"[T]he C.I.A. — which once sold golf shirts with Predator logos in its gift shop."
--New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd; image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Tara Sonenshine on Public Diplomacy, Voice of America Interview - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com: "Secretary Sonenshine recently visited Russia where dozens of highly popular and respected Radio Liberty journalists and Internet specialists were fired by the former management of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) with the knowledge and consent of IBB executives. The firing of Radio Liberty journalists triggered protests from famous Russian opposition political leaders and human rights activists, including Nobel Peace Prize nominee Lyudmila Alexeeva, with whom Secretary Sonenshine met recently in Washington. The incompetence of RFE/RL and IBB senior executives resulted in a public diplomacy disaster for the United States in Russia.
According to sources, Secretary Sonenshine was extremely unhappy with the situation and vowed to keep a closer eye on the BBG bureaucracy, which her former boss Hillary Clinton called 'defunct.' Despite bureaucratic resistance, BBG members have recently initiated some reforms and have put a seasoned journalist and media executive Kevin Klose in charge of RFE/RL. Hopefully, if these reforms are successful, the BBG will no longer be a public diplomacy liability for the United States in places like Russia and China, but Secretary Sonenshine still has a lot of work to do at the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The bureaucracy does not give up easily." Image from
Public Schedule for April 17, 2013 - U.S. Department of State: "UNDER SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC DIPLOMACY AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS TARA SONENSHINE 3:30 p.m. Under Secretary Sonenshine hosts a screening of 10x10’s documentary film Girl Rising and a panel discussion about advancing gender equality with Acting Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Sharon Wiener and USAID Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Carla Koppell, at the Department of State. (CLOSED PRESS COVERAGE)"
1 girl 5 gays, MTV Canada, and cultural diplomacy - Brad Gilligan, Take Five - The IPDGC Blog On Public Diplomacy And Global Communication: "Under Hillary Clinton’s leadership, the State Department annually documented the status of LGBT people around the globe in its report on human rights practices. Memorably, Clinton said in a speech at the United Nations that 'gay rights are human rights.' ... When the State Department
promotes gay rights abroad, cultural diplomacy acts as one of the primary drivers of that agenda. ... Not to say that the U.S. does not receive its own share of criticism for its domestic LGBT policy." Image from entry, with caption: U.S. Ambassador Eisen marches in Prague’s 2012 Pride Parade
Actual headline: “Let’s hope the Boston Marathon bomber is a white American” - David Sirota, posted at worldduh.com: "(Irony alert: When it comes specifically to fighting white non-Muslim domestic terrorists, the right seems to now support the very doctrine it criticized Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry for articulating — the doctrine that sees fighting terrorism as primarily 'an intelligence-gathering, law-enforcement, public-diplomacy effort' and not something more systemic.)"
Social Media in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict - Onnik Krikorian, Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso: “Elizabeth Metraux, Program Director of a U.S. State Department program designed to bring Armenian and Azerbaijani teenagers together, told this author in 2009, 'There were times when it just gets explosive and there really were those moments were I just thought I had underestimated the intensity of the conflict.' The project, undertaken through Project Harmony, was one of the first to use online tools in combination with offline meetings, albeit only using blogs. Because of the sensitivities of being seen to connect with the other side in the conflict, the Armenian and Azerbaijani teenagers chose not to use Facebook to remain in contact once they were back home. Such a situation was not surprising given the intensity of the information war conducted online and the monitoring of activity by security services. The same year, for example, Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli, two online activists in Azerbaijan, were arrested, albeit for criticizing their government. ... Yelena Osipova, an Armenian citizen now studying abroad ... notes. 'Social media can potentially be a great tool for the initial stages of conflict resolution,' she says.
'It helps to establish and maintain direct people-to-people communication without in-person contact. This distance can help mitigate the potential hostility and induce more civil conversations. Equally important is the fact that social media can help put a face on a faceless and evil ‘enemy’ whose image has been constructed and implanted in the minds of those involved.' Osipova also notes that there is an inherent danger with social media, and not least from nationalists on both sides who might attempt to hijack the communication or intimidate and threaten those engaged in cross-border communication. 'When looking at the role of public diplomacy and communications in conflict resolution, it is no longer possible to ignore online communications,' Sarah Crozier, Press and Public Information Officer for the OSCE Secretariat told Osservatorio. 'When an ever greater number of people can make their voices heard online, and information – or misinformation – can quickly spread, it is important that those involved in conflict prevention, conflict resolution and post-conflict rehabilitation can get beyond casually used terms like ‘e-diplomacy’ and ‘Twitter revolutions’ and have a clear understanding of what the real potential of online communications is in this area.'" Image from
Former IDF Spokesman: Israel Needs Its Own 'Al Jazeera' TV - Mazal Mualem, al-monitor.com: "Too many times in the past decade, the state of Israel has demonstrated weakness opposite the Palestinians in the public diplomacy war for hearts and minds, because it did not prepare appropriately for an era in which wars are also waged in the public diplomacy arena. This is the conclusion that Knesset member Nachman Shai (Labor party) presents in his new book, Media War Reaching for Hearts and Minds [in Hebrew]. His book deals with the centrality and importance of the public diplomacy war that is being waged between the terrorist organizations and guerrilla groups, and democratic countries. Shai reviews the key events in which the public diplomacy war between
The IDF vs. Bar Refaeli is Really The IDF vs. the Foreign Ministry - Shmuel Rosner, jewishjournal.com: "Supermodel Bar Refaeli is one of
was just becoming a supermodel (and the girlfriend of Hollywood megastar Leonardo DiCaprio), she also dodged her draft, evading the compulsory two year military service by getting married, and divorcing soon after. So the more famous she got, and the more Israelis followed her with pride (and maybe a shred of jealously), the more annoyed other Israelis became by her celebrity status, especially military officials. Three years ago, the armed forces human resources director, General Avi Zamir, urged young Israelis not to buy the products that Refaeli promotes. 'We are a society that has an army', he said, 'if she advertises [clothing company] Fox, then you shouldn't buy their products'. Obviously, the frustration of the military became much more painful when the 'product' Refaeli began promoting was the State of Israel. And it became public when the spokesman for the IDF sent a letter to the Foreign Ministry last month, slamming the Refaeli campaign. 'The choice… conveys the message that we ignore and forgive evasion of enlistment, and encourages identification, among youths of both sexes, with the success of those who did not enlist', wrote Brig. General Yoav 'Polly' Mordechai. The FM hit back: 'There is no reason to bring up the past when it comes to a campaign of public diplomacy of this kind', it said. Speaking to a FM official on Sunday, I was told that the Ministry 'doesn't do boycott', a loaded term for Israelis. Refaeli, the official kept reminding me, willingly volunteered for this campaign." Refaeli image from article
S. Korea takes growing role as middle power - Jeffrey Robertson, The Korea Herald: "There are three main streams of middle-power research in Korea. ... The first stream of research mimics the agenda of Australian and Canadian research during the 1990s, with a focus on middle-power leadership in areas such as humanitarian intervention, nuclear non-proliferation, conflict mediation and multilateral disarmament. ... The second stream demonstrates an interest in the role of middle powers vis-a-vis major powers, conceptualizing middle powers as 'pivots' or 'balancers' between major powers. ... The third stream is the most interesting. It departs substantially from the agenda of Australian and Canadian research, focusing on practical, policy-oriented results. It explores new approaches to understanding middle-power diplomacy, such as through network theory and cluster analysis, and applies these ideas to contemporary problems, including East Asian regionalism, soft power and public diplomacy. This approach, epitomized by the work of Seoul National University’s Kim Sang-bae, links traditional international relations theory with cutting-edge research in information technology and related fields. ... Most importantly, Korean research on middlepowerism now enjoys strong public support. ... [M]iddlepowerism has become a permanent feature of Korea’s approach to the outside world."
Forum held at United Nations to spread China's experience in sustainable development - Xinhua, peopledaily.com.cn: "A Chinese expert said here at the United Nations headquarters Tuesday that China needs to transform its development model in the context of the global recession following the financial crisis.
The statement came as Cheng Siwei, a renowned scholar in economic, financial and managerial fields, addressed a forum titled 'A China Story,' where a group of Chinese specialists were invited to give their interpretations of China's overall planning approach and shared the country's experience of pursuing sustainable development. ... The forum, featuring a theme of Sustainable Development and Governance, was organized by China Energy Fund Committee, a nonprofit, non-governmental think tank devoted to public diplomacy and research on strategic issues with emphasis on energy and culture." Image from
Indonesia Shares Experience With Common Developing Countries - bernama.com.my: "Indonesia shared its experience with common developing countries at a South-South and Third Parties Cooperation Forum (SSTC) here on Wednesday, attended by among others, representatives from Palestine and Afghanistan, reports Indonesia's Antara news agency. 'This is part of our South-South and Third Parties cooperation programme aimed at sharing our experience particularly in sectors that we have been good at,' the director general of information and public diplomacy of the ministry of foreign affairs, AM Fachir, said.
Applying soft power: the Brazilian and British perspectives (WP1232) - .wiltonpark.org.uk: "Date: Tuesday 12 - Wednesday 13 March, 2013 Location: São Paulo, Brazil ... In association with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Brazil The 6th roundtable meeting in our public diplomacy series brought together around 40 public diplomacy practitioners including senior leaders, academics, business, media and other communications specialists for an expert exchange on soft power application.
The meeting considered: how to move from soft power theory to practical application [;] ways in which to maximise and evaluate the impact of soft power assets [;] future collaboration through the development of soft power networks [;] Participants shared ambitions, challenges and opportunities and looked for ways in which to enhance future co-operation." Image from, with caption Miss and Mr Brazil UK 2008
Regional Educational Advising Coordinator, China - Institute of International Education: "Job Location: New York, NY ... The Regional Educational Advising Coordinator (REAC) for China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mongolia region provides professional leadership and support to the EducationUSA network of advising centers in this area (subject to change) to foster international student mobility and advance the U.S. Government's public diplomacy efforts. In close consultation with ECA/A/S/A, the REAC counsels Public Affairs Sections on student mobility issues and advising programs and provides guidance and training to advisers and host institutions. He/she receives policy guidance from ECA/A/S/A and Public Affairs Sections. Through a cooperative agreement with ECA, the REAC is employed by the Institute of International Education. The REAC is evaluated by IIE’s Director of Global EducationUSA Services, based on substantive comment from Public Affairs Sections, ECA/A/S/A, and other stakeholders, as appropriate. Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. ... 3. Counsels and assists Public Affairs Sections in the development of educational advising programs to achieve mission public diplomacy goals."
RELATED ITEMS
Indisputable Torture - Editorial Board, New York Times: A dozen years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an independent, nonpartisan panel’s examination convened by the Constitution Project, a legal research and advocacy group, provides a valuable, even necessary reckoning.
The report’s authoritative conclusion that “the United States engaged in the practice of torture” is impossible to dismiss by a public that needs to know what was committed in the nation’s name. Image from
America must atone for the torture it inflicted - Thomas R. Pickering, Washington Post: Unfortunately, the U.S. government’s use of torture against suspected terrorists, and its failure to fully acknowledge and condemn it, has made the exercise of diplomacy far more daunting. By authorizing and permitting torture in response to a global terrorist threat, U.S. leaders committed a grave error that has undermined our values, principles and moral stature; eroded our global influence; and placed our soldiers, diplomats and intelligence officers in even greater jeopardy. Democracy and torture cannot peacefully coexist in the same body politic.
The C.I.A.’s Angry Birds - Maureen Dowd, New York Times: President Obama, who continued nearly every covert program handed down by W., clearly feels tough when he talks about targeted killings, and considers drones an attractive option.
A Third Way to Address the Iranian Threat: Support the opposition and let Iranians topple a regime they despise - Michael Ledeen, Wall Street Journal: Supporting the Iranian opposition and overturning the Islamic regime wouldn't just be a way for the West to avoid a nuclear confrontation. It would also cut off the lifeblood for terrorist groups around the world. A more concerted effort should be made to give Iranians real news about their country.
And members of the opposition should be furnished with the hardware to better communicate with each other and the outside world. The U.S. should also mount a relentless campaign for the release of political prisoners in Iran, naming them in every available international forum. Image from
AFRICOM Propaganda: ‘Hunting the World’s Most Wanted Warlord”: the Rebirth of Joseph Kony on US Network TV - Timothy Alexander Guzman, Global Research: Yes, US Special Forces are now assisting local dentists and delivering babies in central Africa. This is clear propaganda aimed at an unsuspecting television audience. The reason that US Special Forces are operating in central Africa under AFRICOM’s command is because of its natural resources. American, British and Israeli corporate interests dominate central African politics.
Some Hard Truths about the UAE's Soft Power - Nicholas McGeehan, Huffington Post: The UAE has donated significant amounts of money to issues that fall into one of three categories: children, hospitals and disasters (and preferably close to D.C.) In 2009, for instance, the government of Abu Dhabi donated $150 million to build the Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation at Children's National Medical Center in Washington D.C. In partnership with England's Manchester City Football Club, which is owned by the UAE’s deputy prime minister, the UAE Embassy has built soccer fields in L.A., Miami, Chicago, and New York, and will open another in D.C. for the start of the 2013-14 season. The UAE also donated funds to assist with the post-Hurricane Katrina clear-up. These donations are praiseworthy, but they shouldn’t lead US politicians to overlook the UAE’s repression at home, where, among other things, it has subjected a prominent South African pediatric oncologist to an unfair trial for manslaughter. President Obama should not utter praise for the UAE where no praise is due.
'Armenians use bribery and false propaganda among U.S. lawmakers' - news.az: At all levels - both vertically and horizontally - Armenian organizations of the US are making every effort to strengthen their political activities, Chief Editor of New Baku Post, political scientist
Tofig Abbasov has told 1news.az, commenting on the Armenian media reports about the adoption by the House and Senate of Maine of a resolution recognizing the secessionist entity "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", established by Armenia in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan. "Of course, most of Armenian activists have resorted to unfair procedures and techniques. Here they resorted to bribery and false propaganda, etc. In this case, accusing U.S. lawmakers at the local level does not make any sense, but, of course, one cannot put up with it," concluded the expert. Image, presumably of Abbasov, from article
New York Times v. North Korea - Stephen Lendman, lewrockwell.com: The Times is America's unofficial ministry of information and propaganda. Daily managed news misinformation is featured. The Times features hostile North Korean coverage. It's done so for decades.
N. Korea warns against Seoul activists releasing propaganda leaflets - Yonhap News: North Korea warned Saturday that South Korea will face a "catastrophic situation" if a group of North Korean defectors sends anti-Pyongyang propaganda leaflets across the border as planned. North Korean defectors and a Seoul-based civic organization have said they plan to release leaflets with anti-Pyongyang messages, often mixed with U.S. dollar bills, via balloon in the city of Paju on the late founding leader's birthday, which falls on Monday. In a commentary article published on the Web site of Uriminzokkiri, Pyongyang's main Internet-based media and propaganda site, the communist country said a catastrophic situation will occur if the leaflets cross the border on the "Day of the Sun," the birthday of late leader Kim Il-sung.
North Korea's propaganda machine grips defector 11 years on [contains video] - Kyung Lah, CNN: To the outside world the images from North Korean state television are nearly comical -- weeping soldiers chasing Kim Jong Un into the freezing sea, elderly women screaming as the young leader approaches, and North Koreans unleashing dogs at a poorly made effigy of a South Korean leader. But as Chae Young Hee watches, her eyes begin to brim with tears and her lips tremble uncontrollably with national pride.
Chae is not a North Korean anymore, having defected to South Korea 11 years ago, abandoning the totalitarian regime. Watching her slip back into her time as a Pyongyang resident is a window into how the North Korean regime manages to maintain its seemingly unyielding hold on its people. "Even if I tried to explain this, I don't think people here would understand. They won't think this is real," she says, watching a news clip of adoring citizens waving flowers and rushing to the young leader. "But this is true. That is the truth. And we can't think for ourselves. When North Koreans watch news on the dear leader, they believe in it. We live because of him." Image from
Propaganda war marks the second anniversary of the Bahraini Spring - Raihan Ismail, opendemocracy.net: Some Arab television channels including al-Wisal and al-Rahmah highlighted the suffering of some Sunnis in Bahrain at the hands of Shia protesters, in an appeal to all Sunnis to beware of the Shia. Pictures and videos of gruesome injuries allegedly suffered by members of the largely Sunni security forces or by members of the Sunni public are televised, inflaming sectarian fervour among Sunnis. This propaganda war has reached new heights thanks to the events in Syria. The Assad regime, from the Shia Alawite sect, has tortured, killed and bombed Sunni civilians, and done so with the support of the region’s most prominent Shia political actors, Iran and Hezbollah. These developments have worked in favour of the Bahraini ruling family on two counts. First, the more extreme nature of the conflict in Syria has diverted the world’s attention away from Bahrain. And second, the support of Iran for the Assad regime has strengthened the claims of the Bahraini regime and its supportive clerics in Saudi Arabia that Iran is a subversive sectarian influence throughout the region, including in Bahrain, and an influence that needs to be countered.
AMERICANA
Yakkety Yak, Yak Mapping [scroll down link for item] - Robert Krulwich, npr.org/
Xiaoji Chen at MIT's Senseable City Lab was able to get her hands on anonymous cellphone data from AT and T's network.
Her map, which she calls "The Connected States of America," reveals a set of similar telephone "neighborhoods."Washington , bits of Oregon and Idaho "talk" together, but the big bloc of plains states doesn't hold together: Missouri doesn't yak that much with Oklahoma or Arkansas (but Okies and Arkies are tight!) Oklahoma doesn't phone Texas that much. Via YO on Facebook; image from entry, with caption: MIT Senseable City - "The Connected States of America"
Her map, which she calls "The Connected States of America," reveals a set of similar telephone "neighborhoods."
No comments:
Post a Comment