June 16-18

“I am not a cement engineer.'"

--BP CEO Tony Hayward; image from

Below images collected in homage to the statement of the BP chairman, Carl-Henric Svanberg

that referred to the victims of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill as the ''small people''; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE NEWS

Barack Obama: the most unpopular man in Britain? - Nile Gardiner, Telegraph.co.uk: ‎"In January 2009 Barack Obama was hugely popular on this side of the Atlantic, and could have walked on water in the eyes of the British media, the political elites, and the general public. In June 2010 however he probably qualifies as the most despised US president since Nixon among the British people. ... The key catalyst for rising anti-Obama sentiment in the UK has been his disastrous handling of the BP issue, and his relentless desire to crush Britain’s biggest company.


There is no doubting BP’s responsibility over the Gulf oil disaster, and it is right that the firm is being held to account for its failures. But the brutal, almost sadistic trashing of BP by the imperious Obama administration, which has helped wipe out about half its value, threatens its very future, as well as the pensions of 18 million British people and the jobs of 29,000 Americans. ... As I wrote previously, we are witnessing one of the worst exercises in public diplomacy by a US government in recent memory, one that could cause significant long-term damage to the incredibly important economic and political partnership between Great Britain and the United States." Image from

BBG nominees answer Sen. Coburn's questions. Now will they be confirmed? - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "[Elliott Comment:] So will the BBG nominees soon be confirmed? Or will they and dozens of other nominees to federal positions continue to held up by other Republican senators, unhappy about a Democratic nominee to the National Labor Relations Board? If the hearing that Senator Coburn wants takes place, especially with himself in attendance, it could be a battle for the soul of U.S. international broadcasting. One side is articulated in the recent Lugar report on U.S. international broadcasting: '[I]n order for the BBG to be credible to its audience and draw in not just those who already agree with U.S. policy, its networks must be permitted to present both sides of an argument.' This is in contrast to Senator Coburn who, in April 2008, wrote: 'The U.S. taxpayers should not subsidize content presenting a balance between the truth and the regime's malicious propaganda. U.S. broadcasts should be the balance to the propaganda being broadcast by the regime and others.'

The eight new BBG members, probably in attendance at the hearing, might align with the Lugar view and take their firewall function to heart. Or they may go with Senator Coburn and his call to transmit the U.S. version of truth. At the hearing, they may get a sense of which way the wind is blowing. The Lugar version will be attractive to the potential audience, which tunes to international broadcasts as an antidote to one-sided government controlled media in the homeland. The Coburn plan will be attractive to certain members of Congress who might, in coming years, be in the majority. Send the messages that please those legislators, and the funds will continue to flow. No need for an audience (beyond Capitol Hill), except as a pretext." Image from

The Future Of U.S. International Broadcasting: Light At The End Of The Tunnel? - Shawn Powers, Newswire – CPD Blog & Blogroll, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "On June 9, 2010, Senator Richard Lugar's (R-IN) office, under the leadership and guidance of Senior Professional Staff member Paul Foldi, released a report prepared for the U.S. Senate's Committee on Foreign Relations on the future of U.S. International Broadcasting. The report, titled, 'U.S. International Broadcasting--Is Anybody Listening--Keeping the U.S Connected,' is by far the most comprehensive, up-to-date and clear writing on the state and future of American international broadcasting. Lugar's report will serve as a critical text for the future of U.S. International Broadcasting, and the timing could not be any better."

Lawsuit invokes Smith-Mundt Act against Broadcasting Board of Governors (updated again) - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Africa/ United States: Diplomacy Briefing Series Conference on Sub-Saharan Africa -- Washington, DC, June 14, 2010 - A Bombastic Element:

"U.S. under secretary for public diplomacy and public affairs Judith McHale's remarks and Q&A - she gets an interesting question around 16:48 mins in about the role of new media in Africa's democratic participation and gaining leverage." Image from

State Dept sees diplomatic potential in SMS - Gautham Nagesh, The Hill: "While newer technologies such as Twitter are capturing more headlines, the State Department still sees untapped diplomatic potential in the humble text message. Caitlin Bergin of the State Department's Office of International Information Programs said Foggy Bottom has experimented with a number of public diplomacy programs that make use of text messaging during a panel in Washington on Wednesday. Mobile phones with texting are more widely available internationally than other tools like Twitter that require mobile broadband service."

Diplomacy 2.0: Social Media, Diplomacy, and Co-Creation of Dialogue O'Reilly Media Gov 2.0 Summit – ITConversations:

"John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff during the Clinton administration, and James Fallows, news analyst for The Atlantic magazine, exchange views on a variety of topics including the use of new media by the Obama campaign; whether to trust and empower local supporters with public diplomacy messaging and the public face of a country or a candidacy." Image from

Understanding Social Media's Contribution to Public Diplomacy: How Embassy Jakarta's Facebook Outreach Illuminates the Limitations and Potential for the State Department's Use of Social Media - Melanie Ciolek, MountainRunner.us

Visa Waiver Program for Latin America - Marc Frey, Lexology (subscription): [from google entry:] "In addition to the security and law enforcement benefits, doing so [presumably visa waiver program] would pay public diplomacy dividends."

CNAS Report on Obama’s Engagement Strategy – Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "I’ve been reading the report on the Obama Administration’s global engagement strategy that was put out by the Center for a New American Security a few weeks ago.

Given that the report was put together by Kristin Lord and Marc Lynch (both of whom have done important work at the IR/Communication interface) it’s not surprising that it’s an excellent and substantive work. I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to get an up to date understanding of where the Administration is at the moment." Image from

Outside Agitation In Kyrgyzstan - Peter Chamberlin, Pacific Free Press: "Freedom House is our secret CIA, conducting destabilizing operations (euphemistically called 'public diplomacy') as an active element of US foreign policy."

VOL. VI NO. 12, June 4-June 17, 2010 – Layalina Review on Public Diplomacy and Arab Media:
"Israel’s Hasbara Suffers Setbacks
Responding to criticism for the delay in releasing IDF footage of naval commandos being attacked aboard the flotilla, Israeli officials claim that Israel’s public diplomacy has become the country’s new battlefield. In the meantime, Iran scales-up its Anti-Israel propaganda through Arabic speaking media, fueling animosity in the region.
Global Citizens, We Value Your Opinion
The Israeli Foreign Ministry Spokesman teams up with a pro-Israel Facebook group to hold an internet video conference concerning the flotilla clash. Officials in the US State Department speak of the power of internet in diplomacy, but some believe that the agency's new ventures are heading in the wrong direction.
BBG Out of Touch with Reality
A recently published report by the staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, commissioned by Senator Lugar (R-IN), revealed the internal challenges that the BBG faces that are hindering the agency’s work. Notably, the report called for a revision of the Smith-Mundt Act, which it considers out-dated and perhaps in the current technological environment, counter-productive.


US Pavilion: A Corporate Blunder
The US Pavilion, dubbed by many as public diplomacy fiasco, brought another attack to the fore over alleged murky finances from the private sector, denoting the State department’s little interest in the event or even in cultural diplomacy.
An Unhappy Anniversary
On the eve of the Cairo speech’s anniversary, Arabs and Muslims consider the achievements and setbacks that have occurred in US-Arab relations over the past year. While many have praised some initiatives like the Entrepreneurship Summit, the vast majority criticizes the overall lack of follow up.
Al-Qaeda’s Harem
The poor state of women’s rights in Saudi mainstream society is turning out to be a central factor in explaining the increase of women joining Al-Qaeda as they play an active role within the terrorist organization.
Bridging the Gap between Internet and Print News
As the hosts and participants celebrate the success of the Ninth Arab Media Forum in Dubai, other regional conferences discuss the future of print media and professionalism in the age of online journalism, pondering the challenges that the internet poses to the future of reporting.
Helen Thomas Resigns over Controversy
US veteran reporter for the White House Helen Thomas announced her retirement following comments that sparked widespread controversy over the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Thomas’ remarks, dubbed racist by US mainstream media, were heralded in the Arab world as courageous.
Insurmountable Bias?
A former BBC correspondent handed in his resignation over an alleged bias in his coverage of the Middle East, sparking a debate on the issue of neutrality and religious affiliation in reporting on the region.
Turkey Realigns Itself with the Arab World
Israel’s raid on the Gaza-bound flotilla continues to generate vivid criticism from the international community, while Turkey is realigning itself with Arab countries. In the meantime, the US is weighing the consequences of its relations with both Turkey and Israel." Image from

US-India strategic talks - Monish Tourangbam, Central Chronicle: ‎"The recently-concluded US-India Strategic Dialogue in Washington is yet another step towards the enlarging relationship between the two nations. The talks were comprehensive and not specific in nature, with both the sides debating and discussing on a range of bilateral and global issues of concern. Ever since President Obama came to the Oval Office, there has been a lingering concern among Indian analysts that New Delhi was somehow taken off the priority list of the new administration.

The high-profile visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to India, the public diplomacy she engaged in and the gala welcome to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House have eased matters to a large extent. The continuing engagement between the two democracies is an effort to maintain the momentum that the relationship has gained over the years in spite of differences of strategy and opinion." Image from

As NATO catch souls: It is necessary to awaken the interest of society and professionals to public diplomacy and international information - Dmitri O. Rogozin, Nezavisimaya gazeta: [Google translation]: "May 17 a group of experts headed by Madeleine Albright issued a report 'NATO in 2020: guaranteed security, dynamic interaction.' It is an analytical document containing philosophical and policy recommendations for the future strategic vision of the alliance, which must approve the Lisbon summit in November 2010. ... It is significant that in the paper, signed by Albright & Co., the term 'public diplomacy' is mentioned only once, and between business and the essence of this work is described in the most general terms . ... Without exaggeration we can say that the propaganda and self-promotion - the priority of NATO."

Ukraine Stops Going to NATO. NATO Goes to Ukraine - Pravda: ‎"The Ukrainian government has ended its pursuit of NATO membership. Yet, organizations created specifically for this purpose during Yushchenko’s presidency remain optimistic. They are planning to engage in implementation of Euro-Atlantic ideas through 'public diplomacy' and PR. Ukrainian political analyst Alexei Kovalev told Pravda.ru about the prospects of this plan."

Israel urges West against flotillas - Herb Keinon, Hilary Leila Krieger, Jerusalem Post: "Israel has turned in recent days to a number of Western governments requesting they issue travel warnings to their nationals not to participate in additional flotillas trying to break the naval blockade of Gaza, government officials told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday.

According to the officials, the requests have fallen on attentive ears, especially since Hizbullah and Iran have said they will send ships of their own, something that is causing some Western governments to rethink the entire tactic. … Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has on a number of occasions in recent days expressed an interest in easing up on civilian items allowed into the Gaza Strip, while keeping the naval blockade in place to keep weapons and terrorists out. … State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss notified the Knesset’s State Control Committee that he intends to investigate the events surrounding the raid, Israel Radio reported. His investigation will focus mainly on the government’s decision-making process, intelligence and public diplomacy." Image from

Two Approaches to Israel's Public Diplomacy - Ari Bussel, News Blaze: "There are two ways to ensure Israel reaches the optimum level of readiness: by brut[e] force or by leadership. For a very long period of time those of us on Israel's public diplomacy forefront, the foot soldiers on the ground, have warned of pending events, Goldstone One, Two and Three, Flotilla One, Two and Three. We did not know the exact nature or scope of the events, but we noticed them happening with greater frequency and even greater intensity with each occurrence. ... Change can only come about if an individual or a group of individuals are willing to set aside their differences and work together to do something greater than themselves. I call it leadership."

Flotilla Fallout - Neville Teller, Eurasia Review: "Israel's State Comptroller, Micha Lindenstrauss, notified the Knesset’s State Control Committee that he intends to investigate the events surrounding the raid [on the ‘so-called ‘Gaza Freedom Flotilla’]. His investigation will focus mainly on the government’s decision-making process, intelligence and public diplomacy."

Ambassador Liu Xiaoming Speaks at the University of Oxford on China's Foreign Policy - Ministry of Foreign affairs of the People's Republic of China: "Ambassador Liu said, it seems you need to go to China and know more about its national conditions. The Communist Party of China is the ruling party and our goal is to realize communism, but China is and will remain at the early stage of socialism for a long time to come.

He went on to say that the first question in fact is an indirect answer to the second question. The greatest challenge as an ambassador to the UK is to improve the mutual understanding between the two peoples, offer a comprehensive and complete introduction on China and show the image of a both ancient and young country. That is why he has been doing public diplomacy, making speeches, giving interviews and writing articles since the assumption of office, and that is why he is here in Oxford." Image from

Gill leads youth delegation to China - Times of India: "A hundred member Indian youth delegation led by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports M S Gill will visit China as part of a bilateral initiative to further the ties between youths. ... This is the fourth Indian youth delegation to visit China ever since India and China reached an understanding during Hu's visit to New Delhi in 2006 to exchange youth delegations, Indian Ambassador to China S Jaishankar told PTI here today. This year it is headed by a senior Minister as both the countries are celebrating the 60th year of establishment of diplomatic relations. Similarly Chinese delegations comprising of equal number of youth have been visiting India every year since 2007. Both countries see this as a public diplomacy exercise to expose each other countries to the emerging leadership to promote future understanding, Jaishankar said."

Kenya to partner with CASA Africa to promote development cooperation - ISRIA (registration): [From Google entry:] "Briefing the Permanent Secretary on the activities of CASA Africa, Mr Vaquez explained that the institution was an instrument of public diplomacy. On Casa Africa, see its homepage http://www.casafrica.es/"

How to run a clean, lean, green Embassy machine - Raluca Bragarea, Bucharest: A blog about the work of the Head of Communications working at the British embassy in Bucharest: "This year’s public diplomacy highlight has undoubtedly been the Queen’s Birthday Party, the well-known QBP. Officially we have been thinking for more than a year to dedicate the QBP to all things green.

In practice, we got down and 'dirty' in late March this year and so we had about two and a half months to roll out specific arrangements for the largest Embassy annual event." Image from

Changes at State Public Diplomacy - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "Dan Sreebny has joined the Office of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith McHale as a Senior Media Advisor. Dan joined the Foreign Service in 1980 and served as a Public Diplomacy officer in Bahrain, Oman, Hong Kong, Israel, the United Kingdom, Turkey, and Washington. He can be followed on Twitter at PD_Dan. Dan was previously acting coordinator of the Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP), a position now filled by Duncan MacInnes, also as 'acting'. Speaking with a senior source, there was some excitement with the soon-to-be announced permanent Coordinator. While the position should still be an Assistant Secretary, perhaps there’s reason to be thankful it is not considering the Senate’s failure to confirm virtually every nominee – including the not-controversial Ann Stock to be Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs."

NATO is Kind of Cool…Just Saying… - fearnallonline: "After the [Belgian] parliament we were collected by a tour bus from in front of the Parc Theatre in Brussels to be transported to NATO. … After successfully passing through security, we were officially marked as NATO visitors and escorted into a briefing room to listen to a couple of briefings. The first was on NATO’s Political Agenda with Benedicte Borel, an Information Officer with the NATO Countries Section, Public Diplomacy Division. She gave us an interesting run down of NATO’s mandate and it’s [sic] current operation."

Aid: The Double-Edged Blade – Simon Anholt, MountainRunner.us: "Rather than deliberately degrading the nations we help, we must devise a more equal relationship of collaboration, partnership and mutual respect, both in public and in private. ... Simon Anholt is the leading authority on managing and measuring national identity and reputation, and the creator of the field of nation and place branding.

He is a member of the UK Foreign Office's Public Diplomacy Board, and has advised the governments of some 30 other countries from Chile to Botswana, Korea to Jamaica, and Bhutan to the Faroe Islands. His website is www.simonanholt.com." Image from

A Provocative Look at “The Closing of the Muslim Mind” - Justine Jablonska, Security Zone: "'The Medill National Security Journalism Initiative: You might think the title of my book is somewhat provocative,' the author of 'The Closing of the Muslim Mind,' began, 'but the publisher didn’t think it was sufficiently incendiary, so they added the subtitle: ‘How Intellectual Suicide Created the Modern Islamist Crisis.’' Robert R. Reilly’s book, published in May, examines that alleged closing, how it came to be – and its present-day consequences. Reilly spoke about the book at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. recently. ... In her introduction to Reilly’s talk, Heritage Foundation’s Senior Fellow in Public Diplomacy studies Helle Dale said the existing philosophical direction Reilly describes in his book has created the conditions for Islamist activism and terrorism today, 'a problem that people are shocked and frightened by in the U.S. and elsewhere.'”

600 Parish investors sue accounting firm‎ - Allyson Bird, Charleston Post Courier: "Two years after a federal judge sentenced convicted swindler Al Parish to 24 years in prison, the fallout from his $66 million Ponzi scheme continues.

The latest is a class-action lawsuit against the Charleston accounting firm Dixon Hughes and three of its employees, and an attorney's motion to dismiss it. ... Three investors filed the lawsuit, including Charlotte Beers, a high-profile businesswoman and former under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs." Image from

State Department Intern: A University of Dayton student has been selected for a prestigious internship this fall with the U.S. State Department - ‎University of Dayton: "David Parkes, a senior international studies and French major, will spend the fall semester in Washington, D.C., with the Bureau of International Information Programs, which acts as the principal international strategic communications service for the U.S. foreign affairs community. ... As an intern, Parkes said his responsibilities will include providing research to public diplomacy officials, facilitating interaction between foreign audiences and opinion leaders and producing electronic journals or online magazines covering an array of issues."

Public Diplomacy Specialist - The Embassy of the United States of America - Naombakazi.com: "The Public Diplomacy Specialist is the chief source advice and guidance on carrying out public diplomacy at the U.S. Mission to Tanzania. Under the direction of the Public Diplomacy Officer,

the Public Diplomacy Specialist seeks to promote the national interest of the United States through understanding, informing and influencing individual citizens, group and institution in Tanzania. The Public Diplomacy Specialist chief instrument are actual and virtual speakers, seminars, cultural exchange, motion picture, publications, and the virtual environment." Image from

Francis P. Coward - email message from Fred Coffey via Len Baldyga: "Former USIA officer, Francis P. Coward, age 91, beloved husband of Gretchen K. Coward, died on June 11, 2010. ... In 1962 Frank joined the United States Information Agency (now part of the U.S. State Department). His postings were 4 1/2 years in Chennai (Madras) South India, 5 years in Bangkok, Thailand and 5 years in Yangon (Rangoon) Burma. His accomplishments in each country demonstrate how genuine public diplomacy can make a positive difference."

RELATED ITEMS

Hillary Clinton should be Obama's vice president - Sally Quinn, Washington Post: Clinton has done an incredible job as secretary of state. First of all, she has worked harder than anyone should ever be expected to. She has managed to do the impossible: She is the ambassador of the United States to the world, maintaining her credibility while playing the bad guy to President Obama's good guy, such as with North Korea, Iran and Israel, and still looking good. She has been a true team player.

From Vietnam to Afghanistan: Not winning hearts and minds - Henry Allen, Washington Post:

"Every day the news from Afghanistan suggests that our empire, dominion, infrastructure and counterinsurgency are having another hard time, along the lines of Vietnam, Lebanon, Somalia and Iraq. Having been in both Vietnam and Afghanistan, I'm not surprised." Image from

Obama's mixed Afghanistan messages: Choices are stark: Stick to the timetable and drawdown, or stick it out until the job is done. And so far, he has signaled intent to do both - Doyle McManus, latimes.com

Obama must keep to his Afghanistan deadline - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post: When he ordered his escalation of the war in Afghanistan, President Obama pledged that U.S. troops "will begin to come home" in the summer of 2011. Discouraging reports from the war zone should make him more determined to keep his promise -- and Americans more insistent on holding him to it.

Afghanistan Mineral Riches Story Is War Propaganda: “Liberal” New York Times sells globalist occupation once more with fake news - Steve Watson, Prison Planet.com:

News that the U.S. has suddenly discovered $1 trillion-worth of mineral deposits in Afghanistan, and descriptions of the bounty as a 'game changer' by the corporate media, represent nothing more than crude war propaganda designed to reinvigorate public support for a failing and ever more pointless occupation. Image from

Propaganda Campaign Turned Up A Notch, As Afghanistan Now Claims 3 TRILLION Of Minerals - Gus Lubin, The Business Insider:

Perhaps because most people were not impressed with the announcement of $1-trillion worth of mineral reserves, an Afghani minister has tripled the reserves estimate. 'A very conservative estimate has been one trillion. Our estimation is more than that... the idea is it could be up to three trillion dollars,' Afghan mining minister Waheedullah Shahrani told the AFP. See also John Brown, "Afghanistan As Pandora: We're There Because of Unobtanium!," Huffington Post. Image from

Turks Put Twist in Racy Soaps - Michael Kimmelman, New York Times: Turkish television has given the soap a fresh twist by making the connivers, kidnappers and canoodlers Muslims. And it is Arab audiences, even more than Turks, who have been swept off their feet. Image: From left, Kivanc Tatlitug, Selcuk Yontem and Beren Saat in a scene from “Ask-i Memnu,” the top-rated series in Turkey.

Gaza Raid Photos Fuel Propaganda War‎ - Daniel Steinvorth, Christoph Schult, Spiegel Online: The deadly raid on the Gaza aid flotilla triggered a propaganda war between Israel and pro-Palestinian activists. Surprisingly, it was Turkish newspaper Hürriyet that published the most spectacular photos. The fact that "the moments when the Israeli soldiers were beaten up," as Hürriyet put it, were published in a Turkish newspaper of all places is the climax of a bizarre war of interpretation that pro-Palestinian activists and the Israeli government have been waging against each other ever since the deadly raid. Image from article 1 kill

It’s Turkey Stupid, Not Israel - John Stanton, Sri Lankan Guardian:

Hamas dismisses Gaza siege 'propaganda' - Ma'an News Agency - Israel's move to relax a four-year blockade of the Gaza Strip is simple propaganda, Hamas said Thursday.

Image from

Lebanese paper brands boy's essay 'Israeli propaganda': Al-Akhbar slams English teacher for showing students essay written by sixth-grader from Ashdod - Roee Nahmias, Ynetnews: A newspaper affiliated with Hezbollah accused a sixth-grade English teacher Wednesday of sympathizing with Israel because of an essay she used to teach her class. The teacher, who works in the Christian Lebanese town of Ajaltoun, searched online for an essay on Earth Day, marked on April 22, and lit upon a paragraph written by an Israeli student.

Russia's policy held hostage by its own propaganda - Gocha Gvaramia, Experts' club: No innovations are expected in Russian methods of information war.

Apparently engineers of the Kremlin politics still have so many "white threads" left that they do not know how to get rid of them. Image from

Lessons in PR from the Soviet Union - Krzysztof M. Ostaszewski, Christian Science Monitor: 'The Soviet system was just plain crude and boring. Long speeches of top Politburo members could have been entertaining because they were so insane, but in reality the question was whether the boredom or the crassness of it would kill you first. There was a joke about that.

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"[N]ever confuse the reviews with the box office."

--Ronald Reagan; image from