October 17

"AP meant to say Tyson will be an Ambassador of boxing, and not a boxing Ambassador."

--The Skeptical Bureaucrat, commenting on the Associated Press Headline, "Mike Tyson plans to be a boxing ambassador in China"; image from

DEFINITION

Civic journalism; via GD

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

US Elections and South Asia - Naveeta Kapoor, inewp.com: "US needs to ensure that its public diplomacy initiatives in Afghanistan are in congruence with the best interests of the Afghani people."

Below images from: Absolute Moral Authority: Because plain old moral authority just wasn’t good enough — a mesablue production

Can the US Get Back the Needed Moral Authority to Host a 2020 World Expo? - Bob Jacobson, Huffington Post: "The real problem with the Bay Area -- or any US region -- hosting the World Expo is Schwarzenegger's blustery assumption that the rest of the world will be all over the USA to become its 2020 World Expo host.

After our abysmal performance in Shanghai this year, we haven't the moral authority. Mismanagement, misrepresentation, and corruption were the order of the day. If most Americans don't know about that -- hell, they don't even know where Shanghai is or what an Expo's about, so why should that matter? -- the foreign-affairs ministries of the nations represented in Shanghai certainly do.


Even as the Expo winds down, I'm still digging into the slag heap that was the 'USA' Pavilion: a completely private, law-evading, tax-exempt front for wealthy corporations, a private company posing as a public institution representing the American people with the complicity of two Administrations. As one top-notch reporter observed, to a determined investigator, the melange of conflicted interests wrapped up in the 'USA' Pavilion ribbon is a gift that keeps on giving. When Shanghai Expo 2010, Inc., is finally compelled to open its books, we are going to be amazed. Oh, and that little scrap of 'Action Plan' written about elsewhere, that set the stage for America's first wholly privatized public diplomacy initiative? It wasn't a casual afterthought written on the back of a napkin; it's written into the law. The State Department officially planned for a bogus private tax-exempt company to run the 'USA' Pavilion -- they even stole our nation's name -- to collect corporate contributions."

Presenting new perspective on European history - Krystal Knapp, The Times of Trenton: "[T]he [BBC] film 'WW II: Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West' ... tells the story of Joseph Stalin's encounters with Adolph Hitler,


Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, and how their decisions shaped World War II and the fate of postwar Europe, particularly Poland. ... The Polish Arts Club of Trenton will show segments of the series at 1 p.m. Oct. 24 at the conference center at Mercer County Community College. Marek Konarzewski, head of the public diplomacy and education section at the Polish Embassy in Washington, will explain key segments of the film and lead a discussion afterward."

Persian Press Review - Tehran Times Political Desk, tehrantimes.com: "IRAN in an editorial discusses Ahmadinejad’s public diplomacy. The public diplomacy of Ahmadinejad in Lebanon (as compared with official and traditional diplomacy), has turned into a model in the world. By the grace of God, whenever he enters any international forum, the culture of the Islamic Revolution prevails in that meeting.


According to the writer, this atmosphere is not restricted to any region, tribe or religion in Asia, Europe, America, Africa and the Middle East. The latest one was Lebanon. The profound impact of the victory of Ahmadinejad’s public diplomacy on the region and the world would emerge in the upcoming years."

Spending review: The generals may be angry – but doctors and nurses aren't: If the spending review succeeds, then things will work differently but better, writes Matthew d'Ancona - telegraph.co.uk: "Over the summer, David Cameron and George Osborne had a


series of discussions about the spending review that the Chancellor will unveil this Wednesday. ... [T]he core of the Chancellor’s statement will clearly be the cuts themselves, just as its principal political purpose will be to launch a long, arduous process of public diplomacy."

Turning the Corner in Kashmir - Niki Shah, foreignpolicydigest.org: "[A] second component of confidence-building measures is to fully engage the Kashmiri people in the political process and advance the public diplomacy campaign from the perspectives of both the Indian and Pakistani government.


The public diplomacy campaign should utilize the local newspaper, television, radio stations and Internet to spread the message about the vision to achieve growth and prosperity with peace as the main prerequisite."

Who Admired Russia from Indonesia - sejutanews.blogspot.com: "As many as 150 young people attended the event Russian lovers Russian Indonesian Youth Gathering in the multipurpose room Embassy in Moscow, which is a routine event and followed the young generation of Russians from all walks of life, such as students, academics, young executives and journalists. ... Ambassador to Russia, Hamid Awaludin, said that this activity is one step to introduce and promote Indonesia to the Russian society, especially the younger generation. Hamid admitted, the number of young Russian lover of Indonesia continues to grow. 'That requires more space because the embassy meeting room is no longer sufficient for the implementation of similar activities, especially in the winter,' he added. He considers, looking for a suitable meeting place, such as hiring a special meeting room to accommodate the activities and their creativity. 'It's part of public diplomacy and hoped that they can bridge the relations between the two nations in the future which is currently growing,' Hamid added."

Quiz: identify the author or date of the quote - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "The United States Government should create a Secretary of Public Relations as a member of the President’s cabinet. The function of this official should be correctly to interpret America’s aims and ideals throughout the world,


and to keep the citizens of this country in touch with government activities and the reasons which prompt them. He would, in short, interpret the people to the government and the government to the people."

Syllabus for Public Diplomacy and Technology (PUBD510) - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us

ABCDPBS - Leah Elizabeth Wendt, Blogging for Sanity: A Mother's Time-Out: "I believe Edward R. Murrow was one of the original minds behind public television. He knew there should be programming on television of a quality and standard that mustn't be tainted by the need for ratings. Programming that provided art and information, that told the human story with public diplomacy was necessary, he thought, to make good television."

Mike Tyson, Baddest Ambassador on the Planet? - The Skeptical Bureaucrat: "[AP:] 'Mike Tyson


was once the baddest man on the planet. Now he'll be circling that planet as a self-titled ambassador to spread the gospel of boxing to the Chinese.' ... I notice Ambassador Tyson brushes off questions from the press effortlessly, as if they were pitiful swats from an anemic light flyweight. Isn't there some role this guy could play in our public diplomacy outreach efforts? On second thought, forget I asked that." See also. Image from

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY

Honoring Daniel Pearl’s Legacy with Pakistani Rock - PD-Wali: An inside look at Public Diplomacy work in Pakistan: "Saturday nights in Islamabad are usually pretty sleepy. But on October 9, the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad 'overloaded' the auditorium at the Pakistani National Council of Arts in a concert to celebrate the legacy of Daniel Pearl.


The Pakistani band 'Overload' played their mix of Sufi folk tunes set to modern rock to almost 500 local university students. It was one of hundreds of concerts held around the world in October in honor of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal bureau chief who was brutally murdered by extremists in Karachi in 2002 - ... About PD-wali I am a State Department Public Diplomacy (PD) Officer working in the Press Section at the US Embassy in Islamabad." Image from article

The Glory of Ukraine: Sacred Images From the 11th to the 19th Centuries - PRNewswire-USNewswire: "Meridian International Center will present The Glory of Ukraine: Sacred Images from the 11th to the 19th Centuries—a rarely seen collection of more than 70 objects including icons, liturgical objects, textiles, and rare crosses—at Meridian's Cafritz Galleries from October 20, 2010 – January 16, 2011. Featuring some of Ukraine's most important national treasures from the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve and the National Museum in Lviv named for Andrei Sheptitsky,

the collection traces the evolution of Ukrainian iconography from its early Byzantine roots through the Baroque and Renaissance periods. Organized by the Foundation for International Arts & Education (FIAE) in Bethesda, Maryland, The Glory of Ukraine is presented in conjunction with the Embassy of Ukraine in the United States and the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council, The National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve and the National Museum in Lviv. ... "Meridian places great value on collaborations with organizations dedicated to furthering cultural diplomacy," said Stuart Holliday, President and CEO of Meridian. "This presentation with the Foundation for International Arts & Education and our Ukrainian partners is a strong example of how cultural topics can serve as catalysts for constructive dialogue among people of different traditions and backgrounds." Exhibit image from

French diplomat roots for cultural diplomacy‎ - Business Daily Africa: "[T]he outgoing ambassador [French Ambasssador Elisabeth Barbieris]


is more excited about culture than politics. 'That is what differentiates us from the rest of the countries,' she intones. Over the years, France, a member of the European Union (EU), has used cultural diplomacy to win over countries and spread her influence around the world. In French-speaking Africa, the European economic powerhouse has sustained her ties, through cultural programmes, whether in cinema theatre, music or fashion. While in Kenya, the mother of two supported several cultural programmes including the Kaya shrines, Lamu Festival, rehabilitation of an ancient mosque in Lamu and the Kenya International Film Festival that screens in Nairobi." Barbieris image from article

Dance & diplomacy: RWB celebrates 70th anniversary with a return to Israel, 35 years after the company's first visit - Karen Burshtein,winnipegfreepress.com: "Though the RWB has traditionally been a touring company, it has been short on road trips of late. The Israel trip is the troupe's first foreign tour in seven years. (It's their first visit to Israel in 35 years; in 1975, they were the first Canadian ballet company to visit the country.) ... The dancers -- who arrived in Israel on Sunday and finish the last of three performances in Tel Aviv tonight, before two in Jerusalem and two in Haifa -- have also been performing diplomatic duties that go beyond their standard cultural diplomacy.


On Sunday, the company attended the dedication ceremony of the new Playground for Peace in the ancient port city Jaffa, today a mixed Arab and Jewish Tel Aviv neighbourhood, with Premier Selinger, Christine Melnick, Manitoba's minister of water stewardship, and other Manitoba dignitaries. The company later taught a dance class to a group of children at a local community centre. Judy Slivinski, the RWB's senior director of marketing and development, said of their sod-turning-like activities: "The fact that our tour is concurrent with the Jewish Federation's mission and the premier's visit has intensified the usual community outreach activities the RWB likes to participate in during a tour. Our endeavours are usually more artistic, more ballet oriented, such as master classes. This time our endeavours have been more social." Image from article

Mekaal Hasan 'There's this new huge metal scene in Lahore'‎ - Krish Raghav, Livemint: "Lahore-based Mekaal Hasan is the guitarist and frontman of the seminal Mekaal Hasan Band, who are about to embark on their third India tour. The band is often cited as 'fusion' done right, building on classical vocalist Javed Bashir’s free-flowing voice with Hasan’s complex jazz arrangements (he studied composition at the Berklee College of Music, Massachusetts, US, before returning to Lahore to set up a recording studio). ... [Hasan:] 'A lot of us can’t be anything but socially engaged. I think the community has been instrumental (no pun intended) in a lot of international fund-raising efforts. Our band was part of a 'Pakistan in Paris' festival in France, and we did some charity concerts in the US through the Pakistani Peace Builders (a US-based cultural diplomacy group). As musicians, however, we have to be careful not to devolve into angry ranting about politics or security issues.'" Hasan image from article

Hiring system reformed at scandal-hit ministry‎ - Christine Kim, JoongAng Daily: "New hiring rules for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade were announced yesterday in an attempt to get beyond a nepotism scandal and other favoritism allegations from the past. With the reformed employment policies, 'all problems related to personnel practices have been corrected,' newly installed Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said. ... Kim also stated that higher positions in the ministry would be opened up, with more outside hires for foreign embassies and the Foreign Ministry itself. 'For starters, we will take outside hires for the heads for policy planning and cultural diplomacy,' Kim said.


Also, 14 high-ranking positions in roughly 70 embassies outside Korea, 20 percent of the higher positions in those locations, will be open for outside hires from other government ministries or the private sector." Image from

RELATED ITEM

How to Greet in a Global Microcosm - Anand Giridharadas, New York Times: Around the world, at industry conferences, corporate retreats or fashion weeks, globalized souls meet in globalized environs and wonder whether to do it your way, my way or the local way.

MORE QUOTATIONS FOR THE DAY

"[Y]ou can’t be neglecting of marketing and P.R. and public opinion.”

--President Barack Obama

"[I]nnovation that happens from the bottom up tends to be chaotic but smart. Innovation that happens from the top down tends to be orderly but dumb.”

--Curtis Carlson, the C.E.O. of SRI International, the innovation hub in Silicon Valley

“My impression of our graduating class this year was of persons who had apparently scarcely had an adult conversation in their full four years.”

--Daniel Patrick Moynihan, upon his return to Harvard in 1971

"She sometimes sounds like a white debutante from somewhere in Connecticut."

--John McWhorter, reviewing Condoleezza Rice's autobiography, "Extraordinary, Ordinary People"