July 24

"It is also regularly pointed out that, since the development of the telegraph, telephone and email, ambassadors now receive more instructions than previously, and consequently are less plenipotentiary."

--Former British ambassador John Ure, Times Literary Supplement (July 16, 2010), p. 29; image from

BLOG OF INTEREST

Winnowing Fan. Via LB

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Under Secretary of State Judith A. McHale Travel to Colombia - US Department of State: "Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Judith A. McHale will travel to Colombia July 25-28. This is Under Secretary McHale’s first visit to Colombia. Under Secretary McHale will first travel to Cali, Colombia, where she will deliver the keynote address to the Association of Binational Centers of Latin America (ABLA) Conference on July 26.

She will also speak to a regional conference of the Department of State's Cultural Affairs Officers, and meet with a group of Martin Luther King Fellows to discuss their experiences as students in a U.S.-sponsored English teaching and leadership development program for Afro-Colombian university students. The Under Secretary will then travel to Bogota for meetings and activities related to public diplomacy programs that contribute to the U.S.-Colombia bilateral relationship." Image from

'Miss Willmott's Ghost' - Donna Oglesby, Winnowing Fan: “I read the New York Times Sunday magazine article on two modern day seed-sowers working in the State Department. Digital Diplomacy is a hopeful tale of faith, global activism and social media. Two technologically savvy young men, Alec Ross and Jared Cohen, roam the planet enabling societal gardeners abroad to grow their own democracies more effectively. ... All politics -- like gardens -- are local after all. And, where we have embassies abroad, I would hope that Ross and Cohen are taking the lead from skilled Foreign Service Officers resident in the field. Much like wise agricultural extension agents, these professionals are familiar with the local terrain and what is likely to grow there. They know who’s gardening in that national patch and who could benefit from a bit of technological assistance. Working hard to develop Washington and field coordination will be considerably more important to effective 21st Century Statecraft than any BOF (blowing out Farah) strategy concocted in Washington around a 'really good hash tag.'”

Web 2.0 risks and rewards for federal agencies: Potential security and privacy issues balance gov. innovation and cost savings - Alex Howard, O’Reilly Radar: The nature of record keeping and government transparency in the information age is rapidly changing. Officials can text, tweet, direct message, send 'Facemail,' IM or Skype, all from a personal smartphone. That's why yesterday's testimony of David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States, at a hearing on 'Government 2.0: Federal Agency Use Of Web 2.0 Technologies' was both critically relevant and useful. ... Gregory Wilshuen, director of information security issues for the GAO, testified at the hearing about government security challenges posed by the use of Web 2.0 platforms

by federal agencies. ... In reviewing federal activity, Wilshuen said the GAO found most agencies are using social media platforms. He highlighted three effective examples: • USAID is using Facebook to inform the public and link to other resources • NASA is using Twitter to notify the public of the status of missions and respond to questions • The State Department is using YouTube for public diplomacy[.] The challenge throughout all of these applications lies in privacy, security and records management, said Wilshuen. 'Are these federal records?'" See also. Image from

Twitter and public diplomacy – James Frayne (London), The Campaign War Room: "Twitter is important for organisations like the FCO and the State Department in pushing out news and providing timely information, but it's not an end in itself. It's no substitute for a clear world view (which the US had more than we do) and the ability to push out clear messages."

Mexican ambassador visits Twitter headquarters - Elise Viebeck, The Hill’s Twitter Room, The Hill: Mexican ambassador to the U.S. Arturo Sarukhan

announced Thursday on Twitter that he was visiting the company's San Francisco headquarters. His visit was the latest in several notable visits for the company, including one in late June from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Sarukhan's tweet read: At Twitter HQ discussing important role of Twitter as a key public diplomacy, advocacy and outreach tool for 21st century diplomacy He is an active Twitter user, writing from handle @Arturo_Sarukhan several times daily in English and Spanish." Sarukhan image from

The Newest Killer App for Public Diplomacy – John Brown, Notes and Essays: "John Brown's Body Enterprises, USA's leading producer of Awesome Communications Software (TM), is proud to announce its latest Killer App, the result of literally thousands of years of development. This unique product, which Computerworld has predicted will be the craze of Generation-Beyond-the-I . ... The name of this killer-of-all killer Apps? Face-to-face Conversation! No, no need to buy it online -- you already have it in you if you use it!

Note: While this product can be used by every human being on the face of the earth, it can be especially useful for diplomats, including those involved in public diplomacy." Image from

Expo Diplo cont. – Paul Rockower, Levantine: "The Canadian pavilion [at the Shanghai Expo] ... [is] [r]eally poor on the whole, probably one of the worst interior exhibits among the bigger pavilions. Short and nothing substantive. The curious case of the Canadian pavilion is that I saw no backlash in the Canadian media about its lackluster pavilion, especially compared to the controversy the American pavilion caused domestically. At least the American pavilion gave a bit of a show for the time spent waiting in line, whereas the Canadian pavilion really could have been passed through in a solid 5 minute walk."

GAO and US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy discuss evaluation tools - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us

Anwaar, Ishtiaq and Tammy: For the Good of Pakistan – tammy swofford blog: "Anwaar Hussain Ishtiaq Ahmed - Part I Ishtiaq Ahmed - Part II Ishtiaq Ahmed - Part III Tammy Swofford Behind the public diplomacy and the media whirlwind surrounding the visit of Secretary of State Clinton lies the quiet voice of restraint for Pakistan. Undoubtedly Ms. Clinton is a tsunami. But these articles demostrate the additional waves of progress sought for Pakistan."

Liberia: 'Country's Independence Undermined' - AllAfrica.com: "Akoi [Rev. Augustine Akoi, The President of the Better Future Foundation, Inc (BFF)] indicated that though Liberia was politically independent, which means that she has and controls her own territorial borders, it is equally dependent socially and economically on others, stressing 'she is just too far from achieving a balance in her bilateral relations, which is yet dependence based.' He made the statement yesterday at a Civil Society Round Table Discussion organized by the Public Diplomacy Section of the United States Embassy in Mamba Point

which was intended to reflect on the pros and cons of Liberia's 163rd Independence. Image from

Names: Who for Lew? - Politico: "When Obama announced last week that he was tapping Deputy Secretary of State Jack Lew to head the Office of Management and Budget, speculation turned to who would be chosen to succeed him. ... One former State official suggested another Hillary-land insider to consider is Evelyn Lieberman, the former deputy chief of staff in the Clinton White House and first undersecretary of State for public diplomacy who oversaw the merger of the U.S. Information Agency with the State Department. ieberman is a trusted Clinton confidante, a 'tough cookie, [who] can knock heads and herd cats with the biggest egos,' and 'a very good manager -- her strongest trait,' the former State official said."

A tale of three wars: Afghanistan, Iraq...Iran - Paul Rogers, openDemocracy: "Comments [by] Lawrence Efana … It is a matter of political cleanliness and less conflicting efforts to understand and work-out the strategy to contain things peacefully. For the US and allies, whether we focus on Afghanistan, Middle East or Korea or not, there is always the 'regional policy dimension' to argue for frank, and if I am permitted to solicit[,] a soft public diplomacy."

Kaira for responsible, coherent media system - Associated Press of Pakistan: "Minister for Information and Broadcasting Qamar Zaman Kaira on Saturday stressed the need for responsible and coherent media system in Pakistan. The minister expressed these views during his meeting with Chief Executive (EC) Mark Land of UK Central Office of Information (COI), said a press release.

Qamar Zaman Kaira said that Pakistan and UK could share experience and expertise in strategic communications to promote public diplomacy objectives for a better understanding between the people of the two countries." Kaira image from

No operation against any group on foreign dictation, says Kaira - Murtaza Ali Shah, The News International: "Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Minister, Qamar Zaman Kaira, said Friday that terrorism can only be eliminated by engaging the people through public diplomacy and empowering them with alternative narratives to counter extremist ideology. 'Pakistan’s struggle against terrorism is not only operational, but it is also ideological,' said the Federal Minister while addressing a news conference at the Pakistan High Commission here this afternoon, during his two-day official visit to the United Kingdom. 'Terrorism can only be eliminated by engaging our people through public diplomacy and empowering them with alternative narratives to counter extremist ideology.' See also.

Real Israel: Dance troops - Liat Collins, Jerusalem Post: "We all know IDF soldiers march to a different tune. And now, thanks to YouTube, we can all see just how different that can be. Earlier this month, the talk of the town – first in Hebron and then, courtesy of the Web, throughout the global village – were Israel’s dancing soldiers.

The six highly trained Nahal soldiers from the Hod platoon of the 50th Battalion stepped out of line and began shooting – shooting a destined-tobe viral video, that is. ... The celebrity soldiers were not dancing for joy, but neither do they have any regrets, except that the clip, which was meant as an internal joke marking the end of their compulsory military service, was broadcast globally before they had been demobilized. Those who didn’t see the humor in the clip should keep in mind that as parting shots go, it could have been much worse. I doubt that this is what Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein had in mind when he launched the Masbirim program encouraging individuals to take the initiative, but when it comes to battling an image problem, the soldiers were, in their inimitable way, probably more successful than much IDF-produced video material." Image from article

“Perhaps Azerbaijan Should Consider the Strategy of Mr. Davutoglu on Relations with Armenia" - Ilgar Mammadov, History of Truth: "A new conversation about the Turkish-Armenian border is difficult to start, because the colors of the last year events have faded and the subject may seem boring to some. However, precisely now - at this hour of calm on the subject – must Azerbaijani leadership rethink what had happened then. Baku continues to view the lock on that border as its own success, an outcome of its active and public diplomacy. Indeed, our leadership more than anyone else had publicly resisted the Turkish-Armenian rapprochement by tying it to the necessity of progress in resolving the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, even then I tended to think that Azerbaijan rumbles in vain, because all that noise originated from erroneous impressions prevailing within our leadership as a result of its too close relations with the Kremlin. Since the very beginning, Baku overlooked the fundamental fact that Russia itself could not publicly oppose the rapprochement between Ankara and Yerevan."

Public Diplomacy and the Social Media: Diplomacy Professionals Your Views Needed - Patricia H. Kushlis, Whirled View: "Diplomacy professionals, your views are needed.

Carolijn van Noort is working as a trainee for the Consulate General of the Netherlands in San Francisco on a survey that assesses professional views about the importance of social networking in public diplomacy. Note: this survey is relevant for both representatives of countries with embassies and consulates in the United States and for US public diplomacy specialists. Please respond to her directly at carolijn@cgsanfrancisco.org."[Her questions in above link]. Image from

* Todd Post: Dinar Discussions (Future of Iraq Project – “Oil & Energy”) - theiraqidinar.com: "MEI [Middle East Institute] enjoys wide access to political and business leaders in countries throughout the region. Along with information exchanges, facilities for research, objective analysis, and thoughtful commentary, MEI’s programs and publications help counter simplistic notions about the Middle East and America. We are at the forefront of private sector public diplomacy."

2010 Open Season of the Expanded Professional Associates Program (EPAP) for Eligible Foreign Service Spouses/Partners – Domani Spero, DiploPundit: "The Expanded Professional Associates Program includes the following categories of positions: Political, Economic, Public Diplomacy, Management, General Services, Human Resources, Financial Management, Office Management, Information Management, Physician, Nurse Practitioner and Registered Nurse. All EPAP positions

are at the FS-04 to FS-07 grade level." Image from

Awards for Research in the United States for 2011/12 – Nov 15 deadline - grantfacilitation.ubc.ca: "Awards for Research in the U.S. with Fulbright Canada (Deadline November 15, 2010) ... Visiting Research Chairs
• For scholars who wish to conduct research and/or teach at one of the Visiting Research Chairs Program’s partner universities (see www.fulbright.ca for list[1]). $25K USD for one semester + health benefit plan.[1] 2010/11 Chairs include: North American Studies, Canadian Studies, Transborder Studies, International Business, Creative Writing, Journalism, Law & Society, Public Diplomacy, Canada-U.S. Relations, Humanities/Social Sciences/Sciences. See website for list of participating institutions."

RELATED ITEMS

DM Dismisses War Rhetoric against Iran as "Propaganda Campaign" – FARS News Agency: White House officials have intensified their war rhetoric against Iran in a bid to attain their interests through propaganda, Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi stressed on Saturday. In comments referring to the recent reports about the US Congress support for an Israeli military strike against Iran, Vahidi told reporters that the US wants an atmosphere of war to dominate the region in order to advance its propaganda campaign.

America already is an Islamic society - John Kiser, Washington Post: Collective guilt syndrome is a terrible, and sadly, common facet of America's dark side. Japanese Americans suffered collective incarceration for the sins of their racial kin across the Pacific, and absurdly unrealistic fear of immanent invasion. Thanks to the Four Minute Men,

propaganda squads organized by President Wilson to whip up war fever among Americans and animus against Germany, prejudice against German Americans skyrocketed. Islamophobia is a mixture of racism, undiscriminating ignorance of the diversity and complexity within the Islamic world, and the hard reality of some truly dangerous, Western-hating Muslims (estimated by intel sources variously at 10-40,000 hardcore fanatics worldwide). But sending overseas the military equivalent of bulls to fight wasps is not the right strategy, nor is demonizing all Muslims going to make America or the world safer. Indeed, the opposite. As Gen Petraeus's Australian advisor, David Kilcullen, has argued in Accidental Guerilla, aggregating our enemies under one big, bad label merely multiplies them. Image from

China fears Facebook – Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Los Angeles-based "Hello! Hollywood!" available to 250 million Chinese households. It's! Uncontroversial! - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting