April 17-19

IMAGES COURTESY LB

VIDEO

Foreign Policy's New Media - CBS News: Kaylee Hartung reports from the Center for Strategic and International Studies to talk about how foreign policy is being handled in this world of new media.

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

Busting the Brazil/Russia/India/China (BRIC) Myth of Challenging U.S. Global Leadership - Ariel Cohen, Lisa Curtis, Derek Scissors, and Ray Walser, Heritage Foundation: "On April 15–16, the city of Brasilia will host a summit of the leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC). Since Goldman Sachs economist Jim O’Neill employed the acronym BRIC in 2001 to help sell emerging markets investment products, the world has been bullish on the BRICs.

At the BRIC summit, China’s Hu Jintao, India’s Mammohan Singh, Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev, and Brazilian host Lula da Silva will seek to advance the impression that the BRICs are uniquely positioned to shape the global economic and political agenda. Such an impression is reinforced by the Obama Administration’s readiness to buy into the notion that America is declining in competitiveness, influence, and power as part of a transition to a 'Post-American,' multi-polar world. ... In order to respond effectively to the BRIC challenge, the Obama Administration and Congress should: ... Recognize that BRIC countries are ... massively investing in their public diplomacy capabilities. A comparable effort by the U.S. to enhance public diplomacy and strategic education about BRICs is urgently needed."

'Sectoral dialogue' with US in May and June - Baqir Sajjad Syed, DAWN.com: "The Pakistan-US ‘sectoral dialogue’ will be held in May and June for discussing the practical details of bilateral cooperation before the next round of Strategic Dialogue, which Islamabad wants to host in July. The 11 tracks to be covered during the sectoral dialogue, to be held between the last week of May and second part of June, are: economy and trade; energy; defence; security, strategic stability and non-proliferation; law enforcement and counter-terrorism; science and technology; education; agriculture; water; health; and communication and public diplomacy."

Planning to Fail in Afghanistan, pt 4 - Fear and Loathing in the Blogosphere: "Attacking Iran is the single best way for Obama to complet[e]ly erase all of the public diplomacy benefits of his election."

Taking down Tehran – Editorial, The Washington Times: "J. Michael Waller of the Institute of World Politics argues that the best way for the United States to promote change in Iran is not via sanctions or military action but by helping the Iranian people overthrow the Islamic regime. ... Mr. Waller says he thinks the United States could facilitate an uprising in Tehran with comparatively little effort. Washington could help the opposition communicate with inexpensive prepaid cell phones and proxy Internet servers and supply Flip video cameras and other means of recording and publicizing the course of the rebellion. Voice of America's Persian News Network could focus reports on regime misdeeds and spread inspirational accounts of insiders turning against the power structure in hopes that others might join them. Tehran's state-controlled media regularly ignore such stories, so VOA would report, and the Iranian people would decide."

Voice of the Regime? – Helle Dale, Heritage.org: "Voice of America is finding itself in the news again, and not for reasons that should please the leadership of the institution. This time the spotlight has landed on VOA’s Persian News Network. Over the years, VOA has on occasion strayed from good judgment and allowed voices on the air that have no business being represented on a U.S. government funded network. Back in the 1990s, VOA raised Congressional hackles by putting the families of Palestinian suicide bombers on the air. In 2007, another U.S. broadcasting service, Al Hurra television, came under severe criticism from Capitol Hill for airing views that actively support terrorism and for failing to challenge Arab autocratic regimes. Congress, as a consequence, withheld funding 11 million in funding for Al Hurra. Now Voice of America’s Persian News Network (PNN) is under scrutiny by members of Congress for much the same reason. Even though the PNN has been cut to just one hour a day, that precious air time is clearly not spent as well as it should be. ... Furthermore, the Obama administration has dragged its feet when it came to installing new members of the BBG. For the past year, the board has been functioning at only half capacity, with board members whose three year terms had expired, and without a new chairman. This despite the fact that U.S. international broadcasting has an operating budget of $1.1 billion and is a critically important part of U.S. public diplomacy in many areas of the world. This week most of the new board was finally voted out of committee, under the chairmanship of Walter Isaacson, formerly of Time magazine and CNN. ... Dealing with the accusations against the VOAs Persian News Network should be top on the new board’s list of things to do."

Inspectors Keep Up Pressure on Alhurra, Say Effectiveness Still in Question - Dafna Linzer, ProPublica:

"A U.S. government-run TV station that broadcasts news across the Middle East has made some positive organizational changes, but it still suffers from management problems and has been unable to measure its effectiveness, according to a new inspector general's review [1]. ... The new review noted that Alhurra's management 'mentioned no major incidents of inappropriate broadcasts or questionable treatment of material,' in the last two years. But inspectors did not examine the station's broadcasting content."

Alhurra in the news includes its program about women and its Iraqi editor-in-chief - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "A January 2010 performance update for Radio Sawa and Alhurra, available at the BBG website, show a 60% weekly reach for Alhurra in Iraq. This is partly due to Alhurra's access to terrestrial transmitters in Iraq, an asset it does not enjoy in other Arab countries. And there is, at least in Iraq, an Arab equivalent of Radio Free Europe. It's Radio Free Iraq, operated by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague."

Flawed by Design - Raxanreeb Online: "One of the annoying things I get to hear is successful broadcasting service that should know better design in failure. I could argue that many of the problems Voice of America has faced this decade goes back to bad hiring and internal bad judgment or decisions it made last decade. I’m picking on VOA today because an interview process that appears to be designed to exclude the most qualified applicants for a broadcast job. ...

I hope my people and VOA colleagues can save the Voice’s flagship Somali-language service but given the current toxic political climate in Washington, it may go silent – and that would be another great tragedy in the history of American public diplomacy."

Advice for broadcasting to Cuba mentions laptops, smartphones, and international airspace - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Young Indonesian journalists headed to VOA for paid internships - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Controversy of the month involving VOA's coverage of Pakistani sports - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

State Department programme pairs foreign students with Community Colleges - Karin Fischer, Sunday Times, Sri Lanka: "Educational exchanges and Fellowships are not new, of course; the best known, the Fulbright Programme, is more than 60 years old. But the Community College Summit Initiative Programme, as this fledgling effort is known, reflects a growing recognition among American government officials that the US must do a better job in its public-diplomacy outreach to those who are not members of their countries' socioeconomic elite. ... The programme grew out of the first U.S. University Presidents' Summit on International Education, in January 2006,

at which Karen P. Hughes, who was then Under Secretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs, announced plans to double the number of foreign students attending community colleges in the U.S. Community Colleges for International Development, a national consortium of two-year institutions also known as CCID, then submitted a successful proposal to run the programme, which covers stud.ents' tuition and fees, housing, and other study-related expenses while they complete a one-year certificate or a two-year associate degree. ... Mr. Farrell, of the State Department, says one goal of the programme is to more deeply involve community colleges in international education and build such experience at a greater number of two-year institutions."

Study Abroad and Culture - Efe Sevin, Reaching the Public: "One of the papers I presented was on the impacts of Fulbright Program entitled 'More than a Touristic Visit: Scholar Exchanges as a Communication Method in Public Diplomacy'. I introduced a three-level schema for intercultural encounters. The first level is tourism. Tourists, indeed, see a new country/culture, and go through a highly fabricated and controlled experience. But still, they go through an intercultural experience and they will have something to say about the country. The second level is exchange program participants. Scholars spend longer periods of time in a different country and go through a less controlled experience. After they return back to their home countries, they are considered as information sources about the host countries. The third (and for me the highest) level is the cultural ambassadors. People might start arguing for their host countries and might advocate their rights. We discussed how tourists and/or exchange program participants can be transformed into cultural ambassadors."

Minutes of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy March 2010 Official Meeting - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us

Green Diplomacy at Its Most Basic Level - Kate Galbraith, New York Times: "Embassies may not seem like the most promising candidates for going green. Some occupy historic buildings; others, especially those of the United States, may be highly fortified structures that pay more attention to function than to form. Working in foreign countries presents special challenges. And yet, efforts are quickly gathering momentum, particularly in European countries and the United States, to make embassies more environmentally friendly in climate-conscious times.

'It’s part of our public diplomacy,' Kari Mokko, the press secretary for the Finnish Embassy in Washington, said as he showed off his building’s advanced lighting systems and thick windowpanes. In January, the building became the first embassy in Washington to earn a coveted green-building certification, called LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Finland is hardly alone. Last week, the U.S. ambassador to France was the host of a daylong conference on making American embassies greener. The United States already has three LEED-certified embassies — in Panama City; Sofia, Bulgaria; and Johannesburg — and hopes to announce a fourth soon, according to Jonathan Blyth, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Overseas Building Operations. ... For the United States, embassies provide a chance to showcase both environmental commitment and engineering prowess, as Suresh Kumar, the director general of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service, a branch of the Commerce Department, told the U.S. green-embassies gathering in Paris."

San Francisco festival to showcase Israel's gay culture - E.B. Solomont, Jerusalem Post: "Israeli diplomats in San Francisco are promoting Israel’s thriving gay arts and culture scene as a new mode of hasbara (public diplomacy) in the Bay Area. 'Out in Israel,' a monthlong festival of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) culture in Israel, is a showcase for films, art and literature during the month of April. ... The festival seeks to present another image of Israel, not related to politics or war. It also seeks to overturn any negative perception following last summer’s fatal shooting at a gay community center in Tel Aviv."

Letter from America: Obama needs to dump Netanyahu - Habib Siddiqui, Asian Tribune: "[D]ecades of American complacency, funding and attempts to whiten Israeli war crimes have only emboldened the rogue regime to feel haughty and untouchable like a mafia don. Since the time of Johnson administration the bonding between the two countries has only become stronger. Every Israeli leader knew about the hypocritical face of the U.S. public diplomacy, and thus, exploited it to the hilt to extract further concessions and advantages, thus allowing Israel to retain a military edge over its neighbors."

Pro-Palestine activists protest the presence of Israeli Mouthpiece Dor Gold on UCD Campus - Freda H and Kev, Infowars Ireland:

"Hasbara refers to the propaganda efforts to sell Israel, justify its actions, and defend it in world opinion. Using contemporary euphemisms, it is Public diplomacy for Israel, or using a pejorative interpretation, then it is apologia. Israel portrays itself as fighting on two fronts: the Palestinians and world opinion. The latter is dealt with hasbara. The premise of hasbara is that Israel’s problems are a matter of better propaganda, and not one of an underlying unjust situation."

Shifting the Paradigm for Palestine: From the Political to the Humanitarian - Martin Sherman, posted at Writing The Wrongs: "[B]oth political prudence and intellectual integrity dictate that the issues of a Palestinian state be removed from the international agenda. This, of course, is easier said than done, as the issue has become deeply ingrained into the culture of the international political discourse. It will require a huge public diplomacy (PD) offensive, way beyond the pathetically puny efforts presently devoted to this field by Israel."

Proportionality & Hypocrisy: NATO in Kosovo vs. IDF in Gaza - Martin Sherman, posted at Doc’s Talk: "[M]isplaced criticism of Israel highlight a crucial deficiency-often diagnosed and equally often neglected-in the overall structure of its international strategy: the incompetence, indeed impotence, of Israeli diplomacy, particularly its Public Diplomacy."

[KNN] Hezbollah Alert – SchA, KatPol Blog: "A Hezbollah rajta van az amerikaiak terrorszervezeteket nyilvántartó listáján, nosza vádoljuk meg a szíreket, hogy olyan fegyvereket adnak át a HA-nak, melyeket egyértelműen az izraeli civil lakosság ellen akarnak fordítani.

Sajnos szír atombomba nincsen, a vegyi- vagy biológiai fegyver meg már hiteltelen lenne, akkor legyen mondjuk a SCUD. Abból is a D verzió, mert E már nincs. A többit bízzuk az amerikai sajtóra, különösen régi jó barátunkra, a New York Times-ra. Public diplomacy par exellence."

Turkey In The Straw – Scott Collins, Ren’s Micro Diplomacy: "Turkey has such a vast cultural heritage that it is a shame to not utilize it in a branding campaign. It feels as though the Public Diplomacy elements in the country are trying to white wash the country; to gloss over the positive and the negative elements of Turkey’s past and try to give it a new identity, like someone conscripted into a witness protection program. The people behind the branding campaign shouldn’t shy away from Turkey’s uniqueness as it is a tremendous asset instead of a burden."

MP calls for appointment of religious attaches in Kuwaiti embassies - Habib Toumi, GulfNews, posted at q8nri.com: "A Kuwaiti lawmaker has called for the appointment of religious attachés in Kuwaiti embassies in non-Muslim countries.'The attaché should be appointed by the endowment and Islamic affairs ministry in the various Kuwaiti embassies,' MP Mohammad Al Hayef said. ... Several countries have appointed religious attachés, reportedly for roles that do not differ dramatically from those by cultural officers in performing public diplomacy and strengthening links."

His Excellency Muhammad Saleh Bin Bduwah Al Darmaki inaugurates AUE masters degree in diplomacy - AME Info: ‎"The Master degree program is a two year degree in diplomacy based on the American style curriculum with courses in areas such as negotiation, conflict resolution, international relations, world religion, protocol, and etiquette. ... The Master degree program is designed to meet the increasing demand for international business relations and diplomacy experts in the region.

Dr. Muthanna G. Abdul Razzaq, President of AUE stated 'I believe, increasingly all of us are becoming aware of the challenges we face today that require a complex, multidimensional approach to public diplomacy - at the backdrop of the international relations and diplomacy we study.'"

Surveying the Scene: Why do other countries like or dislike India? No one seems to know exactly, but someone should find out – Polaris: "One would think that the Ministry of External Affairs would be curious enough about how India is viewed around the world to commission regular surveys on attitudes towards India. If nothing else, this could serve as some sort of measure of success for Indian public diplomacy. This is an area where Indian think tanks, still in search of a complementary role to policymaking, are perfectly positioned to bridge the gap."

Shadows across the playing field - Ahmedabad Mirror: "The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) recently started a new programme within the country — public diplomacy — to reach out to scholars and think-tanks."

Tharoor go, save your class - Swapan Dasgupta, Usual Suspects: "In his interview to NDTV, [Minister of State Shashi] Tharoor self-righteously proclaimed

that in his long and distinguished career in international public diplomacy no one had ever raised a question about his integrity. He is absolutely right."

Toll tops 1,100 as cold threat looms in Yushu [China Daily] - Wandering China: "My heart goes out to the people of Yushu County. I pray as many as possible can be saved. How China handles this latest disaster will yield some of the most powerful images of China’s public diplomacy. Especially so because it will give a chance to show its benevolence helping its minorities in autonomous regions, in this case, the always sensitive relationships with the Tibetans. China is going all out to provide aid, I have overheard that all overseas aid gestures were appreciated but not needed, as they had all the resources themselves to carry out an expedient relief plan. This is really a good opportunity for the two peoples to mend some wounds and spark new friendships – to all good things."

Despite Poland’s Grief, There Is Much To Celebrate - Krysta Close, The Rockower Post: "As the international media has shone its spotlight on the devastating deaths of Polish President Lech Kaczyński and the First Lady as well as the loss of scores of top political, military and civil leaders, clergy members and everyday citizens, it has also highlighted the dignity and calm with which this great but historically battered nation has handled the incident and ensuing political re-organization. It is, in fact, these unexpected moments of media exposure that often make the best inadvertent public diplomacy opportunities, and Poland’s catastrophe has been no exception. As Poland emerges as a powerful modern nation, Saturday’s devastation has provided one such unexpected occasion, shedding light on many facets of Poland’s story to willing audiences around the world."

Speaking Notes for AEI International Education Symposium - Pat Evans, austrade.gov.au: "The international promotion of education represents one form of public diplomacy which helps to build our society and prosperity."

Diplomat job description,career and other information – Alive mind Education: "Public diplomacy officers communicate between the United States and their host country. They promote U.S. interests and policies as well as attempt to give their host government an understanding of what America is all about."

CSID 11th conference to take place April 28 - ikhwanWeb.com: "The conference which is titled U.S.-Relations with the Muslim World one year after Cairo, is scheduled to take place on April 28th, 2010. ... Muslim Perceptions and public opinion will be ... on the agenda with four discussion topics.

Omar Ashour from the University will discuss the U.S. views in post-Jihadist thought. Muslim public views by Steven Kull will follow. Chloe Berwind-dart will talk about the Nigerian perspective of the Cairo Speech and Kristin Lord from the Centre for a new American security will wrap up the second session of the day with his new approaches to Public Diplomacy in the Muslim World."

Elizabeth Losh – Virtualpolitik - Neural.it :: media culture, hacktivism: "Unfortunately, after more than a decade governmental and institutional ideological use of digital media hasn't dramatically evolved. That's the field attentively researched by Elizabeth Losh in this book [Virtualpolitik]. Institutional branding, public diplomacy, social marketing and risk communication are among the public activities that institutions are embarking on, coordinated with major advertisement agencies and targeting the web as the new frontier of attention. In ten chapters with ten respective examples analyzed, the author explores the rhetoric and some of the consequent accidents that institutions have faced."

ASR Consulting LLC is Established in DC as a Psychosocial Audience Research Consultancy, Putting Your Key Audiences “On the Couch” - press release, Earthtimes: "Well-informed leaders increasingly recognize the advantages of employing research-based efforts to engage and communicate with key audiences and groups. The study of key audiences, their influences, group dynamics, psychosocial characteristics, and broader context is a rapidly developing and evolving field, which is being put to the ultimate test in operational settings ranging from combat commands to public diplomacy. These studies have in part evolved because of the changing characteristics of the battle space and global infosphere, and the sobering recognition that our adversaries are unlikely to be defeated solely by kinetic means, and our allies and populations of interest will be left unhelped and un-engaged by well-intentioned but indiscriminant, badly conceived initiatives that suffer from a basic insufficiency in researching the target audiences."

No space for Agent Montaner - Jean-Guy Allard, Granma International: "A strange dialogue recently occurred via open letters between the famous Cuban singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez – of universal fame and with a talent that has been celebrated many times over – and CIA agent Carlos Alberto Montaner, a fugitive from the Cuban justice system for placing bombs in cinemas and stores in the 1960s. He also collaborated with the assassination of religious figures in El Salvador and currently identifies himself with the troop of coup gangsters which took power in Honduras. ... In the exchange, Silvio expresses himself with the nobility that characterizes him and the unpatriotic Montaner writes with his usual deceptive language affiliated to so-called public diplomacy, managed in days past by Otto Reich and now under the guidance of the Hillary Clinton - John Negroponte duo."

Lipscomb alumna steps from Fulbright Scholar to U. S. Diplomat - Lipscomb University: "The job description seems fitting for an Academy Award-winning thriller: stressful and highly demanding overseas work with moves every two to four years and exposure to threats such as disease and war.

Yet Lipscomb alumna Emily Royse Green (’06) signed on to live out this role through the Foreign Service as the next step in her already exciting journey. Green has been admitted to the U.S Foreign Service, traveling this summer to her first posting in Tel Aviv, Israel. ... Green chose the public diplomacy career path ... . As a senior at Lipscomb University, Green, an English and German major, accepted a Fulbright scholarship to teach English part-time at an Austrian high school and attend classes at the University of Vienna after graduation."

And So The Waiting Goes On - FSO-in-Waiting, Throwing Off The Bowlines: "Once you hit the hiring register for the Foreign Service, you are ranked in accordance with a score that you acheived during the all-day oral assessment. The hiring is then done from this list, from the top down, with high scores receiving the first invitations to what is colloquially known as 'A-100' (a nickname earned by the room number the training course was formerly held in).

There are separate hiring lists for each of the five career tracks the Foreign Service utilizes (political, economic, management, consular, and public diplomacy). Each list operates independently. Training courses begin like clockwork every six weeks right now. ... Consultation with my message board this morning revealed that I need not feel overly anxious today, because it appears there is merely more waiting in store for me. According to my friends on the message board, it appears that public diplomacy offers won't go out until at least next Wednesday. If there is one thing this process teaches you, it is most certainly the fine art of patience."

Ambassador Robinson Honored: Organized Nixon-Khrushchev “Kitchen Debate” - press release, Business Wire: "President Reagan appointed Robinson deputy director of the United States Information Agency and special adviser to the Secretary of State for public diplomacy. He also served as chairman of the international information committee of the National Security Council."

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State propaganda is an integral aspect of most authoritarian governments -- and a good number of democratic ones for that matter -- but rarely is the agency behind these efforts so transparent about its intentions. Interestingly, the department is not officially part of the Chinese government, and is given no legal authority to enforce media censorship. The department's main strategy to restrict content is the encouragement of self-censorship among Chinese journalists.

Iran: journalist sentenced for propaganda against the revolution - Panorama: A prominent Iranian journalist and filmmaker was sentenced on Sunday to three-and-a-half years in prison and 50 lashes for his activities after the disputed 2009 presidential elections. Mohammad Nourizad was sentenced for "distributing propaganda against the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and desecrating the image of thirty years of the Islamic establishment," and insulting the supreme leader, the president, the head of the judiciary, and Ayatollah Elmolhoda of the Assembly of Experts, according to foreign media reports.