September 4

"An American warjet blasted two fuel tankers hijacked by the Taliban in northern Afghanistan on Friday, killing up to 90 people, including insurgents and dozens of civilians who had rushed to the scene to collect fuel, Afghan officials said."

--Frank Thomas, "NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan Kills Up to 90," Associated Press, Washington Post; above image, from article: Local Afghani people bury their villagers killed in a NATO air strike, in a mass grave near Kunduz, Afghanistan, Friday, Sept. 4, 2009.

"To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate."

--Michael G. Mullen, Admiral, U.S. Navy; Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

With Friends Like These... – Patrick Archbold Creative Minority: "Sixty years ago Tuesday, September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland and began World War II. This was a war that took the lives of millions upon millions of people, devastated a continent, and nearly wiped God's chosen people from the the earth. To remember this awful anniversary the leaders of the world gathered in Poland. There you would find Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, France's Sarkozy, Italy's Berlusconi, and of course James Jones. You know James Jones, right? Well, you should, because this is who was representing the United States. James Jones, Gen. James L. Jones actually, is Obama's National Security Advisor. You would be right in surmising that Gen. Jones is pretty far down on the list of people you would expect to represent the U.S. on such an historic occasion. But guess what, he wasn't even the first choice for the gig. The first choice is someone who isn't even on the totem pole, former Clinton Defense Secretary William J. Perry. The message to our friends the Poles:

We. Don't. Care." Image from

President Obama, We Are Very Sorry That Hitler Had Invaded Poland Before Labor Day Weekend - TedLipien.com: "Helle Dale has written two articles on how the Obama Administration is still unable to get its public diplomacy act together. I don't think that there was a deliberate attempt to snub Poland over the 70th anniversary observances of the start of World War II, but as the Heritage Foundation scholar points out, Poland has a lot of reasons to be unhappy with the White House and the State Department."

Bush Hires Ex-Journalist to Run Think Tank - Peter Baker, New York Times: "Former President George W. Bush took a step closer Thursday to establishing an 'action-oriented think tank' alongside his future presidential library by naming James K. Glassman, the longtime journalist and former administration official, as its founding executive director. …

Mr. Glassman, who served in the Bush administration as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors and later undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, will be charged with building a public policy institute intended to advance some of the issues that Mr. Bush embraced as president." Glassman image from article.

Internal Criticism for Bureau of African [Affairs]: Terror Free Somalia Foundation: "While most advocates for African issues and pundits were focused on other things such as the visit to Africa by Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, and a comprehensive policy review towards Sudan - an internal investigation by the State Department into the Bureau of African Affairs revealed some unique and chilling remarks. What did this report reveal about what the Bureau that will be dealing with what will be the next test for US foreign policy? This department is underfunded, becoming understaffed, burdened with demands, and has a public diplomacy program that, in the words of the report, is 'failed', and has questions regarding the priorities of long term planning."

What is my last research paper about? - Publicado Por Capricornio, Infinito.Cero: "In my last post I spoke about a research paper that has just appeared at Elcano Royal Institute.

The paper for the moment is only in Spanish, but here you have an abstract in English. Abstract[:] The research paper has two parts: … The second part presents how public diplomacy is articulated through the federal structures, the different views of each head and change and continuity from Bush to Obama." Image from

NATO publishes new policy - eurosceptic.wordpress.com: "The North Atlantic Council decided on 31 August 2009 to make public a new strategic policy for preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and defending against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats. … The new document highlights 'strategic enablers' that will allow the Alliance to prevent the proliferation of WMD, protect against a WMD attack, and recover should an attack take place. These enablers consist of intelligence and information sharing, international outreach and partner activities, as well as public diplomacy and strategic communication."

The Public Chamber of Russia reproached Georgia “failed policies” - Business News: "Recall, public officials, arrived in Georgia at the invitation of co-chair the Joint Commission for Assistance to overcome the effects of armed conflict in the Caucasus, President of Media Holding 'Georgian Times' Malkhaz Gulashvili. The report of the Public Chamber notes that in the political isolation of the two states, which set in after August 2008, public diplomacy has remained almost the only effective instrument for maintaining contacts between countries, and to hinder the development of civil relations – an extremely inefficient and short-sighted policy." Image from

Verden er et annet sted [The world is a different place; Google translation] - Eirik Bergesens kommunikasjonsblogg: "Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been far, far better to inform. Perhaps the Foreign Ministry can help the media better. Places the 'current developments' have run amok? Some things that can replace obesity focus in each case, the election campaign?"

Millennium Arts Salon 2009-2010 authentic contemporary artProgram Season — It’s All About Art: Celebrating 10 Years: "Now entering its tenth year, Millennium Arts Salon is honored to kick off its 2009-2010 program season on Friday, September 11, 4pm at the Ethiopian Embassy. … Featured speakers this season include His Excellency Wondimu Assemnew, Public Diplomacy Officer for Ethiopia, international artist Wosene, and renowned collector of African American art, Dr. Walter O. Evans, among others." Image from

Understanding and Engaging "Now Media" professional development course - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "The professional development course 'Understanding and Engaging Now Media' examines the convergence of 'new media' and 'old media' into 'now media' with the purpose of educating and empowering the student to be a more effective information actor. … Matt Armstrong, will teach this course over three consecutive evenings, 6p-9p on November 10, 11, and 12 in Alexandria, VA. … Who Should Take This Course Practitioners and leaders engaged in information-based activities, from public affairs to public diplomacy and strategic communication, in need of better understanding and capabilities on the world of 'now media.'”

Commonwealth and La Trobe University, Australia, Equity Scholarships, 2010 – International Scholarships & Financial Aid Positions: "NDAYISHIMIYE on September 3rd, 2009 10:16 am Dear, i am from Rwanda i have achieved first degree in Law faculty so then i am seeking a scholarship please let me benefit that opportunity and i want to continous in law faculty or public diplomacy in 2010."

The Nexus Of Evil: Part Seven (A Pre-emptive Strike On Humanity) - Philip Jones, The Righteous Alliance: "Under National Security Directive 3, signed by President Reagan in 1982, the then Vice President George Bush Snr. was given charge of the entire global covert action program. It was Bush’s Special Situation Group (SSG), and Crisis Pre-Planning Group (CPPG), at the White House, that employed Oliver North, Richard Secord, 'Public Diplomacy' head Walter Raymond, and the entire Iran-Contra operators. Throughout the 1980s, the Afghan War was the largest single program under this Bush chain of command."

RELATED ITEMS

Travel Promotion Act Of 2009 Could Have Unintended Consequences - News Release, European Union: Delegation of the European Commission to the USA: Ambassador John Bruton, Head of the European Commission Delegation to the United States, issued the following statement today to reiterate European concerns about the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 pending before Congress:

"Europeans are alarmed at the proposals in Congress to charge them an additional $10 on top of all the other costs and requirements they must meet, just for the privilege of coming to the US to spend their Euros here as tourists." Courtesy AP. Image from

Obama panders to Islam (again): White House Ramadan party misses the point – Editorial, Washington Times: Mr. Obama is engaged in what the White House calls an "on-going dialogue with Muslim communities," but the outreach may not be working. According to data released in July by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland, when asked if they had confidence in Mr. Obama to do the right thing regarding world affairs, 57 percent of Iraqis said no, as did 60 percent of Egyptians, 62 percent of Pakistanis and 67 percent of Palestinians. Mr. Obama got better marks in more secularized countries with Muslim majorities, such as Turkey, where 46 percent said they lacked confidence, and Indonesia, where just 31 percent responded negatively. But that is nothing like the 88 percent positive response Mr. Obama got in France or his 95 percent nod in Kenya.

Arab Network Visits Harris County Jail - My Fox Houston: HOUSTON - Outrage was sparked Thursday after the Arab network Al Jazeera English was allowed into the Harris County Jail. A jail spokesperson tells us the Arab network was allowed in just like any other media outlet. The spokesperson says members of the Harris County Republican Party have been flooding their dispatch line. The Harris County Republican Party says Al Jazeera is a propaganda tool for terrorists.

Foreign reporters and the risks they run: Journalists sometimes need to make dangerous decisions in order to cover events in repressive regimes that fear independent voices threaten their rule and reputations - Jean-Francois Julliard, Los Angeles Times: Taking risks in order to raise awareness and hold governments accountable for their actions is something journalists have to do if we, the public, hope to have any real knowledge about the day-to-day lives of millions of people around the globe.

Afghanistan Is Not 'Obama's War': Republicans should never do to President Obama what many Democrats did to President Bush - Dan Senor and Peter Wehner, Wall Street Journal:


The war in Afghanistan is a crucial part of America's broader struggle against militant Islam. If we were to fail in Afghanistan, it would have calamitous consequences for both Pakistan and American credibility. … We do believe … that Republicans should resist the reflex that all opposition parties have, which is to oppose the stands of a president of the other party because he is a member of the other party. In this instance, President Obama has acted in a way that advances America's national security interests and its deepest values. Image from

In Afghanistan, No Choice but to Try - Michael Gerson, Washington Post: America is not without advantages in this fight. The people of Afghanistan know what it is like to live under the Taliban, and there is no evidence they want to go back to it. Afghan consent for the American presence in their country, according to polls, is resilient and sustained. It is not a serious strategy to speak with airy vagueness about how it will all work out if we retreat. It is a fantasy world of our own unmaking.

Time for a strategic retreat?: Targeting insurgents from offshore is an option - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times: At this point, Mr. Obama's principal Afghan concern should be the future of NATO. Failure in Afghanistan would strip history's greatest alliance of any credibility. Withdrawal would trigger a victorious war dance by would-be jihadis throughout the Muslim world. Image from

One Way Or Another, Leaving Iraq - George F. Will, Washington Post: After almost 6 1/2 years, and 4,327 American dead and 31,483 wounded, with a war spiraling downward in Afghanistan, it would be indefensible for the U.S. military -- overextended and in need of materiel repair and mental recuperation -- to loiter in Iraq to improve the instincts of corrupt elites.

U.S. Lifts Almost All Curbs on Family Visits to Cuba- Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

Power of Propaganda: Rape of Nanking – McAlpine, The Soul of Japan: “Propaganda is the deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist.” This essay will discuss propaganda as the powerful war weapon used by the Chinese to reign in western sympathy and support against Japan. Image from

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"The President is going to deliver his speech to the nation's schoolchildren next Tuesday.

It will be about how if you study hard, you can become the most popular person in the world for eight months, then suddenly, not so much."

--Jimmy Fallon, cited in Political Bulletin, U.S. News & World Report; image from