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The Social Poets: Libya War: Funny Late Nite Jokes Roundup

Image by DVIDSHUB via Flickr

The Social Poets: Libya War: Funny Late Nite Jokes Roundup: "Check out what the comedians lampoon about The Peace President, Obama, going into Libya. Boy, I tell ya, a guy tries to help out some desperate people in a foreign country from getting slaughtered and all he gets is flak from the Republicans and comedians.

Of course, like so many sticky political situations, it's all about The Ego. The mostly male media ratchets up The Ego Meter by declaring Prez Obama is a wimp if he doesn't succeed at deposing Gadafi now that he's declared, 'Gadafi must go!' So, suddenly out come The Big Guns: the CIA operatives magicly appear in Libya 'advising' the rebel forces. Read that as, 'These guys are so clueless the only way to keep them alive is knock some sense into them and show them how to win.'"

March 31

"turd sandwich"

--NBC White House reporter Savannah Guthrie, telling her viewers what sources had heard about how President Obama labeled the military action in Libya; image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Public Diplomacy and Social Media in Latin America - Remarks, Judith A. McHale, Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State: McHale: "The Internet has made it possible to reach more people in more places. But it has also shifted power and influence to such an extent that it is necessary to engage with more people. This means we can no longer hope to control how and when and through what medium people form their impressions of us. More so now than ever, public diplomacy is a vital component of the foreign policy of the United States. Engaging and telling our story to people around the world both advances our national interests and enhances our national security. And if we are not the ones telling our story, you can be sure someone else will be. We cannot afford to play defense in an ever-changing landscape. ... Technology has not changed the aim of our public diplomacy efforts. We want to forge personal connections and strengthen the relationship between Americans and people around the world. That was true 50 years ago, and it will still be true 50 years from now. But technology has moved the work of public diplomacy into new arenas. Today we are connecting directly to new audiences. We are shifting the spirit of public diplomacy from one-way messaging to two-way engagement. ... [A] two-way flow of information encourages the kinds of partnerships that are critical to our relationships throughout Latin America and the Caribbean."

US public diplomacy online: from usinfo.state.gov to america.gov to ejournalUSA - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting: "So the social media seem to be replacing a traditional website for US public diplomacy. Anyone can establish a Facebook to Twitter account.

On the other hand, it takes considerable skill to design and maintain a professional-looking website. I think every country should have a public diplomacy gateway to the world. A good example is http://www.finland.fi/. Separately and complementarily, each country should have a news website -- independent, objective, balanced, and all those good journalistic principles -- available in more than one language."  Image from

CBS's Wragge Asks Rumsfeld if Obama Being 'Hypocritical' on Libya‎ - Kyle Drennen, Media Research Center: "WRAGGE: And let me ask you this, about the rebels that you just talked about, in regards to arming the rebels, and the President has said, quote, yesterday, 'I won't rule it in, but I'm not ruling it out.' Rebels right now are being beaten back by Qadhafi's forces, who are continuing to fight, even though we are, you know, engaged in these air strikes. Is that what needs to be done, do these rebels need to be armed and then do they, in turn, need to be trained?

RUMSFELD: Well, you know, if your on the outside you know there's a lot you don't know about what's actually taking place. In life, there's public diplomacy, private diplomacy, there's overt action and there's covert action, and those of us on the outside don't know what's taking place. I do know that the signal being sent that the United States of America is still unclear about whether or not Qadhafi will leave or stay is harmful." Image from article

Analysis: Uprisings in Syria‎ - Press Release, Business Intelligence Middle East: "While protests in Syria are increasing in size and scope, the Syrian regime does not appear to be taking chances by parsing out political reforms that could further embolden the opposition. nstead, the Syrian regime is more likely to resort to more forceful crackdowns, which is likely to highlight the growing contradictions in U.S. public diplomacy in the region. ... The U.S. administration has been very careful to distinguish between the humanitarian military intervention in Libya and the situation in Syria, arguing that the level of repression in Syria hasn’t escalated to a point that would require military intervention. The U.S. really has no strategic interest in getting involved in Syria in the first place. Syria would be a much more complicated military affair."

Dogs and Other Strangers: Santa Barbara Reporter Caught Between Mad Bomber, Right-Wing Propagandists, and Federal Prosecutors - independent.com: "With enemies like Otto Reich, who needs friends? Just ask Ann Louise Bardach (a k a Annie), globe-trotting investigative reporter and peripatetic resident of Santa Barbara’s South Coast. Reich — former U.S ambassador to Venezuela who ran a covert propaganda operation at federal taxpayer expense on behalf of Latin American death squads in the 1980s — has challenged Bardach’s journalistic integrity. ... On the witness stand in an El Paso courtroom, Reich accused Bardach of being biased. To discredit Bardach, Posada’s attorneys called Reich to the witness stand, where he accused both Bardach and the New York of Times of journalistic bias against anti-Castro activists. When it comes to slanting and planting the news, Reich knows his business. During the 1980s, he ran the Office of Public Diplomacy, technically a branch of the State Department, but in practice, answering directly to the White House. President Ronald Reagan was running a covert war against the leftist Sandinista government of Nicaragua — funding it by selling missiles to the terrorist nation of Iran. Reich used federal funds to run a covert propaganda campaign on behalf of the Contras, then fighting the Sandinistas, targeting the American people. He’d concoct phony news stories about Soviet fighter jets being sent to Managua — or similarly tall tales about chemical weapons caches — and, hiding their true authorship, get them planted in mainstream news outlets."

Croatian ambassador to D.C. appointed NATO´s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy - Croatian Times: "Croatian ambassador to Washington D.C. Kolinda Grabar- Kitarovic has been named NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy.

Grabar-Kitarovic will assist NATO’s Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in promoting the Alliance’s image to a variety of audiences, establishing networks of relations with political, diplomatic, administrative, academic and media circles and forming co-operative relations." Grabar-Kitarovic image from article

Maps released of Hizbullah's military sites, bunkers‎:  'Washington Post' publishes maps it says IDF provided showing 1,000 Hezbollah military sites in southern Lebanon, inside villages -  Yaakov Katz, Jerusalem Post: "Israel is revealing the information as part

of a public diplomacy campaign aimed at preparing the world for the widespread devastation that will likely occur in Lebanon if there should be a new Israeli war with Hezbollah, due to Hezbollah’s decision to station its assets inside populated villages." Image from article

Gov 2.0 has finally come to India - mahafreed.com: "You may have read about it in the newspaper, and you may have also seen it on TV, but did you know that the Public Diplomacy division of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) posted real-time updates about the evacuation of Indians from Libya and tsunami-devastated Japan? While, on the one hand, tweets of despair from stranded Indian citizens flooded the network, joint secretary Navdeep Suri, and undersecretary Abhay Kumar – who together tweet for @IndianDiplomacy – were quick to react to posts that carried useful information about the ground situation. With over 6, 000 followers, the presence of Public Diplomacy on social media like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube even helped them bag an award for ‘being the first Central Ministry to propagate and use social media extensively’ at the Gov2. in Awards held on March 11."

Cricket Diplomacy and the Cricket World Cup - Paul Rockower, Newswire – CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "In the subcontinent, there is really only one religion that unites India, Pakistan and Bangladesh: cricket. With India’s dethroning the three-time consecutive champs Australia, and with Pakistan’s victory over the West Indies, the stage is set for a raucous match between India and Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup semi-finals. Cricket has a long history as a platform for diplomacy and public diplomacy between India and Pakistan."

Poland and PD cont - Magda, Key to the Future: "[[The] Polish government should finally realize how public diplomacy can be influential and consequently help in polish politics, economy, tourism, etc. Polish embassies all over the world should set up some goals in nation branding and start doing some progress because even though Poland

is seen as a country with high possibilities it will never achieve them without promoting the country abroad." Image from

Chinese language teachers struggle to fulfill dreams - blog.sina.com.cn: [Google translation:] "'[A]conflict is the imbalance between TCFL [Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language] education and demand of foreign schools,' Ma [Ma Jianfei, deputy director of Hanban,the Chinese national office for TCFL and headquarters of the Confucius Institute] said. 'At first, the major of TCFL was set to teach foreigners who studied in China. As to teaching Chinese language abroad and carrying out cultural communication and public diplomacy based on Chinese language, we haven't done enough research. Therefore, the students of TCFL couldn't fully meet the demand of foreign countries.' However, solutions on how to ease the conflict are becoming urgent, given that the global cultural communication is becoming more and more frequent and in-depth."

Islam, Secularism and the Battle for Turkey’s Future Aug. 23, 2010 - ataturksocietyuk.com: "The Turkish Cooperation Development Agency (TIKA) is also key to these foreign policy efforts. The Turkish government created TIKA in the early 1990s to forge ties with former Soviet countries with which it enjoyed a shared Turkic heritage, though TIKA did not make much headway initially. The AKP [Justice and Development Party], however, reinvigorated the TIKA in recent years for use as a public diplomacy tool, transforming it into a highly active development agency. Davutoglu has even referred to TIKA as a second foreign ministry."

News globalized - jaime, Argumentation Journalism: [Google translation]: "En los últimos años los canales internaciones se han multiplicado. In recent years the international channels have multiplied. En Europa antes de 1990 solo existían cinco canales, y desde 2005-2010 hay 55 canales de noticieros 24 horas transmitiendo información. In Europe before 1990 there were only five channels, and from 2005-2010 there are 55 news channels 24 hours to transmit information. Estos noticieros se basan en tres sucesos como los (BREAKING NEWS), sucesos de última hora que deslumbran en el momento pero tienen una vida corta, (LIVE) que son emisiones programadas de acontecimientos, como ruedas de prensas, y (PUBLIC DIPLOMACY) es una parte que tienen estos noticieros para que sus gobernantes muestren la cara de sus países a lo internacional.

La gran mayoría de estos canales 24 horas como CNN y la BBC, son canales privados, con prestigio, que han dominado la imagen que tenemos hoy sobre el mundo, que cuentan con estos tres sucesos de los que hablamos anteriormente y tienen más influencia en la sociedad que un canal público. These newsletters are based on three events such as (BREAKING NEWS), last-minute events that dazzle at the moment but have a short life (LIVE) that are scheduled broadcasts of events like press conferences, and (PUBLIC DIPLOMACY) is one hand they have these news to their leaders show the faces of their countries to internacional. La vast majority of these channels 24 hours as CNN and the BBC, are private channels, with prestige, which have dominated the image we have today about the world that have these three events of which we spoke earlier and have more influence on society than a public channel. En Colombia tenemos el ejemplo de noticas uno, un noticiero que pertenece a un canal privado, que no tiene el mismo prestigio como el de noticias RCN y que tampoco cuenta con la plata que maneja este canal. In Colombia we have an example of News, a newsletter that belongs to a private channel, which does not have the same prestige as the RCN news, nor has the money who run this channel." Image from

Faith Diplomacy's Importance Is Growing - Philip Seib, Huffington Post: "Throughout the world, billions of people rely on their faith to lift them above lives of hardship or the banality of arid secularism. For them, belief trumps politics, and efforts to influence them must incorporate faith as part of any appeal. The University of Southern California's Center on Public Diplomacy organized a March 25th conference on "Faith Diplomacy: Religion and Global Publics" to examine ways that religion should be incorporated into public diplomacy. The conference analyzed how an appreciation of faith can strengthen foreign policy, how particular religions affect the course of international affairs, and how the religious community can infuse the practice of public diplomacy with the intellectual energy born of its beliefs. ... The world is becoming more religious, and to pretend otherwise limits the effectiveness of foreign policy. In the Arab world, for instance, the new order spawned by this year's revolutions will embrace Islam more fervently than was fashionable among the ousted regimes. If the United States is unprepared to address this heightened significance of religion, it will be relegated to the status of outsider, with diminished influence in the region."

Measurement and Evaluation in Public Diplomacy - Robin, Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "At the ISA Public Diplomacy Working Group meeting in Montreal one of the topics of discussion was the state of evaluation and measurement of PD efforts. Neither the academic community nor PD organizations are very happy with the state of evaluation. This is obviously an important issue because the ability to demonstrate impact is important for justifying PD budgets. ... Before the PD community rushes off to invent new measurement strategies it’s worth looking at how other people handle these challenges."

Recruiting the 21st Century Public Diplomat - Ren's Micro Diplomacy: "In terms of adopting new technologies and strategies for outreach, the US Department of State has demonstrated marked progress in preparing itself for the challenges and opportunities of the new millennium. However, if State is truly committed to 21st Century

Statecraft, it needs a new breed of Public Diplomacy Foreign Service Officer to revitalize its operations. Specifically, it needs people who are innovative, entrepreneurial, persuasive, media savvy, can communicate cross-culturally and who deeply understand PD (it’s potential and limitations). The current FSO [Foreign Service Officer] selection process isn’t able to assess these qualities in candidates, and otherwise qualified individuals often don’t make it through. ... By recruiting officers who need little PD training, State will not only save time and money spent in FSI [Foreign Service Institute] , and buy time to make necessary changes to the FSOT and FSI courses, but also rekindle US PD in the process." Image from

Reply to KAT at Group 3 -  Jacob Donich-Croll, Diplomatic Studs: A collection of unique perspectives on current public diplomacy issues: "Good post by KAT over at Grupo Numero 3 A Counterpoint:  I think those who advocate for 'transformational diplomacy\' are too bullish on the prospect of NGO’s improving nation brands. I cannot think of an instance in which a foreign NGO helped, willingly or inadvertently to boost another country’s brand. The closest example I can think of is Global Witness (I could be wrong on the name) a Canadian NGO, blew the whistle on conflict diamonds and helped create the Kimberly Process, which guards against conflict diamonds. They did not really improve the image of the countries were the diamonds were, but rather made the diamond industry look more responsible. NGO’s often seem more content with unearthing scandals and criticizing, and well they should be. However, what is best from a PD perspective is not necessarily morally right. Keeping abuses under the rug can improve a brand more than confessing past sins."

we give talks - Dancing Ink Productions: "•'Governance of Virtual Wolds,' (March 26, 2010) a conference co-hosted by Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and World2Worlds, Inc. Topic: Public Diplomacy and Virtual Worlds. Speakers: Rita J. King and Joshua Fouts. •Obama’s Internet Initiative & Social Reform in the U.S. & Japan (March 19, 2010) The Japan Society, New York City, NY. Joshua Fouts spoke about the use of ICTs for cultural relations and public diplomacy."

RELATED ITEMS

Western help may test Libyan rebels' credibility - William Maclean, af.reuters.com: More Western military help may strengthen Libyan rebels on the battlefield but at the price of a propaganda boost for Muammar Gaddafi, quick to portray his foes as lackeys of the West. Mindful of the importance of the information war in Libya's conflict, opposition leaders desperate for foreign weapons will have to take care not to create an image of subservience to Western powers in the event their request is met, analysts say.

Militarily vulnerable on the ground and dependent on Western-led patrols in the air, the rebels' main card is their status as the spearhead of an authentic, homegrown uprising against Gaddafi's long rule. "There is a very fine line for the rebels," said independent U.S. analyst Geoff Porter. "The more they seem to be the proxies of the U.S. and Europe trying to oust Gaddafi, the less organic and legitimate their movement becomes."  Image from

High-profile Libya defection could be mixed blessing - Anna Tomforde, monstersandcritics.com: The cloak-and-dagger defection of Musa Kusa, one of the most loyal lieutenants of Colonel Moamer Gaddafi for decades, has presented Britain with a dilemma. While welcoming the propaganda value of the high-profile defection, the British authorities are aware of Kusa's prominent, and sometimes shady, role in the Gaddafi regime and its tortuous relations with the West. Before becoming Libya's foreign minister in 2009, the US-educated, silver-haired politician had been the head of Libya's external intelligence service from 1994.

'Dafy's secret weapon - Andy Soltis, New York Post: Moammar Khadafy has unleashed his secret weapon, and it's a bombshell: his sultry, curvy, blond glamour-girl daughter, who the despot hopes will help his men rise up -- against the rebel troops, that is.

Aisha Khadafy, dubbed "the Claudia Schiffer of North Africa" by the Arab media, was enlisted as a cheerleader at propaganda rallies -- wearing a veil rather than her usual fashion-model attire, waving the Libyan flag and leading chants in support of her father. Moammar Khadafy hopes his daughter -- known for both her tailored outfits and outrageous remarks about international affairs -- will help recharge his weary soldiers and boost morale on the front lines. Image from article, with caption: Daddy's Darling: Moammar Khadafy's glamorous daughter, Aisha, marshals loyalists in Bab al-Azizia, Libya.

America: Beware Giving in to the False Concept of Islamophobia - Phyllis Chesler, newsrealblog.com: We are drowning in anti-Israel propaganda, and still it never stops coming.

Simultaneously, the “Palestinian narrative” appears to us as if in a dream, over and over again, always slightly surreal and yet overly familiar. By now the “Palestinian narrative” is a brand and we have all been hypnotized. Image from article

South Korean activist floats leaflets toward North - foxnews.com: A South Korean activist has floated propaganda balloons including footage of protests in the Middle East toward North Korea, despite Pyongyang's threat to retaliate. Park Sang-hak says the balloons were launched Thursday from a hill near the border. They also carried 1-dollar bills and 200,000 propaganda leaflets. The move came days after North Korea's military warned it would fire at South Korean border towns if Seoul doesn't stop the leaflets.

Zimbabwe mass grave becomes political propaganda - Gillian Gotora, Associated Press, ajc.com: Hundreds of skeletons found in a mine shaft have brought a macabre thrust to election campaigning in Zimbabwe — but the presence of some corpses still with skin, hair and body fluids has raised doubts over claims white colonial-era troops committed the massacres more than 30 years ago. Hundreds of skeletons found at one of the mine shafts have brought a macabre thrust to election campaigning in Zimbabwe, but the putrefying stench of some corpses still with skin, hair and dripping body fluids has raised doubts over claims white colonial era troops committed the massacres more than thirty years ago.

Image from article, with caption: In this March 18, 2011, photo, a body is brought to the surface at Monkey William Mine about 200 km from Harare.

Activities held to promote 13th National Assembly elections - english.vietnamnet.vn: The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has organised a number of activities to promote the 13th National Assembly (NA) and People’s Council elections for the 2011-2016 tenure which are slated for May this year. A contest to create propaganda posters was lauched on September 2010 and will close with an exhibition of the winning entries in May, 2011. A mobile national festival will take place in the northern mountainous provinces in the second quarter of 2011 to mark the People’s Council elections and celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Vietnamese NA general elections. The ministry will also publish documents on the elections including four poster samples, and CDs of propaganda posters, as well as slogans, a coat of arms and portrait of Uncle Ho.

Documentary ‘Oscar’s Cuba’ is more sensationalist than sensational - Kavitha Surana, columbiaspectator.com: Just over two weeks ago, Dr. Óscar Biscet, a Cuban political prisoner of conscience serving a 25-year sentence for expressing dissent through peaceful protests, was released from jail after serving 11 years. A 2011 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, Biscet is the founder of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights, one of the few dissenting organizations that exist within Cuba. On Friday, April 1, students can learn more about Biscet’s political reality at the University Council of the Cuban American National Foundation’ s screening of “Oscar’s Cuba,” a film about Biscet’s struggles and the plight of political prisoners in Cuba.

The story is undoubtedly compelling and deserves to be told. Yet for all its lofty intentions, the film at times feels uncomfortably like propaganda. There are creepy, blurred, zoom-in reels of Castro’s face accompanied by stereotypical lines like, “The man the Cuban government fears most!” Jordan Allott, the director of the film, clearly follows a black-and-white agenda from the outset, enhanced by the campy musical score and an all-knowing narrator voice. Allott image from article

Mural Artist Decries Removal of Work From Maine DOL - mpbn.net:

Maine artist Judy Taylor of Tremont today released a statement on her Web site expressing dismay at the removal of her 36-foot mural from Maine's Department of Labor lobby. Taylor said it was "heartbreaking'' to learn that the controversy may have started with an anonymous letter to Gov. Paul LePage comparing the mural's images of Maine's labor history to propaganda in North Korea. Image from Taylor website

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For BASEBALL OPENING DAY: Spot the famous Yankee.

Spot the famous New York Yankee is this quick and extremely cool video about crazy taxi-cab drivers in New York City in 1928.  Enjoy.   (Yes, that's Harold Lloyd in the driver's seat.)

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Gerald Kaufman: "Here we are, the Jews again"

It has traditionally been the preserve and privilege of the comedian to be able to criticise and denigrate one’s co-ethnic fellow man without inciting wailing and gnashing of teeth. No-one accuses Rabbi Lionel Blue of being anti-Semitic, or Shazia Mirza of being Islamophobic. And doubtless there are homosexual comedians who dish out homophobia with gay abandon; and disabled comedians who get away with all manner of offences against their co-afflicted. And by ‘co-afflicted’, His Grace does not mean to say that disability is an affliction in the sense of being an evil or an illness, such as may cause physical pain or mental and emotional distress, though it may certainly be, and some would say undoubtedly is. But ‘affliction’ in the sense of that which is dealt us in life; that which may be a bane; the cross we carry daily.

Gerald Kaufman was born a Jew: it is his ethnic identity as well as his religion. The word is used hundreds of times in the Bible, and always refers to ethnic Jews (Israelites, in contrast to Gentiles). Perhaps being one of the Tanakh’s ‘Treasured People’, to whom was bequeathed the Law of God, privileges him to offend all Jewry. It’s just a pity that he can’t do it with the charismatic charm and disarming flair of Rabbi Blue.

It is reported that during a debate yesterday in the House of Commons on the Government’s plans to change the law on universal jurisdiction (which would sensibly prevent any Tom, Dick or Harry seeking an arrest warrant for any suspected war criminal), at the point the Jewess Louise Ellman MP rose to speak, Gerald Kaufman uttered from a sedentary position: "Here we are, the Jews again."

Now, Ms Ellman and Sir Gerald don’t quite see eye-to-eye on certain issues, principally the question of ‘Palestine’. And she happens to chair the Jewish Labour Movement and is Vice Chairman of Labour Friends of Israel. Such exuberant and unashamed Judophilia evidently makes her an evil Zionist in Sir Gerald’s eyes, which are firmly fixed on Al-Aqsa to the glory of Hamas.

But ‘Here we are, the Jews again’ is a curiously self-loathing complaint.

Can you imagine Sayeeda Warsi saying to Sajid Javid or Sadiq Khan: “Here we are, the Muslims again.” Or Anne Begg saying to Paul Maynard: “Here we are, the disabled again.” Or Chris Bryant saying to Nick Herbert: “Here we are, the gays again.”

Such comments do not only offend members of these minority groups; they manifest a prejudice which may offend all. Gerald Kaufman’s comment appals not only because it evidences a bigotry which will aggrieve many Jews, but because it is blatantly anti-Semitic and disgusts Gentiles as well.

In a statement released by the Labour Party, Sir Gerald said: "I regret if any remarks I made in the chamber caused offence. If they did, I apologise."

But a carefully-worded conditional apology is insufficient: there ought to be consequences, not least because this is not the first time Sir Gerald has spouted such bile: a year ago, he outrageously alleged: "Just as Lord Ashcroft owns most of the Conservative Party, right-wing Jewish millionaires own the rest." And only last December, he pleaded God’s forgiveness on the Coalition Government for their ‘complicity in Israeli war crimes’.

He plays on all the traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes which can only exacerbate racial and religious tensions. Perhaps the matter ought to be taken up by the All-Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism. Certainly, if he were to make such comments outside of the Chamber, venturing without the protective canopy of parliamentary privilege, he would probably be arrested for inciting hatred.

And one has to wonder, on ‘universal jurisdiction’, why Gerald Kaufman can support the action taken against Israel’s former foreign minister, Tzipi Livni, who had a warrant issued for her arrest for ‘war crimes’ in December 2009, but he is not calling for the immediate arrest of Libya’s former foreign minister Moussa Koussa, who has arrived in the UK today to a hero’s welcome, despite being a close confidant of Gaddafi during his 30-year bloody and tyrannical rule; despite being expelled from the UK in 1980 for threatening political assassinations; and despite being linked by intelligence sources to the Lockerbie bombing.

Is it ‘cos ‘a is Arab, Sir Gerald?

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• Software Developers (4 Positions)

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March 28-30

“Operation Earnest Voice"

--The Central Command communications program which, according to Gen. James Mattis, the CENTCOM commander, will “reach regional audiences through traditional media, as well as via Web sites and regional public-affairs blogging.” Image from

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

New and old information operations in Afghanistan: What works? - Walter Pincus, Washington Post: "After years of spending hundreds of millions of dollars trying to get its message out to Afghans, the United States is still experimenting. The State Department, for example, is trying a new communications approach in Kandahar by turning to old media — radio and television. It’s planning to lease free space to Afghan service providers on a radio-TV transmission tower recently built within the area of Kandahar Airfield, which is controlled by the U.S. military. It’s the first of several such broadcasting towers to be constructed by State in Afghanistan. 'The program is designed to improve the access of Afghans in underserved areas to a variety of radio and television signals,'

said David Ensor, a former CNN correspondent who is director of communications and public diplomacy at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul." Image from

Losing the Propaganda War in Afghanistan: Operation Earnest Voice is missing one important fact: in order to win an information war, the information has to be on your side - Jean McKenzie, GlobalPost: "New media, old media … the U.S. government is still agonizing over which approach to use in its 'information war' in Afghanistan. The trendy use of cell phones to communicate news in areas inaccessible to radio signals is one such inspiration. A lot of time and money has also been sunk into projects that focus on social networking, in the hopes that a 'Twitter Revolution' just might occur on the streets of Kandahar, breaking the back of the Taliban in 140 characters or less. But in all the hype (and funding) over how best to get our message across to the Afghan people, one very important factor has been overlooked: the message itself. Operation Earnest Voice is the brainchild of

CENTCOM (U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in what are now the dodgier parts of the world – Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East.) Among other brilliant devices, OEV will allow a California-based information technology company to create fake Internet personas to help 'direct' virtual debates over such issues as civilian casualties in Afghanistan. I have a tip for CENTCOM,  the State Department, and all other government organizations hoping to shuffle the media to create a more positive message: save your money. No amount of ingenious spin is going to make the very real issues in Afghanistan go away. How, for example, will Operation Earnest Voice counter the sickening photographs published on the Rolling Stone website, of U.S. soldiers cavorting with the corpses of Afghans civilians they had plotted to kill? We are told that the Taliban will make use of this 'rogue incident' for propaganda purposes. It is more than likely. We certainly would." Image from

Obama, US Power, and American Exceptionalism - John Robertson, Chippshots: "Peter Beinart contrasts: Obama's with John Bolton's sense of American exceptionalism. For Bolton, American virtue is a given. American presidents should never apologize because America never has anything to apologize for. Our mistakes are never crimes, and if others don’t see our moral greatness that just proves their moral cynicism. ... [B]y my lights, those media outlets who choose to provide Bolton a platform upon which to thump America's chest serve only to kneecap US public diplomacy."

We're Jamming - Laura McGinnis, manIC: "[O]n the television, where President Obama is engaging in some monologic diplomacy and demonstrating, once again, that Obama diplomacy is generally public diplomacy. ... I'd use the term nation branding, if I had more faith in it, but we'll avoid it right now and just point out how he's framing his argument. American is in Libya because that's Who We Are. We are drawing on a history, a culture, a value system that demands our presence there . ... [O]f course, the U.S. is not leading the operation, but assisting with aspects like surveillance, search-and-rescue and communications jamming.

The last of these is particularly relevant because of its PD potential, or rather, its anti-PD potential. By jamming Ghaddafi's communication, the U.S. and its allies can prevent the spread of the regime's messages and values and, consequently, promote their own. ... I'm sure the professional pundits will have all sorts of opinions on the highs and lows of the speech, but in strictly PD terms, I thought he did a great job." Image from

Balancing Public Diplomacy with Diplomacy - Melissa Moreland, The Number One Blog on Public Diplomacy: "President Barack Obama's tour of Latin America last week showed the importance of public diplomacy to the President, especially since he left in the middle of the crisis in Libya and after the devastation of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan."

Leading through civilian power: an overview - Richard 'jimmy' Hill, Public and Cultural Diplomacy B: A reflective group blog by students on the Public and Cultural Diplomacy module at London Metropolitan University[A]n article written by Hillary Rodham Clinton, entitled Leading through civilian power, redefining American Diplomacy and development ... outlines that

'increasing global interconnectedness now necessitates reaching beyond governments to citizens directly and broadening the US foreign policy portfolio to include issues once confined to the domestic sphere'. In her suggestion it is clear that this is a reference to a new understanding of the importance of public diplomacy in a new world within which a realisation has occurred, that groups must work together in solving problems." Image from article

When the Right Thing to Do Isn’t the Right Public Diplomacy Thing to Do -
Education Makes Strange Bedfellows - markashwill.wordpress.com: "Life is full of surprises. The Institute of International Education (IIE), a US nonprofit best known for its administration of the Fulbright Program, the US Government’s flagship international exchange program, is partnering with the US Commercial Service in Vietnam to offer two US higher education fairs on 6 April in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and on the 8th in Hanoi.

(This is part of an Education Trade Mission to Indonesia and Vietnam organized by the US Department of Commerce, the Vietnamese portion of which culminates in the 4th Annual Education Conference on 9 April.) Consider this: IIE’s main sponsor is the US Department of State. In the fiscal year ending 30 September 2009 (the most up-to-date information available on its website) IIE’s total revenues were $363,511,000, of which $333,781,000 was for sponsored programs. Over half (51%) of IIE’s funding was from 'US government agencies,' primarily the State Department, for its administration of the Fulbright Program. While State and Commerce officially represent the same government, they don’t exactly see eye to eye when it comes to the role of that government in promoting US higher education. The former issued a policy statement in 2009 forbidding its 450 EducationUSA advising centers around the world from developing partnerships with private-sector recruiting agents who have contracts with individual U.S. higher education institutions." Image from article

There is a new Executive Director of the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner.us: "Matt Armstrong, author and publisher of MountainRunner.us, was sworn in as the Executive Director of the Advisory Commission. The immediate impact is the suspension of blogging, including the publishing of guest posts, at MountainRunner.us."

50 years after Peace Corps' founding, volunteers reflect - Carolyn Davis, Philadelphia Inquirer: "[T]he Soviet Union and the Cold War are no more, but the Peace Corps survives as an icon of U.S. public diplomacy. ... At 50, like most middle-agers, the Peace Corps has had victories and failures."

Africa Center Hosts American University Students - Africa Center for Strategic Studies: "Africa Center faculty and staff served as hosts March 24 for a group of American University international relations students and several International and Counter-Terrorism African fellows who are attending National Defense University in Washington, D.C. ... According Claudia Anyaso, the students’ instructor, their visit to the Africa Center complemented what they have studied in international relations theories, the National Security Strategy, U.S. foreign policy towards the various geographic regions of the world, and as they begin studying transnational issues, international development, conflicts, terrorism, military force, the intelligence community, global finance and business, and NGO’s. ... No stranger to African affairs, Ms. Anyaso,

before becoming a faculty member at American University, was a member of the Senior Foreign Service of the U.S. Department of State. She served for 38 years retiring after having been the Director of the Bureau of African Affairs’ Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Ms. Anyaso was a Department of State member on the Implementation Planning Team for AFRICOM."

The Nanny: American public diplomacy at its finest - dallasnews.com: "While helping with Vacation Bible School last week at a church in an impoverished area of San Jose, one kid's name tag stood out. Amid a sea of children named José and Juan, I was struck to see a name tag that read, 'Brighton.' I was puzzled as to why a child in the middle of rough neighborhood in Costa Rica would be named for a posh English resort town. I casually brought it up to Brighton's dad, through a translator. He flashed a broad smile and proudly explained that he and his wife watched the American TV show, The Nanny.

One of the characters name's is Brighton. Thinking it sounded cool and American (sorry, Brits), they used it for their son. The U.S. may not be capable of passing a budget. But it's somehow encouraging to think that we make TV shows with that kind of reach." Image from

The Shape of Secret Government in the White House - westleak.blogspot.com: "NSDD Number 77 is a good example of how Bush and Reagan employed NSDDs to serve secret agenda goals. It allowed the National Security Council to coordinate interagency efforts for what was called the 'Management of Public Diplomac[y] Relative to National Security.' This directive served as a the basis for 'public diplomacy activities' (i.e., propaganda) by enabling 'organizational support for foreign governments and private groups to encourage the growth of democratic political institutions and practices.' In reality, the directive created propaganda ministries in the National Security Council, the State Department and the White House."

When writing about international broadcasting, Washington think tanks can be comedy clubs - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

VOA Studio 7 to Zimbabwe jammed. "Your best reception would be on shortwave" - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Libya Intervention Highlights Global Security Gaps - Judah Grunstein, worldpoliticsreview.com: "The need that NATO fills with regard to coordinated trans-Atlantic politico-military action highlights a ... gap ... with regard to China, but that needs to be addressed more generally: namely, the absence of an operational structure that is politically broad enough to integrate not only the traditional trans-Atlantic alliance, but also emerging powers. China, India and Brazil chose to sit this one out [intervening in Libya], in part due to their commitment to nonintervention. But as attractive as that doctrine might be in the aftermath of failed interventions

like Iraq and Afghanistan, it will prove less rewarding in the event of a successful Libyan intervention, with all the public diplomacy payoffs that will provide for the intervening powers." Image from

NATO Re-Considered: From The American Spectator - Gleanings and Musings, Courtesy of a Veteran Cold Warrior: "One of the clearest signs of the [NATO]Alliance's identity crisis is its bloated PR operation -- when its mission was obvious, it didn't need an advertising campaign -- euphemistically known as the Public Diplomacy Division. Its multinational staff of 125 labors "To raise the Alliance's profile with audiences world-wide." Equipped with two television and 10 radio studios, it generates a torrent of programs, press releases, pamphlets, magazines, DVDs, and audio-visual presentations. It also organizes frequent international conferences, seminars, and other media events boosting NATO. It runs the web-based natochannel.tv, where slick films show what it's like aboard a submarine or to go on patrol in Afghanistan. But mainly it carries every speech, statement, declaration, and press conference by Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen."

WCS2010 - single: "Six cosplayers from 3 countries (Spain, the United States and Mexico) paid courtesy calls on the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy, Trade and Industry on July 28, 2010. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, they discussed the anime,

manga and games, as well as the approach of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to familiarize Japanese culture in the world, with Foreign Affairs State Secretary Osamu Fujimura and Director-General Kenjiro Monji of MOFA Public Diplomacy Department."  Anime image from 

NDRF team reaches Japan, to help in quake relief - news.in.msn.com: "New Delhi, Mar 28(PTI)A 46-member team of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) reached Tokyo this morning to help Japaneses authorities in relief and rehabilitation works in Tsunami affected areas. The team, on their way to the earthquake and tsunami affected areas in the Miyagi Prefecture, is carrying special equipments to facilitate their operation, Ministry of External Affairs said here today. A medical doctor and two paramedics are also accompanying the team, which will be based in worst-affected Sendai area, to attend to any medical emergencies. The team has wide experience in dealing with natural disasters in India and abroad and was expected to remain in Japan for around 10 days, Public Diplomacy department of MEA said."

Facebook page supporting Palestinian intifada pulled down - Kevin Flower, CNN: "A controversial Facebook page calling for another Palestinian intifada has been pulled off the social media website, following complaints from the Israeli government that it incited violence against Jews. ... Yuli Edelstein, Israel's minister of public diplomacy and diaspora affairs,

said Tuesday in a statement that the removal of the page showed that 'Facebook management understood that the page is a blunt abuse of freedom of speech to incite to violent actions.'" See also

Brief a Bishop: Egypt - Ethics and Foreign Policy: "Foreign Governments should ensure that their own public diplomacy recognises the complexity of the situation in Egypt and in turn avoids sweeping generalisations that label all Islamist parties as extreme and reactionary."

Sendai quake shakes up East Asian politics - Kiyul Chung, The 4th Media: "It might be inappropriate to equate the havoc of the Sendai earthquake in Japan with the impact of the 9/11 attack on the US. After all, they are totally different, one being a natural disaster and the other a terrorist attack. ... Lots of overseas media reported that the quake furnished a valuable chance for easing Sino-Japanese disputes. One of my Japanese friends told me that China was more helpful than Western countries, which were occupied with discussing the strike on Libya and rarely cared about Japan after the quake hit. If it is true that most Japanese people hold these views, it could inspire powerful public diplomacy and let the Japanese believe that China is a reliable friend in need."

Finland appoints the first ever full-time press counsellor to China - "The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has appointed Mikko Puustinen to the post of press counsellor at the Embassy of Finland in Beijing. The rising importance of China in the global economy and world politics is now reflected in the staffing of Finland’s diplomatic missions in China.

Puustinen is the first full-time press counsellor appointed to Beijing to handle public diplomacy affairs, whose task involves the advancement of Finland’s objectives through communications, culture and other means of promotion. Public diplomacy affairs at Finland’s diplomatic missions in China were previously handled by personnel in addition to their other tasks." Image from

Europeans increasingly view China’s economic rise as negative. Will public diplomacy help? - chinarelations: "Globescan/PIPA has just published the results of a new poll on global rising concern about China’s increasing power. The poll contains bad news for China. In spite of China’s public diplomacy efforts, the percentage of people with a negative view of China’s growing economic and military power keeps increasing, in particular in Europe and North America (US and Canada)."

MBT schuhe preise yzp leic vkcz - straight25kiHL: "[T]here is a reason, I think the reason is China's own, it should be said that the past is right, we pay special attention for many years and the government level, I do your official work, I'll be your own Merkel work, but we were a bit neglected, gradually changing in recent years, neglected to do the private sector, media, public opinion of the work, so that our next step should be to strengthen the external, of Germany, the EU public diplomacy."

Cricket diplomacy‎ - Yeshiva World News, Qaisar Rashid, The News International: "Cricket diplomacy is the opposite of the notorious 'gunboat diplomacy,' in which forces are deployed and coercion is used against the opponent. In the context of Pakistan-India relations,

the history of diplomatic episodes in the name of cricket is not new. ... It is interesting that sports diplomacy is taking precedence over public diplomacy." Image from

Malaysia Jumps on Gastrodiplomacy Bandwagon - Paul Rockower, Daily Beast: "Public diplomacy is a field predicated on the communication of culture and values to foreign publics; gastrodiplomacy is the act of winning hearts and minds via stomachs. Gastrodiplomacy uses culinary delights to appeal to the global public’s appetite,

and thus helps raise a nation’s brand awareness and reputation. ... Malaysia’s gastrodiplomacy campaign has been a delicious way to create better awareness of Malaysia through its cuisine. Many other countries looking to engage in such forms of digestive diplomacy would be wise to study Malaysia’s recipe." Image from article

Azerbaijan joins public diplomacy of Islamic Conference - Azerbaijan Business Center: "At the initiative of the Turkish-Asian Centre for Strategic Studies (TASAM) on 30-31 March Istanbul will host the II Forum 'Public diplomacy' of the member states of the Islamic Conference (OIC). The Centre for Strategic Research (SAM) under the Azerbaijani President informs that SAM senior fellow Javid Veliyev will participate in the forum. The aim of the event is to make the OIC in one of the major players in the region and in the global arena in a way of more efficient use of public diplomacy means. The delegates will discuss issues of support for research, public organizations and civil society institutions to provide a basis for joint projects."

وَ مَا نُرْسِلُ الْمُرْسَلِینَ إِلَّا مُبَشِّرِینَ وَ مُنْذِرِینَ ...‎ - Sultain Shain: Mention of public diplomacy.

The subtle distinction between Cultural Diplomacy and Propaganda - giuseppecolucci, Torno Subito: "[Is]Cultural diplomacy a kind of propaganda? It depends. Let’s say that if it is true that

diplomacy has been always understood as a tool used by official institutions in each country, is also true that this interpretation could be theoretically widen[ed] to the private area of the citizens, the so called 'cultural ambassadors' of the no profit-non governmental organizations." Image from 

Public Diplomacy and Marketing Communications - Materi Ilmu komunikasi: "It should be noted also that public diplomacy is not the same with marketing communications. Equation of this function resulted in many countries fail in their implementation."

The Privatizing Of American Power – An Issue Americans Can’t Afford To Ignore - Cari Gittard, Newswire, CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: [O]ne issue .. is the mass privatization of American power. We are exploring this theme in my Corporate Diplomacy II course this spring ... I am ... in violent agreement that there needs to be a candid public discussion about how we fund and execute foreign policy and fight wars."  Image from

Theoretical Implications of Strategic Communication Part 3: Cutting SC Down to Size - Robin, Public Diplomacy, Networks and Influence: "At present there seems to be a tendency to see the US public diplomacy problem through the lens of CVE and neglect the strength of other aspects of the US position eg as here and here."

A Fail -- Strategic Communication Management - Albany Blog: "A strong case can be made that contemporary strategic communications, as ‘synchronized coordination of statecraft, public affairs, public diplomacy, military information operations, and other activities’ ... , is failing to achieve its potential at the national level due to organizational failings as well as problems within its constituent parts. ... Within this management challenge is the continuing top-down management processes within the foreign policy process, out of kilter with the contemporary information environment. Faced with a rapidly changing environment, with regard to public diplomacy, as Nicholas Cull claims: 'None of these changes is as challenging as the reorientation of public diplomacy away from the top-down communication patterns of the Cold War era.'” Image from

Comment on what caught Liza's eye this week - lynn, SIS Public Diplomacy: The Group Five Blog: "Liza, I wanted to respond to you question regarding whether we are all now diplomats. I don’t disagree that 'Diplomacy is beginning to be redefined into how we as individual diplomats are helping solve global problems.' But I would caution that this new era of individual diplomacy and this 'global environment that [has] altered the practice of traditionally diplomacy,' has resulted in a world where misinformation is spread even at the highest levels."

Lobbying and government relations in the public sphere - Mark Phillimore, Media Impressions: "The University of Greenwich is part of an Erasmus Intensive Programme (IP) submission providing Masters students in PR and communications

the opportunity to research and study government relations and public lobbying in the European public sphere over an intensive two week period. ... The programme will be exploring issues around public diplomacy, agenda setting in public, legitimacy and transparency in lobbying and government relations based on a public sphere model of practice." Image from

CPD Distinguished Speaker Series: Shashi Tharoor – Dianscuffman: "[Video] CPD Distinguished Speaker Series: The Public Diplomacy of the Emerging Great Powers Shashi Tharoor – INDIA (uscpublicdiplomacy.com) Video Rating: 4/5."

Academia and Public Diplomacy: a new relationship - Matt Armstrong, Mountain.Runner.us:"There was something new at the 2011 International Studies Association conference in Montreal, Canada: a working group on

public diplomacy. Organized by Craig Hayden, assistant professor at American University, and co-chaired by Kathy Fitzpatrick, professor at Quinnipiac University, it was a unique discussion to create a community of scholars across the many disciplines that comprise 'public diplomacy.' Keynotes were given by Matt Armstrong and Maureen Cormack, Executive Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs."  Image from

Landing a Job in the Foreign Service - ynpnnyc.org: Landing a Job in the Foreign Service: "Event Description Are you up to the Foreign Service challenge? Find out what it takes to land a spot in the esteemed U.S. diplomatic corps, with Shawn Dorman, a former Foreign Service Officer who is now editor and publisher of Foreign Service Books and associate editor of the Foreign Service Journal. ... Attendees will learn…• Which Foreign Service Career Track is right for you? (Consular,Attendees will learn…• Which Foreign Service Career Track is right for you? (Consular, Economic, Management, Political, or Public Diplomacy)."

RELATED ITEMS

Is There an Obama Doctrine? - New York Times: President Obama, in his speech Monday evening on the American military role in Libya, said that the United States had a responsibility to intervene in foreign conflicts "when our interests and values are at stake." Whether they agreed with the president or not, many analysts were quick to see the outlines of an Obama doctrine -- a grand strategy for American involvement in wars abroad. Did the president articulate such a blueprint? If so, what is it and what are the long-term risks and implications?  Image from

Looking for Luck in Libya - Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times: It is naïve to think that we can be humanitarians only from the air — and now we just hand the situation off to NATO, as if it were Asean and we were not the backbone of the NATO military alliance, and we’re done. Any kind of decent outcome there will require boots on the ground.

The Speech Obama Hasn't Given: What are we doing in Libya? Americans deserve an explanation - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal

Mission: Inscrutable - James Taranto, Wall Street Journal: Obama's Libya speech echoes Bush's worst Iraq flub.

Libyan rebel commander admits his fighters have al-Qaeda links: Abdel-Hakim al-Hasidi, the Libyan rebel leader, has said jihadists who fought against allied troops in Iraq are on the front lines of the battle against Muammar Gaddafi's regime - Praveen Swami, Nick Squires and Duncan Gardham, Daily Telegraph


Image from article, with caption: Mr al-Hasidi admitted he had earlier fought against 'the foreign invasion' in Afghanistan. Via LB

US fights with words as well as arms - CBS News: Coalition planes broadcast messages, drop leaflets encouraging Libyan troops to refuse orders and turn against Qaddafi.Although each day the Pentagon reports the number of bombs it has dropped in the week-old Libya intervention, it has said little about the information campaign blanketing the country. But coalition planes have dropped leaflets a number of times, most recently Sunday near Qaddafi ground troops near Misrata, military officials said Monday on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about the effort. The U.S. also has broadcast messages to Libyan forces from the Air Force's EC-130 Commando Solo,

a specially-modified Hercules transport that conducts information operations and psychological operations and broadcasts in AM, FM, high-frequency radio, TV and military communications bands. Image from article, with caption: A 2004 file photo of the U.S. Air Force EC-130J Commando Solo, an aircraft designed for broadcasting messages across hostile territory

US forces fighting with words in Libya: Leaflet drops, radio broadcasts part of battle - Pauline Jelinek, Lolita C. Baldor - FOX Toledo Online

Finnish Radio Hobbyist Confirms Covert Radio Broadcasts in Libya - YLE News: A Finnish DX radio hobbyist has confirmed that the United States has made its Commando Solo aircraft available to coalition forces engaged in operations in Libya.

The special craft is being used for propaganda radio broadcasts currently aimed mostly at the Libyan Naval Forces. Commando Solo is used to conduct psychological operations (psyops) and other missions, broadcasting in standard civilian and military communications bands. The latest version of the craft is capable of broadcasting color television on a multitude of worldwide standards. Image from article

Our new allies, eastern Libya and Al-qaeda - Jim Pickard, FT.com (blog): When Colonel Gaddafi accused the eastern rebels of being Al-Qaeda there was a presumption that this was merely propaganda from the Libyan dictator. A Nato US commander has suggested that intelligence reports indicate a potential “flicker” of al-Qaeda within the resistance. James Stavridis, Nato’s supreme allied commander for Europe, was speaking during Senate testimony today. Here is the relevant transcript: “We have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential Al Qaida, Hezbollah. We’ve seen different things. But at this point I don’t have detail sufficient to say that — that there’s a significant Al Qaida presence or any other terrorist presence in and among these folks. We’ll continue to look at that very closely. It’s part of doing due diligence as we move forward on any kind of relationship.” For now it seems that no one knows precisely who is leading – or joining – the rebellion in eastern Libya.

Libya: the latest offensive in the West's war on humanity - Toni Solo, Scoop.co.nz

When Unrest Stirs, Bloggers Are Already in Place - Jennifer Prestion, New York Times: Global Voices is a volunteer-driven organization and platform that works with bloggers all over the world to translate, aggregate and link to online content. Via GD

Al Jazeera English is still "can't-see TV" in the United States - Kim Andrew Elliott reporting on International Broadcasting

Yuri Gagarin comic dubbed 'propaganda' in Russia - BBC News: A comic book written by Wiltshire space enthusiasts about Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin

has been condemned as propaganda in Russia. Image from article

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"Brighton."

--Name given to a child in Cosa Rica by his parents, watchers of the American TV show, The Nanny, thinking the name of one of its characters sounded cool.

IMAGE