December 26

"Aughts"

--What, according to Jesse Sheidlower, editor at large of the Oxford English Dictionary, "would be the most likely" name for the past decade, "because it is short"; image from

FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO LIKE AT FRED ASTAIRE MOVIES DURING THE HOLIDAYS

Barack Obama and Fred Astaire: What a Pair!

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Guerrilla Diplomacy: The Revolution in Diplomatic Affairs - Daryl Copeland, World Politics Review:

“Refurbishing diplomacy may be job one for U.S. international policy, but it is also only one job among many. An assessment of whether diplomacy should be situated within the discourse of power -- whether soft, hard, or smart -- rather than influence is also needed. Because as soon as diplomacy, and especially public diplomacy (PD), is framed primarily in the context of power, it immediately becomes instrumental, a tool to be used in order to have your way with others, rather than as a platform for political communication, social interaction, and intercultural contact. ... Think of guerrilla diplomacy as occupying one end of a diplomatic spectrum which features traditional, state-centric diplomacy at the other end, and public diplomacy stretching across the broad middle reaches. Supple, inventive and rapidly adaptive, guerilla diplomacy is a diplomatic business model attuned to the compressed space, accelerated time, and interconnected precincts that characterize globalization.” Image from

Iran, Warmongering, and the New York Times – Ben, dcexile.blogspot.com: "[B]ombing Iranian nuclear sites (and the wider bombing campaign Kuperman invites following the inevitable Iranian retaliation) does not have the benefit of either legality or moral force. ...[A] wider bombing campaign would be vociferously condemned, reviled, and would only further undermine US public diplomacy goals in the developing world. It would also be illegal."

About YES Program - Posted by Susara Yes Alumni Malaysia: "The YES Program evolved out of a generalized recognition that public diplomacy efforts had been neglected in many countries around the world for many years and that the effects of this came into stark focus in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001.

The Educational and Cultural Affairs Bureau of the U.S. Department of State, along with the US exchange community, recognized the importance of youth exchange as a key component of renewed commitment to building bridges between citizens of the U.S. and countries around the world, particularly those with significant Muslim populations."

Dec. 25th Press Review - Gul Marks, ‎Turkish Press: "Deputy Foreign Undersecretary Namik Tan yesterday was appointed Turkey's new ambassador to the US, succeeding Nabi Sensoy. During his long diplomatic career, Tan has served as Foreign Ministry spokesman and Turkey's Ambassador to Israel. He also recently assumed responsibility for coordinating the Foreign Ministry's public diplomacy efforts, a relatively new concept for Turkey. The ministry this week announced a major plan to use public diplomacy as part of Turkey's proactive foreign policy."

Some Of The Parts - Sugata Bose, Outlook: "Surely, the most effective way of dealing with terrorism is not to let the terrorists call the shots or set the agenda in terms of subcontinental relations.

Much will depend in this area on the ability of India’s leadership to carry public opinion in a transparent exercise of public diplomacy." Image from article

Javed Malik - moomal.com: "On 26 July 2008, Prime Minister of Pakistan Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani appointed Javed Malik on the top Diplomatic position of Pakistan's Ambassador at Large. In this role he represents Pakistan by promoting goodwill and Friendship about the country through Public diplomacy by strengthening bilateral relations, enhance people to people contacts, and build trade and commerce ties between Pakistan and other countries. He has also been associated with 'Friends of Democratic Pakistan' a group that was launched on the side lines of the United Nations jointly by Pakistan, UAE, United Kingdom and United states. He has also been working on enhancing co-ordination with the globally placed overseas Pakistanis (Pakistani Expatriates)."

RELATED ITEMS

Benefits for gays? Us too, say the unwed: Opposite-sex partners in the Foreign Service say they should be treated the same - Paul Richter, latimes.com: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton won praise in June after pushing to extend many federal benefits traditionally provided to diplomats' spouses to gay and lesbian partners.

Since then, unmarried heterosexual couples have been lining up to ask for benefits too. They have approached the State Department's personnel office and the diplomats' union, arguing that they are entitled to equal treatment. At least one couple has threatened to challenge the rules in court as discriminatory. Image from

Taliban release propaganda video of captive US soldier - Bill Roggio, Long War Journal:

Image from article: Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl.

Civilian, military planners have different views on new approach to Afghanistan - Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post: The White House's desired end state in Afghanistan, officials said, envisions more informal local security arrangements than in Iraq, a less-capable national government and a greater tolerance of insurgent violence. Senior military officials still think they can achieve a better outcome than envisaged by civilian skeptics in the administration by using the new forces to mount more comprehensive counterinsurgency operations.

Kerry of Tehran: His trip would convey legitimacy that the dictatorship is especially eager to have at the current moment – Review & Outlook, Wall Street Journal: John Kerry lost the Secretary of State sweepstakes to Hillary Clinton, but that hasn't lowered his diplomatic ambitions.

The Journal reported Thursday that the Senate Foreign Relations Chairman is mulling a trip to Iran, and with the blessing of the Obama Administration. He would be the most senior American to visit Tehran in 30 years and his trip would convey legitimacy that the dictatorship is especially eager to have at the current moment. Kerry image from

Okinawa air base in focus - Mike Mochizuki and Michael O'Hanlon, Waashington Times: For nearly 15 years, the two largest economies on Earth and two of the world's top military powers have spent much of their alliance management time discussing the fate of one airfield, the U.S. Marine Corps' Futenma Air Station on the island of Okinawa. This is a poor preoccupation for the allies given the other, huge issues that confront the two countries - dealing with nuclear North Korea, the rise of China, the global problem of Islamic extremism, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and many other matters such as recovery from the global recession and mitigation of the global warming threat. It is time to move beyond it.

Russia's 'sphere' in Europe - Ronald D. Asmus, Washington Post: Rather than moving into the 21st century, a revisionist Russia seems determined to revert to a 19th-century policy of "spheres of influence."

With the Obama administration understandably focused on the war in Afghanistan and the looming challenge of Iran, Moscow may hope that a West in need of Russian cooperation on these issues could be willing to acquiesce to Russian claims of such influence on its borders, allowing it to stop further encroachment of Western institutions. Image: "How the Americans Control the Terroritory of Russia" from

Yemeni director combats terrorism with propaganda: Government filmmaker Fadhel al-Olofi's 2008 hit, 'The Losing Bet,' seeks to show the follies of the terrorists' ways, articulating the battle within Islam between moderates and radicals - Jeffrey Fleishman, latimes.com

Image from article: Yemeni actors portray Islamic militants in "The Losing Bet," made by government filmmaker Fadhel al-Olofi, who says art "can be more powerful than weapons."

Another falsification of Azerbaijani propaganda machine revealed - panorama.am: An Azerbaijani “film”on Khojalou appeared in the Internet yesterday where the “hospitable and peaceful” Azerbaijani people tell about Knojalou “tragedy”.Armenian Defense Ministry says, the Azerbaijani recurrent propaganda film is built on obvious lie, full of false information and distorted facts. The citations from Zori Balayan’s book are outrageous lie. The author himself announced this months ago, stating he has written nothing of the kind.

Foreign models flock to China, which embraces a Western vision of beauty - Keith B. Richburg, Washington Post

Planet Mars Online - juniorassociation.org:

“Red Planet Mars” is accidentally or intentionally anti-Soviet propaganda, and it is effective cinema in that respect. Image from article

AMERICANA

"According to the Justice Department, in 1980 the United States had about 9,500 prisoners age 55 and older; by 2008, the number had increased tenfold, to 94,800. That same year, the number of prisoners 50 and older was just shy of 200,000 -- about the size of the entire U.S. prison population in the early 1970s."

--David Fathi, “Nursing homes with razor wire: Are elderly prisoners really a threat to public safety?,” latimes.com