“To say nothing, especially when speaking, is half the art of diplomacy.”
--Will Durant; image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
US program puts Indonesians in Yankee Stadium: The US Embassy in Jakarta has helped launch a program that uses technology to bring Indonesian children to America and elsewhere in the world – without ever leaving the country - Sara Schonhardt, Christian Science Monitor: "'at America,' an initiative supported by the
US Embassy in Jakarta ... puts an edgy, 21st-century twist on public diplomacy. The facilities include interactive games and videoconferencing. Touch-screen monitors hang on the walls throughout the center. By standing in the midst of seven of these monitors wrapped in a semicircle, visitors can virtually walk inside Disney’s Magic Kingdom or stand in center field at Yankee Stadium. ... The center abides by three E’s – explore, experience, express – to build upon shared interests between the US and Indonesia. Cisco, Microsoft, and Google contributed technology to the $5 million center, which hosts a different theme each week pertaining to education, technology and innovation, climate change, or entrepreneurship." Image from
Republic Poly balance test set to feature at coming Sports Institute - Low Lin Fhoong, todayonline.com: "Arms stretched out, left foot bent back and with most of her weight shifted on her right foot for balance, American figure skating queen Michelle Kwan
cut a near perfect pose, as if she was on the ice. The 30-year-old, who won two Olympic medals (silver in 1998 and bronze in 2002) and five world titles in a 10-year career, took part in a balance and stability test conducted by Republic Polytechnic's (RP) School of Sports, Health and Leisure yesterday. ... 'I've never done anything quite like it,' said Kwan, who is in Singapore as a public diplomacy envoy for the United States State Department." Image from article
No Mama, no Papa - Jon Christian Ryter, NewsWithViews.com: "In yet another politically-correct, social progressive sleight-of-hand, the Obama State Department has surreptitously degenderized parenthood in the United States. ... The terms 'Father' and 'Mother' have been removed from U.S. passport applications and replaced with gender-neutral terminology, a State Department spokeswoman said when the bureaucracy announced the change on Friday, Jan. 7, 2011. ... The new forms, which cannot yet be accessed by the public, will be available online on Feb. 1, 2011. Instead of the old verbiage, the form will ask for 'Parent One's Place of Birth and 'Parent Two's Place of Birth' since 'daddy' may actually be a
'mommy' and 'mommy' may actually be a 'daddy.' ... An announcement made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2009 suggests the passport terminology change is likely the opening salvo fired across the bow of the USS United States that will lead to a lethal barrage aimed at legalizing homosexual marriage by regulation. Clinton announced that 'partners' of homosexual American diplomats will be eligible for spousal benefits. If you recall, in June, 2000 Hillary Clinton became the first wife of a sitting president to march in a Gay Pride parade. In a speech she made in June, 2010, Clinton said '...the United States is elevating the [gay rights] dialogue with other governments, and conducting public diplomacy to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.'" Image from
Yes, there is No Smith-Mundt Act in India, nor anywhere else (except Japan?) - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "Smith-Mundt Act is the artificial division of the world between domestic and foreign based on America’s political border. This senseless division is what common understanding of the effect – and purpose – of the Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, as amended. To say this means the Act prevents the Government speaking to Americans is misleading – as is most discussion surrounding the Act – as the division is not on audience but geography. ... [T]he 'firewall' does limit America’s ability to engage relevant audiences everywhere, both outside America’s borders and inside the borders. The limits can be as fundamental as preventing awareness of an online conversation to blocking domestic use of VOA material by private parties ... . [R]emoving the constraints of the amended Smith-Mundt Act would lead to more effective engagement. It is important however to be clear on what was amended and why it was amended."
Press TV objects to BBC Persian's phraseology on Iranian subsidies - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Toward defending Israel, mainstream U.S. Jewish groups critique it - Ron Kampeas, JTA: "On Sunday in Washington, a slate of local representatives from national Jewish organizations -- including pro-Israel stalwarts such as B’nai B’rith International and the Orthodox Union -- joined Israel’s embassy in sponsoring a day’s discussion on 'challenges and opportunities' for Arab citizens of Israel. Noam Katz,
a public diplomacy officer at the embassy, launched the proceedings with what participants said was a candid assessment of the discrimination still facing Israeli Arabs. That helped those in the audience who otherwise may have felt the reflex to protest criticism of Israel to listen and contribute, said Rabbi Sid Schwartz, who helped organize the conference." Katz image from
Mr. Hu Goes to Washington - Chris Patten, project-syndicate.org: "China’s official behavior following the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo turned an embarrassment into a public-diplomacy disaster, and China’s neighbors have been disturbed by Chinese efforts to throw its weight around.
Japan, Vietnam, and even Singapore have reacted with consternation, highlighting the need for America to remain the principal guarantor of stability in Asia. It is surprising that this has happened under Hu, a cautious and intelligent man. Maybe this behavior is attributable to the imminent leadership change, with an aggressive faction in the Communist Party Politburo and Central Committee needing to be mollified." Image from article
Tharoor on Public Diplomacy - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "'Public diplomacy, of course, is neither as old as Grotius, nor as new as 9/11, but both have shaped its practice internationally.' - Dr. Shashi Tharoor, speaking at the Public Diplomacy in the Information Age conference on Indian public diplomacy. ... PS: Tharoor makes a great point about Indian PD and social media: There is no good reason why an IT powerhouse like India should not be in the forefront of public diplomacy efforts using 21st century technologies and communications practices. Not to deploy social media tools effectively is to abdicate a channel of contact not only with the millions of young Indians who use Facebook, Twitter and Orkut, but also to the huge Indian diaspora that tends to have such an active presence on the net on Indian issues and in turn wields a disproportionate influence on international perceptions of India."
Conflict prevention, not resolution, the priority in 2011 - News.Az: "[I]nterviews Armenian-born Phil Gamaghelyan, managing editor of the Journal of Conflict Transformation ... Do you believe in the success of public diplomacy between Azerbaijan and Armenia? Relations between the Armenian and Azerbaijan societies are very hostile. Even if our leaders found a solution tomorrow, we would face enormous problems trying to implement the peace agreement. The refugees would face hostility when they try to return, various spoilers are likely to be able to sabotage the peace process. While it is up to the politicians to negotiate a political agreement, it is the role of public diplomacy to restore the badly damaged relations between the societies. Moreover, in times like these, when the political process has exhausted itself and the negotiations are pretty much dead, public diplomacy can help to generate new and alternative ideas to move the peace process forward.
Overall, public diplomacy always serves as the safety net that keeps the peace process alive and mitigates the fallouts or failures of official diplomacy. Yet to be effective, public diplomacy needs to complement the official process. Unfortunately in the case of Nagorno-Karabakh, there is very little coordination between the official peace process and public diplomacy efforts, which reduces the effectiveness of both the official process and public diplomacy. What are the prospects for Armenian-Turkish relations? Are improvements any time soon realistic? The Armenia-Turkey official normalization process had some successes and some failures. Unlike the official process, the Armenian-Turkish reconciliation process has been consistently moving forward in recent years thanks to public diplomacy." Image from
The Practice of Diplomacy - Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "I’ve commented before on the need for the field of public diplomacy studies to engage with the concept and practice of diplomacy. I’ve been reading the second of edition of Hamilton and Langhorne’s The Practice of Diplomacy which has just come out. This covers the development of diplomacy from ancient times with an emphasis on the organization and administration of diplomacy. In the context of their narrative the growing centrality of PD is the consequence of successive revolutions in diplomatic affairs or new diplomacies. The development of modern societies and modern systems of governments changes the nature of diplomacy. Although the world of twitter empowered NGOs is new in historical perspective it is simply the latest stage in the expansion of the diplomatic field that dates back centuries. One example that seemed particularly contemporary was the efforts of Russian diplomats in late 19th century France to use the media to improve public and market sentiment towards French loans to Russia.
The history of PD is normally written as a direct evolution from the propaganda of the World Wars through the Cold War psychological warfare to the present. The danger is that this perspective ignores the way that diplomacy has expanded and evolved. For many countries PD emerges from this expansion of diplomacy rather than from an idea of PD as a separate communications activity. Hamilton, K., and R. Langhorne (2010) The Practice of Diplomacy: Its Evolution, Theory and Administration. 2nd ed. London: Routledge." Image fromWikiLeaks Cable Dump: Is Secrecy Necessary for Diplomacy? - macroaire.com: Complete video at. Participants in the discussion include Professor Colleen Graffy, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, US State Department and law professor, Pepperdine University.
Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin Appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Legatum Institute: Will Lead Initiatives to Promote Liberty and an Expansive Understanding of Global Prosperity - PRNewswire: "The Board of Directors of the Legatum Institute announced today that Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer of the Legatum Institute, a leading policy think tank. He will assume the post on 1st March 2011. Dr. Gedmin joins the Institute following nearly four years as President of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty where he directed broadcasting and operations in almost 30 languages. ... Based in London and global in scope, the Legatum Institute is an independent, non-partisan think-tank that researches and advocates an expansive understanding of prosperity. Recognised as one of the UK's leading think tanks, the Institute recently published the fourth annual Legatum Prosperity Index, covering 110 countries, which redefines prosperity in terms of both wealth and well-being and includes factors such as entrepreneurship, liberty, opportunity, security and overall human flourishing."
PUBD510: Technologies and Public Diplomacy, starts this Friday, possibly (but very unlikely) near you - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner: "This Friday is the first meeting of PUBD510: Technologies and Public Diplomacy, the graduate class I’m teaching this semester at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. This will be the second semester teaching this subject. The syllabus is available here (and is subject to change)."
RELATED ITEMS
Going nowhere on Gitmo: With seemingly little support in Congress for closing the Guantanamo Bay detention center, President Obama is finding it difficult to make good on his pledge to shut the facility - Editorial, Los Angeles Times
Cuban exile on trial: The case against Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles is remarkable for the cooperation it has produced between the Cuban and U.S. governments - Peter Kornbluh and Julia E. Sweig,latimes.com: The United States should remove Cuba from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
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America Needs a Diplomatic-Industrial Complex - Parag Khanna, Huffington Post: In an age of diminished resources, the task for foreign policy makers is to develop an apparatus which harnesses America's vast governmental and non-governmental resources to make America's global footprint greater than the sum of its parts.
Ahmadinejad era like Stalin era, says Iran opposition leader - monstersandcritics.com: Iranian opposition leader Mir-Hossein Moussavi said Tuesday that the political era of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was like that of Joseph Stalin in the former Soviet Union. "The propaganda used by the government supporters in this era can be compared to that of the Stalin era in the Soviet Union or the Nicolae Ceausescu era in Romania," Moussavi told the opposition website Kalameh in an interview.
Walt & El Grupo Screening at USC features director - John Frost, The Disney Blog: This February 8th at 7pm, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy will hold a special screening of the Walt & El Grupo documentary. The director and producer will hold a Q&A session after the screening. Summary: It was 1941, a critical time for the world and for the Walt Disney Studio.
When the U.S. Government asked Disney to be a cultural ambassador to South America, the stage was set for Walt’s very own real-life adventure. With a group of handpicked artists, later called “El Grupo,” Disney’s WWII road trip achieved the impossible: goodwill. And in the process paved the way for two classic Disney films, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. Brought to life through rare footage and enriched with never-before-seen bonus features, Walt & El Grupo is a story of inspiration, joy and hope you won’t soon forget. Image from
Opening of Vatican museum is marred by scandal: Prosecutors in Rome have charged officials over allegations of corruption involving the restoration of a museum belonging to the Holy See - Guardian Weekly: The Missionary Museum of Propaganda Fide, now known as the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, has recently opened in Rome. It is the only museum belonging to the Holy See, operated outside the walls of Vatican City. The beauty of the vessel far exceeds the value of its contents; the collection of 10,000 photographs of the evangelisation of Africa and Asia are of specialist interest. The official opening of the Museum last month rekindled the controversy around this project. The palace, which flies the yellow and white flag of the Papacy, required restoration work to the tune of $20m. The Vatican therefore appealed to the Italian government. In 2004 the Society for the Development of Art, Culture and Entertainment (Arcus), a public body, agreed to cover $6.5m of the costs.
For six years restoration work proceeded smoothly, then last spring an investigation by public prosecutors took them to Piazza d'Espana. Between 2001 and 2006 the then infrastructure minister, Pietro Lunardi, purchased a building in Rome's historic centre at a price below its market value. The seller was the Congregation, then headed by Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe. The investigators suspect that the sale was agreed to compensate for the government funds Propaganda Fide received. In June both Lunardi and Sepe, now archbishop of Naples, were charged with corruption. Since then the controversy has grown. With drastic cuts to the arts budget and a lack of money for urgent work on the Coliseum and Pompeii, did the government really need to subsidise repairs to the headquarters of the powerful Congregation? Be that as it may, the Italian state will never see a return on its investment. Admission fees go into the Vatican's coffers. Image from
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