November 29

“The turning of the priest toward the people has turned the community into a self-enclosed circle. In its outward form, it no longer opens out on what lies ahead and above, but is closed in on itself.”

--Pope Benedict XVI (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger); image from

BELOW IMAGES

World monuments (World Monuments Fund) - Los Angeles Times: "In an effort to preserve cultural sites around the world, the World Monuments Fund releases a list of endangered sites every two years.

This year's list includes 93 sites drawn from 47 countries, from well-known attractions to obscure ruins. Here are the spots from the list that sparked our interest, including some that you may want to visit. In the first part of this two-part series, we shared our picks in the Americas. Now we give you our picks from the rest of the world." Historic Center of Craco, Craco, Italy

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Going viral ain’t easy – Efe, Reaching the Public: "I have been pondering about the impacts of internet communication, Web 2.0 in specific, on nation branding and public diplomacy. A friend of mine and I have decided to launch a Web 2.0 campaign for Turkey’s nation branding. We have started working on our project proposal around May 2009. I have been working on the issue for around 6 months. There is a great literature on the subject. Dr. Craig Hayden of American University discusses Web 2.0 and Public Diplomacy in his blog post Soft Power and the Open-Source Ethics of Public Diplomacy 2.0 which practically gives you an idea about the discussion."

End-of-November Roundup - Jason Gillikin, A Mild Voice of Reason: "I recently finished Natan Sharansky’s The Case for Democracy. The first two-thirds were a fascinating insight into the political possibilities of linking human rights to public diplomacy.

I can see why this book was so influential among the neocons during the Bush administration. Yet the final one-third disappointed; it was basically Sharansky saying, 'Pfft, the morons didn’t listen to me and so the chance for Middle East peace was lost.' Nevertheless, it was a book worth reading and thinking about." Rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras, Ifugao, Philippines

Diplomacy expert to speak at Madonna - Livonia Observer - ‎ "Madonna University will host a Corporate Roundtable event called Success in the Global Market 6-8 p.m. Wednesday. Guest speaker Cari Guittard, executive director of Business for Diplomatic Action, will discuss the impact of the United States' overseas image on business profits in Michigan. She also will suggest ways to improve the international climate for business and trade. Guittard, former special assistant to the under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, was named one of San Francisco Magazine's Hot 20 Under 40. She has addressed audiences throughout the world, speaking on issues ranging from public diplomacy and international affairs to crisis communications and national security."

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

The impact of Obama's Asia tour - Masum Billah, The New Nation, Bangladesh: "Barrack Obama's first Asian trip as president included Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea but not Indonesia where he spent four years of his life. He continued on his first official state visit to Asia to meet the leaders of this region to discuss a variety of topics including American foreign policy and the world economy.

He was drawing on personal experience and family roots in Asia to convey during the trip that he is intent on engaging deeply in the region. But he will need to marshal all his skills in cultural diplomacy to rebuild the U.S. position in a region that Washington has neglected in recent years as China has grown in influence." Lietava Castle, Lietava, Slovakia

Congressman Payne, Modern Politician or Neo-Colonial Martinet? - Ahmed M.I. Egal, Awdalnews Networks: "I have just read the Press Release issued by Congressman Donald Payne entitled 'Somalia: Abusive Behavior in Puntland' dated 21 November 2009, in which Congressman Payne roundly berates the government of Puntland for their treatment of ONLF prisoners in their custody. ... Congressman Payne clearly believes that he has the right, the authority and the power to demand immediate, total and unquestioning compliance by Somali authorities to bend to his will. ... He is acting like a martinet of the colonial era, rather than a seasoned politician with experience of international politics and the nuanced etiquette of cross-cultural diplomacy."

"Extremely Hungary" cultural season in New York a success, says minister - MTI: "Hungary's cultural season in the United States ended with success, scoring points as the most comprehensive programme in Hungarian cultural diplomacy ever, Culture Minister Istvan Hiller told MTI on Sunday, US time.

The series of events dubbed Extremely Hungary, organised by the Hungarian Cultural Centre in New York, were running on a three-year budget of 700 million forints (EUR 2.6m), funding well spent on the best of contemporary productions in music, literature, fine arts, dance and film, Hiller said. The programme's benefits were threefold: it has won further future cooperation between the institutions involved, improved the country image and earned a good press coverage for Hungary and Hungarian culture, he added." Aghjots Monastery, Garni Village, Armenia

Chinese & Swiss artists present new media art - Zhang Ning, CCTV: "[A]perfect example of cultural diplomacy that's worth taking a few photos of [--]Chinese and Swiss artists have united in a transnational presentation of new media art at an newly-opened exhibition at the National Art Museum of China in Beijing. 'Time Lapse' unveils the cultural sensibilities of the artists through the formal expression of technology."

RELATED ITEMS

The Afghan decision: President Obama must convince the world that he himself is convinced - Editorial, Washington Post:

If he now is to propose going forward with a campaign to defeat the Taliban and stabilize the country, Mr. Obama needs to make the case strongly for why it is needed and how it can work. Both Americans and Afghans wonder whether the president believes in the war and has the will to win it. Wonderwerk Cave, Ga-Segonyana/Kuruman, South Africa

After Cheney - James Traub, New York Times: Obama is pulled both toward the grand project — as in the campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons — and toward the chastened recalibration, as evident in the reined-in language on democracy promotion. The tension falls between the extreme ambitiousness of the goals and the caution required to achieve them — a sense of prudence born in no small part of the failure of George W. Bush’s transformative schemes.

94 DAYS: Was Obama dithering or decisive? – Washington Post: On Tuesday night at West Point, President Obama will finally announce his new strategy for Afghanistan.

In recent weeks, however, the debate has centered less on what the president will decide and more on how long it's taken him to decide it. Has Obama dithered, as Dick Cheney charges, or has he deliberated appropriately? Tam Ting caves, Laos

A war by another means: Current strategy is miscast for mission, forces - F. Andy Messing and Kevin Dobiles, Washington Times: The conflict in Afghanistan really is a narco-guerrilla irregular war requiring special and custom elements, not a mislabeled "anti-terrorist or unconventional" fight in which conventional forces as such can be used.

Undermining Afghan health care - Leonard S. Rubenstein and William Newbrander, Washington Post: If the Obama administration is serious about supporting the emergence of a legitimate Afghan state and meeting the needs of people who have suffered for decades, it should not confuse health policy with military strategy.

The United States should maintain its commitment to proven approaches in Afghan health care and support the Ministry of Public Health's plans for expanding primary care and hospital services. Washington can continue to fund critical health services in areas of conflict. Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain

Benchmarks in Wartime: As Reliable as Promises - Steven Lee Myers, New York Times: The window for the United States to nurture Iraq’s democratic institutions — the Parliament, government ministries, political parties, independent courts — as the route for resolving disputes is rapidly closing.

America vs. The Narrative - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: The Narrative is the cocktail of half-truths, propaganda and outright lies about America that have taken hold in the Arab-Muslim world since 9/11.

Propagated by jihadist Web sites, mosque preachers, Arab intellectuals, satellite news stations and books — and tacitly endorsed by some Arab regimes — this narrative posits that America has declared war on Islam, as part of a grand “American-Crusader-Zionist conspiracy” to keep Muslims down. Carlisle Memorial Methodist Church, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Terrorism trial in New York carries few risks for government: The federal court system is stacked against terrorism defendants, making the trial a safe bet for the Obama administration. But justice would be better served by being honest about tainted evidence - Petra Bartosiewicz, latimes.com: What promises to be the biggest terrorism trial in U.S. history likely will be neither the civil liberties victory its proponents claim nor the terrorist propaganda opportunity its critics fear.

It is actually a safe choice for the Obama administration. This is because in recent years, the federal court system has been effectively retrofitted to all but ensure guilty verdicts in terrorism-related cases. Jesuit Missions of Chiquitos, Santa Cruz department, Bolivia

The case against military tribunals: It's a violation of the Constitution to use the panels without a declaration of war -- and just calling it a 'war' on terror doesn't count - Andrew P. Napolitano, latimes.com

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"As Matthew Parris pointed out in The Times, the NATO mission in Afghanistan is a semantic nightmare: 'agent for change'; 'assymetric means of operations'; 'capacity building'; 'conditionality demand reduction';

'injectors of risk'; 'kinetic situation'; 'licit livelihood'; 'light footprint'; 'partnering and mentoring'; 'reconciliation and reintegration'; 'rolling out a touchdown approach'; 'upskilling'. Today's soldiers (or 'stability enablers' as NATO prefers to call them) are lost in jargon."

--Christopher Coker, Times Literary Supplement (November 20, 2009), p. 24; image from