"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near."
--Sun Tzu, "The Art of War"; image from
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Given our fast-moving information environment, I'll now be updating, whenever possible, daily PDPBRs throughout the day they are posted. So, needless to say, feel free to click on this site more than once a day!
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Remarks to Vilnius University Judith A. McHale Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Vilnius, Lithuania December 11, 2009 - U.S. Department of State: "Th[e] rapid evolution – or, more accurately, revolution – in global communications has thrust what we call public diplomacy to the center of international relations. We have moved from a paradigm of diplomacy as government-to-government interactions, to one of government-to-people and people-to-people. We are fortunate in the United States that we have a President and Secretary of State who are committed to engagement with the people of the world, and restoring the kind of leadership based on the democratic values and two-way communication that has made the United States a force for global progress for so much of our history. They recognize public diplomacy as an essential ingredient of 21st century statecraft. Whether we are strengthening old alliances such as our relationship with your country, forging new partnerships to meet complex global challenges, engaging with citizens and civil society, or charting new strategies in Afghanistan and Pakistan, we know our national interests depend on effective engagement and innovative public diplomacy. ... What I find inspiring about President Obama and Secretary Clinton’s approach to communication is that they do not presume to know what is on the minds of people they talk to--they ask. The result, I believe, is increased mutual understanding and a basis for continuing dialogue and--even more importantly--partnership and collaboration on addressing issues such as economic development, democracy, and corruption. The goal of this kind of person-to-person engagement is to form lasting relationships. In a crowded media environment, our relationships offer a way to break through the clutter."
Obama's First Year: A Nobel Effort - Derek Shearer, Huffington Post: "There is no doubt that President Obama and his team have reengaged with the world -- and the world seems to appreciate it, if one can judge by recent global opinion polls.
He has sent special envoys to trouble spots around the globe to look, listen and engage. He and Secretary of State Clinton have set records for foreign travel -- holding meetings with world leaders and also speaking directly to the world's populace through televised speeches and active public diplomacy, utilizing every means from town hall meetings to talk shows to Twitter and Facebook. It is this energetic outreach that the Nobel committee cited in announcing the award." Image from
To the Arab world, Obama's Nobel leaves something to be desired: The president appears to be following a well-worn and feckless American diplomatic path that discoun ts the Palestinian point of view - Scott MacLeod, latimes.com: "To effectively encourage the parties to reach a fair and just agreement acceptable to a majority of Israelis and Palestinians, Obama needs to show leadership and become an honest broker. That must include an effort to finally understand the world as Palestinians experience it."
Turkey and Israel: Ends and Beginnings - Kerem Oktem, ISN: "Barack Obama has not yet made a big departure from the middle-eastern policy of George W Bush and many other of his predecessors (especially its pro-Israel bias), and he may never do so. Yet his administration has reframed its terms of engagement in the area: instead of confrontation with Russia, Iran and Syria, and reckless support for mavericks like Georgia’s Mikheil Sakaashvili, the United States has chosen to return to public diplomacy and a more calibrated interaction. … There is a significant overlap between the US administration’s 'smart' regional policy and classic European modes of engagement with [Turkish Foreign Minister] Ahmet Davutoglu’s
concept of 'strategic depth', involving the use of 'soft power' in Turkey’s historical area of influence. Davutoglu’s approach, though dismissed by some as imperialist 'neo-Ottomanism', well fits European and now US foreign-policy approaches: promoting good neighbourly relations founded on pro-active but not maximalist positions, and encouraging free trade in goods and services." Davutoglu image from
FY 2010 Consolidated Appropriations Bill: State, Foreign Operations Summary – Press Room, appropriations.senate.gov
The Abolition of USIA and Its Effects on US Public Diplomacy – Heritage Foundation video of panel held Devember 9.
Recent Report Says that U.S. Muslims Purposely Stigmatized - Law Shopper, buckbuckley.com:
"The Center for Global Research recently released an interesting report about the purposeful negative stereotypes against Muslims in mass media. The snooping of 100 Muslim related sites such as mosques and Islamic centers wasn’t designed to protect the country from dirty bombs but to stigmatize Muslims as dangerous and subversive. The message is, 'don’t be around Muslims, don’t live near them, and don’t associate with them.' CNN was named as a branch of the 4th Army PSYOPS department which is considered to be staffed by the National Security Council’s Office of Public Diplomacy (OPD). According to the Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting Agency one division of the PSYOPS has been closed since the Iran-Contra Scandal but the 4th Division is still working unhindered. Furthermore, the agency reports that military officials were working within CNN and were pushing for a more comprehensive program that would control complete satellite networks during times of adversity." Image from
The media and the most recent demonstrations in Iran - Kim Andrew Elliott discussing International Broadcasting and Public Diplomacy: Mention of VOA and Radio Farda
US Envoy looks back to Qatar's future - David Lepeska, The National, Abu Dhabi: "[A]half dozen Qatari officials travelled to Washington, DC, this week to meet with urban planners and policymakers.
Organised by the US Embassy, the Smart Infrastructure Leaders’ trip is the sort of public diplomacy that Barack Obama envisioned in his widely praised speech in Cairo last June." Image from
Carving the Path for Muslim-Jewish Dialogue - Akbar Ahmed and Judea Pearl, :: MUSLIM DIALOGUE :: Dialogue, Tolerance, Understanding: "We would like to share with readers a few encouraging observations from a modest dialogue program, the Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding featuring Akbar Ahmed and Judea Pearl, which has both prepared an atmosphere of acceptance for dialogue in the service of public diplomacy, and also set the stage for the next phase of conversation. Over the past two years–through public appearances, community discussions, and extensive touring within and outside the United States–we have been involved in a dialogue between Muslims and Jews. These are two communities whose grievances reflect and accentuate many of the issues and difficulties that American public diplomacy is facing abroad. We initiated this program out of conviction that dialogue between Jews and Muslims is a necessary step toward easing world tension. Looking back on our experience in 10 American and foreign cities, we can identify a set of core issues that stand at the highest priority of our respective communities."
NATO engages with Bloggers for first Briefing - Matt Wardman, Online Journalism Blog (blog): "At the start of this week, Dave Cole of the Atlantic Council of the UK organised the first visit to NATO Headquarters for bloggers. ...
The visit was under the auspices of Dr Stephanie Babst, NATO’s Assistant Deputy Secretary General for Public Diplomacy. As others have commented, it is a new departure for an essentially conservative organisation to engage with a field of commentators as varied – and as changeable – as bloggers." Image from
Departmental Publicity - press release DeHavilland: [Entry from Google]: "The FCO had a public diplomacy contract with British Satellite News for 15 years which included filming some ministerial statements and engagements."
Actualités du Moyen-Orient et du Maghreb - le blog elkhadra: "Al-JisrProject was created mainly by the Gulf Research Center in July 2008 and is meant to be a two year project.Al-Jisr Project also holds the name 'Public Diplomacy and Outreach Devoted to the European Union and EUGCCRelations Project.' The project is supported by the European Union.
Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: How the West Won (Part II) By Yale Richmond, Guest Contributor, Whirled View: "Yale Richmond,
a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer and author of 11 books on intercultural communication, worked on U.S.-Soviet cultural and other exchanges for more than 20 years. He delivered the following speech at the Aleksanteri Institute’s 9th Annual Conference 'Cold War Interactions Reconsidered' 29-31 October 2009, University of Helsinki, Finland. This is the second of a two part series. The first part appeared on Thursday, December 3." Richmond image from
Preserving Public Diplomacy - fletcher.tufts.edu: "The National Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with the President’s Committee on Arts and Humanities, the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, has awarded Tufts University Digital Collections & Archives (DCA) one of its Save America’s Treasures grants to help stabilize and preserve 200 reel-to-reel audio tapes from Edward R. Murrow’s 'This I Believe' radio program. The 'This I Believe' recordings (broadcast from 1951 to 1955) must be stabilized and preserved to ensure their deep cultural value is not lost. The Save America’s Treasures grant will provide partial funding for the digitization process, and help ensure these invaluable cultural artifacts can be appreciated by generations to come."
Deconstructing Nicholas Burns - Kaveh L. Afrasiabi, Middle East Online: "[T]he 'Iran team' at Harvard's little game of witts on Iran was led by Gary Sick, a former White House staff-turned-Columbia professor-turned-Ahmadinejad-hater after the recent presidential elections. One can only imagine Sick's personal satisfaction at seeing the horrified reaction of public to the news that the evil Iranians would come out ahead in the months to come, much to the chagrin of helpless Americans led by president Obama, played by a Bush-era leftover, Nicholas Burns, a former undersecretary of state for political affairs who is now 'a reti[r]ed diplomat' and teaching public diplomacy at Harvard, although one would not know that by following Burns's flurry of Iran-bashing activities, ranging from congressional testimonies to numerous public speeches and open mic with the US's media."
Salman Ahmad: Rock and Roll Refugee Relief CPD Conversations in Public Diplomacy: USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Tuesday, January 19, 2010 4:30pm-6:00pm The USC Center on Public Diplomacy is pleased to welcome Salman Ahmad for a conversation on the public diplomacy power of rock and roll.
A medical doctor by training, Ahmad formed Junoon, South Asia's biggest and longest-lasting rock band, in 1990. Ahmad will discuss the success of Junoon, as well as his role as a UN Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and his efforts for peace between Pakistan and India." Ahmad image from article
RELATED ITEMS
Obama Firmly Defends "Just Wars" In Nobel Peace Prize Address – USNewsBulletin [no link]: All three broadcast networks led their Thursday evening newscasts with coverage of President Obama's remarks in Oslo as he accepted the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. The network reports, as well as reports in US and international newspapers, focus on the paradox of the President's delivery of such a speech "just days after ordering 30,000 troops to war," as CBS put it. The President's defense of "just wars" and his humility in accepting the accolade are receiving praise from all sides of the political spectrum here in the US. ABC World News said the President "addressed that contradiction, saying there are times force is necessary, is morally justified in order to achieve peace." The CBS Evening News reported "the recipient, President Obama, is fighting two wars," and "he's not apologizing." The President "said he sees no conflict in accepting the Nobel Peace Prize just days after ordering 30,000 troops to war." NBC Nightly News reported, "The biggest surprise in that acceptance speech for the Peace Prize was his full-throated support for so-called 'just wars.'" The AP says the President "offered a striking defense of war. Eleven months into his presidency, a fresh Obama doctrine. Evil must be vigorously opposed, he declared as he accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on Thursday. At the same time, he made an impassioned case for building a 'just and lasting peace.'" Bloomberg News says Obama accepted the award "by confronting 'the hard truth' that armed conflict is sometimes both necessary and just." The Washington Post reports the President's remarks "offered a lofty, ideological justification" for sending more forces to Afghanistan, "and stood in sharp contrast to the more technical argument he made in favor of escalation last week." The New York Times says the President "delivered a mix of realism and idealism, implicitly criticizing" Dr. King "as inadequately appreciating the dangers of the world, and President George W. Bush as too quick to set aside fundamental American values in pursuit of security. And he embraced the concept of American exceptionalism, the idea that the United States has a special role as a defender of liberty, even as he promoted multilateralism." The Washington Times says the President "delivered remarks that appeared to be aimed at those, particularly in Europe, who long have been critical of American military excursions." Speech Draws Praise From Right And Left: The Christian Science Monitor focuses on the "largely positive, or at least hopeful, tone of reaction across the political spectrum. From conservative former House speaker Newt Gingrich to writers at the liberal Nation magazine, the insta-analyses found hope in Obama's words, either in his justification for the war in Afghanistan or in his ultimate aspiration: to replace war with peace." On ABC World News, George Stephanopoulos said, "Some of his fiercest critics over the last seven months. ... Look at this from Sarah Palin, who has taken him on, on every single issue. She said, 'I like what he said. ... Of course, war is the last thing I believe any American wants to engage in, but it's necessary.'"
Communications are vital - Mary Claire Kendall, Washington Times: Today's war against radical extremism requires what is called Strategic Communications (StratCom),
which Ambassador Richard C. Holbrooke considers the sine qua non of victory, of which IO [Information Operations] is a critical component. StratCom and IO are all about winning what Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, head of the American-led NATO forces in Afghanistan, calls "the important battle of perception" so essential to retaining "the continued support of the Afghan population" he dubs the "operational center of gravity." Gen. McChrystal defined the role of communications and information in great detail in his "Initial Assessment." Image from
The US and the World: as Americans See It - 2009 - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: It seems to me that “US Seen as Less Important, China as More Powerful: Isolationist Sentiment Surges to Four-Decade High” is one of the most interesting of the recent press release cum survey analyses issued by Pew. The seven page media release is intriguing, but it fails to do justice to the report "America's Place in the World 2009" upon which it is based. So let me make a suggestion – at a minimum read the report’s opening chapter and scan the data yourself.
Reading the (Three Cups of) Tea Leaves on the Afghan Strategy - Cynthia P. Schneider, Huffington Post: By focusing so completely on the military strategy in his Afghan strategy speech, and giving the citizens of the United States and Afghanistan so little in the way of hopes and dreams, Obama made his job even more difficult.
The Propaganda Success of the 'Surge' - William Blum, Consortiumnews.com : We should never forget that Iraqi society has been destroyed. But they do have their surge.
The Siren Call Of Tyranny: The hard-left former groupies of totalitarianism keep searching for new murderous ideologies to defend - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal: Strange as it may seem, today's Western "progressives," whose domestic political fixations include gay marriage and abortion rights, nonetheless frequently find themselves making common cause with Muslim fanatics for whom such things are anathema. This seemingly strange affiliation has partly to do with a shared loathing, among radical leftists and radical Islamists, of the U.S. and Israel. But as Revel astutely notes in his 'Last Exit to Utopia", the deeper bond is what he calls the "excommunication of modernity," a mark of the left going back to the primitivist and anti-civilizational musings of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
North Korean artists not welcome, their 'propaganda' is - Gabriella Coslovich - theage.com: Propaganda or ground-breaking work by North Korean artists? Propaganda, says Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith; ground-breaking contemporary art, says the Queensland Art Gallery. As for what the artists themselves think and feel, we will never know. We can see the product of their labour - more than 60 works, ranging from the heroic to the humble are on display at the sixth Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane until April. But the North Korean artists who created the works have been banned from visiting Australia - not by the reclusive North Korean regime, which gave six of them the all-clear to travel to Brisbane, but by the Australian Government. The reason? North Korean nationals are forbidden from visiting Australia because of their country's missile and nuclear weapons programs.
To make an exception for these artists ''would have sent an inappropriate message to the North Korean regime'', says the official statement by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. And then there's the ''incidental'' issue of their art. ''The artists concerned are from a studio that operates under the guidance of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-Il. The studio reportedly produces almost all of the official artworks in North Korea, including works that clearly constitute propaganda,'' the statement says. Image from article: North Korean artist Im Hyok with his work "Break Time" at the Mansudae Art Studio in Pyongyang. Photo: Koryo Studio
Nazi Propaganda For The Arab World - Vadim Rizov, avclub.com: Jeffrey Herf is a history professor primarily interested in the nuts and bolts of the Nazi propaganda machine. Nazi Propaganda For The Arab World is his third book on the subject, building on his interest in “reactionary modernism”—using the most modern technologies of World War II to push its most antiquated and hideously racist notions—and investigations into the archives of Nazi propaganda. Nazi Propaganda is exactly what it sounds like, a deep-digging close reading of the under-studied Nazi courting of Arabs during World War II.
ONLY IN UKRAINE?
Ukrainian student killed by exploding chewing gum - RIA Novosti
A chemistry student from the northern Ukrainian city of Konotop was killed when a stick of chewing gum exploded in his mouth, Ukrainian media reported on Tuesday.
The 25-year-old student of Ukraine's Kiev Polytechnic Institute was working at a computer in his parents' house late on Saturday when the incident occurred.
"A loud pop was heard from the student's room," the ukranews.com portal said, citing an aide to the city's police chief. "When his relatives entered the room they saw that the lower part of the young man's face had been blown off."
A forensic examination established that the chewing gum was covered with an unidentified chemical substance, thought to be some type of explosive material.
Police questioning revealed that the student had a bizarre habit of chewing gum after dunking it into citric acid. On his table, police found both citric acid packets and a similar-looking unidentified substance, believed to be some kind of explosive material.
Investigators believe that the student simply confused the packets, and put the gum, covered with explosive material, into his mouth.
