“Playing this song at a White House state dinner is the rough equivalent of an American president providing music from Rambo II during a state visit to Vietnam.”
--John Hayward, a writer for the conservative website Human Events, regarding the song “My Motherland” (from the 1956 Chinese movie "Battle on Shangganling Mountain") being played (sans the lyric aimed at the U.S., "When friends are here, there is fine wine, but if the jackal comes, what greets it is the hunting rifle") by Chinese-American pianist Lang Lang at the White House State Dinner for Chinese President Hu Jintao;
"You know, I never know about that movie. I just learned it afterward. It's like, 1956. This is when my mother was two years old. I mean, this is 55 years ago."
--Lang Lang, who grew up as a teenager in America; Lang Lang image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
US Public Diplomacy Goes Twitting - jonkofas.blogspot.com: "US Public Diplomacy has gone 'Twitting', using Twitter, U-Tube, Facebook, & Flickr as means of instant global communication. A trend in its nascent stage, this is yet another case of technology influencing modalities in foreign affairs, and it is not necessarily 'more democratic' as government would like people to believe. But to what degree does techno-modality influence substance and to what degree does it yield the desired results, given that the web is a universe of disparate ideas and opinions from every conceivable side, one adding a different nuance or contradicting the other.
Although the origins are Wilsonian, American scholar-diplomat Edmund Guillon institutionalized public diplomacyin academia at Tufts University inauguration of the Edward R. Murrow Center for Public Diplomacy in 1965. He correctly argued that traditional diplomacy would be supplemented by public diplomacy intended to mold public opinion at home and abroad as significant foreign policy dimensions. ... Louis Althusser [says] that civil society institutions, which include the educational system, values, religion, political parties, etc. (Ideological State Apparatuses, ISAs), mold individuals to see themselves as 'free-willed subjects' when in fact they are molded by ISAs. 'Soft power' influence by the state is exercised through ISAs and that is exactly where public diplomacy fits in and where 'Twitting' plays a role within that structure. While technology is changing the modalities of foreign policy, the essential question to ask is the degree to which the web (short of sabotage acts and spying) has an impact on the substance of foreign policy and its targeted domestic and foreign audiences.
Given that the US diplomacy has gone 'Twitting' to keep up with tech changes in mass communications, it would be foolish to expect the rest of the world not to follow America's lead in public diplomacy as well as web spying, sabotage and espionage - cyber-missile that may be more effective than a ballistic one. 'Twitting' is a mechanism that allows foreign ministries to have instant response and to reach the world through the web on any issue, respond to any news or official publication, or promote any position to influence government policies, commodity markets, financial markets, etc. Whether it comes to responding to Wikileaks revelations, reacting to the volatile sociopolitical situations in Haiti and Tunisia, or trying to promote Hu Jintao's state visit, the Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs has the web at his disposal as yet another tool of public diplomacy within the larger ISA structure. The beauty in 'Twitting' is that any government using it can claim that it is employing a 'democratic' process, intended to be 'open' with the public. ... The case of China demonstrates how public diplomacy reflects the molding of mass public opinion ideological state apparatuses in both countries [U.S. and China]. Misconceptions on both sides are the result of ISA structures. ... In the age of high tech mass communications, the 'Twitting' is not merely a new tool, but a new religion designed to capture peoples' hearts and minds. The question is for whose ultimate benefit is this new 'Twitting' religion working, and does it have any traces of 'democracy'? Twitter image from; Jon Kofas image from his blog
Radio Free Asia journalist, fired for tweets about Clinton internet freedom speech, reinstated after arbitration - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
VOA eliminates Indonesian and Vietnamese shortwave, reduces Mandarin and French - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Beyond Beloved Pandas - Zhou Luxi, China.org.cn: "A lease extension on the giant pandas at the US National Zoo. A new Chinese-style garden at the US National Arboretum. A national program that is sending more and more American students to China. China has never been so active in utilizing 'public diplomacy' – a PR blitz launched by the Chinese government as President Hu Jintao went to Washington. Another part of the 'public diplomacy' campaign includes the less successful 60-second spot that is being shown in Times Square. Intended to convey a peacefully rising China to Americans, the video shows a montage of dozens of Chinese celebrities, most of whom are unknown in the U.S. – leaving Americans wondering what the purpose is of displaying successful Chinese. It is in China's interests to reinforce its presence in the U.S. China's development has fostered doubts and fear in other countries, despite repeated statements of a peaceful China rise.
China's territorial disputes are even interpreted as ambitions to take over the U.S. Thus, it is smart for China to take the initiative to introduce a real China for more strategic trust. Despite Americans' misunderstanding of the video's message, the video did a good job but it could have made its message clearer to weaken Americans' perception of the Chinese threat. When approaching people outside of China, it is necessary to think of the audience first with a focused theme. For example, the Confucius Institute has clear goals of teaching Chinese culture, tradition and language, so people hardly suspect the intentions of Chinese educators. Controlling people's interpretations of information is unfeasible, but China can at least make its message clear to minimize misreading. China has been practicing 'public diplomacy' since the early 1990s in Southeast Asia. But as China became a regional power, new uncertainties for its neighbors have eroded the fruits of regional cooperation. This dynamic reminds China that any public diplomacy is not a one-time deal. Today's China has to expand horizons to all the strategic partners, to carefully leverage its soft power and to maintain flexibilities in practice. China's 'public diplomacy' can be done if China treats criticism with as much importance as praises. China is capable to tell the world that this country does more than exports." Image from
EU-China relations in the Year of the Rabbit - Jonas Parello-Plesner, Uobserver.com: "China has constructed an image - assisted by clever public diplomacy and the fixation of the European media - as the saviour of the euro. 'Cold Europe is feeling the warmth of the Chinese breeze,' as Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK has poetically described it. What does China want in return for spending its money in Europe?"
'Experience China II' makes online premiere - "The 'Experience China II' promotional film, which focuses on ordinary people at all levels, was displayed to the public on the Internet in China on Jan. 23 and will be officially released soon, the producer said. The 17-minute long online premiere of 'Experience China II' has eight two-minute long themes with a total of more than 800 pictures and encompasses China's economy, politics, society, culture, science, education and environment. The eight themes were: open up in confidence, sustainable growth, shareable development, diversity and common prosperity, freedom and order, authoritative democracy, mutual respect of the poor and the rich and thrift with wealth. Unlike the previous one that is being shown in Times Square
in New York City of the United States, the second promo presented daily lives of ordinary people in all walks of life instead of celebrities and big names. ... Zhou Zunnan, the public diplomacy professor of the Foreign Affairs College, said he had his doubts at first but felt relieved after watching this film because he found more than 70 percent of the promo focused on the lives of ordinary people, which, from his point of view 'shows the world a real China, and that is the very true meaning of the national promo film.' Zhou said Western countries have tended to misunderstand or even demonize China in the past. This film is able to help foreigners to know a real China in a better way." Image from
Long live BRIC, welcome MIST - Sreeram Chaulia, Asia Times Online: "After setting the terms of discourse in world affairs at the turn of the millennium with the coinage, 'BRIC' (Brazil, Russia, India and China), Jim O'Neill - the former chief economist of Goldman Sachs - has just kick-started the new decade with a fresh acronym: 'MIST' (Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea and Turkey). ... Size does matter in measurement of power, no matter what the internal divergences are among BRIC or MIST countries. The more BRIC and MIST grow in GDP size, the greater their capability to convert economic resources into military and soft power gains. No one can gainsay the fact that BRIC countries' militaries grew in power projection abilities and technological know-how over the last ten years as a direct result of their economic growth. Defense outlays, which are measured as a percent of a nation's GDP, proportionally increase as an economy grows. Likewise, the resource base with which a state can drum up goodwill and win more friends by playing a more global role is economic in nature. If public diplomacy divisions of foreign ministries of the 'emerged' countries are to be effective, the bottom line is how big their war chests are and how well they are complemented by their respective national capitalist classes."
Submit this story - Philip Seib, Huffington Post: "In Tunisia, the uprising was triggered by the self-immolation of a young man who was overwhelmed by the hopelessness of life under oppressive rule. His sacrifice galvanized thousands more whose patience was at an end. The Ben Ali government controlled traditional news outlets and was clearly surprised by the speed and pervasiveness of the information flow, particularly the incendiary messages and images (not all of them accurate) that spread through social media. The government's repressive response was depicted on blood red web pages and in text messages that moved in such volume that public anger soon outstripped the government's ability to contain it. There are lessons here for those who conduct public diplomacy.
The relative ease of sidestepping government media controls by using new media was once again on display. Also underscored was the ability of an outside information source - in this case Al Jazeera -- to provide news that a government did not want its people to know about. Publics can increasingly be reached directly, and they are increasingly receptive to messages from beyond conventional providers. An unforeseen event such as the suicide in Tunisia could happen elsewhere. The potent combination of satellite television and social media ensures that news about any such occurrence will move rapidly through the Arab world, and public anger such as that seen in Tunisia could explode." Image from
Arab world appalled by Palestinian negotiators - Gil Yaron, Toronto Star: "Nothing demonstrates the gap between secret and public diplomacy as well as Monday’s response to news that Palestinian negotiators have been discussing major concessions during their Mideast peace talks for the last four years. Palestinian leaders issued outraged statements about being misquoted and even alleged outright fraud, which only raised the anger of most of their constituents.
The collection of 1,600 secret memos leaked to Al Jazeera, the Arab world’s largest and most influential TV station, painstakingly outlined that negotiators had been willing to trade parts of Jerusalem, forsake an army or air force, cooperated with Israel’s security forces in combating their own extremists and were even willing to abandon the longstanding blanket claim of Palestinian refugees’ right to return to what is now Israel." Image from article: Yasser Abed Rabbo, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, speaks to the media in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, Jan. 24, 2011.
Israel as a "Mansion in the Jungle" - Yoram Peri, Huffington Post: "From their point of view, Netanyahu and Barak's legacy will not be whether they solve the Palestinian problem, for that is unsolvable, but whether or not they can remove the Iranian threat - even at the cost of war. ... Both he and Netanyahu hinted over the past couple weeks that Israel is about to make a surprising diplomatic move. ... If not and it turns out that these hints are just an exercise in public diplomacy, it will suggest that ... Netanyahu ... is preparing for war. The moment of truth is near."
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman on Iran's Nuclear Program & More - Arirang News: "Now let's take some time to get Iran's perspectives on issues making headlines here in Korea and other countries. We are joined in the studio today by a special guest the Spokesman of Iran's Foreign Ministry Ramin Mehmanparast. Welcome. We understand your visit is to discuss media relations with a number of Asian countries.
In that regard, what is the focus of your trip to Korea In the name of God, we believe that the role of public diplomacy is very important during these times. And I think that the role of media, media is very important in public diplomacy. We hope that in the future that we can receive information about the two countries directly. Not by third party, because we can describe better than third party about the reality." Image from article
Moscow. Again... - Yelena Osipova, Global Chaos: "As the news of the Moscow airport bombing started coming in today morning, I was glued to... Twitter again, following the latest developments, feeling useless, and well, having a déjà-vu - quite literally - going back to the metro bombings last year. ... I think it's worthwhile to highlight the Facebook activity of the American Embassy in Moscow. Not only did the Embassy's page highlight the statements of support from Obama and Clinton as they were made, but it also provided several links to major news updates and, most importantly, contact and inquiry information (with various links and numbers for emergency and other help lines). Way to go on public diplomacy! Meanwhile, there is absolutely NO information about the attacks on the website of the Russian Embassy in the U.S. (neither has there been anything special on DC's Russian Cultural Center's page - except for embedded updates' feed from RIA Novosti). Obviously, they decided RT and all other news agencies would do the job. Don't know what they were thinking about all those in the U.S. who needed information, through (Russians, but also others)."
Domodedovo - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "U.S.-Russian cooperation on counterterrorism in the past decade has included bilateral action, such as the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism, and multilateral efforts. The nations have much in common, although their counterterrorism strategies are not always in sync. In combating terrorism, it would behoove both nations to diversify their strategies, employing both hard and soft power resources. New and traditional public diplomacy tools should be directed at counterterrorism efforts. Terrorists have proven to be very savvy at using modern technology to spread negative information about their foes.
While military and financial resources are essential components of foreign policy, soft power tools are particularly well suited to fostering dialogue, promoting goodwill and countering misinformation, and should be included in counterterrorism initiatives. Of course, today's events don't represent the failure of public diplomacy or foreign policy. They are appalling, contemptible, criminal activities and should be treated as such. ... Stepping up public diplomacy efforts is not a panacea to end violence. It is simply a necessary, if insufficient, step in the right direction." Image from
Norway's Focused Communications Strategy - Tim Moore, American Diplomacy: "Does the Norway Model for public diplomacy follow contemporary theories of effective strategic communication? In many ways, it does. ... Norway presents a message that is consistent with its basic values, which minimizes conflicting messages and allows it to more easily bring in non-governmental actors to augment its programs. That also helps Norway shape and maintain a positive image, or a brand, because the brand is based on Norway’s essence."
Jaipur Literature Festival6 hours ago - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "I wasn't sure if I was going to make the Jaipur Literary Festival. ... The Jaipur Literary Festival is the largest in the world, and some would consider it the grandest lit fest. It was attended this year by nearly 50,000 writers, poets, journalists, critics and lit fans. ... I glanced at the sponsorship of the events. The principal partners were the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, the Public Diplomacy Division of the MEA and the Ministry of Culture. The sponsorship lists was long and impressive: the British Council, the American Center, Alliance Frances, the Embassies of Poland, Israel, Sweden, and a multitude of multinationals. Then it dawned on me the public diplomacy value of this literature festival. ... The long bus ride gave me a chance to consider the public diplomacy value of the Jaipur Lit Feast.
It was a great bit of cultural diplomacy to offer a perspective on Indian literature to both farang as well as to Indians of different states and locations. There were always 4 simultaneous panels that had a bit for everyone (fiction, nonfiction, politics, culture, hindi, english) plus a great number of performances of music and poetry. The lit fest made Indian culture, literature and music accessible to both global and domestic audiences. The Jaipur Lit Fest is a great way to make more and more people more aware of the richness of Indian literature and introduce it to new, receptive audiences." Image from
Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy (m/f) - EurActiv: "NATO Headquarters Brussels is recruiting an Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy (m/f: "NATO's Public Diplomacy Division (PDD) plays a key role in conveying the Alliance's strategic and political messages to opinion formers and to the public in general. The Division also acts as coordinator for public diplomacy activities undertaken by other Divisions at NATO Headquarters and by other NATO entities. The Assistant Secretary General (ASG)/Communications Director reports directly to the Secretary General of NATO and advises him on public diplomacy issues, as member of the senior management team. S/he will, in close cooperation with the Spokesperson, set the overall communications objectives, identify key audiences, and oversee the prioritisation of resources and the execution of plans."
The sad state of US public diplomacy and the lessons of bad rapid response practices - nickbiddlenoe, mideastwire.wordpress.com: "[M]any young Americans, like myself, have been so turned off about entering the State Department."
New Blog - ConArtist: "I haven't sold out yet...but I'm willing to negotiate": "For my Public Diplomacy course, I created a blog for a small group of classmates and I [sic].
We are asked each week to opine about a pressing public diplomacy issue. We can keep it short and simple, or carry on in a short narrative, it's our choice. We have much autonomy, however the concepts must correlate with class material and/or the readings." Image from
Public Diplomacy Film - Veronica, alfombraspuntocruz.blogspot.com
CAG CFP: Geopolitics and Southwest Asia - pgsgaag.wordpress.com: "Call for Papers: 'Geopolitics and Southwest Asia' Canadian Association of Geographers Annual Meeting (University of Calgary May 31-June 4, 2011)... We seek papers that will bring various events and perspectives together under a common region of Southwest Asia and theme of geopolitics. We ask how geographers can contribute to the various perspectives concerning the many contemporary political, cultural, and economic issues in,
and global repercussions from, Southwest Asia? Some possible paper topics include but are not limited to: -cross-border public diplomacy in the Middle East -position of audiences in the Middle East -visual and textual representations of Muslim/Arab women ... -American use of radio, television, film and other forms of soft power." Image from
Disaster Management Manager - Jobs in Kenya: "Skills: ... Excellent communications skills and public diplomacy."
RELATED ITEMS
Sign of the Times: Chinese Stage Anti-American Propaganda at the White House - Scott McKay, familysecuritymatters.org: Last week’s state visit by the Chinese president Hu Jintao, complete with the state dinner Barack Obama’s predecessor George W. Bush never would afford the Chicoms, contained a program described as “quintessentially American” including a musical show billed as an “Evening of Jazz.” Part of that program was a performance by Chinese-American pianist Lang Lang – whose choice of music has rightly generated a storm of controversy after the fact. The movie it comes from, shown in the first clip above, was a Chinese propaganda flick called “Battle on Shangganling Mountain.” It was made in 1956, and it’s about the Korean War – and specifically a battle the Chinese claim to have won. But while the pianist is celebrating his formidable people, Americans are questioning how a song celebrating our purported defeat in battle and referring to us as “jackals” could have passed muster with the White House event planners – who knew of Lang Lang’s musical itinerary beforehand. It’s a sensation in China. They can’t believe they were able to insult America at the White House and no one is the wiser. “My Motherland” having been played at the White House will be seen as a propaganda triumph in China. Image from article, with caption: Lang Lang, despite having a name like a panda, is China’s latest weapon in its propaganda war.
White House claims anti-American propaganda tune not an insult to America - examiner.com: Last Wednesday, Chinese pianist Lang Lang played a Chinese tune that has been used as part of anti-American propaganda for years by the Communist Chinese. But according to ABC News, the White House denied the song was an insult to America. Spokesman Tommy Vietor said that: '...any suggestion that this was an insult to the United States is just flat wrong. As Lang Lang has stated before, he plays this song regularly because it is one of his favorite Chinese melodies, which is very widely known and popular in China for its melody.
Lang Lang played the song without lyrics or reference to any political themes during the entertainment portion of the State Dinner. He simply stated the song’s title and noted it was well known in China.' Well known in China, primarily because it is a song celebrating a communist military victory over the United States. Over 30,000 American service members died in the Korean War, and the performance of this song in the White House was a slap in the face to the memory of each one of those Americans. Image from article, with caption: Chinese pianist plays Communist Chinese propaganda song, White House denies any insult.
The obligatory “Chinese pianist plays anti-American tune at White House?” post - Allahpundit, hotair.com/archives: As the Epoch Times notes, whether Lang knew the full cultural context for the song is a secondary question; the point is that the Chinese diplomats who vet the program for the state dinner in advance almost certainly would have. As would, one would assume, their counterparts on the American side. Did this little cultural/political message simply slip through the cracks of our “Smart Power” advance team? Or did they notice it and decide that there are already enough points of contention with the Chinese that they weren’t going to force another over a propaganda ploy that seems cheap and meaningless to us but may have greater significance in China– especially when plausible deniability (“he chose it for the melody”) was readily available? Complicating all this is the fact that the Epoch Times was apparently founded by Falun Gong supporters and is known for hostile coverage of the Chinese regime. See also (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6)
Beijing Hails Start of a New Era: Hu's Visit Is Credited With Putting China on Equal Footing With the U.S. - Jeremy Page, Wall Street Journal: For Chinese citizens following President Hu Jintao's visit to the U.S., the message from Communist Party propaganda czars is loud and clear:
The world's dominant power is finally treating China as an equal, and Mr. Hu, who steps down as party chief next year, is the man to thank. Image from article, with caption, Supporters of Chinese President Hu Jintao waited outside the Hilton Hotel in Chicago on Thursday to get a glimpse of the leader.
Xinhua helps Hu cross his fingers - Mark Newham, Asia Times Online: Love it or hate it, there's one thing the student of modern-day China must never do - become complacent about it. Surprise comes as standard in the People's Republic, not least in the country's media. It's a lesson not forgotten by anyone betting that China's state-hugging press would turn a blind eye to President Hu Jintao's apparent policy gaffe at the White House press conference last Wednesday. The Xinhua News Agency - effectively China's state propaganda machine - stunned the world by not shrinking from reporting Hu's remark that "a lot still needs to be done" on the issue of human rights in China. The pouring, by the Chinese president, of respect-for-human-rights oil on waters made tempestuous by the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo last December bore all the hallmarks of a promise made with crossed fingers. To keep China's trade partners just this side of hostile, Hu was engaging in a bit of diplomacy-with-Chinese characteristics designed to promulgate the illusion of change and Hu's pet media poodles were more than happy to help the deception achieve the desired effect.
Facebook and Arab Dignity - Roger Cohen, New York Times: The Tunisian revolution was that experiment on steroids. Castro spent years preparing revolution in the Cuban interior, the Sierra Maestra; Facebook propelled insurrection from the interior to the Tunisian capital in 28 days. Al-Jazeera, the Arab TV network, was alerted through Facebook.
Online communities can organize and bite.Internet freedom is no panacea. Authoritarian regimes can use it to identify dissidents; they can try to suppress Facebook. But it’s empowering to the repressed, humiliated and distant — and so a threat to the decayed Arab status quo. Image from
Report: Public executions in North Korea linked to leaflets sent from the South - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting
Dead Media Beat: the Maxim Gorky, a giant Soviet propaganda airplane - Bruce Sterling, Wired: The ANT-20 was designed by Andrei Tupolev and constructed between July 4, 1933 and April 3, 1934. It was one of two aircraft of its kind ever built by the Soviets.
The aircraft was named after Maxim Gorky and dedicated to the 40th anniversary of his literary and public activities. It was intended for propaganda purposes and, therefore, equipped with a powerful radio set called “Voice from the sky," printing machinery, radiostations, photographic laboratory, film projector with sound for showing movies in flight, library etc. Image from article
AMERICANA
America's dirtiest hotel? The grand prize goes to... - Laura Bly, USA Today: The (evidently not-so) Grand Resort Hotel & Convention Center in singer Dolly Parton's old stomping grounds of Pigeon Forge, Tenn. The Grand Hotel
in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. wears the tarnished crown of Dirtiest Hotel in the U.S., based in cleanliness ratings by TripAdvisor travelers. The survey is in its sixth year. The Smoky Mountains hotel tops Trip Advisor's sixth annual list of the 10 dirtiest hotels in the U.S., based on travelers' cleanliness ratings posted to the popular review site. Image from article
IMAGE
--Remnant of March 4 Life January 24 demonstration in Washington D.C. Image from Prince Sparkle Pony's Photoblog
ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
"Reality is a brand which people can sell."
--Peter Morgan, who wrote the script for "The Queen" - a movie based on the (true) story of the Princess of Wales
