another Step Toward Nuclear Sanity in Iran - Editorial, New York Times: There are no guarantees that the next six months will produce a final deal that permanently restrains Iran from a nuclear weapon, but the interim deal at least offers hope for one.

Improving Russia's Image in the U.S. - Alexander Petrov, The Moscow Times: Fifty-seven percent of Mayak radio station listeners polled have a negative attitude ­toward the U.S., 18 percent hold a positive attitude and 26 percent did not express an opinion either way. Gallup has surveyed U.S. public opinion toward Russia every year since 1989, ranking attitudes on a scale from "very positive" to "very negative." The number of those listing their attitude as "very positive" has remained stable at about 7 percent over that period, whereas those with a "very negative" attitude have risen from 25 percent to 36 percent. But when asked if they view Russia as an ally, enemy or friend, only 2 percent of respondents chose "ally" in 1991, whereas that number grew significantly to 13 percent in 2013. What's more, 25 percent of those questioned now say they have a high awareness of events in Russia, while only 14 percent list that awareness as low. There are no fundamental disagreements in U.S.-Russian relations, and the fundamental nature of those relations does not depend on whether there is a Democratic or Republican administration in the White House. Russia and the U.S. will always share common ground, and one of the tasks before scholars and politicians is to identify, maintain and develop these good relations.

How Obama is losing South Sudan - Frank R. Wolf, Washington Post: The administration has promoted a confused and at


times deeply flawed Sudan policy. Image from entry, with caption: Thousands of South Sudanese have been displaced by violence.

Boycotts are a sign of Israel’s isolation - Richard Cohen, Washington Post: "The Israel I love is increasingly hated."

Iran Hawks and Iranian Propaganda - Daniel Larison, theamericanconservative.com: For some reason, Iran hawks frequently take Iranian propaganda at face value.  This is typical nationalist boilerplate, and it doesn’t really tell us anything about what has happened in the negotiations with Iran.

MACBETH: 'Neo-Gothic Propaganda' Track Listing And Cover Artwork Revealed - blabbermouth.net: Italian gothic metallers MACBETH will release their fifth studio album, "Neo-Gothic Propaganda", on February 24 via Dragonheart Records/Audioglobe S.R.L. Commented the band: "'Neo-Gothic Propaganda' combines a wide range of influences from classic symphonic gothic metal to scandinavian


death metal with many contemporary, heavy, dynamic and very melodic elements. Our sound has been pushed to a more extreme approach and beyond the clichés of gothic metal.""'Neo-Gothic Propaganda' is a manifesto, is a movement, is the soundtrack of contemporary decadence."

RUSSICA

"In Russia we don't always know who is blowing up whom."

--US journalist David Satter, recently expelled from Russia

BLAST FROM THE PAST

"The 9/11 attacks catalyzed a tremendous shift in American foreign policy in the Middle East. Rather than prioritizing petrol, Washington targeted terrorist organizations, dethroned a dictator, and lobbied throughout the region for liberalization. Yet despite the billions of dollars spent policing Baghdad and protecting Benghazi, the unpopularity of the United States in the Arab world continues to be fueled by the belief that Islamist terrorists had nothing to do with 9/11, with many claiming the attacks were an American, Israeli, or joint American-Israeli conspiracy. In this sense, overcoming 9/11 revisionism is, perhaps, the greatest challenge facing American public diplomacy in the coming decade: So long as such conspiracy theories persist, Arabs will continue to view American policies aimed at preventing 'another 9/11' as thoroughly illegitimate since, as they see it, 9/11 is just a big American lie."

--September 3, 2011 New Republic article cited at

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Nature's trick to keep the world filled."

--John Stuart Mill on love; cited in The Times Literary Supplement (January 3, 2014), p. 13

MAPS

3. When the Mongols took over the known world



23. What Africa might look like if it ha never been colonized


33. The religious lines dividing today's Middle East

"ARSO”

--Acronym for State Department Assistant Security Officer; image from


"HIPPA"

--The Health Information Portability and Accountability Act first passed by Congress in 1996; image from

VIDEOS

BBC's Winter Olympics Trailer Is Totally Over the Top - mashable.com. Via SM on Facebook

How to kill Americans with geometry: A North Korean propaganda film for kids - Marc Ambinder, theweek.com.


Image from entry, with caption: Yep, the kid is using his trusty protractor to calculate missile ranges.

Americas [sic] Distribution Of Wealth (1955) - youtube.com

BOOK REVIEW


Hard Diplomacy and Soft Coercion: Russia's Influence Abroad [review of Hard Diplomacy and Soft Coercion: Russia's Influence Abroad by James Sherr] - John Brown, American Diplomacy: "[The author's] argument — if it can be reduced to a few words — certainly comes through: soft power in Russia isn’t all that soft."

SPAM

Rejected as "spam": Your PDPBR compiler's comment regarding Professor R. S. Zaharna's interesting piece on former NBC basketball player's Dennis Rodman latest North Korea visit recently posted on the USC Center on Public Diplomacy blog.


In the spirit of public diplomacy -- supposedly about sharing opinions rather than censoring them  --allow me to present my comment to readers of the PDPBR; Rodman image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

The Kerry Surprise - Uri Savir, Huffington Post: "Secretary of State John Kerry has broken all frequent flyer records in his visit to the Middle East. Kerry is the surprise of the second Obama administration, together with President Obama he has defined a new U.S. diplomacy doctrine 'diplomacy first.' When the world expected American military action in Syria, Obama and Kerry turned to Putin in order to find a diplomatic solution to the Syrian chemical weapons arsenal. ... John Kerry also opted for collective diplomacy on the Iranian issue. ... It seems that the Obama administration has arrived at the conclusion that wars in today's era have become futile, also given the military experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq. ... John Kerry is a great friend of Israel as he has proven in his long tenure in the Senate. In parallel, he understands that the United States and Israel, must for their own interests, be attentive to the interests of the Palestinians and the Arab world. He is indeed an honest broker.


The Secretary is coming to the negotiation table with a clear analysis he conducted with the various branches of government and the White House, as to the American strategic interests in the Middle East. He has concluded that Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution is a necessity for Middle Eastern stability and security. He listens not only to the regional leaders, but also to the people's voice, in Israel, focused on security, and in the Arab world, concerned with the destiny of the Palestinians. Middle Eastern peace in his mind, must be agreed upon by the leaders, and legitimatized by the people. For that he is conducting in parallel both private and public diplomacy. He believes that Israeli-Palestinian peace must pacify the whole Middle East, and move the region from a conflict to economic cooperation."Image from; see also.

Revealed: America's Secret War in 134 Countries: Obama has presided over a huge surge in special operations, vastly out-pacing Bush - Nick Turse, alternet.org: "In 2013, elite U.S. forces were deployed in 134 countries around the globe, according to Major Matthew Robert Bockholt of SOCOM Public Affairs. This 123% increase during the Obama years demonstrates how, in addition to conventional wars and a  CIA drone campaign, public diplomacy and  extensive electronic spying, the U.S. has engaged in still another significant and growing form of overseas power projection.  Conducted largely in the shadows by America’s most elite troops, the vast majority of these missions take place far from prying eyes, media scrutiny, or any type of outside oversight, increasing the chances of unforeseen blowback and catastrophic consequences."   

Mistrust And Miscommunication Stand In The Way Of Afghan Deal - publicradioeast.org: "SEAN CARBERRY, BYLINE: The debate over the draft security agreement continues to dominate the Afghan media. Afghan officials keep repeating in the press that the U.S. must meet Karzai's preconditions before he will sign the accord. He wants American forces to stop all raids on Afghan homes and for the U.S. to jumpstart peace talks with the Taliban. U.S. officials have said they are done negotiating. And if Karzai doesn't sign the agreement within weeks, then the U.S. will have to resort to the zero option, which means withdrawing all troops by the end of this year and possibly cutting off future military support. WALIULLAH RAHMANI [analyst]: Now it is more of public diplomacy through which they are trying to reach out to President Karzai, and trying to put an understanding that, really, the U.S. could consider one of these options. CARBERRY: As political analyst Waliullah Rahmani sees it, the U.S. is using a variety of tactics to pressure Karzai. RAHMANI: None of our senior leadership takes those pressure tactics serious. CARBERRY: Rahmani says that Karzai's inner circle simply doesn't believe that the U.S. will leave Afghanistan, and therefore they're ignoring all the public threats over the zero option. Rahmani says that's a mistake. He and other analysts say the two governments still don't understand each other's politics or how to talk to each other."

Burns to Al-Monitor: 'No illusions' about nuclear diplomacy with Iran - al-monitor.com: "Al-Monitor: The new diplomatic team in Iran are very talented in public diplomacy, they are on Twitter ... sometimes responding by email. They are trying to affect what’s understood here [in Washington], because they understand it’s important for their interests and what they are trying to achieve. Given their level of attention and engagement, it would seem that they would probably email and call you and your team, too ... Burns: Yeah ... It is, when you think of


the meeting that Secretary Kerry had with Foreign Minister Zarif, and the presidents’ phone call, the bilateral contacts that we set up. ... It almost now does not seem very surprising that American officials and Iranian officials engage. Just a few months ago, that would have been, at least for many people, a bit harder to imagine. So it’s also not surprising that you find other ways to stay in touch. But as I said, I have found the group of people mainly from the Foreign Ministry with whom I’ve dealt to be quite professional. Tough negotiators, but quite professional."Image from entry, with caption: US Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns listens during a press conference at the US Department of the Treasury in Washington, DC, July 11, 2013

Shades of WikiLeaks Controversy in Fallout Over Indicted Diplomat - Adam Klasfeld, courthousenews.com: "Former Assistant U.S. Secretary of State P.J. Crowley, who resigned after condemning the treatment of WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning at a Marine Corps prison, likened the blowout of that case to the strip search of an Indian diplomat [Devyani Khobragade, a former deputy consul general, in New York] accused of committing visa fraud to exploit her maid. ...  Facing charges punishable with up to 10 years in prison, Khobragade returned to India under cover of diplomatic immunity that evening, and her charges are still active although she maintains her innocence. Crowley complained in a BBC editorial that both sides missed opportunities to resolve the crisis through 'bureaucratic and diplomatic negligence.' Stepping up those criticisms on his Twitter account and in an interview, Crowley noted that the U.S. had warned India about Khobragade as early as September, months before her arrest, but that India failed to react. The United States, on the other hand, miscalculated in terms of 'public diplomacy,' Crowley said, adding that he now teaches the subject at George Washington University. 'In a globalized and networked world, these issues don't stay behind closed doors,' he said in a phone interview. 'They play out on the front pages of major newspapers. They play out in real time, and sometimes events get defined and bureaucracies are forced into catch-up mode."See also.

The Changing Face of Diplomacy - advocate.com: "[A]ppointing openly gay people to ambassadorial posts overseas has gone from an unthinkable act to an unremarkable one, and the shift has made U.S. foreign policy stronger. ... 'At this point, what is extraordinary is that out gay ambassadors are not that extraordinary,' said a modest David Baer after returning from an event he had attended as the recently posted ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. 'Sure, you walk into a room and everyone knows that you are gay, but that dissipates quickly. Public diplomacy is about representing the United States, a job that requires all U.S. ambassadors to promote the general interests of the United States abroad.'”

US Assistant Secretary Nuland: Romanian Rule of Law Raises Concerns - Victoria Nuland, US Assistant Secretary, has travelled to Romania on a two-day official visit



marking Romania’s NATO accession tenth anniversary as well as related bilateral agreements. Image from entry, with caption: Assistant Secretary Victoria Nuland and Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean (Lucian Crusoveanu / Public Diplomacy Office)

UT, US State Department Partnership Among 2013′s Top Diplomacy Efforts - tntoday.utk.edu: "The partnership between UT [University of Tennessee] and the US Department of State to engage women and girls from around the world through sports was named one of the nation’s ten best public diplomacy efforts of 2013. The Public Diplomacy Council ranked the US Department of State and espnW Global Sports Mentoring Program—the flagship component of the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports initiative—as the ninth best diplomatic accomplishment in 2013. The UT Center for Sport, Peace, and Society is the sole implementing partner of the initiative. ...


The Center for Sport, Peace, and Society in 2012 was awarded a $1.2 million cooperative agreement to implement the Empowering Women and Girls through Sports initiative. The center is part of the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. The initiative aims to engage young girls and women on how athletics can develop important life skills and be used to promote positive social change in their communities. It also is designed to increase cross-cultural understanding between international participants and Americans. 'It’s unique because it’s a public diplomacy initiative that emphasizes the importance of women as athletes and change agents,' said Ashleigh Huffman, the center’s assistant director. 'It’s a launch pad for understanding how sports and politics interface and how sports can be used to make a political impact.' Since June 2012, the program has worked with more than 150 women and girls from more than fifty countries, Hillyer said."Uncaptioned image from entry

Beverly Brodsky's paintings featured in Art in Embassies Program in Sierra Leone - westbeth.org: "For five decades Art In Embassies has played a leading role in U.S. public diplomacy through a focused mission of vital cross-cultural dialogue through the visual arts. It was first created by MOMA and President John F. Kennedy who formalized it in 1963 at the U.S. Department of State.


'It is a fulcrum of America’s global leadership as we work for freedom, human rights, and peace around the world.' U.S. Secretary of State, John Forbes Kerry. The above shows one of the two Beverly Brodsky paintings that were selected for installation at the American Embassy in Freetown, Sierra Leone, for a period of two to three years and will be open for public viewing as a cross-cultural exchange beginning at the end of January 2014."Image from entry

What a lost prison manuscript reveals about the real Nelson Mandela: New light is shed on the president's politics, smoothed over in 'Long Walk to Freedom' - Rian Malan, spectator.co.uk: "Mandela's] prison manuscript ... which turns out to be the first draft of Long Walk to Freedom, Mandela’s famous 1994 autobiography. Much of the first draft is carried forth into the finished book, but ... problematic quotes have vanished, along with several other outbreaks of what can only be described as pro-communist harangue. What happened?


Our search for an answer must begin with Rick Stengel, a New York journalist who is now President Obama’s undersecretary for public diplomacy. In the 1980s, Stengel did a tour of duty in South Africa, where he exhibited sensitivity to the hardships of black people and enthusiasm for their ANC liberators, surely one of the factors that led to his eventual appointment as Mandela’s ghostwriter."Uncaptioned image from entry. See also.

Letters -- Truth Matters - bigislandchronicle.com: "NeighborWatch Says: January 11th, 2014 at 9:34 pm Since the 'Modernization' of the Smith/Mundt Act of 48′ it is legal for the gov. to disseminate propaganda to the populous. via corporate TV, Newspapers etc. The US Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 (Public Law 80-402), popularly referred to as the Smith–Mundt Act, specifies the terms in which the United States government can engage global audiences, also known as public diplomacy. The act was first introduced as the Bloom Bill in December 1945 in the 79th Congress and subsequently passed by the 80th Congress and signed into law by President Harry S. Truman on January 27, 1948. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 amended the Smith–Mundt Act and the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1987, allowing for materials produced by the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) to be released within U.S. borders and striking down a long-time ban on the dissemination of propaganda in the United States."

Watch Incredible Video Of The Plane Crash That Killed Fuddy - B. Christopher Agee, westernjournalism.com: "vnon says: January 11, 2014 at 2:56 pm 'The 2013 NDAA overturned a 64-year ban on the domestic dissemination of propaganda (described as 'public diplomacy information') produced for foreign audiences, effectively eliminating the distinction between foreign and domestic audiences.' There’s 1 word for this, BS"

Hudson Institute Statement on the Expulsion of Senior Fellow David Satter from the Russian Federation - BBG Watcher, bbgwatch.com: "Hudson Institute, a nonpartisan Washington think tank, condemned the denial of a journalist’s visa by Russia to Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) advisor David Satter who is also a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. 'David Satter is a valued colleague and friend who is one of America’s leading authorities on contemporary Russia,' said Hudson Institute President and CEO Kenneth R. Weinstein. 'He has Hudson Institute’s unequivocal support.'”

Russian Media in the Post Soviet Space - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "There’s a minor excitement today after the refusal of the Russian government to grant a visa to David Satter of RFE/RL. I’ve no idea if there’s a connection but Satter authored a report published last week by the Center for International Media Assistance on The Last Gasp of Empire: Russia’s Attempts to Control the Media in the Former Soviet Republics."

Video and text of Secretary Kerry’s remarks on Ukraine ignored by Voice of America news websites -BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "While the Voice of America (VOA) Ukrainian Service continues to provide excellent coverage of events in Ukraine and reactions to them in the U.S., the main VOA English news website and the vast majority of more than 40 other VOA language services offer woefully inadequate coverage of Ukraine due to severe management crisis and collapse of news reporting at the U.S. taxpayer-funded international media outlet. Today U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has joined a long list of other high-level U.S. administration officials and members of Congress, including Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), and Senator John McCain (R-AZ), whose recent statements condemning undemocratic measures taken by the Ukrainian authorities have been ignored by VOA English news and most VOA language services. As Secretary of State, John Kerry is an ex officio member of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG), which has oversight authority over Voice of America executives. But VOA management is not only ignoring Kerry. It has also ignored in VOA news reporting a recent statement on the lack of media freedom in Russia issued by BBG Chairman Jeff Shell."

Should VOA post White House statements in full? At least, it should do it right without embarrassing US President and Americans - BBG Watcher, BBG Watch: "The Voice of America (VOA) English website posted in full President Obama’s statement on the death of former Israeli leader Ariel Sharon. Unfortunately, the statement was not properly formatted and is full of HTLM codes. ... Obviously, VOA executives and editors are not reading their own website. The improperly formatted President Obama / White House statement has been on the VOA site already for several hours without being corrected. ... [I]f VOA is going to post a U.S. presidential statement in full, then it should do it right, especially on such occasions as the death of a foreign leader. Poor formatting makes it look unprofessional.


It looks especially bad on this occasion. When VOA posts a full statement from the White House as a separate item on its website, it transmits a statement of U.S. public diplomacy at work on behalf of the American people. Whether VOA sees it this way or not, such White House statements are an exercise in U.S. public diplomacy. If there is a good reason to post an entire White House statement, VOA editors should think carefully how it should be done. They should definitely look at their website to make sure the text is displayed right, especially since they are posting somebody else’s text." Image from entry

Twiplomat Bildt: 'Social media a tool for peace' - thelocal.se: "At Thursday's TedX conference in Stockholm, Foreign Minister Carl Bildt took the stage to discuss the potential of digital diplomacy. 'We live, thank god, in a much more open world where the voice of individual people means more, thus public diplomacy is becoming more important,' he told the crowd. 'It's about getting the pulse of what's happening.' Indeed, the minister (and former prime minister) is no stranger to social media and boasts over 250,000 followers on a Twitter account he updates regularly.


He acknowledged that social media is the fastest way to get information about world events, and pointed to Egypt's recent referendum, Ukraine's new 'draconian laws', and how Syria marks the world's first social media civil war as examples. But can social media actually help to resolve the conflict in Syria? 'That's a good question to which I wish I had a good answer,' he told The Local after his speech. 'I don't think it's necessarily resolved through social media. When it comes to resolution, then classical diplomacy has to come in. But classical diplomacy and conflict resolution can be facilitated by social media.'"See also: (1) (2). Bilt image from

The Incredible Rendang, and William Wongso’s dream - My Indonesia: Promoting Indonesia and Indonesian community in the USA: "On November 22-24, 2013, The Directorate of Public Diplomacy at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs working together with the San Francisco Indonesian Consulate General again held


an Indonesian Culinary promotion drive around San Francisco. William Wongso as the culinary expert was one of the important member of the team, and the most i[m]portant product promoted was the RENDANG. Watch the 12 minutes of the following you-tube demo by Mr. William, starting with showing rendang recipe, the West Sumatra caramelized beef curry, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM41w7jfYCU."Image from entry, with caption:Photo: Indonesian Embassy, Washington DC

A New Era in China-U.S. Relations: Our leaders have learned that it is better to be partners than rivals - Sun Guoxiang, Wall Street Journal: "Economic and cultural exchanges not only benefit China and the U.S., they also promote global peace and prosperity. ... Local and people-to-people exchanges have always been a strong driving force behind China-U.S. relations. The past 35 years have shown us that with closer cooperation, not just at the federal level but also at the city and state level, comes a stronger bilateral relationship. We need to continue these cultural and economic partnerships, and we need to deepen and expand them where possible. ... Mr. Sun is ambassador, consul general of the People's Republic of China in New York."

Between China and Japan, a Tug-of-War Over Africa - Bree Feng, New York Times: "Diplomatic tensions between China and Japan showed no signs of abating this past week as the two countries traded barbs over Africa. On Thursday, Lu Shaye, head of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s African affairs department, defended China’s engagement in the continent.


China is 'sincere,' Mr. Lu said, 'unlike some countries' that he said are driven by self-interest and politics. His comments followed remarks by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan, during a visit to Mozambique this month, that Japan will not just extract resources from Africa but 'create jobs.' ... Cui Tiankai, the Chinese ambassador to the United States and a former ambassador to Japan, wrote an op-ed piece for The Washington Post this month that called the shrine 'ground zero for the unrepentant view of Japan’s wartime aggression.' Mr. Abe’s visit, he said, was a challenge to the world. On Friday, The Washington Post carried an op-ed by the Japanese ambassador in the United States, Kenichiro Sasae, who called on China to 'cease its dogmatic anti-Japanese propaganda campaign and work with us toward a future-oriented relationship.' The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hong Lei, said on Thursday that the Chinese diplomats’ actions in recent days were aimed at ensuring that countries around the world 'clearly recognize the threat to world peace Mr. Abe’s visit to Yasukuni poses.' Beijing’s recent diplomatic push in part reflects the government’s increasing appreciation of public outreach. In recent years, China has stepped up its public diplomacy– from trying to project a better image of Chinese development projects in Myanmar to setting up a Foreign Ministry-affiliated Public Diplomacy Association, led by retired senior diplomats. Global Times, a nationalist-leaning state-run newspaper, published an editorial last week that argued that the war of words was an important fight that China 'must not lose.''There is no smoke in this ‘Chinese-Japanese public opinion war’ but it is a special 21st century battlefield,' the paper said." Image from entry, with caption: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan sits between Ethiopia’s prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, right, and the deputy chairman of the African Union Commission, Erastus Mwencha, during a visit to the African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Jan. 14. See also.

Public diplomacy sells China’s views - Wang Wenwen, Global Times: "China is slowly learning to handle public diplomacy. In the past couple of years, China has been trying to boost the popularity of its image through a number of events such as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. It has also founded many Confucius Institutes across the globe. Nonetheless, all these have had arguably limited efficacy. The success of China's public diplomacy, after all, will be determined by the country's soft power. Soft power, an idea devised by political scientist Joseph Nye, includes two aspects: cultural attractiveness and the capability to make rules. For China, Abe's aggressive moves [Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited the Yasukuni Shrine, regardless of objections from countries that were victims of Japanese invasion in WWII] have offered an opportunity to increase China's discourse power on the world stage as well as maintaining the postwar world order and the international morality and justice. ... In the long run, China's NGOs or social groups should also be mobilized to take part in China's public diplomacy."

China's Official Press Agency Can't Win On Twitter Because Censorship - Jessica McKenzie, techpresident.com: "It's not terribly surprising that Xinhua News Agency, China's official mouthpiece/press agency, doesn't 'get' Twitter. Since the platform is blocked in their country, Xinhua employees can't be expected to become Twitter pros overnight.


But it's been almost a year now since @XHNews opened an account; 8,242 (and counting) tweets later and they still only have 23,325 followers. In a post on Tea Leaf Nation, Liz Carter describes their fumbled tweets as 'growing pains.' She points out misspellings ('disciliponed') and inappropriate celebrity mentions ('Tiger Woods is not an actual tiger.'). This is pretty outrageous when one considers (as Carter points out) that China has spent billions of dollars trying to ramp up their public image abroad."Image from entry, with caption:  Who doesn't want updates on Yutu's sleeping status?!

Tongji University established international advanced training school of power enterprises to go out - cparts.info: "In new network Shanghai 11 January report (reporter Xu Jing) 'Shanghai Tongji University international advanced training school ... 11 days earlier, the college will be dedicated to China 'going out' strategy to provide the training and intelligence services, power China enterprises to establish talent and knowledge base in the process of internationalization, so as to enhance the China business to the international market combat capability. China economy 'going out' has become an inevitable trend, how to promote the China enterprises successfully implement globalization strategy? Jointly hosted by the Tongji University, Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association, Xinzhou international group of '2014 power globalization Chinese Strategic New Year Summit Forum' with the opening. The opening ceremony, Tongji University, Shanghai Public Diplomacy Association, Xinzhou International Group signed a 'Cooperation Framework Agreement', will be held jointly 'Shanghai international advanced training college of Tongji University'. ... Shanghai public diplomacy and public diplomacy associations will rely on long-term research and practice to experience, unity, coordination relationship between the parties to contact various build service platform, to promote public diplomacy, curriculum research and development work, to carry out public diplomacy practice. Expansion of the Xinzhou International Group will assist in overseas markets."

The "Biblical Money Code" - tokyo.geoexpat.com: [Comment by: Watercooler:] "One characteristic of Chinese public diplomacy is to talk tough but act more cautiously. What they say and what they do are not necessarily the same thing..."

American Institute opens joint innovation center - taipeitimes.com: The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taiwan Design Center jointly launched an innovation center in Taipei yesterday to promote digital learning with an emphasis on innovation, creativity and design. The American Innovation Center, the first of its kind in Asia, is equipped with computers, 3D printers, scanners, books, audio-visual materials and an online database. It also has digital video conferencing equipment.


'It will connect young people and designers from Taiwan, the United States and the world, and take Taiwan-US cooperation to a new level,' AIT Director Christopher Marut said. The center, in the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, is to offer lectures, workshops and programs on innovation, entrepreneurship, digitalization, culture and design, according to the AIT. 'We thought Taiwan would be an excellent choice for the first American Innovation Center in Asia because it is known for its innovation and creativity, as well as advances in high-technology,' said Joseph Bookbinder, AIT public diplomacy section head. ... Other American Innovation Centers are in Italy, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece."See also; image from, with caption: Captain America and Superman joined the assembled dignitaries at the launch of the innovation center, Jan. 16.

Africa: Brics'Public Diplomacy and the Nuances of Soft Power - Yu-Shan Wu and Chris Alden, allafrica.com: "New voices - from Brazil's TV Globo Internacional, Russia Today, China Central Television to other alternative voices like Al Jazeera and African players themselves - are challenging both the prevailing Anglo-Saxon narrative on continental affairs, but also contributing to a more complex counter-flow of information generated by themselves. It begs the question how soft power could be applied in the midst of rising (and sometimes competing) national drives between emerging countries. Perhaps the BRICS platform could develop as such a testing ground. Instead of playing catch up with the West and reacting to prevailing global structures, there is greater scope for improving communication and connectivity between the BRICS. ... [C]entering public diplomacy efforts on intra-BRICS relations is a key litmus test for both individual country image building and improving solidarity."

Cause for public diplomacy: Traditional and social media both have to enhance their credibility to play a greater role in improving countries' ties - ecns.cn: "The global media have increasingly proved their usefulness in public diplomacy in recent years. Many governments have competitively engaged in public diplomacy through the media to make their countries look attractive and friendly to foreigners, and help others to understand their positions in the international arena. The success or failure of public diplomacy through the media, however, can only be judged by its intended audience. The most critical criterion is the media's credibility, which can be achieved through freedom from editorial bias. Only when such media activities are combined with cultural programs and people-to-people exchanges can their synergic effects be maximized. However, as seen in cases of some cartoons, photographs and video clips, carelessness and negligence can seriously damage the public diplomacy efforts of major powers. To prevent such incidents, public awareness campaigns should encourage every citizen to be part of public diplomacy activities. ... The global media have become one of many tools a government employs in conducting its public diplomacy programs. The BBC and Voice of America have demonstrated their powerful influence in the foreign policymaking process, and other major media outlets are following suit. ... Since global media outlets have a relatively small domestic audience compared with a larger international audience, neighboring countries should make efforts to jointly conduct public diplomacy. The global media, with their powerful influence, are the most fitting channel for this joint project. The author is ambassador for public diplomacy, the Republic of Korea."

'Days of India in Slovenia' - sam.org.in: "The Embassy of India in Ljubljana is initiating the 'Days of India in Slovenia' festival from 18-30 January 2014. The festival has been supported by MEA — in particular its the Public Diplomacy Division– the Consulate General of India at Milan, the RTA Agency of Slovenia as well as the Government, Municipalities and Universities of Slovenia. The festival aims to increase the visibility and awareness of India in Slovenia and encourage greater contacts and synergy between the peoples and culture of both countries."

Chechnya's silent diplomacy in the Middle East - al-monitor.com: "Through the Department of External Relations — Chechnya's analogue of the Foreign Affairs Ministry — slowly but surely Chechnya [has] increased the number of its political, economic and cultural contacts in the Middle East. Most recently, in November 2013 Kadyrov


[current Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov] toured the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia 'to attract capital for new investment projects.' But there’s more to this activity that goes far beyond any 'public diplomacy' standards. His prime objective is to make Chechnya a regional, if not global, holy destination for Muslims." Image from entry, with caption: A policeman wears a ring showing the Islamic symbol of the star and crescent, Itum-Kale, Chechnya, April 29, 2013.

BDS in The Netherlands: A case study of failed Israeli public diplomacy - Missing Peace, missingpeace.eu: "A diplomatic row has erupted between Israel and The Netherlands concerning the decision by certain major Dutch companies to join the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions movement. These divestment decisions were taken after the companies took advice from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Dutch ambassador was summoned twice by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs over the issue. What is now clear is that the lobbying efforts of pro-Palestinian NGO’s and confusing political signals by the Foreign Ministry of The Netherlands were highly influential. It has also has become evident that the intensifying BDS campaign is connected to the abject failure of Israel’s public diplomacy activities in The Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe."

After Protests and Corruption, What is Next for Turkey? - tankthoughts.com: "Host: Center for American Progress Event: Regional Perspectives of Turkey in the Middle East Speakers: Dr. Mensur Akgun, Director Global Political TradeCenter Sabiha Gundogar, Director, TESEV Foreign Policy Program Spencer Boyer, Senior Fellow, Center for Transatlantic Relations, Johns Hopkins SAIS ... Though currently facing a number of issues, the ruling party in Turkey, the AKP Party, still maintains a large base of domestic support and might not be ushered from power in upcoming elections. Regardless, as is the opinion of Mr. Boyer, recent demonstrations, coupled with the results found in TESEV’s survey, reflect the growing power of public diplomacy, and a need for governments to be in touch and represent all facets of their country."

Public Diplomacy's Branding Trap - Philip Seib, Huffington Post: "The purpose of public diplomacy is to advance the strategic interests of the country that is employing it. Goals must be precise and well-defined. Convincing people that you are 'great' must have a purpose behind it, something beyond creating an image and hoping that the rest of the world will respond


to it in a useful way. That is why the United Kingdom's 'GREAT Britain' campaign is a model worth studying. The campaign has carefully developed aspirations and is on track to meet its goal of a 20-fold return on investment."

While Obama Cuts a Deal, Iran Ramps Up Uranium Enrichment - finance.townhall.com: "South Korea-North Korea: The South Korean government today urged North Korea to reconsider its refusal to resume reunions of family members separated by the Korean War. The North has not responded yet. Comment: The North wants to link family reunions to a resumption of tourism to Mount Kumgang. The South wants these to remain separate issues. A primary reason is that the North has not satisfactorily explained why a North Korean guard shot and killed a South Korean tourist at the Mount Kumgang resort in 2008. South Korea left open an option for discussing tourism should the North "make concrete suggestions" for resuming it. The two countries are conducting public diplomacy through their broadcast media at this point. That is a preliminary stage of communication that sometimes leads to substantive, private talks. The public exchanges indicate the North is willing to hold talks provided the South does nothing more to aggravate the North. The South is willing to talk about practical matters related to tourism. The two now have completed one full cycle. They have learned, or should have learned, that both are willing to hold direct talks, but have not yet agreed on the agenda."

CICI honors Galaxy, French minister, jazzist - Park Jin-hai, koreatimes.co.kr: "It wasn’t only K-pop artists that were successful last year. Throughout 2013, Korean technology and music of different genres shared the limelight alongside K-pop. That was obvious at the Korea Image Awards 2014, held at the COEX Intercontinental Hotel in southern Seoul, Wednesday. The annual event, where people or products that have promoted Korea’s national image abroad are given awards, saw this year’s 'Korea Image Stepping Stone Award' go to Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone.


The phone, according to Choi Jung-wha, president of the host Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), has become an icon of innovation, contributing to the nation’s image as an information technology powerhouse. Korean-born French Minister Delegate Fleur Pellerin was honored to receive the 'Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award,' for her promotion of cultural communication, boosting exchanges in culture, economy and technology."Image from entry, with caption: French Minister Delegate Fleur Pellerin, left, receives the “Korea Image Stepping Stone Bridge Award,” from Choi Jung-wha, president of Corea Image Communication Institute (CICI), at the Minister’s Office in Paris, France, in this prerecorded video image.

South Stream pipeline: Yes Hungary and EU objections - [Google "translation'] "Yelena Ponomareva, professor of the Russian Diplomatic University MGIMO, says the EU wants to prevent a strengthening of Russia's positions in the West. Even the energy security of Europe skidding into the background, because the South Stream project is more than just a pipeline: 'The project enables a Russian presence not only in the energy sector, but also in the economy in general, but also in information policy, in various humanitarian initiatives and in terms of public diplomacy. This will create a positive image of the country.'"

Great and Fake: The Wild Absurdity Of Iranian And Russian State Media: Did you know North Korea has schools that rival Eton? That Nazi space aliens are running D.C.? Propaganda peddled by Russian and Iranian state media is shocking—and absurd - Michael Moynihan, Daily Beast: "I’ll keep watching and reading RT, PressTV, and Fars. But I’ll keep treating it like professional wrestling: absurd, occasionally funny, and always fake."

Indian Police Arrest Two in Case of Alleged Gang Rape of Danish Tourist: Authorities Hunt for More Suspects, as Victim Flies Home to Denmark - "'Our embassy in New Delhi has worked hard to help the woman as much as possible,' said Ole Egeberg Mikkelsen, undersecretary for consular services and public diplomacy at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Copenhagen."

International Students: Separate but Profitable: A boom in foreign undergrads is shoring up the finances of America’s flagship universities, but at a price - Paul Stephens, Washington Monthly: "In states like Washington and California, there are growing complaints that the influx of foreign students is crowding local students out of their own state schools. Meanwhile, at least some Chinese students are complaining that American universities exploit them by charging extra fees. It’s difficult to argue against the valuable opportunities for cultural exchange and public diplomacy that international education provides.


But at the current scale, Chinese students have become so concentrated on some campuses that in many ways it’s as if they were attending separate schools within schools. International students bring a lot of money into the United States, contributing roughly $22 billion to the U.S. economy in 2012, according to one estimate."Image from entry, with caption: Economics 101: Two Chinese undergraduates at Purdue University protested the school’s decision last year to increase international students’ tuition, a popular source of revenue for cash-strapped state colleges.

USC hosts US-Australian conference - David Ahia, Daily Trojan: "The Political Student Assembly, in partnership with the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences’ School of International Relations, held a conference Tuesday concerning U.S.-Australian relations and the rise of the Pacific Rim in world politics. The event was sponsored by G’Day USA, an Australian think tank dedicated to promoting U.S.-Australia relations through fundraisers and its website. Allied with the Australian Consolate-General, G’Day USA is sponsored by the Dow Chemical Company, Chevron and the Australian Trade Commission. ... 'I think G’Day USA in partnering with USC was attracted to the School of International Relations,' Gray [Christina Gray, Assistant Director of Programming for the School of International Relations] said. 'You already have a great range of faculty and research and students who are actively involved in public diplomacy, and that focus is on international affairs. It’s a faculty base that opens itself to the idea of opening itself up as a university to other governments.'” See also.

PDiddy - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "'Sucka MCs should call me sire' -Run DMC [.] Looks like this PD MC has a new gig running hip hop diplomacy in a whole swathe of places. DJ Rockower is going to be spinning some new cultural diplomacy beats."

VP Named to Lead Creative Associates International's Education Division - sacbee.com: "Global development expert Jerrold Keilson has been named Vice President and Senior Director of Creative Associates International's Education Division, it was announced today. (www.CreativeAssociatesInternational.com) ... Keilson, whose avocation is public diplomacy, has published articles on the history and results of citizen diplomacy, training and exchange programs. He is a member of the Public Diplomacy Council and a Fellow with the Foreign Policy Association."

The Daily: The Tacit Diplomacy of Life Sciences - Michael Ardaiolo, The Daily, thepublicdiplomat.com: "Our round-up of news, notes, tips, and Tweets exhibiting how public diplomacy affects the world each and every day."

CPD’s Picks for Top 10 PD Stories of 2013 - USC Center on Public Diplomacy, Via

Papers accepted at ICA 2014, Seattle, Washington, USA - blog.nus.edu.sg: "Lee, S. T. and Lin, J. (May 2014). Information subsidies for nation branding and public diplomacy."

Program Officer - jobsclipper.com: "The Myanmar Peace Center (MPC) has been established on 26 October 2012 to serve as the Secretariat to the Union Peace-making Central Committee and the Union Peace-making Work Committee.


MPC will also serve as a focal point for international partners and civil society organizations on issues related to the peace process. ... Job Description ... Coordinate with the Outreach and Public Diplomacy Program to prepare public information materials to inform the wider Myanmar public of the ceasefires."Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

Special Operations wants help to see if propaganda works - Ray Locker, USA usatoday.com: After years of ad hoc reviews of the effectiveness of military propaganda efforts, the Special Operations Command is on the verge of seeking an independent contractor for a coordinated plan to test whether the programs actually work. A recent proposal released by SOCOM asks for companies to pitch the command on how they would help determine if the propaganda programs, which the Pentagon calls information operations or military information support operations, are effective in convincing target audiences of U.S. policy aims.


SOCOM calls this latest incarnation the Global Research Assessment Program. SOCOM, which continues to play a larger role in military propaganda efforts, will exclude any contractors that are currently or have within three years produced or disseminated "audio, visual or audio/visual MISO products (e.g. TV spots, radio spots, websites) and Web-based MISO products, YouTube videos, novelty items, leaflets and other printed MISO materials" for the military. This isn't the first time SOCOM has tried to reorganize how it studies the effectiveness of propaganda campaigns. In 2012, it released a similar request for information for what it then called the Global Assessment Program. The goal then, SOCOM documents show, was to "provide global assessments and prove measures of effectiveness" for propaganda programs. Propaganda contractors often con military commanders into believing their plans can work miracles and then fail, a report published in December of the Army's War College shows. British military expert Steve Tatham wrote that efforts in Afghanistan failed because of poorly designed programs by contractors who often propose expensive marketing solutions to U.S. commanders incapable of making informed choices. Image from

U.S. may use expansion of Magnitsky Act for propaganda, pressure - official - rbth.ru: The possible expansion of the Magnitsky Act, which now applies to Russia, to other countries would be an action of propaganda and an instrument of pressure in the interests of the U.S., Alexei Pushkov, the head of the State Duma committee on international affairs, said. "I believe the Magnitsky Act, which applies to Russia, is a purely political instrument that can be used for putting pressure on the political leaders and political elites of other countries," Pushkov told Interfax on Friday, commenting on the appropriate [sic] proposal made by U.S. Senators Benjamin Cardin and John McCain. Pushkov said he believes Cardin has recently said that the Magnitsky Act may be expanded to Ukraine.

The French are scandalized by a president's affair? How American! - Robin Abcarian, latimes.com: Hollande's sex scandal is just more evidence that France’s long march to Americanization, which began at the end of World War II, is nearly complete. Proof? French people don’t even look French anymore. They look as if they’ve been dressed by the Gap. Fast food outlets are no longer novelties in France, but are ubiquitous.

John Kerry's bicycle diplomacy in the Middle East: The secretary of State is focusing on three of the world's most intractable problems, with prospects uncertain - Doyle McManus - latimes.com: Peace negotiations, a wise U.S. diplomat once said, are like riding a bicycle: No matter how slow you're moving, it's best to keep going — because if you try to stand still, you'll fall. Secretary of State John F. Kerry is putting that principle to the test in his dogged work on three of the world's most tangled problems: Iran's nuclear program, Syria's civil war and Israel's conflict with the Palestinians. Kerry hasn't quite arrived anywhere yet on any of the three, but he is at least keeping the bicycle upright. When riding a bicycle in a disorderly world, a little forward movement is better than none at all.

It's not 'our' Iraq anymore: Violence there is a concern, but the U.S. should not become involved again militarily - Editorial, Los Angeles Times: Gains by Al Qaeda-allied groups in Iraq — including in Fallouja, the site of a bloody U.S. offensive in 2004 — understandably anger Americans who lost loved ones in a "war of choice"


that was supposed to secure democracy in that country. But the continued violence in Iraq doesn't discredit the decision of the United States to withdraw troops, nor does it justify any new deployment. Image from entry, with caption: Masked Sunni gunmen are seen taking position in Fallujah, Iraq.

Ending Syrians’ suffering - David Miliband, Washington Post: In the case of Syria, It is easy to talk of “donor fatigue,” complex emergencies and no good options. But that is no excuse for a return to the Dark Ages in the heart of the Middle East.

Media That Moves Millions: Social media may be protesters' favorite weapon, but new research on Syria's revolution shows it can do as much harm as good - Sheldon Himerfarb, Sean Aday, Foreign Policy: Scholars, activists, and policymakers must avoid over-generalizing about the strengths -- and limitations -- of digital media.


Not all new media have the same functions and effects, nor does one case necessarily provide lessons for the next. Perhaps the most under-looked but critical finding about these relatively young media is that their role, influence, and significance today may not be the same tomorrow -- assuming the medium in question still exists then. Punditry, policymaking, and scholarship can all suffer from the same problem of assuming the world is defined by what we happen to be looking at. If we're excited about social media, we tend to see every problem through that microscopic lens. Uncaptioned image from entry

America is slipping to No. 2. Don’t panic - Charles Kenny, Washington Post: Living in an America that ranks second in GDP to China will still be far, far better than living in China.

Qatar’s Soft Power Gamble: The FIFA World Cup 2022 - Paul Michael Brannagan and Jonathan Grix, e-ir.info: In December 2010, the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) astounded the world when it awarded the small Persian Gulf State of Qatar the prestigious opportunity of hosting the 2022 World Cup finals. Such an honour powerfully added to the state’s continuous desire to use global sporting forms to achieve wider socio-political objectives. The purpose of this piece is to briefly clarify what the Gulf State seeks to achieve through hosting the first Middle Eastern World Cup, and, more specifically, how the state is drawing on the significance of the tournament in fulfilling its long-term objectives. In doing so, we focus on two of the principle motives behind Qatar’s soft power strategy (cf. Nye 2004; 2008): distancing Qatar from the Middle East and putting Qatar on the international map.

Condoleezza Rice Hired To Fight The Poor - Princess Sparkle Pony's Photo Blog: So the NRCC decided they needed a more convincing spokesmodel for income inequality than the usual rich old white guys at their disposal. 



Who better than Condi? Indeed, who better than Condi, a woman who failed her way to the top, continued to fail AT the top, and now is filthy rich because she travels around in private jets to give the same tired speech at corporate events for five-figure paychecks, to discuss income inequality! Oh, wait, what's that you're saying? You mean she's going to be their spokesmodel for addressing and combating income inequality? Image from entry, with caption: (PSP Flashback to 2006! Income inequality spokesmodel Condi shown here with a Judith Leiber clutch.)

The constructive hoax of Propaganda - Ben Sachs, chicagoreader.com: "In my capsule review, I describe the found-footage documentary Propaganda (which screens at the Gene Siskel Film Center tomorrow at 5:30 PM and on Tuesday at 8:30 PM) as 'a provocative thought experiment,' which is another way of saying I enjoyed reflecting on the movie more than I enjoyed watching it. Propaganda is presented as a North Korean "educational video" about the evils of western capitalist societies.


Crude-looking and blunt in its narration, it contains no winks to the audience hinting that it's a forgery. Since reviewing it, in fact, I've learned that when director Slavko Martinov first presented the movie on YouTube, millions of viewers were convinced that it was real."Image from entry

Putting the “propaganda” in context - Luc Cohen, Daily Princetonian: On Facebook and Twitter, posts from news organizations are mixed in with messages straight from the source. The increasing popularity of social media has shattered the virtual monopoly the press once had on the spread of information, and it has made it easier than ever for powerful people and institutions to spread their messages, unchecked by a pesky third party like a newspaper.

Where Fascism Succeeded: Italian design between the world wars looks surprisingly good today - Julie V. Iovine, Wall Street Journal: An engrossing assemblage of small but related exhibitions at the Wolfsonian museum will have you wondering how your own aesthetic leanings could be so compatible with those of Benito Mussolini. Somehow the design, architecture and public art produced under Italian Fascism have not been tarred in the same way that Nazi style, with its red flags and black insignia, remains so utterly sinister and repellent.


And while Italian design of the same period now sometimes looks to us like kitsch, much of it manages to achieve a resonant modernity. Focusing on the years between the two world wars, the show, collectively called "Rebirth of Rome," sheds light on the staying power and indefatigable allure of Italian design produced in the 1920s, '30s and early '40s. At the same time it touches on even larger themes of identity and power, aesthetics and morality. Image from entry, with caption: Echoes and Origins' and 'The Birth of Rome' are at the Wolfsonian through May 18.

“Lone Survivor”: A pro-war propaganda surprise hit: Mark Wahlberg kills Taliban by the dozens in Hollywood's first 2014 smash, a shameless war-porn spectacle - salon.com: Andrew O'Heir, “Lone Survivor,” which is an action film starring Mark Wahlberg based on a real-life Navy SEAL mission that went bad in Afghanistan in 2005, snuck out in a few big-city theaters before the end of the year and was barely noticed. Sometimes that means producers are hoping for awards consideration, but Universal Pictures and writer-director Peter Berg (of “Battleship” and the original “Friday Night Lights”) had a different end in view. But after a $38 million opening weekend in wide release, “Lone Survivor” has become something unexpected: The first big Hollywood hit of 2014, and the first war movie of the “war on terror” era to connect with a mainstream audience.


“Lone Survivor” isn’t even aware of itself as a B-movie; it’s trying to reclaim the discredited realm of the Iraq-Afghanistan conflicts as a zone for macho tragic fantasy, for the dream of American greatness. It’s trying to tell us that whatever we may think we think about what our country did over the past dozen years – this SEAL team was based at Bagram Air Force base, where some of the worst acts of CIA or military torture were committed – dying for the red, white and blue is still a holy enterprise. That people want to see a competent action picture in the depths of winter isn’t all that depressing, but the fact that they’re swallowing the disgusting symbolism of this one definitely is. Uncaptioned image from entry

Westeros meets WWII in these Game of Thrones propaganda posters - io9.com: Classic propaganda posters get a Westerosi makeover in the hands of Olivia Desianti.


Which one would convince you to pick up arms for the Iron Throne? Image from entry

FOUND ON THE WEB

The Humanitarian Nightmare in the Balkans: Perspectives and Challenges on the Arts and Culture in Civil Society and Democracy Building [December 6, 2013] - Jeremie Gluckman, artsdiplomacy.com: "International cultural relations between the United States and the rest of the world are increasingly organized by the market and international firms, as well as by non-for-profit institutions, which has resulted in the perceived value of cultural diplomacy to diminish in the halls of Congress and several administrations. ... The current lack of coherent, public-private, and interagency strategy for cultural exchange and cultural diplomacy, symptomatic of a general marginalization of the arts, culture, and media by policymakers and the philanthropic community, limits the potential of existing programs. ...Seventeen years and $17 billion later, Bosnia is at peace today but has witnessed mass murder and other unthinkable horrors and suffers from a stagnant economy and endemic corruption. ... Transnational advocacy for cultural diplomacy as a means of adopting the long view in the context of the modernization of warfare, shifting patterns of conflict with the globalization acts of terror, and with increased interdependence and economic integration will prove central in garnering the tools to define norms of global ethnic conflict and humanitarian intervention."

"STEPHANOPOULUS: The most famous American in Russia right now is Edward Snowden. Is he invited to Sochi?

PUTIN: The most renowned American in Russia right now is Barack Obama."

--From Stan Stein, "Putin: Snowden Can Come To The Olympics," Huffington Post; image from

NEW PUBLICATION

Introducing our Winter 2014 Issue: Gastrodiplomacy - Public Diplomacy Magazine Editors, USC Center on Public Diplomacy

HURRY! HOME FOR SALE


USC Looking To Sell Their Old Mid-Century Communist Propaganda Research Building - la.curbed.com: "Via the LA Conservancy comes word that USC wants to kick their Cold War-era registration building to the curb. Designed by USC grads Thornton Laddand John Kelsey in 1963, the two-story, steel, post and beam structure—nicknamed Red Square—was originally built to serve as the university's Research Institute on Communist Strategy and Propaganda.


While the asking price is nowhere to be found in the property's offering memo (pdf), the fact sheet notes that prospective buyers must submit offers by February 28, 2014, and that the successful bidder will be responsible for relocating the 5,050-square-foot building off campus by April 30. However, 'property relocation assistance of $25,000 is available to a qualified buyer.'"Top image from; below Image from entry 

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Russia should grant a visa to David Satter - Editorial, Washington Post: "Russia is about to host the Winter Olympics, welcoming thousands of athletes from around the world. But Moscow has quietly decided there is one person who cannot enter the country. The American author and journalist David Satter, who has been advising Radio Liberty and has written three books about the Soviet Union and Russia, was informed Dec. 25 that he would not be granted a visa. According to Mr. Satter, the Russian authorities told him: 'The competent organs have decided that your presence on the territory of the Russian Federation is undesirable.' The 'competent organs' is an old euphemism for the security services. The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming Mr. Satter had committed visa violations. Mr. Satter admitted overstaying a temporary visa by a few days but says that was caused by paperwork delays at the Foreign Ministry. It seems clear that Mr. Satter has been barred from entry because someone in the Russian power structure does not want him in the country." See also.

BBC, Deutsche Welle offer superb coverage of Ukraine’s slide toward a police state, Voice of America does not - Ted Lipien, Blogger News Network: "British BBC and German Deutsche Welle (DW) offer superb coverage in English of Ukraine’s slide toward a repressive state.


Too bad America’s voice abroad, Voice of America (VOA), is not, and has left the field to RT (Russia Today)."Image from entry

Winter is Coming... [includes videos] - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "As the host of the 22nd Winter Olympics, the public diplomacy stage is all Russia's to take. How successful it all is or will be, I'll try and address at some other point. At the moment, though, I just wanted to highlight *some* of the media hype ... And a final clip from NBC -- a tribute to vodka. Russian vodka. Because, although there might not be much that the American viewer can relate to in that vast country, they can at least recognize the 'Russkiy Standard' and find some interest is sitting through three minutes of an introduction. Ah yes, but I forget: vodka comprises an integral part of Russia's image. Why not use it for public diplomacy purposes, as well...?"

Two thousand and thirteen– bookkeeping - David Guy, Five Minutes for Israel: "Looking forward to 2014 [:] A new category/blog is in planning for 2014, tentatively titled BLOGography.


In this we hope to contact and collaborate with other small Israel advocacy blogs. We plan interviews, joint and guest posts and a general sharing of tips and ideas on how to advance what I believe is an important weapon in the Public Diplomacy war."Image from entry

This is what an academic boycott looks like: Two new campaigns target conferences hosted by Israeli universities - usacbi.org: "Recent decisions by prestigious US academic organizations to support the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement have sparked long neglected public discussion of the limits of academic freedom in the West, the deleterious effects of occupation on Palestinians, including university students and faculty, and Israel’s human rights abuses against Palestinians on both sides of the Green Line, not to mention African migrant workers, Jewish Arabs, political dissidents, and others. ... This is what an academic boycott looks like: Two new campaigns target conferences hosted by Israeli universities - Israeli government and public relations officials confirm that the academic boycott has altered the global political conversation about Palestine. According to The Jerusalem Post, Israeli MK Ayelet Shaked recently referred to the academic and cultural boycott campaign as 'the greatest threat faced by the country.' ... Israel’s attempt to forestall these developments are revealed by revelations that the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has been funding 'covert units' that pay students to engage in public diplomacy and promote Israel’s 'pretty face' on social media, and by earlier reports that Israel advocacy groups have been targeting pro-Palestinian student groups in an effort to silence university-based criticism of Israeli policies."

The story of JLF's sponsors: At the Sensex' boom-time peak, in Jan 2008, natural resources and financial firms were quite literally in money - Mihir S Sharma, business-standard.com: "[I]n the case of the JaipurLiterature Festival, the choice of sponsor is itself, frequently, revealing. ... The Public Diplomacy division of the ministry of external affairs features as a senior sponsor, as does, for some befuddling reason, the National Jute Board.

ONLF Foreign Secretary on the Situation of Somalis in the Ogaden Region of Ethiopia - Matteo Giusti/Limes, somalilandsun.com: "The (Ethiopian) embassies in London and Rome describe the Ogaden a great economic growth now and in peace for years. A very different picture from that presented by the Ogadeni guerrillas.


Limes spoke with the head of the Policy and Public Diplomacy at the Embassy in Rome, Fesseha Tesfu Beyane. ... BEYANE [:] Our constitution is clear, we are a federal republic that recognizes autonomy in all 9 regions that make up Ethiopia.Our government has invested heavily in the Ogaden and violence are a distant memory. The accusations of genocide against Ethiopia are defamatory . The country which I have the honor to represent is a true oasis of peace in a turbulent region and the population in the Ogaden are recognized autonomy and freedom."Image from entry

RELATED ITEMS

Take Two: Propaganda is eyes of beholder of painted goalie mask - Matt Nestor, columbiatribune.com: Jessie Vetter, a goaltender for the U.S. women’s hockey team, wanted a mask that “screamed America.” Ron Slater, who paints masks for NHL goaltenders, designed one that had a red, white and blue shield, a bald eagle and the Statue of Liberty. Vetter asked for the U.S. Constitution to be included. Slater opted to go with the simple phrase “We the People,” the opening to the Preamble.
The International Olympic Committee wouldn’t allow it, citing rules it has against propaganda or advertising being displayed on Olympic uniforms.

A new day at the NSA: President Obama takes a step back from unfettered surveillance - Doyle McManus, latimes.com: Instead of accepting the doctrine that a global war against terrorists justifies almost any expansion of information-gathering, Obama said the entire U.S. intelligence enterprise should be subject to more public scrutiny and more stringent cost-benefit tests. A second Obama innovation — the idea that the NSA should treat foreigners the same way it treats Americans when it comes to privacy — is a revolutionary idea within the intelligence community, which is used to drawing a clear line between us and them.

Obama’s sure-footed surveillance speech - David Ignatius, Washington Post: Perhaps most interesting, Obama has signaled a desire to extend privacy rights to foreigners—not just the leaders of friendly countries, but their citizens, too. He’s not offering the protection of the Fourth Amendment against unreasonable search and seizure—you still have to be an American citizen to get that. But it’s significant for a president to affirm that that global citizens have a right to be protected against unwarranted snooping by the world’s only superpower.

State Dept. computers open to hackers: report - Phillip Swarts-The Washington Times: Despite frequent hacking attempts and the threat of another Edward Snowden-like data theft, the State Department’s computer systems remain woefully insecure and easily could be breached by enemies seeking to steal classified information, the department’s internal watchdog says.

propaganda about Syria is most welcome - As'ad Abu Khalil, The Angry Arab News Service/وكالة أنباء العربي الغاضب: "Saudi Arabian photographer Abdel Aziz Al-Atibi was shocked to find that the picture he took of his nephew Ibrahim on January 3 in Saudi Arabia was picked up on social media networks and reported as being a picture of a Syrian child found sleeping near the graves of his parents. Al-Atibi tells Beirut.com that he took the photo, which was staged with fake graves, as part of a conceptual project."

South Korean Activists Send Propaganda-Filled Balloons into North - voanews.com: Activists in South Korea, including some North Korean defectors who were soldiers when they lived in the North, sent propaganda-loaded balloons over the border into North Korea on Wednesday, defying Pyongyang's past threats of retaliation against the launches.


The helium-filled balloons were stuffed with DVDs and leaflets documenting human rights abuses in the North. They also contained 1,000 U.S. $1 bills and small USB drives loaded with the Korean-language version of Wikipedia. Image from entry, with caption: Former North Korean defectors who were soldiers when they lived in North Korea release a balloon containing $1 banknotes, radios, CD and leaflets denouncing the North Korean regime towards the north near the demilitarized zone, which separates the two Koreas, in Paju, north of Seoul, Jan. 15, 2014.

Dave Agema: Russian anti-gay propaganda law is 'common sense' - Garret Ellison, Russia’s anti-gay propaganda law is “common sense” according to a Facebook posting by Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema. Agema, known for making inflammatory statements about gay people, reportedly endorsed the Russian law that makes it illegal


to discuss LGBT issues in front of children. Image from entry, with caption: Republican National Committeman Dave Agema.

Lone Survivor's Takeaway: Every War Movie Is a Pro-War Movie: Even if films don't glorify conflict itself, they all come down to good guys against bad guys - Calum Marsh, Atlantic: Adapted from the memoirs of former Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell (played in the film by Mark Wahlberg, who also co-produced), Lone Survivor is the sort of film you expect to seem at least a little propagandistic. It’s rooted in a tradition of patriotism as old as the motion picture itself, stretching from the John Wayne vehicle The Green Berets to the recent Act of Valor. Many of its more aggressively nationalistic elements are just a matter of following genre protocol. Now, compare this exaggeratedly casual introduction with the way the film brings in its Taliban villains. Their unruly gang storms into a quiet village while firing off machine guns and, while screaming unintelligibly, drags a man into the streets and lops his head off with a machete. (Sinister-sounding music accompanies, just in case the sentiment wasn’t clear.)


This is cartoon villainy—the realm of the black hat and the twirling moustache. Such gestures serve a straightforward dramatic purpose: They align the audience with the heroes while encouraging them to dislike the bad guys, so that when the battle finally ignites, the viewer’s sympathies have already been sorted out. it is worth considering that movies like Lone Survivor do begin to resemble multi-million dollar recruitment videos—tools of military indoctrination geared toward the young and the impressionable. Films like this contribute to subtle shifts in public perception, helping to legitimize feelings of xenophobia and American exceptionalism. It’s no accident that Lone Survivor ignores the question of whether the SEAL team’s mission was justified or worthwhile, just as it ignores, even more broadly, the merit of the war in Afghanistan to begin with. Uncaptioned image from entry. See also.

“Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”: propaganda dressed as entertainment - peoplesworld.org: Reactionary espionage novelist Tom Clancy may have died last year, but his heroic CIA agent, Jack Ryan, lives on, as does the right-wing pro-CIA Military-Industrial-Intelligence-Entertainment Complex's agitprop. To be sure, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Paramount's reboot of the Clancy-derived, highly lucrative Ryan film franchise, is a slickly made, entertaining piece of movie-making full of the usual suspects found in spy movies: motorcycle and car chases galore, assassins, gunfire, dastardly villains hell bent on world domination, a little romance and all those other endless spy movie clichés.


Shadow Recruit is also a sophisticated cinematic piece of propaganda masquerading under the guise of mass entertainment. In a bit of clever central casting, real-life Soviet defector/ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov plays a Kremlin killer in a cameo. Kenneth Branagh (who also directed) portrays dastardly oligarch Viktor Cherevin, a stereotypical Ruskie out to stage terrorist attacks on the good ol' USA and to topple our economy. It doesn't matter that the Ruskies have traded communism in for corporatist ideology - they're STILL the bad guys in this hackneyed plot extolling the virtues of the CIA, as latter day Cold Warriors battle it out from Moscow to Manhattan. It doesn't matter that as America's ally during World War II, 20 million Soviets died, and then their approximation of socialism failed and the Russians "embraced" the private enterprise system: They remain our implacable enemy. I mean, who does a Ruskie have to screw to catch a break from America?! Image from entry

Russians: Still the Go-To Bad Guys - Steven Kurutz, New York Times: Nearly 25 years after the Berlin Wall


fell and marked the end of the Cold War, Hollywood’s go-to villains remain Russians. Image from entry, with caption: Lotte Lenya as Rosa Klebb and Robert Shaw as Red Grant from the 1963 James Bond film “From Russia With Love.”
Remapping the Territory: ‘Our America,’ by Felipe Fernández-Armesto - Book Review Julio Ortega, New York Times: After long periods of migration, deportation and accommodation, the next United States could well be a pluricultural bilingual power, updating the American dream.


“Our America” is perhaps the first history to make the case for this nation’s becoming a bright Latin American country. Image from entry

AMERICANA

E-books are on the rise, but print books rebound and endure - Hector Tobar, latimes.com: Overall, 76% of American adults read a book last year in one or more of three formats: print, e-books and audiobooks.

MORE AMERICANA

Madonna apologizes for using racial slur to describe her son - Kellan Howel, The Washington Times: Pop idol Madonna is apologizing for using a racial slur to describe her white son in an Instagram photo, The Associated Press reported. She posted a picture of her 13-year-old son Rocco boxing on Friday night captioned it with “No one messes with Dirty Soap! Mama said knock you out! #disn**ga.” The hashtag, containing a variation of the N-word, garnered hundreds of comments on Instagram. The singer changed the caption which now reads “Ok let me start this again. #get off of my d*ck haters!”


In a statement to the AP on Saturday, she was contrite, saying “Forgive me.” Madonna said she is not a racist and she did not mean to use the word as a slur but said she knew there was no defense for its use. She said she used it as a term of endearment and apologizes if it gave the wrong impression. Madonna has four children total including two black children adopted from Malawi. Image from article, with caption: Singer Madonna performs Aug. 28, 2012, at the Wells Fargo Center

AND MORE AMERICANA


From

RESEARCH

"It’s too rarely understood, except by anyone who has ever done research, how much of it involves browsing: going from book to book, fact to fact, link to link, event to event, letting one subject suggest another."

--Francine Prose, "How Have Tools Like Google and YouTube Changed the Way You Work?" New York Times

CLIMATE CHANGE


From: Global warming’s biggest offenders: The U.S. and China are among the 7 countries most accountable for the world’s temperature increase, according to a new Concordia study. Via JJ on Facebook

--Martin Luther King images from

VIDEOS

"I Have A Dream" (August 28, 1963) - David Pescovitz, boingboing.net: "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" [on Martin Luther Day in Washington, January 20, 2014, see]

Edward Snowden 2014 Calendar - Dan W, iamdanw.com

Israel Advocacy Group 'Spells it Out' for Kerry: Americans For a Safe Israel 'reminds' US Secretary of State of the security threat posed by an Israeli withdrawal from Judea-Samaria - israelnationalnews.com: "[A]recent presentation by [Michael] Langfan illustrating the strategic importance of the Judea-Samaria region

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

It’s All in the Smithsonian Details - pdaa.publicdiplomacy.org: Editor’s note: In a new (Jan-Feb 2014) Foreign Service Journal article, Bea Camp tells about the value of her detail to the Smithsonian Institution, expanding on her talk at the 3 December 2014 PDAA lunch program. Below is an excerpt and link to the entire article. Today, thanks to the establishment of a State Department detail position at the Smithsonian in 2009, State bureaus and posts are able to take greater advantage of its international presence to reach foreign audiences. Whether pursuing conservation in Burma, building a Spark!Lab in Kyiv or bringing Hungarian musicians to the Folklife Festival, the Smithsonian’s international engagement complements the State Department’s work in education, culture, the environment and scientific cooperation. I was fascinated to find that the position I held for two years has historical roots. Marc Pachter, who later became director of the National Portrait Gallery, served as the Smithsonian liaison to the U.S. Information Agency in the 1980s. And in 2002, the Bureau of International Information Programs detailed Martin Manning to the National Portrait Gallery to work with Smithsonian Institution staff on the American Rooms Project, envisioned by then-Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Charlotte Beers as an interactive exhibit highlighting American themes. In my case, the detail provided lots of leeway, so I focused on helping State colleagues take advantage of Smithsonian resources for the benefit of overseas audiences. This mission set me on a path of discovery that ranged from jazz to mobile apps to wildlife conservation. From the Smithsonian side, I was regularly consulted on international issues, with my China experience proving especially welcome. The goals of the two institutions are often symbiotic.


As the world’s largest museum and research complex, the Smithsonian Institution is focusing on greater engagement with world audiences.  The full text is found on the Foreign Service Journal Web site.particularly non-elite and youth groups, while the Department of State is eager to use the Smithsonian’s expertise to enhance the dissemination of information about the United States to overseas audiences. Camp image from entry

Jimmy Beam, Time Warner and Global Trade …. Good News? - globaltraderelations.com: "The first two weeks of January 2014 have seen very interesting developments in global trade relations — the filing of new WTO litigation by Russia, successfully concluding the Bali negotiations, restricting U.S. litigation against multinationals, sparring in Congress over President Obama’s trade policies, trade and income inequality, and renewed foreign investment into the corporate and real estate sectors in the U.S. The latter is particularly interesting in terms of promoting economic development and jobs in the U.S. However, this development also raises broader issues concerning foreign investment into the U.S. and the selling of U.S. assets to foreign corporations and foreign sovereign wealth funds – especially from the public’s standpoint. Public policy and public reactions are still unfolding. I suspect better public diplomacy would be beneficial."

The Internationalisation of European Culture- pro.europeana.eu: The news of Europeana's virtual reality museum prompted today's guest bloggers to think about how culture can be used to sculpt the European narrative, particularly about how the EU can use culture in its communications with the rest of the world. Last month, Europeana launched the idea of an online virtual museum, cleverly called 'EUseum', which makes the European Museum one step closer to reality. The potential is for EUseum to promote cultural exchange and transnational exhibitions, which might, ultimately, succeed in enhancing cultural integration within the borders of the EU. The instant sharing of cultural heritage and online access to the comprehensive cultural collection which Europe has developed over ‘la longue durée’ is inevitable.


But there might be even more to it. There is on-going reflection about the need for a new narrative for Europe. We believe that these discussions and initiatives like the Preparatory Action ‘Culture in EU external relations’ point in the same direction as Europeana: by culturally re-arming Europe, our united powers can create (re)actions within the EU and a stronger sense of being European, in whatever sense that might be appropriate for each individual. But we also believe thast the potential might expand to even wider success – outside the EU. ... The paradigm shift followed by the launch of the new narrative for Europe and related initiatives has a clear importance for public diplomacy, intercultural dialogue and the empowerment of citizens in articulating the European story and identity in the year 2014. There is a clear bottom-up strategy, in which the narrative of the EU is given voice by Europeans’ own tongues – not just that of Brussels."Image from entry, with caption: The EUseum virtual reality demonstration

Turkey’s test of wills - Abukar Arman, horseedmedia.net: "In recent months Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Justice and Development Party (AKP) have been at the center of controversy and the subject of passionate debate. Also involved is the spiritual leader of the Hizmet, or Gulen, Movement, Fethullah Gulen. However, as with all matters political, things are seldom the way they seem. Although it is packaged as an all too familiar case of power politics of the kind that often pits allies of convenience against each other, beneath that façade is a relentless effort to restrict the Islamists’ capacity to govern.


As in Egypt, at the heart of the issue is the question of whether or not so-called political Islam can exist within a constitutional framework, embrace modernity and share space with a pluralist society. ... Meanwhile, Gulen and his movement, which has been serving as an invaluable goodwill ambassador and the de facto positive image-builders of Turkey through public diplomacy, education and interfaith dialogue, have found Erdogan’s style discomforting. Uncaptioned image from article; see also Mustafa Akyol, "Beware of self-destructive Turkish propaganda," hurriyetdailynews.com

Iran Likely to Spend Oil Funds on Aircraft, Car Parts -- Deputy Oil ... Zawya (registration,  link does not lead to full text) : From Google entry: "Iran has to maximize its public-diplomacy efforts now because 'the window could always close' amid the threat of a political backlash, in either Tehran or ... "

The Trap: What Happened to Our Dream of Freedom? - topdocumentaryfilms.com: "The Trap is a series of three films by Bafta-winning producer Adam Curtis that explains the origins of our contemporary, narrow idea of freedom. It shows how a simplistic model of human beings as self-seeking, almost robotic, creatures led to today's idea of freedom. This model was derived from ideas and techniques developed by nuclear strategists during the Cold War to control the behavior of the Soviet enemy. ... [comment by:] perfectlyGoodInk • 2 years ago − ... The film is poorly researched, downright misleading, poorly argued, and it hypocritically stoops to the very propagandistic techniques that it maligned in 'Yes, Minister' and the Office of Public Diplomacy."

RELATED ITEMS

Obama NSA Speech: Pretty Words, No Real Change - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: Obama announced that the U.S. will no longer electronically surveil allied, friendly, heads of state. So, Americans, the only documented way to protect yourself from NSA spying is to be chosen as leader of another country. Note that Obama did not specify what he means by allied and friendly (Turkey? Iraq? Brazil?), and he clearly did not outlaw spying on a head of state’s closest advisors, cabinet members, secretaries, code clerks and the like.


This is simply a gesture; it is unlikely that any of German head of state Andrea Merkel’s cell phone conversations revealed much terrorist information anyway. Worldwide reaction, the audience to which this was aimed, has been tepid and unconvinced. Image from, with statement: Yet another of Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA is the official seal, pictured to the left. The logo is quite real, and the motto– Nothing is Beyond Our Reach– clearly sums up the NSA’s view of its mission

Editor of Castro propaganda organ Granma defects to the U.S. - babalublog.com: The erstwhile foreign editor for Cuban Communist Party daily Granma defected to the United States and is now in Miami. Aida Calviac Mora, 29, appeared Thursday night on Miami-based America TeVe television. In an interview with “El Espejo” host Juan Manuel Cao, she blasted Cuban official media and vented her frustration at never being allowed to come up with her own news coverage on “different, critical subjects.” Recent photos on her Facebook profile


show Calviac in Mexico, where she went for professional reasons, Web site Cafe Fuerte said. The Cuban journalist apparently arrived in Miami in late November after entering the United States from Mexico, the Web site said. Calviac said that media directors on the island undermine all attempts to practice independent journalism with the argument that “it’s not a good idea, because the enemy can use it against you.” This “fortress mentality” blocks any professional reporting, which always runs into a wall of official secrecy and self-censorship, she said. Calviac said that Granma has the same arbitrary nature and failures the whole country suffers: verticalism and ordering you around.” Uncaptioned image from entry

America chooses the wrong allies in Egypt - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post: Who are the allies of the United States in Egypt? The Obama administration’s judgment is crystal clear: Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has plied Sissi with more than two dozen phone calls since he led a coup against the elected Islamist government of Mohamed Morsi in rapuly, while Kerry has repeatedly endorsed the general’s increasingly implausible claim to be building a democracy — as opposed to restoring the pre-2011 dictatorship in a more repressive form. Sissi and his cohort, however, are anything but pro-American. The media they control have been orchestrating an orgy of vile propaganda, charging the United States with everything from seeking to carve Egypt into pieces to subverting its morals. That Egypt is reverting to authoritarianism shows only that the old order and the Islamists were better organized to seize power after the revolution. Shouldn’t the United States aim to correct that?

The ‘How Are You?’ Culture Clash - Alina Simone, New York Times: In Soviet days, proclamations of joy, enthusiasm and optimism were associated with state propaganda and officialese.


As a citizen of a Communist utopia, you were pretty much supposed to feel fine all the time (never mind the time you spent squabbling over the communal stove or waiting in a two-hour line to buy toilet paper). So, a moan or a complaint would be considered a more authentic, non-state-sanctioned response to “how are you” than "fine."Image from entry, with caption: Gail Anderson and Joe Newton; Image by A. Sverdlova

‘Propaganda’: Israel blasts UN year of Palestinian solidarity - rt.com: Israel’s envoy to the UN has slammed its “Year of Solidarity with the Palestinians” as “propaganda.” The UN announced 2014 as the year dedicated to identifying obstacles to the peace process and promoting solidarity with the Palestinians.


The resolution to designate 2014 as the year of Palestinian Solidarity was adopted by the UN General Assembly on Nov. 26, with 110 votes in favor, 7 against and 56 abstentions. The US, Australia, Canada, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau voted against the initiative. Image from article, with caption: Israeli soldiers detain a Palestinian youth during clashes in the West Bank village of Silwad, north of Ramallah, on January 17, 2014 following a protest of Palestinians against the expansion of the nearby Israeli settlement of Ofra

Beware of Fake Syria Propaganda – abovetopsecret.com: Another Campaign Exposed! - "Recently there has been a photograph circulating around the internet that allegedly depicts a young boy laying next to his parent’s graves in Syria. The photograph has made its rounds so many different captions have been attached to the image, here is one of the most popular ones.


I first saw it earlier in the week and right away I thought that something about it just felt odd, then I came across an article published by “The Independent”. So it turns out my suspicions were true. The article confirms that this photograph is a hoax and that the alleged orphan is not even an orphan, and that the picture was actually taken in Saudi Arabia. The alleged graves are actually piles of dirt and rocks and the boy’s uncle was the photographer. Other pictures were taken as well, here is a side by side of the original one that has been used in this blatant propaganda campaign.


Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/heartbreaking-syria-orphan-photo-wasnt-taken-in-syria-and-not-of-orphan-9067956.html

Photos: Propaganda airlift to North Korea - america.aljazeera.com:



Two of seven images, top with caption: Activists including defectors from North Korea prepare to release balloons carrying anti-North Korea leaflets from the border town of Paju, near the DMZ between the two countries, on Wednesday; bottom with caption: The activists release the balloons. The leaflets denounce the North Korean government for human rights violations.

Positive Propaganda [contains video] - Varg Vikernes - thuleanperspective.com: "There is 'negative propaganda', e. g. talking badly about what the enemies stand for and do, and there is 'positive propaganda', e, g, talking warmly about what is your own. I try to spread only positive propaganda, using whatever means I have available, to ensure the survival of Europe in this time of chaos and nihilism. This time I combine the use of Burzum, my book 'Sorcery and Religion in Ancient Scandinavia', this blog and YouTube. Enjoy!"

11,000 declassified cables from Berlin Wall tell dramatic tales of escape: CBS tried to film an escape, nearly triggered a trap - Nathan Fenno, The Washington Times: More than 11,000 pages of declassified documents -- released by the CIA and the National Declassification Center last week -- are a trove from 19 U.S. government agencies that


explores life in divided Berlin from 1961 to 1989, spanning the Western allies' contingency plan code-named Live Oak preparing for a crisis in the city to the everyday drama over the next three decades where the smallest detail could trigger unexpected consequences. Image from entry, with caption: West Berlin police patrol the wall, the site of frequent confrontations that threatened to erupt into major incidences. Soviet communists added a wooden fence to impede a clear view into the East Berlin zone.

Diary: Our secret history -- Foreign Office clams up over propaganda unit: The Northern Ireland file that might cause an international incidentent - Hugh Muir, The Guardian: Having been caught unlawfully concealing 1.2m "public" documents from the public for decades, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is now reluctant to let the public know whether it will ever be permitted to see them. Not that anyone should be unduly worried: at a clear-the-air conference FCO mandarins held last year, concerned historians were assured that media reporting of this matter was "not always the most accurate", and that the department had been guilty only of "accepting odd collections of material" into its archives.



Nothing of any great significance. But obviously there are titbits worth knowing. For the first time a Guardian colleague submits a freedom of information request, asking for just one 42-year-old file from the FCO's hidden archive – albeit one that concerns the activities during Northern Ireland's Troubles of the now notorious black propaganda unit, the Information Research Department. But he was told it may not be released, as to do so could damage the UK's international relations. The need-to-know culture runs deep. Image from entry, with caption: Is anybody listening? The Foreign Office in Whitehall, London.

AMERICANA


--MLK Washington memorial image from; according to, "The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was designed and sculpted by a Chinese artist using Chinese materials and designed in China. ... One of Yixin’s most notable works on his resume include a sculpture of Chinese dictator Mao Zedong."


Image from

ONE MORE IMAGE (Paul Klee’s Twittering Machine [1922] )


From: (the ghost of) Paul Klee on Twitter

“I don’t really even need George Kennan right now.”

--President Barack Obama; image from

VIDEO

Lenin's Legacy? - RFL/RL: "With January 21 marking 90 years since the death of Vladimir Lenin, RFE/RL asked young people from various former Soviet republics what the Bolshevik leader means to them." Via MP/JJ on Facebook

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BLOG OF INTEREST

String Repertoire and Cultural Diplomacy in Northeast Asia

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Gathering Storms: The Iranian Drive for Nuclear Weapons - Andrew Harrod, frontpagemag.com: “'We betrayed them in 2009' and 'unfortunately failed to support them in any way,' was also how the Iran expert Michael Ledeen described American policy towards the Green Revolution . ... 'Bring it down…support the Iranian people,' is thus Ledeen’s policy recommendation for regime change in Iran. In fact, this “third option” between eventual acceptance of Iranian nuclear weapons and any military counter-proliferation strike is the only viable long term Iran strategy. Yet the 'folly' of the American government not contacting Iranian opposition figures amazed Ledeen, who himself regularly communicates with them. 'If I can contact them, believe me the American government can contact them,' Ledeen says.


The 'same debate' that existed during the Reagan Administration concerning the Soviet Union is replaying for Ledeen now concerning Iran. 'What are you crazy?' was the response to suggestions of greater American public diplomacy pressure upon the Soviet Union from people who considered Gorbachev 'reasonable.' Subsequently released records, however, showed how important support for Soviet dissidents was in the Soviet Union’s fall. By contrast today, Obama has been 'desperate to make a deal' with the Islamic Republic since his election campaign."Image from entry

Diplohack: where diplomats admit they're sick of talking and want a digital revolution - Liat Clark, wired.co.uk: "Måns Adler is the founder of mobile video-streaming platform Bambuser and Tech Director at digital agency Ustwo's Malmö studio. And today he's being asked to wrangle the minds of 20-odd diplomats and civil servants, each struggling to commit to a digital policy that he would not recognise as anything close to innovative or disruptive. 'What Måns doesn't realise is that we are the radicals inside our own organisations,'Graham Lampa, strategic planner for public diplomacy at the US Department of State, tells me later. 'I am radical in the eyes of my colleagues, but for me to advance in my organisation I need to be able to demonstrate to them on their terms that I am producing value. I have to deliver an action plan based in their values not in mine, I have to find an alignment of what I care about and what they care about so that we can advance things together. But I come across, because I'm wearing a tie, as a bureaucrat.' This is the problem for the majority of the attendees at the Diplohack, which took place 16-17 January as part of the Stockholm Initiative for Digital Diplomacy, held in conjunction with TedxStockholm. In the room at 13 Floragata are some of the world's most active digital diplomats -- but that doesn't mean they are the norm, nor does it mean they have been allowed to fully develop the concept of what it means to be a digital diplomat while operating under the constraints of traditional diplomacy, an industry in need of a few well-placed digital revolutionaries. The voices around the room during a group session echoed this sense of alienation. ... You can see how painful it is for some of the diplomats to break out of the mould and lose the public relations, on-the-fence, non-committal language they would be accustomed to using with the press, or even their counterparts abroad. What became clear at the Diplohack was that for all the progress being made -- from the Twitter Q&As being held by the world's best-connected leader on the social network, Carl Bildt, to the Google+ Hangouts with Instagramming Secretary of State John Kerry -- most of the individuals in the room benefitted hugely from two very basic things: talking more honestly, and listening. Translating those two things to the real world, to their nation's citizens using digital avenues, will be the harder part. ... It was agreed the community needs to focus on two-way digital communications, not just sending out messages that tow the party line, and that traditional embassies could benefit from being more like social media hubs where different expertise are brought together. ... Among the more conceptual issues discussed during team sessions was the idea of a digital embassy -- what a diplomat's work would look like if there were no physical presence to it. This was rooted, however, in a very real problem in that it's too expensive or dangerous to have a diplomatic presence in some countries.


This could mean the development of a virtual embassy, it was suggested, or a social network for meeting likeminded people from your own country when abroad. ... One thing that became clear throughout the event -- these diplomats are sick of talking and want action. Even the brief prototyping the teams did -- using Play-Doh and post-its to design ways of replacing passports with totally digitised international travel, for instance -- was enjoyed by all. (Consequently, Adler has challenged Lampa to burn his passport; Lampa diplomatically declined and suggested another nation might suit the experiment better than the US.)"Image from entry, with caption: A to-do list in progress

NSA affair: Suddenly, America is on the line - How I got a call the U.S. State Department to make because of the image effects through the NSA affair mood for America - and how I refuse [Google "translation"] - Eric Jarosinski: "e request came via Twitter. Unexpectedly. As a 'direct message' from a previously inconspicuous followers. According to his short biography: an employee of the U.S. State Department. Whether I - Americans with a known in Germany Twitter account (@ NeinQuarterly) - Lust would have to appear at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, in the service of 'public diplomacy'? Subject matter. 'Ze Germans' it said, 'love you.' Although not explicitly stated, the task seemed clear to me that I should make using my relative Twitter fame a small contribution to image-building of a country that had to exercise in damage limitation for Edward Snowden NSA revelations. Especially in Germany. ... Funny. Up to this point I had made on my Twitter account, hundreds of jokes about the NSA. Time halfway amusing, sometimes completely failed. Time critical, sometimes self-critical. Sometimes factual, sometimes absurd:  Trust is good. Snowden is better/Born in the NSA. Mad in Germany./
The Listening Post is the message./talks When Europe, America listens./Sorry, Mrs. Merkel. The line is busy./Happy New Year. Brave New World./U.S. hears everything. But not on./ Standard program, so to speak.


But perhaps not without a certain critical sharpness. Some of the jokes were good, were read and distributed a hundred thousand times or in a case of Twitter users around the world. (Even - and I was, admittedly, very proud of -. Snowden by the journalist and confidant Glenn Greenwald)... Well I was sitting on the bus in Philadelphia, smartphone in hand, and thought about this strange invitation to. My feeling: a creeping unease. If I'm honest: Maybe a little scared? A guy at the State Department sits in his office in Washington DC, read my tweets and tried to make me friendly and emphasizes casual for a lecture in an official representation of America abroad to win? Patriotism was never my thing. But what thinks the guy from me? As he imagines that? Can I? Do I have to? My answer: a polite American No ('I'll think about it'). Thus, the chapter was finished for me. Image from entry, with caption: Whether the network "good" or "bad": The reflected dealing counts.

Thailand: Tearing Apart TIME Magazine's Propaganda - landdestroyer.blogspot.com: "TIME Magazine echos Wall Street and Washington - so when it speaks, readers must listen in that context. Nothing shows the link between TIME's biased, intentionally misleading propaganda and the agenda of the corporate-financier elite that rule America better than the fact that its last managing editor left in 2013 to join the US State Department. Politico would report in its article, 'Richard Stengel leaving Time for State Department,' that: Richard Stengel, the top editor of Time magazine for the past seven years, is planning to step down as managing editor for a new job at the U.S. Department of State [Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs], sources familiar with the situation tell POLITICO and Capital New York. With that in mind, readers must understand that what TIME publishes isn't reality, but rather 'reality' according to what suits US interests, and more specifically, Wall Street's interests. This explains the overt attacks by TIME against Thailand's anti-regime protesters, their current 'Occupy Bangkok' campaign, and the opposition party that is in-part leading them."

BBG, RFE/RL Condemn Journalist Beatings In Ukraine - Broadcasting Board of Governors’ (BBG) Chairman Jeff Shell and RFE/RL President and CEO Kevin Klose expressed outrage at the bloody attacks by police on dozens of journalists in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, including RFE/RL Ukrainian Service reporter Dmytro Barkar and cameraman Ihor Iskhakov.


The U.S. international media leaders demanded that Ukrainian authorities immediately investigate the incident. Images from entry, with caption: L-R, RFE/RL correspondent Dmytro Barkar and cameraman Ihor Iskhakov

Radio Beijing in the Middle East: China’s Arabic-language television and radio outreach efforts don’t compare to America’s in traditional measures like audience size. But sometimes how many people are tuning in isn’t as important as who is tuning in - Joseph Braude, the-american-interest.com: "Unlike America’s Radio Sawa or the BBC from London, CRI [China Radio International]


Arabic isn’t available on local radio in the region (with the exception of what appears to be a pilot project on FM radio in the sparsely populated North African republic of Mauritania). Nor does it figure prominently among Arabic stations hyped online. One finds it advertised in venues where Arabs already curious about China are likely to go. For example, the website of the Chinese embassy in Cairo features a link on its home page, while in person the embassy’s cultural attaché encourages the young people he meets to tune in. Some Confucius Institute chapters also disseminate links to prospective students as a kind of audio brochure. Another means of dissemination enlists Arab nationals to do the work and become long-term assets to Beijing along the way: so-called 'listener appreciation societies.' These are young people’s social clubs that appear initially to form spontaneously but grow thanks to concerted support from China.  ... All these projects, large and small, are manifestations of Chinese 'soft power'—that is, the ability to attract and co-opt rather than coerce. Parallel efforts by the United States over the years have sometimes encountered extreme hostility, including attacks on American libraries and English teaching facilities in Egypt, Lebanon, Sudan, Kuwait, and Jordan. Some personnel that staff the American initiatives have endured suspicions or charges of espionage—quite unlike their Chinese counterparts. To gauge the contrast, just imagine the backlash that would await an Arab youth group in Baghdad or Gaza calling itself the 'Friends of American International Broadcasting Club,' pledging to submit 'listener reports' to the Broadcasting Board of Governors in Washington, and collaborating with the American embassy to establish 'cooperation agreements' with the population. The harsh treatment these young people would face stems largely from America’s baggage in the Middle East following years of policies unpopular with Arab publics. China, by contrast, has never occupied an Arab country and does not face accusations of siding with Israel against the Palestinians. That said, China has also adopted policies that are deeply disliked in much of the region today, and it has paid a price in public esteem. ... Like American public diplomacy efforts in the Arab world, the Confucius Institute—the franchise of Chinese educational facilities that was promoted in the Arabic CRI broadcast—also encounters opposition in some countries where it maintains a presence. The flak tends to come not from developing countries but from the world’s wealthier democratic states. ... China, in assuring Arab governments that it has no designs on their political systems, manages to fend off orders from on high to slander the country or its institutions. Rather than attempt to compete with indigenous broadcasts, moreover, it partners with them. ... Of course, the idea of providing similar assurances to an authoritarian state (even an allied one) risks compromising America’s democratic values and poses a problem for American efforts in and out of government to foster independent media in the region. Nor, for that matter, would a strategy of partnership with official media structures sit well with American media executives raised on free market ideals and accustomed to viewing a media venture through the prism of the ratings game. But present circumstances in the region invite us to consider new ways to apply our values to our policies. Extremist transnational movements are making strides toward weakening states and eroding borders, and we must work to stop them. An important part of doing that is supporting the institutions of Arab states with which the United States is allied. Through media partnerships, Americans can gain a seat at the table, where they can then challenge the production of propaganda that would harm American interests. More important, Americans can use their access to more freely engage Arab journalists, editors, and television writers in creating education and training media that build up egalitarianism, tolerance, and civil society. In the long run, such a consensual approach will be more effective in advancing American ideals than persisting in a costly 'battle of the networks' that has no clear endgame."Image from

Rebranding America: Can the U.S. Sell Itself to International Tourists? Facing new competition from countries like Brazil and Turkey, the U.S. has launched its first national tourism campaign overseas. Is it working? [includes "Land of Dreams" video] - Michael Scaturro, Atlantic: "The 'Discover America, Land of Dreams' ad campaign is the product of a joint venture between the U.S. government and tourism industry.


The entity behind the campaign is called Brand USA, and it aims to attract international tourists who have been turned off to America as a vacation destination. ... So, is the campaign working? Madison [Anne Madison of Brand USA] says yes. Intent to travel to the U.S.—an industry term meaning the likelihood of a person booking a trip within the next few months—has risen by 22 percent in Canada, 12 percent in the U.K., and 14 percent in Japan since 2012, Madison said. ... The next phase of the project is to train U.S. border guards to be nicer to visitors, and to improve the visa application experience at U.S. embassies around the world. 'In the coming year, we are going to be putting more and more energy into making the U.S. more welcoming,' Madison explained. ... [C]ritics of Brand USA say the Discover America push is unfair because it levies a tax on international visitors for the very ad campaign meant to attract them. They also take issue with government involvement in the funding of tourism promotion abroad, and maintain that the travel industry could fund the program on its own. 'How do you brand a country as diverse as the States? It’s not like Coke and Dr. Pepper.' But country-branding expert Tom Buncle notes that government funding for tourism promotion is standard practice. Image from

Public Diplomacy: Why It Matters and How It Works- nippon.com: Kent Calder: "Public diplomacy efforts are an increasingly vital part of Japan’s diplomatic outreach, particularly in the light of friction between it and its neighbors over territorial and historical issues. On November 5, 2013, we [evidently nippon.com] cohosted 'The Popularity of Nations: How and Why Governments Seek Public Approval Abroad,' a symposium to explore public diplomacy questions. Kent Calder, director of the Reischauer Center for East Asian Studies at Johns Hopkins University, gave the keynote address printed below. [Calder:] I think there are several avenues of thought to pursue in connection with public diplomacy. The first is its importance as a tool for understanding. We can’t go out to present our own ideas without understanding where the other country is coming from. So understanding and monitoring is important. Secondly, public diplomacy is increasingly important as civil society rises and becomes more volatile, and as diplomatic orientations become more fluid.


Thirdly, the methods through which we try to achieve these objectives are crucial, but one size doesn’t fit all, and the imperatives are increasingly varied. Fourthly, speed and sensitivity are increasingly vital. When I was in the embassy, we faced the question of the Ehime Maru—the tragic case of a Japanese fishing boat that was hit by a US submarine. The world was changing so fast, and we had to respond quickly and with sincerity. In that regard, there’s real value in being on the ground and being sensitive to very rapid developments. In this sense, a strong local presence in the host country can turn out to be quite important, as well as roles for host country citizens. In conclusion, I think the Olympics are presenting Japan with a tremendous opportunity to innovate, to broadcast, to present its message to the world. That said, it also has to understand the concerns of the outside world."Uncaptioned image from entry

Europe condemns the violence in Ukraine - Emma Murphy, itv.com: "According to Judy Dempsey at Carnegie Europe, the EU now needs to help Ukraine and its protesters find a way forward. 'The EU can help Ukraine by doing two things,' she says. 'First, it should embark on an aggressive public diplomacy campaign by stepping up its support for the opposition’s online and media presence, as well as for Ukraine’s civil society movements. Despite Yanukovych’s laws against Western funding for non-governmental organisations, the EU should persist


and defend the values it espouses. Second, the EU should push forward with highly visible aid programmes. These could include help for hospitals and clean water, measures to support the poor, school and university exchange programmes, and anti-corruption and rule-of-law campaigns. There is time for the opposition and the EU to make a difference in Ukraine before the 2015 presidential election. Both should seize that chance.'"Image from entry, with caption: Ukrainian riot police are hit by a petrol bomb during riots.

Xi's trip to Sochi supports Olympics, boosts China-Russia ties - english.peopledaily.com.cn: "Chinese President Xi Jinping would attend the opening ceremony of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in Russia at President Vladimir Putin's invitation, China's Foreign Ministry said Monday. This will be Xi's first foreign trip in 2014 and the first attendance by a Chinese president at a major overseas sports event, demonstrating China's strong support for the Olympics and Russia's effort to host the games. It also underscores the importance China attaches to the development of Sino-Russia ties. ... As the first visit by a Chinese president to a major sports event abroad, Xi's trip to Sochi is another diplomatic innovation by the Chinese new leadership. Chinese leaders are paying increasing attention to public diplomacy, public opinion and direct communication with people in other countries. Experts say this fits with the development of the modern world. 'Nowadays, some countries are worried about China. That is because they do not have enough understanding of us. The participation of Chinese leaders in public diplomacy will help China play a bigger role in the international community,' Ruan said. Overall, Xi's attendance at the Sochi Olympics will help China further burnish its image as a peacefully developing country, and the world to better understand China in a more comprehensive way."

Cultural diplomacy in the Turbine Hall? - Will Gompertz, BBC News: "This morning [January 20], the culture secretary Maria Miller announces that Tate Modern has entered an 11-year deal with the Hyundai motor company to sponsor its ongoing series of Turbine Hall commissions. The aircraft hangar-like space has been home to some of the most popular art installations of this century - from Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth, which opened up a fearsome fissure in the floor, to Ai Weiwei's audacious scheme to fill the hall with millions of porcelain seeds (a work the gallery subsequently bought). But it is highly unusual for any company to sign up to an 11-year sponsorship. The norm is a three-year deal, sometimes it can be five, but 11 is extraordinary.


And very risky. ... I suspect there's more to Hyundai's Tate Modern sponsorship than simply attempting to shift brand perceptions, or to deliver its stated corporate mission, which is to 'realise the dream of mankind by creating a new future through ingenious thinking and continuously challenging new frontiers'. The South Korean press were reporting in November that Hyundai had come to a similar long-term arrangement with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea. The sponsorship is reported to include a significant extra sum of money to help develop and promote contemporary Korean art and artists, and help them find an international audience. It's possible this deal is as much about cultural diplomacy as it is about corporate sponsorship."Image from entry, with caption: Ai Weiwei's Sunflower Seeds installation was a big draw at the Turbine Hall in 2010.

Dennis No Solution to Cultural Chill of Youth - Adam Cathcart,dailynk.com: "Enter Dennis Rodman, whose image, should we be optimists, is fused with pre-existing North Korean notions of cultural opening to the West. Rodman’s visits are part farce, but they are also of a piece with serious previous U.S. and Western European efforts in cultural diplomacy towards North Korea, and should be considered important as a barometer for how open Kim Jong Eun is willing to be. Rodman was again allowed to take the microphone, but in fact his team appeared to interact with a very small number of North Korean youth; those who had already reached the highest possible level in their practice."

Green diplomacy - Deepti Mahajan Mittal - khaleejtimes.com: "The ABU Dhabi Sustainability Week (ADSW) has emerged as a landmark congregation of energy and environment stakeholders. While the substantive advantages of such an exchange — spread of scientific know-how and business-generation — is significant, the ADSW is also an important element of the UAE’s green public diplomacy effort. ... The UAE has sponsored small RE projects in Seychelles and Tonga. It has also established funds offering concessional loan facilities for Pacific islands and for IRENA developing countries. These programmes not only strengthen the UAE’s political and economic ties with these countries but also generate public goodwill. In today’s information environment where there is a proliferation of sources, well-designed and well-implemented public diplomacy initiatives have helped the country formulate and enhance its image as a supporter of public welfare and international sustainable development. One important advantage of public diplomacy efforts is that these initiatives speak to political leaders and bureaucrats along with the larger community of investors, business persons, civil society activists and world citizens. In some cases, direction of messages from a government to international public audiences can cut through the hostility prevalent in counterpart bureaucracies. It can go a long way in informing and altering public opinion — the diplomatic genius that made Vladimir Putin 'speak directly to' Barack Obama and the American people through a New York Times Op-ed at the height of the Syrian crisis in 2013. On the other hand, public diplomacy efforts are often criticised for being akin to manipulative public relations exercises. This view finds its genesis in the very real possibility of states deploying such initiatives to lend credence to misinformation in the game of diplomatic one-upmanship and to garner legitimacy for unpopular foreign policy objectives. Yet public diplomacy, including instances such as the UAE’s support to overseas RE projects and facilitation of multilateral dialogues, remains crucial to a country’s international public profile. What is being served is the cause of environmental awareness, business-to-business linkages and scientific advancement. Like individuals and corporations, states too need to invest in building perceptions through action-oriented programmes and wider communication of policies. The UAE’s green diplomacy is geared towards these objectives and has the potential to further yield scientific, developmental and economic 
dividends."

Palestinians vs. Pro-Palestinian Israelis - Khaled Abu Toameh, gatestoneinstitute.org: "Israeli peace activists who arrived in Ramallah recently were forced to leave the city under Palestinian Authority [PA] police protection. The activists were escorted out of Ramallah in police vans after Palestinian protesters attacked the hotel where a 'peace conference' between Israelis and Palestinians was taking place. The event in Ramallah was organized by Minds of Peace, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is 'Grassroots Peace Making and Public Diplomacy: A novel approach to the peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.' Although the event in Ramallah was supposed to last for two days, during which Israelis and Palestinians


would talk about peace and coexistence, as soon as the conference began at City Inn Hotel in Ramallah, scores of Palestinian activists arrived at the scene, chanting slogans against the presence of Israelis in Ramallah. ‘Israelis out, out! Palestine is Arab, from the sea to the river,’ shouted one a female protester. ‘This land is not for sale!’ shouted another protester, as he tried to force his way into the conference hall."Image from entry, with caption: Palestinian protesters try to force their way into the "Minds for Peace" conference in Ramallah.

The Daily: The Pope Had a Very Good Year - Michael Ardaiolo, thepublicdiplomat.com [January 16]: Our round-up of news, notes, tips, and Tweets exhibiting how public diplomacy affects the world each and every day.

Russia as Enfant Terrible in the Eye Of the ”Others” - Irina Kotkina, balticworlds.com: "The 13th Annual Aleksanteri Conference 'Russia and the World', which took place in the main building of the University of Helsinki, October 23–25, was dedicated first and foremost to Russian foreign policy. There were more than 40 academic panels at the conference, and five plenary sessions: Russia’s Place in the World; Russia and the EU: From Cooperation to Partnership: Moving beyond the Russia-EU Deadlock; Russia and International Relations Theory; Choices and Necessities of Security Policy for the 21st Century; and Russia’s Futures.


One of the 'hottest' themes, the Arctic, was discussed at the panel Russia and the Arctic. At the present time, Russia is trying again to make sense of its Arctic territories, and of the Northern Sea Way, notwithstanding the fact that it demands huge resources, human and material investments, and diplomatic efforts. The problems and international consequences of Russian polar activity became the topic for lively discussion. More theoretical and methodological issues were talked about at the session on Russia’s public diplomacy as a soft power. The issue of what to consider 'soft power' was examined. More generally, there were discussions of what Mikhail Prozorov called 'soft-power capital'— Russian culture, the 'Russian world' movement, the 'Rossotrudnichestvo' organization — as instruments in cross-cultural dialogue with neighboring and Western countries."Image from entry

New article by Pope: Public diplomacy, international news media and London 2012 -  cosmopolitanismTM - newpolcom.rhul.ac.uk: "Mark Pope, a PhD student at the New Political Communication Unit, has published a peer-reviewed journal article entitled Public diplomacy, international news media and London 2012: cosmopolitanismTM in Sport and Society. To download a copy click here. Abstract: This article investigates the nature of cosmopolitanism in the production and reception of public diplomacy discourse surrounding London 2012. It focuses on three actors: the UK Government, the International Olympic Committee and the international news media. It finds that UKpublic diplomacy actors and their partners were focused more on the promotion of a competitive identity, albeit a cosmopolitan one, than engagement.


It argues that the cosmopolitanism evident in the discourse was a form of branded cosmopolitanism, and, ultimately, this limited the success of UKpublic diplomacy in achieving its aims. This style of communication – that was evident across the discourse surrounding London 2012 – was exclusionary of key actors to UKpublic diplomacy objectives. Applying a form of critical discourse analysis, the ideology surrounding the Olympic ideal is revealed as significant to maintaining uncritical acceptance of exclusions and conspicuous contradictions."Image from entry

Michael McClellan Named Diplomat-In-Residence At WKU - wkunews.wordpress.com: "A veteran diplomat with the U.S. Department of State will be helping WKU further internationalize its campus. Michael McClellan will join WKU on Feb. 1 as diplomat-in-residence. The position is a partnership between the Potter College of Arts & Letters and the Office of International Programs. “This new position will strengthen the International Reach part of our mission, both on campus and in the community,” Craig T. Cobane, WKU’s Chief International Officer, said.


“Mr. McClellan will work with both WKU students and local high school students to help them understand and pursue career and scholarship opportunities in diplomacy, government, international relations and non-governmental organizations.” Potter College Dean David Lee said, “Mr. McClellan has impressive academic and diplomatic credentials, and I’m delighted that our students will have this opportunity to work with him.” McClellan has been with the State Department and the U.S. Information Agency since 1984. ... McClellan’s responsibilities will include ... conducting public diplomacy and outreach to area high schools to make those students aware of the international and educational opportunities available at WKU."McClelland image from entry

Becoming a Foreign Service Officer - Joshua Goldstein, internationalrelations.com: "The following guest post from International Relations Online, a free online resource for those interested in careers in International Relations, may interest many current students. ... Public Diplomacy Officers are experts in cross-cultural relations who promote U.S. values, policies, and interests abroad."

RELATED ITEMS

U.S. Consul General in Naples: “Neapolitan Nookie Campaign” - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: For those who have enjoyed our coverage of the allegations of sex, false expense claims and forced resignations at the U.S. Consulate in Naples (and if you have not read the story, catch up here and here), this remains the story that keeps on giving, or getting, or that kind of thing. One of  [Consul General Donald] Moore’s colleagues, perhaps the only he did not actually have sex with at the office, has now filed a lawsuit against Secretary of State John Kerry in the Eastern District of New York (Case 2:14-cv-00194-ADS-AKT). The plaintiff, Kerry Howard, tried to get someone at the U.S. Consulate in Naples to care about what was going on around her, or in the U.S. Embassy in Rome to care, or at the State Department in Washington. The lawsuit offers some new goodies, among them: That Moore was known to have been “forcing the language instructor to have an abortion of Moore’s child” and that “throughout his tenure as Consul General in the Naples Consulate, Donald Moore was running the U.S. Consulate as the largest house of prostitution in southern Italy, one which had only one customer, the Consul General.”
Il Mattino (a Naples newspaper) has a headline “Bunga-Bunga Consulato Americano.” 


Napoli | Bunga Bunga al consolato Usa. Dall'America mandano i Marines a presidiare l'ingresso
Bunga-Bunga is apparently an Italian term for the horizontal mambo. One Italian paper, Corriere Del Mezzogiorno, ran with the headline “Sexygate al Consolato USA.” The influential Times of London headlined “Prostitution ‘rampant’ at US consulate in Naples.” It is safe to say that these stories are not adding to America’s image abroad.Headline from

Krugman and the Ayatollahs: Crude obfuscation is the stock in trade of many political actors. Not so the president of Iran - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal: President Obama fantasizes about making an opening to Tehran the way Nixon did with China. For now, there isn't a more dishonest line in Washington than the one that says "all options are on the table" when it comes to stopping Iran's nukes.

Kerry’s spine stiffens, but too little and too late - Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post: By inaction we have allowed Assad to solidify his position and his senior partners in Iran to gain confidence as they defy the West and make strides toward a nuclear weapon.

Kennedy's dolphin tweet not so diplomatic - Kirk Spitzer, USA Today: As if the Japanese don't have enough problems, now they're being dissed by their favorite new ambassador – via Twitter, no less. In office just two months, U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy took to social media this weekend to condemn an annual dolphin hunt in western Japan portrayed by opponents as needlessly cruel.


"Deeply concerned by inhumaneness of drive hunt dolphin killing. USG opposes drive hunt fisheries," Kennedy tweeted in both English and Japanese. The message seemed to catch both officials and public here by surprise. Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga defended the dolphin hunt at a regular press conference Monday as "in accordance with the law."Image from entry

A Tale of Two Reports: The Guardian’s Propaganda on Syria and Israel - globalresearch.ca: Today saw the release of a report, commissioned by the regime in Qatar via the law firm Carter Ruck, alleging the systematic mass killing and torture of detainees by the Assad regime in Syria. Up to 11, 000 people, and perhaps more, could have died in this fashion, according to the report. Given that it was commissioned by the regime in Qatar – which is a key backer of certain Syrian rebel groups – and that it has been released immediately prior to the Geneva peace conference scheduled to begin this week, some have questioned the intent of the report. Quite reasonably, if you ask me. Is it an attempt by Qatar to, simply, document regime abuses in the hope of securing justice for the victims, and furthering the cause of human rights in Syria?

Carnal Carnivals of Song and Dance: London’s Dark Musicals ‘American Psycho’ and ‘Stephen Ward’ - Ben Bratley, New York Times: “American Psycho,” at the Almeida Theater in Islington, is the Headlong company’s hit adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’s notorious



1991 novel about a serial-killing yuppie. Adapted by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Duncan Sheik, this lurid tale of a well-dressed, ax-wielding stockbroker in late-20th-century Manhattan is often a hoot, if not quite the unsettling “musical thriller” it’s been advertised as. Image from entry, with caption: Holly James and Matt Smith in “American Psycho” by the Headlong theater company of London, based on the notorious 1991 novel

DAVID REMNICK ON OBAMA FOREIGN POLICY (from The New Yorker)

... Obama came to power without foreign-policy experience; but he won the election, in part, by advocating a foreign-policy sensibility that was wary of American overreach. If George W. Bush’s foreign policy was largely a reaction to 9/11, Obama’s has been a reaction to the reaction. He withdrew American forces from Iraq. He went to Cairo in 2009, in an attempt to forge “a new beginning” between the United States and the Muslim world. American troops will come home from Afghanistan this year. As he promised in his first Presidential campaign—to the outraged protests of Hillary Clinton and John McCain alike—he has extended a hand to traditional enemies, from Iran to Cuba. And he has not hesitated in his public rhetoric to acknowledge, however subtly, the abuses, as well as the triumphs, of American power. He remembers going with his mother to live in Indonesia, in 1967—shortly after a military coup, engineered with American help, led to the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of people. This event, and the fact that so few Americans know much about it, made a lasting impression on Obama. He is convinced that an essential component of diplomacy is the public recognition of historical facts—not only the taking of American hostages in Iran, in 1979, but also the American role in the overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, in 1953. The right’s response has been to accuse Obama of conducting a foreign policy of apology. ... Obama may resist the idealism of a previous generation of interventionists, but his realism, if that’s what it is, diverges from the realism of Henry Kissinger or Brent Scowcroft. “It comes from the idea that change is organic and change comes to countries in its own way, modernization comes in its own way, rather than through liberation narratives coming from the West,” Fareed Zakaria, a writer on foreign policy whom Obama reads and consults, says. Anne-Marie Slaughter, who worked at the State Department as Hillary Clinton’s director of policy planning, says, “Obama has a real understanding of the limits of our power. It’s not that the United States is in decline; it’s that sometimes the world has problems without the tools to fix them.” ... Obama told me that what he needs isn’t any new grand strategy—“I don’t really even need George Kennan right now”—but, rather, the right strategic partners. “There are currents in history and you have to figure out how to move them in one direction or another,” Rhodes said. “You can’t necessarily determine the final destination. . . . The President subscribes less to a great-man theory of history and more to a great-movement theory of history—that change happens when people force it or circumstances do.” (Later, Obama told me, “I’m not sure Ben is right about that. I believe in both.”) ...

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"The Administration steadfastly opposes legalization of marijuana and other drugs because legalization would increase the availability and use of illicit drugs, and pose significant health and safety risks to all Americans, particularly young people."

--Marijuana Resource Center, whitehouse.gov; via

"I don’t think it is more dangerous than alcohol.”

--President Barack Obama, regarding marijuana. See also John Brown, "Why all this stuff about weed?" Notes and Essays

RUSSICA?


--From: "Garage Magazine Editor-In-Chief Dasha Zhukova Sits On A 'Black Woman' Chair In Shocking Editorial (PHOTO)," Huffington Post. Via MT on Facebook. See also: 9 Myths About Travel to Russia - Oxana Salazar, russianlife.com: "7. Russians are racist. Sorry, no. Russians are actually very open-minded. It may be true that they speak about others in a manner that is not 'politically correct' in your home country, but this does not mean that they have bad intentions. And it can be a good basis for long and interesting discussions on politics, social issues and economics."Via BB on Facebook

Q. Is this [the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act] an attempt to influence or propagandize US citizens?

A. No. Our journalists must abide by legally mandated broadcasting standards and principles to present accurate and objective news and information. ... To call these efforts 'propaganda' is an affront to those journalists, many of whom work in some of the roughest spots in the world, putting themselves and their loved ones at great risk."


--From: Facts About Smith-Mundt Modernization - bbg.gov; image from RT

VIDEO/MUSICAL

New “Musical” In Response To Russia’s Propaganda Laws - leakynews.com: "The Sochi Olympics are just two weeks away. Russia’s homosexual propaganda laws have somewhat overshadowed the excitement of the approaching Olympics and will likely continue to be a prominent part of how we remember these Olympics.


Celebrities and public figures around the world have offered their opinion on the subject. The Broadway world has put their two cents in with this hilarious video directed by John Walton West, composed by Jason Michael Snow, and featuring a slew of big Broadway names including Jeremy Jordan, Stephanie J. Block, Michael Cerveris, Laura Benanti, Stephen Schwartz, Jonathan Groff and Michael Urie." Image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Obama Confronts German NSA Skepticism in TV Interview But Doubts Remain- Miranda Neubaeur, techpresident.com: "President Obama directly confronted some of the significant skepticism toward U.S. surveillance among the German public in an exclusive interview with German public broadcaster ZDF following his speech Friday. Beyond emphasizing the importance of restoring a trust in German-U.S. relations and dispelling worries about surveillance of Chancellor Angela Merkel, the interview's back-and-forth also prompted Obama to spell out the necessary balance he sees between U.S. responsibilities as a country with the most advanced capabilities and inevitable innovation in the area of digital surveillance. German reaction to the interview and the speech was muted, with many German news commentators expressing concern that Obama's vision is in effect a new world order upending established concepts of privacy, rule of law and limited surveillance.


'I have to say that the initial responses to your speech in Germany have been skeptical, guarded, all the way to disappointed, even from sources who are normally very pro- American. They expected more,' journalist Claus Kleber opened in his interview. ... In a short video from ZDF, Kleber, who has previously interviewed Presidents Bush and Clinton, said Obama came across as 'younger and more chipper' than he had expected, given reports about his aging. 'But when he comes through the door, then you see a person...with a big smile, and such charisma, cheerfulness and in a good mood,' he said, though he joked that it could have been because of Michelle Obama's birthday. Noting U.S. interest in restoring German trust, such as in the context of trade treaty discussion, Kleber said that with the interview, the White House was taking out its most effective 'public diplomacy' weapon."Image from entry, with caption: Obama tells Claus Kleber, no point in having intelligence if you're restricted to reading media reports.

Soft Power and Nosey Uncle Sam - Joe Johnson, Public Diplomacy Council: "The propriety of U.S. signals intelligence gathering was hardly on the radar screen when I was active in PD [Public Diplomacy]. But now, what foreign publics and their leaders think about it matters. ... In the heat of Snowden’s first revelations last spring and summer, public diplomacy officers had no talking points beyond defensive press guidance. The issue was too hot, and might easily leak into Washington’s hyper-politicized environment. ... People's expectations about the privacy of their electronic communications are evolving, and it's time for the State Department to engage with the broader public beyond the foreign and telecoms ministries. State provides excellent resources to its field officers on promoting English study and U.S. education. It’s time for a similar array of issue briefs and talking points on this new subject."

Max, you're a bit early - cdrsalamander.blogspot.com: "I usually agree with Max Boot, but I think he missed the boat with his recent bit at the Weekly Standard on War Weariness. The experience since 911 has just reinforced what we learned in Somalia back in the early '90s - you can occupy and offer a path to the Western concept of freedom all you want - but if the local culture does not want it - then it isn't worth the effort. ... [Comment by: Roberts150 • a day ago] I'd like to think, in a fantasy world, what things might have ended up looking like in Syria and Libya (and, daresay, Iran?) if we had more HUMINT on the ground to sort of the 'good' rebels from the bad rebels, some SPEC-OPS support to direct in air-strikes in support of the good guys, provided lots of humanitarian assistance


to our good guys to distribute to the people in their areas and markedly improve their quality of life to win over the local population, worked such aid with local allies and Europe who are far more likely to send a package of blood aid than spill any, provided public diplomacy support to 'our guys,' etc. Considering what we have to work with over there, no, 'our guys' wouldn't usher in a republic of philosopher kings dedicated to classical western liberal notions of virtue. But how much worse could they be than Assad, Al-Qaeda, the Ayatollahs, or the Libyan chaos? And 9/11 showed us that breaking nation-states no longer guaranteed security from bolts from the blue."Image from entry

Foreign political expert speaks to MPs on security - Dwijendra Rooplall, kaieteurnewsonline.com: "Members of Parliament were yesterday in discussion with Professor Dr. Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith, an expert within the realm of political science and international relations, who has served extensively within the field of academia as a senior vice president, dean and professor at several universities in the US. He is currently the President of the Fort Valley State University. The professor is a native Guyanese with U.S Citizenship.


His visit was facilitated by the United States through its Ambassador to Guyana, D. Brent Hardt. The Ambassador in addressing the gathering of MPs said that the US brought Dr. Griffith as 'part of a Public Diplomacy speakers’ tour and to engage a wide range of audiences on issues of concern to our bilateral agenda."Griffith image from entry

NCIV Announces Name Change to Global Ties U.S [.]- Press Release, PRLog: The National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) announced today that it is changing its name to Global Ties U.S. The change is effective immediately. 'The new name represents many exciting and positive changes we are undertaking that build on a strong 50-year foundation of working to make international exchange programs more effective.' remarked Global Ties U.S. Board Chair Kyle Moyer. 'The new name Global Ties U.S. better speaks to the ultimate outcome we seek to achieve in building a more peaceful and prosperous world by strengthening ties between individuals and nations through international exchange programs.' Founded in 1961, Global Ties U.S. and its member organizations have served as private sector partners to the U.S. Department of State’s prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). World leaders, ranging from former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher to Mexico’s last president Felipe Calderón, developed close ties to the United States through their experience as IVLP participants. With an impressive alumni roster of more than 350 current and former heads of state worldwide, the IVLP and members of the Global Ties network have played a role in shaping U.S. international relations for decades. 'We live in a time in history where individuals play an unprecedented role in shaping both domestic and international affairs,' remarked Global Ties U.S. President Jennifer Clinton. 'Our new name and identity will help us and our 100+ member organizations highlight the important role international exchange programs play as cost-effective public diplomacy tools that support U.S. national security, foreign policy priorities, and economic growth. For more information visit http://GlobalTiesUS.org."

The Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. - W. Lewis Amselem, The DiploMad 2.0:


"[Comment by: F January 22, 2014 at 12:30 PM] ... I arrived in Africa in 1970 and found a lot of our public diplomacy programming taken over by civil rights themes. This played well in socialist Tanzania, whose president (Nyerere) had welcomed several fugitives from American justice, but I had personal reservations about how meaningful our message was to our long-term bilateral relations and ultimately decided it felt like pandering. That, of course, didn't stop us from doing it and the momentum only built, eventually culminating in the nomination of America's first Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian (Pat Derian) by Jimmah Carter. While I recognize the value to our nation of the civil rights movement, I remain convinced it is not the most meaningful message America has for Africa. It still feels like pandering." Image from DiploMad profile

Free David Satter - The Editors, National Review: "The Russian government told David Satter, an accomplished historical journalist and a National Review contributor, that he had become an 'undesirable' presence in the country, and barred him from entering. Satter was trying to return to Moscow, where he’d been living and working for Radio Free Europe, from Ukraine, where he’d been covering the protests against Kiev’s Putin-friendly government.‎ The Russian foreign ministry says Satter was refused entry because he’d overstayed a visa when in Moscow — a visa the Russians had refused to renew on time, and an infraction for which he had already paid the penalty.


In any case, the foreign ministry had approved a new visa for Satter before reneging on it and informing him that 'competent organs' had decided not to allow him back into the country. The U.S. State Department has publicly complained to its counterparts in Moscow and forced the Russians to come up with the above cover story. But real pressure should be brought to bear. Journalists such as Satter do very important work, both in drawing attention to abuses in Russia today and in revealing the darker side of the country’s history (from the Soviet era and today’s neo-Soviet one), which is precisely why Russia’s 'competent organs' would rather not be disturbed by them." Via TP on Facebook. Image from entry

U.S. Embassy in Ukraine beats Voice of America in fast news and social media popularity- bbgwatch.com: "When it comes to posting news online and social media popularity, even a U.S. embassy abroad can beat the badly managed Voice of America (VOA) these days, even on breaking news with important U.S. foreign policy implications. U.S. Embassy in Kyiv was first in posting online Sunday’s White House statement on Ukraine by National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Caitlin Hayden. The statement urged all sides to immediately de-escalate the situation which has become very violent.


It was not news reporting by the embassy per se since U.S. diplomatic posts are not in the news business. They are engaged in traditional diplomacy vis-a-vis foreign governments, but in this case also in public diplomacy vis-a-vis foreign publics and foreign media. This was an exercise by U.S. diplomats in public diplomacy— an attempt to get the word out quickly to the Ukrainians and to Ukrainian and international media. It worked in terms of both speed and social media outreach. U.S. Embassy in Kyiv had an advantage on speed in its online posting since it was no doubt consulted by the NSC on drafting the statement. It may have even initiated it. The fact remains that the embassy posted it online right away, in both English and Ukrainian. In this sense, it did a far better job than also U.S. taxpayer-funded Voice of America. The embassy also took advantage of social media better than the White House, not to mention VOA."Image from entry

BBG In The Media: Recent Media Highlights - bbg.gov: "Throughout the world, media write about our exceptional coverage, world class journalists, and cutting edge networks. [In the entry] you will find links to articles about the BBG and its networks, as well as citations of our journalists."Via

1/19/14 Afghanistan Overview - burbankdigest.com: "United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy http://www.state.gov/pdcommission/ Since 1948, the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy (ACPD) has been charged with appraising U.S. Government activities intended to understand, inform and influence foreign publics and to increase the understanding of, and support for, these same activities. The ACPD conducts research and symposiums that provide honest assessments and informed discourse on public diplomacy efforts across government."

Soap operas and Sesame Street: examples for the Australia Network? - Ashlee Betteridge, devpolicy.org: "Aid and ‘promoting Australia’s interests’ are now intended to go hand in hand, with the integration of AusAID into the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). Could television be an area where development and diplomacy harmonise? Broadcast media has increasingly provided a creative platform for spreading development messaging far and wide, even in low literacy contexts. And donors have been jumping on board, moving beyond purchasing advertising spots to creating their own programming. Meanwhile, the television station that we subsidise and beam across the region is copping flak for stumbling on its public diplomacy mission. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has recently criticised the Australia Network, questioning whether it is effectively promoting Australia’s interests overseas. She also critiqued it in her 2012 Devpolicy speech. While some of this criticism is due to allegations of bungled tendering under Labor (and the coverage in The Australian has the usual whiff of anti-ABC sentiment), this could be the signal that an overhaul is on the horizon. ... It’s not just shows for grown-ups that have been used to drive home development messages. USAID has supported the export of Sesame Street since 2004, creating localised versions in developing countries in the name of early childhood education, development and public diplomacy. The Sesame Workshop is the implementing partner for the project. ... As much as many of us have furrowed our brows at the AusAID-DFAT integration, perhaps it will offer a chance for some creative rethinking of policy and approaches in both the aid and diplomacy worlds to create new efficiencies, benefits and opportunities. An overhaul of the Australia Network could be one such chance."

Comment: Abbott sells G20 Summit to world leaders in Davos: When prime minister Tony Abbott delivers his speech outlining 'Australia's Vision for the G20' at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland on Thursday, he will have the attention of some of the world’s economic and political elite - Susan Harris Rimmer, sbs.com.au: "So why has Abbott chosen Davos for the big reveal? If the G20 is viewed as 'a big hot tub party' for world leaders, what does that make Davos? In one sense, it underlines his 'Australia is open for business'public diplomacy narrative, and it lets


him get to 33 world leaders at once, global media editors and more than 1000 business leaders."Image from entry, with caption: PM Tony Abbott is in Davos.

Tony Blair’s instincts on Iraq were right —- and Syria proves it: Unlike citizens who attempt to arrest him, the former PM grasps the perils of inaction in a post-9/11 world - Matthew d'Ancona, standard.co.uk: The errors of strategy in Iraq were manifold. For its part, the Blair government did too little to focus Bush’s eyes on post-war reconstruction, with consequences that are still grotesquely evident. The public diplomacy associated with the war also depended to an absurd extent upon weapons of mass destruction — never likely to be found in a neat pile in the desert — and too little upon the horrors of Saddam’s regime and the prospective benefits to Iraq, the region and the world of his departure.


Yet none of this was a 'war crime': it was an early, imperfect attempt to address an emerging geopolitical landscape in which rogue states, religious extremism, proliferating terrorist groups and the trade in WMD were combining in new and frightening ways. But those who see — or claim to see — Blair as a latter-day Eichmann, Goering or Bormann have a deeper psychological purpose, which is to use the word 'Iraq' as a shorthand for Western blunders . ... This narrative is as far from the truth as it is adhesive. It is psychologically so much easier to embrace this version of events than to confront the complex strategic dilemmas of the 21st century. Blair was right to encourage ... consider[ing] the plight of Syria. The so-called Geneva II talks on that country’s future open today in Montreux against the backdrop of a newly published and truly horrific report by three international lawyers logging the 'systematic torture and killing of detained persons' in Bashar Assad’s Syria, including the death of around 11,000."Image from entry, with caption: Legacy: Tony Blair is anxiously awaiting the findings of the Chilcot Inquiry into the Iraq war

Ufone and British Council Partner to provide a scholarship programme- shehritv.com: "Ufone, an Etisalat Group company, has partnered with British Council for a scholarship programme with prizes worth Rs.5 Million; Rs.1 million each will be given to five lucky winners.


Any student who has taken the IELTS through British Council and aims to take admission in a university is eligible for participation. ... One winner will receive Rs.1 million for each cycle and this process will repeat five times for different test dates[.] ... Syeda GulZehra, Marketing Manager – Examsat British Council, said, ‘The British Council encourages students aiming towards excellence and we put in an extra effort to help them through scholarships and other opportunities. By partnering with Ufone, which is also a youth-focused brand, we aim to provide scholarships while engaging them through their favourite platform – their phones.’ About Ufone: Ufone the leader in innovation is an Etisalat Group Company with its presence in all the major cities of Pakistan along with a comprehensive coverage across all major towns, villages and tehsil headquarters of the country. The company employs more than 3,850 people and operates with a network of more than 380 franchises and 23 company-owned customer service centers along with a distribution network of 150,000 outlets nationwide. About British Council: British Council is the UK’s international organization for educational opportunities and cultural relations and is represented in 100 countries worldwide. We are a major channel for the UK’s public diplomacy in Pakistan – putting Pakistani people in touch with people in the UK.“ Image from entry

Japan ready to host Syria confidence-building talks - au.news.yahoo.com: "Japan is ready to host confidence-building talks between members of Syria's rival camps if peace efforts launched this week bear fruit, a senior diplomat said Wednesday. ... 'We would not invite Syrian officials, but promising young leaders from both sides, so that they can understand each other, and maybe they can resolve some misunderstanding,' said Mizushima, deputy director of the Japanese foreign ministry's public diplomacy division."

Palestinian 'incitement': Israel’s usual last resort - Akiva Eldar, al-monitor.com: "European diplomats ... and ... foreign correspondents stationed in Israel ... know that when government representatives are hard-pressed to resolve the contradiction between support for a two-state solution and the wave of construction in the territories, they ... turn to propaganda.


This propaganda, or 'public diplomacy,' as it’s euphemistically called in Israel, is the weapon of the occupier who wishes to convince the public that he, not the oppressed, is the real victim."Image from entry, with caption: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu converses with former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman in Ashdod, Jan. 16, 2013

Hasbara: A new approach to America - theuglytruth.wordpress.com: "Across the decades, Israel has tried many forms of public diplomacy, official, quasi and non. For the last few decades, results have been abysmal. Israel has an image problem. Also, a reality problem."

Turkish soap operas total $150 million in exports: Turkish series entered Ukraine, Pakistan, Russia and China for the first time in 2013 - worldbulletin.net: "Turkish television series exports were worth more than $150 million last year, with more than 70 programs watched in over 54 countries, including South America, according to the Prime Ministry Public Diplomacy Coordination (KDK).


Exported productions include the popular series: 'Muhtesem Yuzyıl', 'Fatmagul’un Sucu Ne', 'Adını Feriha Koydum' and 'Ask-i Memnu,” and set new export records for Turkish television programs in 2013. The most watched was the finale of 'Gumus', which was seen by 84 million people across the Middle East. The export price of an episode of the more popular Turkish shows used to vary between $35 and $50 but now the price per episode has risen to between $500 and $200,000, according to figures. Turkish series entered Ukraine, Pakistan, Russia and China for the first time in 2013."Image from entry

Why Xi Is Going to Sochi: Xi’s attendance at the Sochi Olympics is meant to offer support to Russia as Moscow faces critiques over human rights - Shannon Tiezzi, thediplomat.com: "Xi Jinping is planning to attend the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics to be held in Sochi, Russia on February 7. The official announcement, made by China’s Foreign Ministry, noted that this would be the ‘first time for the Chinese President to attend such a major international sports event held by a foreign country.’ So if a Chinese president has never before attended the Olympics (except, of course, for the 2008 games in Beijing), why choose now? One theory is that China is becoming increasingly involved in the sort of public diplomacy that the Olympics represent. Huang Yaling, secretary-general of the China Sport Science Society, told Xinhua that 'President Xi’s attendance shows to the world China’s belief in promoting the development of the Olympics and China’s aspiration for a peaceful and beautiful world. 'Image-building is definitely a factor.


Still, it’s interesting that Xi would use the Winter Olympics to make this point. By their own admission, China has little interest in the winter sports that will be on display in Sochi. ... In an earlier article for The Diplomat, Mu Chunshan noted that China and Russia have been stepping up their cooperation both bilaterally and on the international stage. Xi obviously hopes to maintain this momentum, and his trip to Sochi is even more a sign of support for Russia than a sign of support for the Olympics."Image from entry

Philippines: How can the world be kept engaged after Typhoon Haiyan disappears from the news? - Stanislav Saling, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "To heal, the Philippines will need continued support from the international community in the form of funding and expertise. ... First, the government – which has the biggest stake in this – could create a specialized communications office producing high-quality multimedia content and broadcast cuts."

The African Frontier in Humanitarian and Development Work : Senem Cevik, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Turkey has been enjoying significant recognition of its soft power in Africa through humanitarian aid and development work. However, Turkey’s African initiative is fairly new and therefore requires an effective long–term strategy. A future commitment in the region is necessary in order to sustain the soft power effect."

Home is Where the Heart Is... - diplomatic-knots.blogspot.com: "Being stationed away from Pejambon [see], my diplomat friends and I at the Office of the Special Staff for International Affairs of the President constantly look forward to the opportunity for contacts with our colleagues 'back home'. For work, we’re always in touch with Kemluers [see], but the truth is that we sometimes crave for non-substantial interactions. The chit chats, carefree bantering, and inconsequential discussions of life, both as diplomats and civil servants, which most often take place at the glorious Kantin Panas. Like any social animal, we crave the notion of being part of (to borrow ASEAN’s term) a caring and sharing community. So, the arrival of new editions of QuAs magazine is always eagerly anticipated. Over the years, Kemlu [Indonesia] has released numerous publications: journals, analyses, bulletins, and magazines. But most of these have been public diplomacy approaches, aimed at informing the general public of our foreign policy efforts and achievements.


QuAs is slightly different, focusing mainly on the challenges Kemlu faces in our strive for internal reform. As such, QuAs is very much a publication about Kemlu, by Kemluers, and for Kemluers."Image from entry, with caption: Sade and his QuAs

Asia Studies Program - kvswinifredouis: "Anki is definitely an important section of this method for learning Japanese through anime. If you have any type of concerns regarding where and exactly how to make use of khoa hoc tieng nhat, you can contact us at our website. What you need to do is watch anime in Japanese, with Japanese Subtitles Go as slowly as you needAt first you'll need to halt repeatedly at virtually every presentation. You will encounter a lot of new terms. Search them up and enter them into Anki. Anki is spread consistency application (wise flashcards that know how effectively you know what you are learning and what's the optimal period for repeating it (ranging from one minute to over annually) on the basis of the brain’s learning habits. This guide considers the introduction, use and modification of the ideal story within global politics. From the "war on terror" after the 9/11 assaults to the recent usage of 'Obamacare,' politicians have noticed the potential of stories to swing values. Laura Roselle is a visiting professor with the DeWitt Wallace Center for Media and Democracy. She and her coauthors also explore public diplomacy in terms of social networking and the ability of individual citizens to figure plans and steps. The book is part of a string edited by Ken Rogerson, a Duke lecturer in public areas policy."

Counter Narcotics Advisor - devex.com: "CPI is a government contractor that provides the U.S. Department of State access to specialized law enforcement, corrections, security, customs/border patrol, and Rule of Law expertise for international peacekeeping missions. The Counternarcotics Advisor will aid INL by advising and mentoring the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) in its efforts to develop into a legitimate law enforcement and counternarcotics force in Liberia.


The LDEA is charged with combating illicit drug activity within the country, and it must be effective to ensure a stable transition as UNMIL hands over security responsibility to the GOL. LDEA will require mentorship and advice to revamp the organization from the ground up. The Counternarcotics Advisor will assist the LDEA to develop the structure, processes, and administrative requirements for a credible national-level counternarcotics organization. ... Required Qualifications: ... Public information/Public diplomacy."Image from, with caption: Obama’s DEA raids a medical pot dispensary, as Obama rejects legalizing marijuana

RELATED ITEMS

Badge for Educators and Students: U.S. Department of State, Smithsonian Institution, and National Park Service Launch the "Diplomacy in Action" Free Webinar with Digital Badge for Educators and Students - Media Note, Office of the Spokesperson, Department of State: The U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Reception Rooms (DRR) will unveil a new digital learning resource, the Diplomat digital badge, in a free online conference on February 12, 2014. Conference participants will learn about diplomacy by exploring digitized objects, important places, and primary sources from the U.S. Department of State (10:00 a.m. ET), the National Park Service (1:00 p.m. ET), and the Smithsonian Institution (4:00 p.m. ET) and will engage in a live, online question and answer session with conference presenters. Secretary of State John Kerry will deliver opening and closing remarks via video at 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. ET respectively. The Diplomat badge was created by the Diplomatic Reception Rooms, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Park Service in collaboration with the American Library Association, National Council of Teachers of English, National Council for Social Studies, and National Council for Literacy Education. The group is part of the Inter-Agency Initiative on Learning, formed in 2012, to bring government agencies with museum collections together with educational organizations to create tools that bring history to life digitally for teachers, students, and the public and enhance learning.

The Syria peace conference: Diplomacy still the best option: though the talks that begin Wednesday face long odds, they at least offer a chance at a solution - Editorial, latimes.com: A strategy of toppling Assad at all costs could have unintended consequences, including a chaotic struggle for control of the country and, potentially, the empowerment of groups sympathetic to Al Qaeda.


Though far from guaranteed to succeed, the search for a political solution remains the better alternative. Image from entry, with caption: Secretary of State John Kerry arrives at Geneva International Airport ahead of International peace talks.

On Syria, Obama administration is leading to failure - Editorial, Washington Post: The Geneva 2 conference will fail and the atrocities will continue.

Exclusive: Gruesome Syria photos may prove torture by Assad regime - Mick Krever and Schams Elwazer, CNN: A team of internationally renowned war crimes prosecutors and forensic experts has found "direct evidence" of "systematic torture and killing" by the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime, the lawyers on the team say in a new report.


Their report, based on thousands of photographs of dead bodies of alleged detainees killed in Syrian government custody, would stand up in an international criminal tribunal, the group says. Image from article

An Obama Foreign Policy IQ Test: Should the U.S. keep 10,000 or zero troops in Afghanistan? - Review and Outlook, Wall Street Journal: America has kept far more than 10,000 troops in Germany, Italy, Japan and South Korea for decades. No one considers them "another Vietnam." An open-ended military presence signals a commitment that will reassure Afghans, send a message of resolve to the Taliban, and avoid a terrorist comeback that wastes 12 years of sacrifice.

U.S. taxpayers pour billions of dollars down the drain in Afghanistan: Problems highlight withdrawal pains for mission - Phillip Swarts, Washington Times: Since the beginning of combat operations in 2002, the U.S. has spent close to $100 billion on aid to help rebuild the war-torn nation. But funding has long been plagued by shoddy construction, corruption and poor oversight of contractors. The situation is expected to get worse. As U.S. personnel withdraw from the country, fewer people will oversee the problems and fix the existing issues, raising the specter that taxpayers could pay billions of dollars for half-finished buildings that sit unused and don’t benefit the Afghanistan people.

Fighting Extremism on a Broader Level - Room for Debate, New York Times: The peace conference on Syria is off to a rocky start. Compounding the crisis is the growing presence of ISIS, a Qaeda-affiliated group in Syria that has gained momentum in Iraq. Meanwhile violence against women in Afghanistan, where suicide attacks also continue, has hit record levels. Instead of constantly attempting to put out fires following every disaster, what can world leaders do to fight extremism on a more permanent, global level?

Ukrainian Standoff - Editorial, New York Times: The United States and the European Union have made no secret that their sympathies are with the protesters, who poured out into Independence Square after Mr. Yanukovich abruptly announced in November that he would not sign a pact aligning Ukraine more closely with the European Union. Western diplomats have visited the Maidan, and Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland of the United States even handed out bread on the square in December. At this stage, however, the United States and Europe need to do more than hand out treats. They must make clear their opposition to violence, as the State Department did on Wednesday when it urged everyone to calm down, faulted the government for not engaging in serious dialogue and for approving anti-democratic laws, and criticized the extreme-right group Pravy Sektor for aggression.

An emerging market problem - David Ignatius, Washington Post: As global competitors stumble, the United States has been picking up speed. Remarkable new shale oil and gas discoveries have reduced America’s energy vulnerability and made it a relatively low-cost manufacturing nation. It was a telling example of the new mood that the Wall Street Journal titled an article “Is the U.S. the Next Hot Emerging Market?”

Inside the North Korea Rumor Mill: How the two Koreas are attempting to influence the North Korea media environment - nknews.org: Information is arguably the most powerful weapon in any nation’s arsenal. And North and South Korea are, technically, still at war. Author and Korea historian Bruce Cumings says the two Koreas are testimony to the fact that “in war–or suspended war–truth is the first casualty.”

Russia Accuses Europe Of 'Aggressive Propaganda Of Homosexual Love' - Adam Taylor, businessinsider.com: A Russian report on the state of human rights in Europe in 2014 has accused the EU of trying  force an "aggressive propaganda of homosexual love" on other countries. The English-language version of the document, labeled an "unofficial translation" yet released today, also refers to LGBT as "queers." You can download the full report in English here. One key passage is below: [...] the European Union and its MemberStates consider, as one of their priorities, the dissemination of their neo-liberal values as a universal lifestyle for all other members of the international community.


This is particularly evident in their aggressive promotion of the sexual minorities' rights. Attempts have been made to enforce on other countries an alien view of homosexuality and same-sex marriages as a norm of life and some kind of a natural social phenomenon that deserves support at the state level. Such an approach encounters resistance not only in the countries upholding traditional values, but also in those countries which have always taken a liberal attitude towards queers. Suffice it to recall the protest reaction of a major part of the French society to the decision on legalization of same-sex marriages in the country. Image from entry

Russian Court Bans Book by Hitler’s Propaganda Chief - en.ria.ru: Moscow’s main court has banned as extremist a semi-autobiographical book by Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels, Russian prosecutors said Wednesday. The Moscow City Court said analysis by psychologists and linguists revealed that “Michael,” a novel authored by Goebbels in the late 1920s, “explains and justifies the ideology of Nazism and the national and racial superiority of some individuals over others.” The court ruled that the book presented “a distorted opinion of other religions, nationalities and social groups, contains obscene language and incites animosity and hatred between people on the basis of nationality.”


The ruling came in response to an appeal filed by the Algoritm publishing house against a district court ruling in October. The publishing house argued that the book was fictional and has cultural and historic value. Image from entry, with caption: Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels

It’s not just ancient Roman propaganda: Carthaginians really did sacrifice children - Maev Kennedy, rawstory.com: Just as ancient Greek and Roman propagandists insisted, the Carthaginians did kill their own infant children, burying them with sacrificed animals and ritual inscriptions in special cemeteries to give thanks for favours from the gods, according to a new study. “This is something dismissed as black propaganda because in modern times people just didn’t want to believe it,” said Josephine Quinn, a lecturer in ancient history at Oxford, who is behind the study, with international colleagues, of one of the most bitterly debated questions in classical archaeology.


“But when you pull together all the evidence – archaeological, epigraphic and literary – it is overwhelming and, we believe, conclusive: they did kill their children, and on the evidence of the inscriptions, not just as an offering for future favours but fulfilling a promise that had already been made. Image from entry

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

“Spies get treated better than that.”

--Former NSA contractor/whistleblower Edward Snowden, on his having spent forty days in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"Marrying a $10-an-hour man gets you nowhere, so you'd really have to marry three or four."


--Barbara Ehrenreich, the socialist feminist author, speaking humorously;  image from

"Simplify, then exaggerate."

--a facetious take on the guiding rule for columnists

AMERICANA

"A man sat at a metro station in Washington DC and started to play the violin; it was a cold January morning. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, since it was rush hour, it was calculated that 1,100 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. Three minutes went by, and a middle aged man noticed there was musician playing. He slowed his pace, and stopped for a few seconds, and then hurried up to meet his schedule. A minute later, the violinist received his first dollar tip: a woman threw the money in the till and without stopping, and continued to walk. A few minutes later, someone leaned against the wall to listen to him, but the man looked at his watch and started to walk again. Clearly he was late for work. The one who paid the most attention was a 3 year old boy. His mother tagged him along, hurried, but the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally, the mother pushed hard, and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. All the parents, without exception, forced them to move on. In the 45 minutes the musician played, only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money, but continued to walk their normal pace. He collected $32. When he finished playing and silence took over, no one noticed it. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition. No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the most talented musicians in the world. He had just played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before his playing in the subway, Joshua Bell


sold out at a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100. This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste, and priorities of people. The outlines were: in a commonplace environment at an inappropriate hour: Do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize the talent in an unexpected context? One of the possible conclusions from this experience could be: If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing the best music ever written, how many other things are we missing?" Via PR on Facebook; image from

MORE AMERICANA



--From Princess Sparkle Pony, "What If Gay Marriage Protesters Had Better Ways To ‘Support Traditional Gender Roles’?" Wonkette

"the NSA has to 'make RAS'— that is, to show 'reasonably articulable suspicion."

--Jack Riley, vice president of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Rand Corp. and director of the Rand National Security Research Division; image from

NEW BOOKS


"Inspiring oral history of the impact of cultural and educational exchange between South Africa and the United States during apartheid. For almost forty years, under the watchful eye of the apartheid regime, some three thousand South Africans participated in cultural and educational exchange with the United States. Exposure to American democracy brought hope during a time when social and political change seemed unlikely. In the end the process silently triumphed over the resistance of authorities, and many of the individuals who participated in the program later participated in South Africa’s first democratic elections, in 1994, and now occupy key positions in academia, the media, parliament, and the judiciary. In Outsmarting Apartheid, Daniel Whitman, former Program Development Officer at the US Embassy in Pretoria, interviews the South Africans and Americans who administered, advanced, and benefited from government-funded exchange. The result is a detailed account of the workings and effectiveness of the US Information Agency and a demonstration of the value of 'soft power 'in easing democratic transition in a troubled area." Text and image from


"[From] the Author of Land of the Firebird [:] 'She is the greatest student I know of the Russian people.' - Ronald Reagan diary, May 20, 1986 [.] For the first time, Suzanne Massie, the 'woman who ended the Cold War,' shares the inside story of her interactions with Ronald Reagan that led to the transformation of America’s relationship with its most dangerous adversary. Reagan turned to Massie for her advice and carried her suggestions — including the now famous Russian proverb — 'trust but verify'— into his meetings with the new Russian leader." Text and image from

EVENT

Al-Jazeera America Anchor at USC First Monday Program - pdaa.publicdiplomacy.org: "Joie Chen, anchor of Al Jazeera America’s prime-time evening news show America Tonight, will be the featured guest at the February 3 'first Monday' lunch program at American Foreign Service Association in Washington, D.C. The program is free, but reservations are required by e-mail to acpowell [at] usc [dot] edu. Chen has been the anchor of America Tonight since it first aired in August 2013. She earlier worked as a correspondent with CBS News and CNN. American Foreign Service Association is located at 2101 E Street NW in Washington, D.C. (Metro: Foggy Bottom). The program runs from 12:00 noon to 1:20 pm, and is organized by the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, USC Center on Public Diplomacy, and Public Diplomacy Council."

LISTEN

[LISTEN] The State of Canadian Public Diplomacy - In Canada, internal public diplomacy agenda-setting is being overshadowed by economic and social media diplomacies - "Michael Ardaiolo discusses the state of Canadian public diplomacy and its shift toward social media engagement with David Carment. David Carment is a full Professor of International Affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, CarletonUniversity and Fellow of the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI). He is also a NATO Fellow and listed in Who’s Who in International Affairs. In addition Professor Carment serves as the principal investigator for the Country Indicators for Foreign Policy project (CIFP)."

MINOR NOTE FROM YOUR PDPBR COMPILER

In the past, your Public Diplomacy Press and Blog Review has been provided to subscribers by email via the Google "feed-burner" service. Your compiler has just been electronically informed, however, that the "PDPBR" (or at least one of its editions) has been relegated to "junk"-email by hotmail. If you are on hotmail and a kind subscriber wishing to receive the PDPBR via this "feed-burner" service, you might want to check your daily hotmail "junk mail." Image from



In flap with UN, a chance for the US to look tough on Iran - Michael Wilner, jpost.com: "Washington's surprise at the UN inviting Iran to the Geneva II summit allowed the Obama administration a chance to look tough in public on Iran. ... Entering Geneva with sub-zero expectations, a public row with the UN over Iran might have been interpreted as a win-win opportunity for the US. The Obama administration had a chance, however hallow, to look tough, in public, on Iran. US officials demonstrated their ability to stick to a policy line previously laid before the international community on a significant issue. And they appeared ready to bear significant cost for enforcing it: the sacrifice of a major peace conference, months in the making.


Over the past several months, during negotiations over its nuclear program, the White House has learned the value of public diplomacy on Iran.'I think the politics of trying to look tough on Iran are often good when you’re running for office or if you’re in office,' US President Barack Obama said at a press conference in December. The alternative would have been unfortunate: the altogether cancellation of a conference that is not likely to produce anything, anyway. But for once, the blame would have fallen at the feet of the secretary-general. Given the alternatives, the US could do worse."Image from

No, Social Media Will Not Solve Syria's "Social Media Civil War" - Jessica McKenzie, techpresident.com: "The Syrian peace talks got off to a rough start Wednesday in Montreux, Switzerland, with the New York Times reporting 'sharp divisions' between the Syrian factions, as well as Russia and the United States, causing friction early on in the proceedings. So far, it does not appear as though social media will somehow interfere to save the day. I say that, somewhat facetiously, only because last week diplomats, NGOs, academics and developers met in Sweden for the Stockholm Initiative for Digital Diplomacy (SIDD).


At a TedX event staged in conjunction with SIDD, the Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs—and digital diplomacy advocate—Carl Bildt spoke optimistically about the power of social media as an instrument of peace. Bildt expounded on 'How internet makes it easier to save the world': [‘]Diplomacy is essentially about communication -- human minds getting together to share information and change the way in which we think, act and do. Thus diplomacy is about changing behaviour, it's about informing and creating better opportunities that might not have been there before. Can we save the world? At least we can change things. Diplomacy is about communication between nations and we live, thank god, in a much more open world where the voice of individual people means much more. Governments are becoming more open than used to be the case, thus public diplomacy and digital is becoming more important. It's about getting to the pulse of what's happening. ['] Sweden's English-language paper ‘The Local’ reported that Bildt called the Syrian conflict ‘the world's first social media civil war.’ On Twitter, the reporter confirmed the comment."Image from entry

Meeting the Challenge of Chinese Expansionism on the East Asian Littoral - Dean Cheng, heritage.org: "Over the past several months, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has exploited more and more tools to reinforce its claims over much of the East Asian littoral. The intended Chinese message seems clear: Administratively, militarily, diplomatically, and economically, the East Asian littoral is under Chinese dominance. ... American Policy Responses ... Increase public diplomacy efforts. While Confucius Institutes are established throughout the world, well-stocked with multimedia materials extolling the virtues of the PRC and well-funded with Chinese support, American efforts at public outreach, including strategic communications and information dissemination, are far less visible. Given regional suspicions of China, American public diplomacy would generate a positive return on investment. There needs to be more outreach to the broader Asian public to foster better understanding of the U.S. and show American interest in the region. One method would be the creation of more 'AmericanCenters' directly funded by the U.S. government, as well as 'AmericanCulturalCenters' established with American university partners at Asian colleges and universities. ... In light of Beijing’s growing assertiveness, the U.S. needs to make clear to both the PRC and its allies that it will maintain a firm, reliable presence in the region and that this extends beyond mere rhetoric. Moreover, given China’s economic prowess, it is essential that any American response encompass not only military measures but the full array of diplomatic and positive economic levers as well."

Twitter Diplomacy: Behind The Kennedy Dolphin Tweet - Interview Highlights: R. Nicholas Burns- hereandnow.wbur.org: "On his analysis of Ambassador Kennedy’s tweet about the dolphin hunt [:]


'I think it was smart and very effective of Ambassador Kennedy to do what she did. She didn’t lash out. I thought the tone of what she did was respectful. … You know the United States has a specific view and she was representing the government and she reached a lot more people via Twitter than she would have if she issued some dry public statement on paper from the embassy.' ... On the State Department’s social media strategy [:] 'Of course we all know that Twitter, Facebook, the Internet is a double-edged sword, but there’s no turning back. We live in the 21st century, and the United States has to participate in the 21st century. And diplomacy is no longer a backroom game, you know, of just world leaders talking without reference to the public. And I think Hilary Clinton was one of the first Secretaries of State, along with Condoleezza Rice, to say to the employees of the State Department, ‘You need to be on Twitter, you need to be on Facebook, you need to be out, arguing the U.S. point of view in the public domain.’ So sometimes you get burned, as we did in India, but sometimes you have employees doing the right thing, like Ambassador Kennedy, so you just gotta continue to participate in public diplomacy."Image from entry, with caption: A rare albino calf swims with its mother as bottlenose dolphins are confined in nets by fishermen in Taiji, western Japan, Friday, Jan. 17, 2014

George Tsunis under fire in ambassador confirmation hearings- newsday.com: "Long Island businessman George Tsunis, nominated by President Barack Obama as ambassador to Norway, is facing criticism for a lack of knowledge about the country's government. Tsunis, who switched parties to become a top Democratic fundraiser in the 2012 election, appeared last week before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, which is considering his confirmation. ... Tsunis said he planned as ambassador to provide 'support to public diplomacy efforts to reach out to people throughout


Norway and to provide educational exchange opportunities for Norwegians to study in the United States, and expand these opportunities wherever possible.' In 2008, Tsunis gave $50,000 to McCain's presidential campaign but registered as a Democrat in 2009. In the 2012 election cycle, Tsunis raised $988,550 for Obama, said the Center for Responsive Politics. This week, some political blogs in Norway and the U.S. cited Tsunis' testimony in criticizing presidents' practice of rewarding top donors with diplomatic posts. One English-language Norwegian publication, The Leader, said Tsunis showed a 'total ignorance' of the country's government."Image from entry, with caption: John H. Cornell, 1993 | A photo of George Tsunis, of Cold Spring Harbor, who was named ambassador to Norway.

Letting him go - Editorial, pakistantoday.com: "The US has tried the carrot. And they’ve tried the stick. And they’ve tried withholding the carrot. They’re willing to go to all lengths, really, to get Dr Shakil Afridi, the doctor who allegedly helped the US gather intelligence for the Osama Bin Laden operation, free from incarceration. The US Congress recently moved a resolution to withhold thirty-three million dollars for Pakistan till the doctor’s release. But no cigar. The Pakistani government maintains that the matter is sub judice and that Dr Afridi’s release is to be in accordance with the law, not the vagaries of international diplomacy. A valid point of view, which the US would be hard-pressed to fight. ... The US should realize that, despite the dividend it might achieve on the human intel front, the negative feedback for highhandedness is going to be several times over that in terms of public diplomacy."

Lost prison manuscript confirms The Real Mandela - Joel McDurmon, americanvision.org: "The Spectator has dropped a bombshell which confirms my previous report, The Real Mandela. Rian Malan’s article 'What a lost prison manuscript reveals about the real Nelson Mandela' debunks to a large degree the liberal-left revisionist history of Mandela’s alleged non-violence—a history bought into even by many conservative and evangelical Christians today. That view is nonsense. The manuscript contains sections revealing that Mandela never changed his views on Marxism, communism, revolution, or even the use of violence—all things whitewashed from the official PC version of Mandela. Not without irony, somewhere in between Mandela’s own original manuscript and the edited version later published as his autobiography, all of those inconvenient truths disappeared from the text. Perhaps also not without irony: the ghostwriter/editor of record for that 'autobiography' is now Obama’s undersecretary for public diplomacy."

Statement – Jaipur Literature Festival- Condemn corporate crimes- kractivist.org: "The US government institutions like American Centre have failed to reveal as to why there are some 702 military installations of world’s super power throughout the world in 132 countries along with 8,000 active and operational nuclear warheads? We must remember how US Congress that recommended the passage of the US Information and Educational Exchange Act on January 27, 1948 declared that 'truth can be a powerful weapon'.


Drawing lessons from the amendments to the US Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 1972 in July 2010 that banned disseminating within the USA any 'information about the United States, its people, and its policies' prepared for dissemination abroad with the aim to engage in a global struggle for minds and wills to bolster its 'strategic communications and public diplomacy capacity on all fronts and mediums – especially online'. This reveals that US government’s relationship with the non US citizens is not healthy."Image from entry

Media cooperation at center of communication minister’s talks in Washington - moroccoworldnews.com: "El Khalfi met at the headquarters of the department of state US coordinator for international communications and information policy Daniel Sepulveda, the director of the department of state’s press and public diplomacy office Emilia Puma, acting principal deputy assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs Richard Schmierer and Jennifer Larson, spokesperson in charge of Near Eastern affairs. El Khalfi discussed with the officials the media cooperation program which falls within the framework of the Morocco-USA strategic dialogue which culminated with the official working visit by HM King Mohammed VI to Washington last November.


The Moroccan minister held, earlier in the day, a meeting with vice president of the International Center for Journalists Patrick Butler on the center’s expertize in terms of training and supervising reporters, as well as on means to foster cooperation in the sector of communication, radio and television. El Khalfi also met with president of the Federal Communications Commission Ajit Pai. The meetings were attended by Morocco’s ambassador to the USA Rachad Bouhlal."Image from entry, with caption: Communication minister, government spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi held, on Wednesday in Washington, several meetings with officials from the US department of state on means to promote media cooperation.

NSA, Israel, GVEs, Hasbara, and Gun Massacres in the USA and Beyond - Michael Gillespie, dissidentvoice.org: "Because broadcast media news outlets in the USA seldom if ever mention Israeli espionage in their news coverage or in their ever more rare investigative reports related to matters of public interest, most Americans are unaware of and unconcerned about Israel as an espionage threat. Nevertheless, Israel has long been at or near the top of the list of nations with active and robust intelligence and espionage programs aimed at the USA and is by far the single worst offender among nations with propaganda campaigns directed at American audiences. Israel calls its public diplomacy efforts hasbara, and it is well-nigh impossible to overstate the influence of Israeli propaganda on American audiences. Likewise, because Israeli leaders and their political and media operatives exercise truly extraordinary influence over them, the vast majority of US elected officials seldom if ever mention the Israeli espionage threat or criticize Israel in any way. ... Israel’s long history of espionage against the United States government on Unites States soil, Israel’s long history of spying on Americans and listening in on Americans’ private conversations – even the communications of FBI counter-intelligence units and the telephone conversations of president of the United States – is largely absent from the thus distorted but crucial public debate about the NSA’s overreaching surveillance programs only because Israel-friendly US politicians and media organizations typically cover up or down play those crimes."

Hamas on Twitter: “You’ve Opened Hell’s Gates on Yourselves” - digindip.com: "Is Twitter going to succeed where all the American presidents and special envoys have failed? Yeah, probably not. I’m sure that would make my friend Peter Lerner’s  [from Lerner’s twitter entry: 40 yo Israeli with British roots. IDF Spokesman for Intl. Media. Love good humor, spiffy and courteous remarks and open minded people.RT ≠ endorsement - JB] public diplomacy job much easier but I’m afraid that for a second there I drifted into a fantasy, sorry about that.


The fact is that hostile social media accounts will continue to pop up like mushrooms after the rain. Homophobic, Xenophobic and other Polyphobic groups will continue to spread hate rather than engage in productive dialogue. Governments and organizations will continue to try to deliver messages according to their agendas. But with all the accounts in the world, they will never reach the impact they desire if they do not step out of their comfort zones and create content worth sharing beyond their natural circles." Image from entry

To each their own no longer applies to China - theaustralian.com.au: "Today, China is determined to change the status quo


in the region, to project its values through public diplomacy, and increasingly to link trade and investment with political trade-offs. ... Canberra is behaving as if nothing has changed."Image from entry, with caption: China has lately been more inclined to throw its weight about, leading to the fear that it will insist on the imposition of Chinese values in other countries. 

Human Rights Watch Says Obama Still Violating Privacy Rights: Human Rights Watch says Obama not gone far enough on NSA reforms as the group publishes its annual World Report - ntd.tv: "The Human Rights Watch report is also very critical of Russia, calling on the international community not to take part in the prestigious opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. [Kenneth Roth, Executive Director, HRW]: 'It's important that the international community take a lesson from this. To recognize that Putin cares about his image, that stresses the need for public diplomacy as one way to put pressure on Putin to relax this repression, not simply for Sochi but over the longer term. And so we have urged leaders not to play into that strategy. And for the leaders themselves to boycott the opening ceremonies. Not to lend legitimacy to the Putin misrule through their high-level presence.'"

Can Sochi Athletes be Diplomats?- Markos Kounalakis, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "During the Sochi Olympics, there will be plenty more opportunities for athletes to share in peaceful exchange. The infectious Olympic spirit invariably uplifts participants and spectators. But there are as many pitfalls in sports diplomacy as there are potential merits. For every successful pingpong diplomat there is a Rodman waiting in the wings."

Toronto out, is U.S. in for the 2024 Olympics? - Alan Abrahamson, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "The American Olympic system is set up differently than everywhere else. Around the world, Olympic sport is largely run by — and funded by — each country’s national government. In the United States, by formal act of Congress, the USOC must be self-supporting — not a dime from the federal government."

Global Think Tanks Index 2013: Does Russia fall behind?- Pavel Koshkin, russia-direct.org: "Only four Russian think tanks were included in the Top 100: Carnegie Moscow Center (26th), the Institute for World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences (32nd), the Council of Foreign and Defense Policy (98th) and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), ranked 100th. ... [T]he author of the ranking, James McGann, believes the only way to improve record and influence for Russia's think tanks is to 'actively engage with the top think tanks in the U.S. and in other regions around the world' and 'create both Russian and English version of their websites so scholars and the public can know and engage with scholars at the leading think tanks in Russia,' as he told Russia Direct. Robert Pszczel, director of NATO’s informational office in Moscow, echoes Trenin. 'Such ranking is a good start for discussion,' he told Russia Direct while describing the index as encouraging for those not included in the index to start thinking how to improve their quality and increase influence in the world. Viktor Mizin, Deputy Director at MGIMO’s Institute of International Studies, agrees. 'We have to teach people to write in a certain way [to meet the Western standards of research],' he said. 'We have to create a kind of coordination center.' In addition, Mizin points out to the correlation between the images of countries and the number of leading think tanks. He argues that think tanks should pay much more attention to public diplomacy now. 'Even in comparison with Soviet times, Russia saw a decline in the field of international studies despite the fact we have high-profile think tanks such as IMEMO and CarnegieMoscowCenter,' he said. 'Unfortunately, the level of international analysis is declining now. It can be seen in the perception [of Russia] in the U.S. and Europe. From my point of view, the image of Russia is becoming more negative in comparison with the Soviet Union.'” Image from entry, with caption: The 2013 Index of the world's top think tanks attracted attention of Russian pundits

Brave Davis at opening of BFSB International Business and Finance Summit in Georgetown, Exuma - thebahamasweekly.com: Presentation by The


Honourable Philip Davis, M.P., Acting Prime Minister On the occasion of the Opening Dinner of the BFSB International Business and Finance Summit Georgetown, Exuma 23rd January, 2014 [:] ... Smart Policy: Public Diplomacy and Increased Dialogue [:] A second component of The Bahamas’ survival and growth strategy for the financial services sector is public diplomacy and increased dialogue. The Bahamas Government, led by the Ministry of Financial Services, supported by all other relevant Government agencies have undertaken to champion our financial services industry. The Government of The Bahamas will respond systematically, through all channels available to us, to counter misperceptions about The Bahamas and its financial services industry."Uncaptioned image from entry

Burkina Faso and Cultural Diplomacy - ecowastribune.com: "Cultural diplomacy is known as a type of public diplomacy and soft power that includes the 'exchange of ideas, information, art and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding. ['] Explorers, travellers, traders, teachers and artists can be all considered living examples of informal ambassadors.


Through the interaction of peoples, the exchange of language, religion, ideas, arts and societal structures have consistently improved relations between divergent groups. In 2014, we can see a good example of African Cultural Diplomacy in the little borough of a West African capital city: Ouagadougou." Uncaptioned image from entry

2013: a year in review - wiltonpark.org.uk: "March - Held in São Paulo, Applying soft power: the Brazilian and British perspectives was the 6th roundtable meeting in our public diplomacy series.

Not just in Mideast, Turkish TV series catch on in China, Russia- Al Arabiya News: "Not only in the Middle East, Turkish soap operas are on the path of expanding their fan base after joining the Chinese, Russian, Ukrainian and Pakistani markets for the first time in 2013. The drama productions have drawn interest from audiences from around the world, in particular, the Middle East, the Balkans and Central Asia, the Hurrieyat Daily News said. According to the Prime Ministry Office for Public Diplomacy (KDK), the exports of Turkey’s drama sector, which has productions broadcasted in more than 50 countries, have brought $150 million input to the country in 2013. ... Information provided by the Culture and Tourism Ministry states that 'Turkish dramas were sold at a price between $35 and $50 per episode. Today, these prices vary between $500 and $200,000 per episode'”

Martin Scorsese In Conversation - cinetropolis.net: "After Martin Scorsese delivered the 42nd  Jefferson Lecture in April last year, he sat down for a conversation with Jim Leach, the outgoing Chairman of America’s National Endowment for the Humanities, which conducts the lectures. The following is their record of that conversation. ... LEACH: The movie industry is America’s greatest presentation to the world in terms of public diplomacy. For instance, Charlie Chaplin was truly universal. You didn’t have to translate it into any language. SCORSESE: Norman Lloyd, who was a great actor and producer, he worked with everybody: Hitchcock and Welles and Chaplin. He’s in his nineties now."


He was just talking on television the other night on TCM, and he was saying that Chaplin is universal, probably the greatest, because he kind of told the story of the immigrant. And anywhere around the world people could identify with it. Uncaptioned image from entry

UCF Grad Uses Degree for Career in Diplomatic Relations - "The journey to UCF and beyond has had many twists and turns for Stephanie Parenti Giordano, ’11. ... [S]he was accepted into the McNair Scholar Program. Her active engagement with McNair led her to go abroad with a small group of ‘McNairians’ to Croatia for a research exchange, which shifted her focus from Africa to Eastern Europe. She graduated with honors and credits her passion for international relations to her professors at UCF. While a McNair Scholar, she attended an event hosted by the Burnett Honors College’s Director of Prestigious Awards, Nicole Gelfert. At this event, Gelfert shared with the group the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship. This fellowship allows students to continue their education in a master’s program with financial assistance in exchange for three years of service with the Foreign Service at the Department of State. With her long-time passion for the Foreign Service and foreign policy, she worked closely with Gelfert to obtain the fellowship while also applying to graduate schools in the East Coast. Through her hard work, Parenti


received the award shortly before graduation and accepted an offer to attend Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations. After her first year of graduate school, Parenti accepted the offer to learn in the Office of Central Europe at Main State in Washington, D.C. She quickly became an acting desk officer to Poland as there was high turn-over in the office due to officers going to their next posts. In her position, she conducted a plethora of activities such as writing papers for the newly appointed Ambassador to Poland, clearing the paperwork for his Congressional Hearing, scheduling appointments for the new Deputy Chief of Mission, and assisting in the renegotiation of a Protecting Power in Syria when Poland closed their embassy. During her second year in graduate school, she wrote, defended, and published her research on Alliance Politics in the Former Soviet Union. She also married her ‘grad school sweetheart’, Matthew Giordano. Upon graduating in May 2013, Parenti accepted a position as assistant cultural Attaché in Vilnius, Lithuania as her second training post. Here, she assisted in activities such as speaking with local business people, bringing Americans over to share their culture with Lithuanians, helped build dialogue through an English discussion group, helped with LGBT week planning, and managed a project that would help bring professional development culture to Lithuanian businesses. Parenti began her A-100 training and Orientation as a Public Diplomacy Officer on Sept. 9, 2013.  She has taken and passed the FSOT and FSOA, which makes her eligible for tenure after her three years of service, allowing her to stay in the Foreign Service indefinitely.


Above image from entry; below vulgar image from

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Avaaz will report on civilian casualties in Syria without mentioning the influx of US-Saudi sponsored terrorists. Image from entry

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Nazi propaganda? Image from entry

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HAPPY NEWS FROM THE UKRAINE EMBASSY IN WASHINGTON, D.C. (via MC on Facebook)

Friday January 31 Embassy of Ukraine Winter Ball and Dinner Feast with Dancing to Ukrainian Band Gerdan. We cordially request the pleasure of your company for a very special and rare opportunity to experience A Winter at the Embassy of Ukraine. The evening features a dinner buffet feast of traditional Ukrainian delicacies along with dancing to the Ukrainian Band Gerdan