August 1

She:"You are frivolous."

He: "Only when it counts."

--Exchange on the retro television show, "It Takes a Thief," (1968-1970) with suave cat burglar Alexander Mundy, who plies his trade for the U.S. Government, responding to an accusation; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Pak-US strategic dialogue: the way ahead‎ - Sharmila Faruqi, The News International: "Sensing the constantly changing regional and world situation the United States felt the need to enter into the strategic dialogue with Pakistan. The strategic dialogue would provide glue to a relationship that is mired in mutual suspicions about each other’s intentions. Pakistan is an ally in the war against terror and without the latter’s contribution this war could not be won as Pakistan shares thousands of miles of border with Afghanistan, the epicentre of the terrorists. The first round of the strategic dialogue was held from 24-25th March in Washington. In Washington this dialogue was elevated to the ministerial level considering its importance. The Washington dialogue was all-encompassing as it emphasised economy, trade, energy, defence, security, strategic stability and non-proliferation; law enforcement and counter-terrorism; science and technology; health; water; agriculture; education; communication and public diplomacy. The aspirations of people were given prime importance."

A colleague's view of Iran - Examiner.com: "I would recommend ... adopting a comprehensive public diplomacy approach that would include radio and TV broadcasts targeted

at the population along with continuing and harsher sanctions. The public broadcasts would explain the need for the sanctions and the need for the people to understand that it is their leadership that is creating such problems for them. The broadcasts should also explain the ultimate costs of Iran not abandoning it nuclear ambitions." Image from

Iran sanctions need to drive a wedge - The Australian - Emmanuele Ottolenghi, The Australian: "Critics no doubt will say that tougher economic measures could harm ordinary Iranians and send them into the arms of the regime. They forget how deadly the regime's embrace is. Ordinary Iranians, by contrast, know it all too well. Despite four years of international sanctions, they hardly blame the West for their economic distress. If accompanied by a robust public diplomacy effort designed to keep the Iranian public informed, sanctions can further alienate them from their rulers. With this in mind, the West must ratchet up the pressure even further while speaking directly to the Iranian people about its goals - that ultimately, its own security and long-term strategic interests of preventing a nuclear-armed Iran are best served by the overthrow of the Islamic Republic and the restoration of ordinary Iranians' fundamental freedoms."

Online download State of Play iPhone: Crime State of Play director, Crime State of Play full length - mymovie4.spaces.live.com: "Liveblogging

From State of Play, NYC, Session 2. Government and governance in virtual worlds panel. Tori Horton, description of how virtual worlds can link to public diplomacy, reviews weaknesses and strengths of virtual worlds for." Image from

Recommendations to improve China-EU relations - Stanley Crossick, Stanley’s blog: "Chinese communications to Europe and the West are usually written in a style which is unconvincing, and sometimes counterproductive. They are usually untimely. Recommendation: The Chinese government should delegate communications to local missions and embassies which should employ European communications advisers. Think tanks and experts on public diplomacy should also be involved."

Is the Chinese charm offensive offensive? - ampontan: Japan from the inside out: “[T]he Chinese seem to be trying the reverse: 'despotism with a state capitalist face'.

What’s more, as this report from World Affairs Journal explains, they’re attempting to paint a human face on it and promote it as a model of governance overseas. No one’s likely to fall for the last part, but plenty of Third World nations will like the first part. Aiming to promote their own model of governance, in opposition to that of the United States and the West, the Chinese have invested heavily in making friends and influencing competitors. Extravaganzas such as the Beijing Olympics and the Shanghai Expo—the largest world expo ever, which opened recently—are only the most visible manifestations of a public diplomacy offensive being waged with determination and creativity on a number of fronts, including inside the United States itself." Image from

The week in brief, 26 July – 1st August – a summary of recent postings – Jews for Justice for Palestinians: "A few years ago almost any criticism of Israel faced the danger of being accused of being ‘antisemitic’. The melody remains the same but there is now a new lyric, consisting of but a single word: 'delegitimisation'. We’ve carried postings about it before, but here’s another good one from Allan C. Brownfeld in the States. The charge, he writes, 'is simply a well-coordinated campaign to avoid a real discussion of the Israeli policies which have led to a rift with the U.S. and are contrary to any movement toward real peace.' The other charge made in Israeli hasbara (’public diplomacy’ – or propaganda) is that Israel is singled out unfairly all the time. Adam Keller, Gush Shalom activist and editor of The Other Israel, looks at the charge and concludes that yes, Israel is singled out, but that is a singling out which is easy to justify: 'It is but a quite fair demand upon Israel to pay at least part of a long-overdue debt, and keep their part of a contract which Israel’s Founding Fathers solemnly signed.'”

Peace through War is not Peace....There Must be Another Way - Naomi Leight, Fire & Leight Thoughts on public diplomacy, the world and my life: "This week in the Huffington Post was a great piece by Andrew Bacevich

entitled The End of (Military) History? The United States, Israel, and the Failure of the Western Way of War. The heart of this article demonstrates that the military industrial complex is failing and the way warfare has been conducted in the West, by winning through sheer force of numbers, is no longer a guaranteed success. For me however, the heart of this article demonstrates that public diplomacy again, should be the 'weapon' of choice. ... Peace will come through the pursuit of developing ties with your 'enemies'. Peace will come through relationships and building trust and understanding. Peace will come economic development, empowerment, listening and public diplomacy. ... Bacevich's article just highlights to the public diplomacy junkie that we are on the right path, that nations big and small, enemies and friends can learn to conduct international relations better through the use of public diplomacy." Image from

Alumni weekend - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I have had an interesting weekend swimming in and out of USC's slipstream. USC has a big presence in Taiwan, with many Taiwanese students attending Trojanland as well as a USC Regional office located in Taipei. On Friday, I went to an Alumni Happy Hour. 'Twas a great deal of fun getting to be a gringo amid the Taiwanese alumni, and being feted as such. I met some interesting alumni, including one woman named Fawn Chang, who runs a place called The Center. The Center offers counseling and marriage and family therapy for ex-pats relocated in Taiwan. It is a brilliant idea because the stresses and strains of relocating can be a lot on the average ex-pat family trying to navigate a new world. Fawn is a counselor and does marriage and family therapy for ex-pats. My eyes widened at the prospect of public diplomacy family counseling. Fascinating. The notion of offering therapy to business and consular corps families trying to adjust to culture shock is such a brilliant pd niche."

#140conf San Francisco: August 19th - pulverblog.pulver.com: #140conf: "San Francisco will be taking place on August 19th at the Moscone Center in San Francisco #140conf SF as part of Connected Marketing Week. (visit website: http://sf.140conf.com/) Since the launch of the #140conf events, conferences have taken place in: New York City (twice), Los Angeles, London, Tel Aviv (twice), Barcelona, Austin (SXSW) and Washington D.C.

At these events we have explored the effects of twitter on a wide range of topics including: Celebrity, 'The Media', Advertising, Politics, Fashion, Real Estate, Music, Education, Public Safety and Public Diplomacy." Image from

RELATED ITEMS

Afghans protest civilian deaths, American presence and NATO bombardments - Joshua Partlow, Washington Post

Here Be Dragons: MRAPs, Sprained Ankles, Air Conditioning, Farting Contests, and Other Snapshots from the American War in Afghanistan - Ann Jones, TomDispatch.com

Gary Shteyngart Writes Another Smelly Book: Super Sad True Love Story journeys to dystopia via handheld devices - Rob Harvilla, Village Voice: Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story tries to be many things—tragicomic 1984 update, poignant May-December romance per the title, heartfelt tribute to the nostalgic joys of plain ol' books—and succeeds at most of them.

But primarily, it's the finest piece of anti-iPhone propaganda ever written, a cautionary tale full of distracted drones unwilling to tear themselves away from their little glowing screens long enough to make eye contact, let alone an actual lasting connection, with another human being. It's super sad 'cause it's true, but that also makes it hilarious. Shteyngart image from article

In Information War, Documentary Is Latest Salvo - Michael Schwirtz, New York Times: A new documentary film about the Belarussian president, Aleksandr G. Lukashenko, portrays him as a bumbling tyrant enamored of Hitler and Stalin. He has political opponents killed, journalists silenced and elections rigged in the film, all while keeping his faltering country locked in a Soviet time warp.

For years, human rights groups and Western governments have been leveling similar accusations. But the latest salvo against Mr. Lukashenko comes from an unlikely source: Russia’s government-controlled television. The documentary is part of an all-out propaganda war that has erupted between Russia and neighboring Belarus, two former Soviet republics that were once so close they had been on track to reunite. When the documentary, titled "Godfather,” was aired this month on Russia’s NTV television, it seemed to signal that the marriage was officially off. Belarus’s government-controlled First Channel also aired an interview with Georgia’s president, Mikheil Saakashvili, who has been vilified by Russia’s leaders — and who has been the target of unflattering Russian documentaries himself. In the interview, Mr. Saakashvili called the Lukashenko documentary hypocritical, noting the prevalence of political killings in Russia. “This has the smell of a propaganda war,” Mr. Saakashvili said. Russian soft-power in the form of media campaigns and economic pressure is credited with helping to unseat the Kyrgyz president, Mr. Bakiyev, in April. However, Mr. Lukashenko, who has been in power for 16 years, appears to be on surer footing than his Kyrgyz colleague was. Image: Miss Belarus

Ufologists debate Nazi UFO propaganda - Maurizio Baiata, openminds.tv

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"when every thought is externalized, what becomes of insight?"

--Peggy Orenstein, "I Tweet, Therefore I Am," New York Times