November 24

"Hope is fading"

--Caption in Boing Boing for above image

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Toward a Smart Alliance: The ROK-US Relationship after President Obama's Asia Trip - Chaesung Chun - Asia Security Initiative News & Blog (blog) - "President Obama’s recent Asia trip has certainly attracted the minds of many people in Asia with his concepts of strong 'partnership,' and a positive-sum Asian future, as expressed in his address at the Suntory Hall, Japan. As the communication power of a network becomes more important in 21st century international politics, President Obama’s Asia trip means a lot with his efforts for public diplomacy. Putting aside images and metaphors, the strategic orientation of the United States’ East Asia strategy still needs to be more specified."

Special Briefing on Secretary Clinton's Recent Trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan: Richard Holbrooke Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan , Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Washington, DC November 23, 2009 - US Department of State: Holbrooke: “Now, on Pakistan – we haven’t met in this room on Pakistan since she returned – I have traveled with and watched many secretaries of state.

I have never seen a Secretary of State have a trip in which the public diplomacy part of it was more extraordinary than this trip. Everywhere that she went, she was greeted as an iconic person, but then hit very aggressively on issues. And she just kept taking the questions and making an extraordinary impact on the Pakistani people. ... [W]e’re talking about how to improve our economic assistance and to help the overall – the people of Pakistan in their major needs like energy and water. Water came up more than any other issue on the trip, even more than energy, and we took that very seriously. And our NGO officer, Ronan Farrow, who is not here right now, is – was working on the water NGO issue, because expertise on water is much greater in the private sector. All of this is going to complement our new public diplomacy effort, which Judith McHale and Ashley Bommer are jointly spearheading. And we hope that the Pakistani people will recognize our deep respect for their sovereignty and our deep commitment to help them deal with the pressing problems they face.” Holbrooke/Clinton image from

Holbrooke briefs ahead of Obama Afghan war council powwow – Laura Rozen, Politico: "In his comments today, Holbrooke notably talked up his boss Clinton. ... 'Clinton was treated as an iconic person' throughout Pakistan, Holbrooke said. Watching the 68 year old Holbrooke talk up his boss and the civilian effort in Afghanistan and Pakistan, it wasn’t hard to imagine that this may not be his last job in the government after all. See also.

First Round Bust? – James Gundun, The Trench: "Holbrooke assumed a public face in Pakistan, an ambassador more than a peace broker between nations or factions. And public diplomacy isn’t Holbrooke’s strongest suit. Holbrooke got off to a rocky start at his first press conference and didn’t looked back. The 'Bulldog'

is criticized for battling the Pakistani media, ignoring the region’s history, and leading high-ranking Pakistani figures around like a viceroy. He might be a wizard behind the curtain, but he’s hurting America’s public image. Holbrooke is disliked simply because he's American, but he certainly hasn't recast himself or America's profile." See also. Image from

Voice of America expands audience: Latin America becomes a focus as leaders there criticize U.S. - Juan O. Tamayo, Washington Post: Facing a group of presidents loudly critical of Washington, the U.S. government's Voice of America broadcast is expanding its audience in Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, VOA officials said.

100,000 American Students to China? - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "According to a US-Chinese communiqué, the two governments agreed 'in principle to establish a new bilateral mechanism to facilitate these (student) exchanges.'

The communiqué also states that the US 'seeks to encourage more Americans to study in China by launching a new initiative to send 100,000 students to China over the coming four years.' Presumably this would occur under the rubric of the US-Chinese Cultural Agreement to be renegotiated in 2010 - although the communiqué itself does not so state." Image from

UI 4th overall in 2008-09 for hosting of foreign students - Tom Kacich, Urbana/Champaign News-Gazette: "‎The University of Illinois' Urbana campus continues to host more international students than all but three other universities in the nation, according to the Institute of International Education. The UI is No. 1 among public universities. ... 'I am delighted to see the large increase in the number of international students who are choosing to study in the United States,' said Judith McHale, Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. 'The all-time high number of international students who studied here in the 2008-09 academic year testifies to the quality and diversity for which American higher education is known around the world.'"

The White House's new spinmeister: Hong Kong Hefner - Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy: "Ben Chang is one Obama administration official known by many names.

By day, he spins news as the deputy spokesman for the National Security Council. By night -- or at least before the weight of his current job responsibilities made doing so impossible -- he spins records as DJ MSG, also known as Hong Kong Hefner, a disc jockey and fashion photographer extraordinaire. ... Chang has amassed 13-plus years in the Foreign Service, including diplomatic assignments in El Salvador, at the State Department in Washington, in Paris at the U.S. Mission to the OECD, and in New York at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, according to his Web site." Courtesy MP. Chang image from article

US Department of State Launches Second Annual ExchangesConnect Video Contest to Amplify U.S. Public Diplomacy: "Change Your Climate, Change Our World" - press release, SYS-CON Media. Below image from


Democracy is... – Paul Rockower, Levantine: "Some videos created by the Public Diplomacy 504 class for their 'Democracy is...' contest."

Idea of the Day: Provide Better Coordination for U.S. Public Diplomacy Work – Center for American Progress: "Our ability to communicate U.S. objectives to countries around the world is supported by our public diplomacy efforts. These programs include communications initiatives such as the Voice of America, exchange efforts such as the Fulbright fellowships, and direct work by the State Department’s public diplomacy officers. The U.S. National Strategy for Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication guides public diplomacy in the State Department. The State Department must have a clear plan for meeting the U.S. government’s overall strategic communication objectives just as the new Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review will outline the strategies and tools that our diplomats should use to meet the goals of the President’s National Security Strategy."

Cultural Diplomacy and the Muslim World: What's Old is New Again - James Ketterer, Global Engagement: "Earlier this fall the Brookings Institution published a report titled 'A New Way Forward: Encouraging Greater Cultural Engagement with the Muslim World,' by Cynthia Schneider (who certainly has the qualifications to write about this topic as an art historian, former ambassador to the Hague, professor of culture and diplomacy at Georgetown and fellow at Brookings). ... In an era in which the U.S. presence in the Muslim world is underscored by extended military engagement(s), the reminder that cultural diplomacy can and should be part of the mix is a welcome change in tone and substance. ... But it is hard to read the Brookings report and not come to two overarching conclusions: The U.S. needs to shore up domestic support for the arts of all types and at all levels. ... 2. Why did we ever think it was a good idea to abolish USIA? Nearly all of the recommendations, in one form or another, were once part and parcel of the day-today work of that agency and it attracted and trained many experts in cultural diplomacy." Below Schneider image from



Cynthia Schneider on Cultural Diplomacy, including the surprising spread of "Idol" TV - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "Cynthia gets it. Public diplomacy is about more than direct engagement and building relationships. The tactical desire to focus on the immediate payback of our policies blinds us to the slow yet enduring benefits of indirect empowerment of others."

Meta-Purposes & Why Measurements of Public Diplomacy are Usually Flawed - John Matel, World-Wide-Matell: "Did I waste my time having tea with this old lady [Eva Sopher who ran the Theatro São Pedro in Porto Alegre]? I would be hard-pressed to show a concrete public diplomacy outcome from having her as a friend and having the Consulate reach out to her and ensconcing us as an honorary part of her community. ... If you measure effectiveness by number of people who received a message, you have problems."

Digital, with a Note on Public Diplomacy – John Brown, Notes and Essays: "Food for thought for persons practicing public diplomacy, the much-needed presentation and representation of the United States abroad by its diplomats. Digital images, no matter how 'advanced,' and especially as how they appear on television (and on the Internet as well), can never substitute for the reality of our -- we Americans, and others interacting with us Americans -- seeing the human face, under the common light we all live and love in, in all its miraculous imperfections, of sensing the human presence, in all its all-too-human reality." See also John Brown, “‘A Boot Stamping on a Human Face’: Orwell’s 1984 as a Process of Defacement,” English [Journal for Russian Teachers of English], No. 15 (1-15 August) 2005, p. 33-35]; also on line at.

Fisher's Public Diplomacy - zoestath, Group3SIS640: "The Ali Fisher article on Open Source Diplomacy provided innovative insight into the various types of diplomacy, namely cathedral and bazaar.

Fisher presented the objectives of Open Source Diplomacy as creative and comprehensive, geared towards achieving cooperation and conflict resolution. The factors for success that Fisher outlines, namely creating a genuine partnership among parties and incorporating civil society into decision making, reminds me of the radio show 'Talk of the Island.' This program is based in Cyprus and acts as a forum for both Cypriot communities to discuss their grievances and future resolution plans. Like Greenpeace, this organization is successful because it offers civil society the chance to become actively involved in public diplomacy and government actions. This program reflects the idea of Bazaar diplomacy by spreading information and suggestions through technology, and challenging traditional political authority; it provides 'an environment for new public diplomacy.' It seems that Bazaar Diplomacy has become the prominent form of diplomacy in our increasingly interconnected world." Image from

The Cold War and the U.S. Information Agency: American Propaganda and Public Diplomacy, 1945 – 1989 [review of Nicholas Cull, The Cold War and the U.S. Information Agency: American Propaganda and Public Diplomacy, 1945 – 1989, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 2009 Paperback edition, ISBN 13:9780521142830, 580 pp., $36.99] - Michael Schneider, American Diplomacy: "Nick Cull has written a masterful history of USIA and U. S. public diplomacy. Cull combines encyclopedic archival research with wide-ranging interviews to document the evolution of the Agency. His book exhibits keen understanding of leadership and bureaucracy and sensitivity to the personalities who led USIA over the past half-century. ... Appropriately, Cull ends his narrative with the end of the Cold War and the Reagan/Wick era. The author is an understanding chronicler of USIA and sympathetic in the main to its mission of public diplomacy. The Cold War and the United States Information Agency is the necessary reference source for anyone who wants to delve more deeply into USIA, its leadership, its professionals and varied programs, and to consider the challenges and the promise of public diplomacy today."

Japanese Amb[a]ssador Speaks – Kirk, History Matters: "Japan's Ambassador to the U.S., Ichiro Fujisaki addressed a packed conference hall at lunchtime today. He displayed some impressive public diplomacy skills, skills that are amazingly in all too short of supply among the ranks of the diplomatic corps.

He was quick to insert comments about BYU beating Air Force (complete with a rueful worry that perhaps Japan's trust in the USAF is misplaced), Real Salt Lake's soccer victory, BYU's religious climate, Mormon missionaries, and on and on." Fujsaki image from

Iran Report - Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, World Association of International Studies: "On the day prior to my departure [from Iran], I managed to get an interview with Ahmadinejad’s senior advisor, Mashai. Ahmadinejad had selected him to be his Vice President but his decision had been forcefully rejected. The meeting was very brief (only about 20 minutes), as he had to go to other meetings prior to their trip the next day to Brazil. I was interested in their perspective on the role of media in the elections. All the media in the West had been dedicated to the opposition. Given my master’s in public diplomacy (propaganda) and the role of media, and my future plans, I think one has to hear both sides."

Team Philippines-Germany Updates Consular Handbook - Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines:

"Consular officials of Team Philippines-Germany met in Essen, Germany on November 15 to update the 1997 Consular Handbook of Germany. The Meeting is part of the work program of Team Philippines-Germany to enhance its public diplomacy towards strengthening bilateral relations between the Philippines and Germany." Image from

Certificates presented to participants of Advanced Foreign Service Program of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy - APA: "Advanced Foreign Service Program of Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy (ADA) has held six-month training for the diplomats of Foreign Ministry and 24 civil servants representing other state bodies (State Customs Committee, State Oil Company, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Culture and Tourism Ministry, Ministry of Economic Development). ADA told APA that the program covered five areas (international affairs, international economy and trade, consulate affairs, public diplomacy, leadership and communication abilities and regional studies)."

The Career of a Diplomat - bizman, Sorlenade: "An individual who is assigned the job of representing his/her government in relations with other countries is known as a diplomat. Diplomats are also known as Foreign Service Officers. Visa issuance and provision of reports concerning diplomatic issues are additional duties carried out by a diplomat. Depending on the country, a diplomat can serve for between two and four years.

To succeed as a diplomat an individual should be able to communicate and express him/herself effectively. ... There are five major career tracks in diplomacy. They are Economic, Political, Consular, Public Diplomacy and Management. It is the duty of an individual to appraise and select a career track based on one’s preferences and interest to become a diplomat." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Obama's Afghanistan strategy must be more than more troops: A plan that doesn't also deal with the Karzai problem and economic development is doomed to failure – Editorial,latimes.com: No wonder it's taking President Obama so long to make up his mind on Afghanistan. The more we examine his options, the less we like any of them.

Obey's Afghan War Surtax: The real liberal objection to the war on terror is that it takes away from domestic spending priorities like ObamaCare – Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal

Obama in His Labyrinth - Roger Cohen, New York Times:

“He reminds me of a chess grandmaster who has played his opening in six simultaneous games,” Henry Kissinger said regarding Obama “But he hasn’t completed a single game and I’d like to see him finish one.” The great battle of the 21st century is going to be between free-market democracies and free-market authoritarian systems. America’s position in that struggle has to be clear if Obama’s simultaneous grandmaster openings are to produce victories. Image from

Security compromised - Frank J. Gaffney Jr., Washington Times: What is beyond dispute is the cumulative effect of the application worldwide of the Obama doctrine -- emboldening our enemies, undermining our allies and diminishing our country: Team Obama is making it much more difficult to defend our vital interests and the security of our people, even as its actions encourage the emergence and intensification of threats to both.

The right debates the war - Tony Blankley, Washington Times:

Everything the president and his top aides have said and done makes it implausible that he will find within himself the zest to be a willful war leader. And I refuse to bet the lives of perhaps thousands of our troops against that likelihood. Nor do I think it is worth paying that butcher bill just to be able to subsequently hold him accountable. Image from

Superpower without a partner - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post: Global military and security thus look set to remain in the hands of the United States, whether the United States wants it or not. Halfway through his presidency, George W. Bush found he had to drop unilateralism in favor of diplomacy. Now one wonders: At some point in his presidency, will Obama find he has to drop diplomacy in favor of unilateralism, too?

The missing Obama - Richard Cohen, Washington Post:

As president Obama has tried so hard to be the un-George Bush that the former president's overweening moralism -- his insistence on seeing things as either black or white -- has become an Obama gray. Human rights in general has been treated as if it's a Republican idea. Image from

Gitmo terror suspects to use court for propaganda - Eric Holder, Examiner.com

Hate Radio: The long, toxic afterlife of Nazi propaganda in the Arab world - Jeffrey Herf, The Chronicle of Higher Education November 22, 2009: Between 1939 and 1945, shortwave radio transmitters near Berlin broadcast Nazi propaganda in many languages around the world, including Arabic throughout the Middle East and North Africa, and Persian programs in Iran.

English-language transcripts of the Arabic broadcasts shed light on a particularly dark chapter in the globalization of pernicious ideas. The transcripts' significance, however, is not purely historical. Since September 11, 2001, scholars have debated the lineages, similarities, and differences between Nazi anti-Semitism and the anti-Semitism of Islamic extremists. These radio broadcasts suggest that Nazi Arabic-language propaganda helped introduce radical anti-Semitism into the Middle East, where it found common ground with anti-Jewish currents in Islam. Image from