April 8-9 Public Diplomacy Review

"As amazing and inspiring as Madeleine Albright has been as a diplomat, Miramax is unlikely to spend $100 million to chronicle her life."

--Michael Duffin, a graduate student concluding a Master's degree in Public Diplomacy from USC's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism; Albright image from

VIDEOS

U.S. Diplomat Anne Smedinghoff Killed in Afghanistan - ABC, posted at z6mag.com

Ben Brumfield, Catherine E. Shoichet and Josh Levs, "Americans, Afghan civilians killed in weekend violence" CNN (April 7); Smedinghoff image from entry

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY

Death of an FSO, and the Tragedy in Zabul - republicofsnarkistan.net: "The real tragedy in Zabul yesterday wasn’t the death of Anne Smedinghoff. Nor is it the deaths of the other Americans and the Afghan doctor killed in the same blast that took her life. Those deaths are the terrible price too often paid by those who choose to put themselves in harm’s way. It’s a price those they leave behind must bear in the aftermath of a day like this. But that’s not the most tragic part of all. The real tragedy is that it’s 2013, and we’re still doing book drops. ... Smedinghoff was yet another casualty in the perception war, part of the 'messaging' process, her role to ensure that the Afghans got the story that US Embassy Public Affairs needed them to get. That’s not cynicism, but a gross acknowledgment of the pragmatism that drives these kinds of photo ops. From what I can gather from those that have mourned her loss, this was someone who genuinely wanted to make a difference. Someone who wanted to see the Afghanistan outside the Embassy walls. But her mission there was in support of larger objectives well beyond her control. Rather than ensuring that education officials in Zabul had the tools they needed to succeed, what happened instead was boilerplate Public Affairs/Public Diplomacy: get the press to the event, get the right pictures of the right kids and maybe get them saying the right things, then get the message out. In this case, the message is that the American people care deeply about the future of education for the Afghan people. It’s 2013: if we’re still having to hand out books for the photo op, we’re doing it wrong. ... [B]ecause PRTs [Provincial Reconstruction Teams] are only staffed in nine-month rotations, what happens is a flurry of book drives, donations from people at home, and a whole lot of Whites in Shining Armor who get to feel like they helped an Afghan kid. Which, they do. For however long those books last, and the PRT goes away for good. Then who’s going to get them books? It’s 2013: America’s legacy here post-2001 has already been written. There’s nothing a book drop can do to change that. Nothing we can do to rewrite the painful story the American involvement in Afghanistan. And now, there’s nothing we can do to bring Anne Smedinghoff back." via; image from entry

Diplomat’s death in Afghanistan worries Foreign Service students - "[S]tudents at the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)... discussed the death of Anne Smedinghoff, a 25-year-old American diplomat killed Saturday in a bomb attack in Afghanistan, they said they had some deeply troubling concerns. ... [They] were worried about too much security and the shrinking space for American diplomats to do their work. Today, they know, increasingly higher walls surround embassies and compounds, and diplomats travel in armored vehicles.

The result is incredibly restricted movement in places that need outreach the most. Seeing the world through bulletproof glass does not allow a true picture of life beyond the compounds, they said." Smedinghoff image from article

What the State Department's official statement didn't tell you: Tragically killed Anne Smedinghoff worked in Public Diplomacy in Afghanistan [updated from earlier posting; contains comment by distinguished diplomat Leonard Baldyga] - John Brown, Notes and Essays:

"UPDATE 1: Re additional coverage of Smedinghoff in the media, which include Kerry's later statements about her, see (1) and (2).

UPDATE 2 (April 9, via PR, early morning): Craig Newman, 'Parents' statement on the death of Anne Smedinghoff,' Chicago Sun-Times [includes video]

UPDATE 3 (April 9, via MP on Facebook, Ca. 10:00 ): AP, 'Diplomat’s death in Afghanistan worries Foreign Service students,' Washington Post

UPDATE 4 (April 9, ca. 10:30 AM) Posted by Seth Horowitz, 'Anne Smedinghoff, U.S. Diplomat Killed in Afghanistan Remembered as Ambitious and Dedicated' [includes ABC News video], z6mag.com

UPDATE 5 (April 9, ca. 11:00 AM): Niticentral Staff, 'Afghanistan: US diplomat killed in explosion,' niticentral.com (April 8). states: 'A US woman diplomat was killed this weekend in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. The State Department confirms to sources that Anne Smedinghoff was a public diplomacy officer assigned to the US embassy in Kabul. ... Anne Smedinghoff was just 27 [sic] years old.'

UPDATE 6 (April 9, 11:32 AM): Michael Schwirtz, 'Diplomat Killed on Afghan Mission She Coveted,' New York Times (April 7): 'As a public diplomacy officer, Ms. Smedinghoff was on the front lines of an effort to move Afghanistan beyond its decades-long struggle with war and oppression to a place where women might walk openly in the streets and where children, including young girls, might go to school. It is a job fraught with dangers and frustrations that have been compounded as the United States, along with its NATO allies, has shrunk its military footprint. Bases have been scaled back and ground and air transports reduced, meaning less security for development work.'

UPDATE 7 (April 9, 11:38 AM): Selim Algar, 'US envoy slain: Victim, 25, was delivering books in A’stan,' New York Post (April 8) : 'Smedinghoff was the first US diplomat killed since the attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September that claimed the life of Ambassador Christopher Stevens. She first worked in Venezuela before her assignment in Afghanistan, her parents said. 'Working as a public diplomacy officer, she particularly enjoyed the opportunity to work directly with the Afghan people and was always looking for opportunities to reach out and help to make a difference in the lives of those living in a country ravaged by war,' they said.'

UPDATE 8 (April 9, 11: 54 AM): Carrie Wells, 'Johns Hopkins graduate killed in bomb blast in Afghanistan: Anne Smedinghoff, 25, among five Americans killed Saturday,' The Baltimore Sun (April 8): 'Smedinghoff, who worked in the public diplomacy section of the State Department, was killed along with three U.S. soldiers and a civilian employee of the Defense Department, according to U.S. authorities. She is believed to be the first U.S. diplomat killed in Afghanistan since the war began.'

UPDATE 9 (April 9, 12:04) Ben Brumfield, Catherine E. Shoichet and Josh Levs, 'Americans, Afghan civilians killed in weekend violence,' CNN (April 7) Google 'public diplomacy' reference for this article for this article states (April 9, 12:04): 'Diplomat's killing believed to be first since Benghazi ... Venezuela, Smedinghoff volunteered for an assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul and had been working as a public diplomacy officer there since July' ... But the article under reference does in fact not mention 'public diplomacy.'

UPDATE 10 (April 9, 12:45), John Brown, Facebook entry: 'What our public diplomacy diplomats increasingly look like: Image of murdered Foreign Service Officer Anne Smedinghoff, 25, dying for her country (why?) in Afghanistan (from CNN cited above)' [see the helmeted Smedinghoff image at top of this PDPBR entry]"

Sonenshine to Travel to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia: Under Secretary Tara Sonenshine to Travel to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia - state.gov: "Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Tara Sonenshine will travel to Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia April 8-16, 2013. In Moscow, Russia, April 8-11, Under Secretary Sonenshine will be the keynote speaker at the 'Fulbright Program in Russia: 40th Anniversary of Successful Academic Exchanges' conference. The Under Secretary will also meet with her counterparts on the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission’s Education, Culture, Sports, and Media Working Group to advance our efforts towards mutual understanding.

While in Moscow, the Under Secretary will speak at the American Center in Moscow, noting the 20th anniversary of the American Centers and Corners program in Russia, the longest standing in the world. In Kyiv, Ukraine, April 11-13, the Under Secretary will help launch the construction of the new American Center. She will also be the keynote speaker at the Women’s Forum, where women executives and representatives of small and medium enterprises network, exchange experiences, and discuss strategic investments in women’s economic potential. While in Kyiv, the Under Secretary will also meet with government officials, journalists, students, LGBT activists, and members of the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv’s Youth Council. In Tbilisi, Georgia, April 13-16, the Under Secretary will meet with the Minister of Education and Science and sign a Memorandum of Understanding to expand Fulbright fellowship opportunities in Georgia. The Under Secretary will also address students at Tbilisi State University on freedom of expression and the importance of an independent media. While in Tbilisi, the Under Secretary will also meet with women journalists and U.S. exchange alumni, government officials, and representatives of Georgian civil society." See also. Image from; see also as well Embassy of the United States, Kyiv, Ukraine "Window on America Centers: A Project of the US Embassy in Ukraine." Below image from

America's Challenge in the Arab World - Ziad J. Asali, Huffington Post: "In a masterful display of public diplomacy, Mr. Obama strove to open the public space on Israeli-Palestinian peace. He suggested ordinary people must take the initiative to overcome their suspicions and connect with others, both within their own societies and by reaching beyond them. This imperative is not restricted to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. There is a broader need for a robust American outreach to the Arab world. The Arab public sphere is dominated by narratives that emphasize deep animosity toward the United States. Such suspicions often are rooted in real differences over policy. But they are also driven by self-serving machinations. The United States should help reclaim the Arab public sphere from the domination of this hostility. We should pursue a new conversation with the Arab world, and support a wide-ranging debate within it. As we develop policies that take into account the new regional political landscape, we must learn better how to communicate with, and listen to, the Arab peoples. ... American public diplomacy efforts over the past decade have been creditable and professional. But now is the time to take this effort closer to the top of the policy agenda. If we do not define our political values and attitudes for the Arab peoples, we can be assured that others will continue to do just that. In that case, our country and our friends in the region risk losing the great contest of ideas that is unfolding in the Middle East. Neither our interests nor our values, nor those of the Arab peoples, can afford that. Ziad J. Asali is President of the American Task Force on Palestine."

Bipartisan Report Recommends Some Iran Sanctions Relief - Barbara Slavin, Al-Monitor: "Current US actions risk alienating Iranians, who, according to former CIA director Mike Hayden, are the most pro-American Muslim population 'between Marrakesh and Bangladesh.'

Hayden is a member of the Iran Task Force of the Atlantic Council, which today is issuing a new report that urges the Barack Obama administration to alleviate the impact of sanctions on ordinary Iranians and to shore up people-to-people ties. It recommends that the US Treasury Department 'designate a small number of US and private Iranian financial institutions as channels for payment for humanitarian, educational and public diplomacy-related transactions carefully licensed by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.'" Image from article, with caption: The center of the Tajrish Bazaar, a century-old traditional marketplace in north Tehran where prices are lower than in supermarkets and department stores, but food is increasingly expensive, Aug. 30, 2012.

New Report Analyzing Iran’s Nuclear Program Costs and Risks - Katie Colten, blogs.fas.org: "The report analyzes the policy implications of Iran’s nuclear program for the United States and its allies, concluding that economic sanctions nor military force cannot end this prideful program; it is imperative that a diplomatic solution is reached to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful.

Finally, efforts need to be made to the Iranians from Washington which clearly state that America and its allies prefer a prosperous and peaceful Iran versus an isolated and weakened Iran. Public diplomacy and nuclear diplomacy must go hand in hand." Image from entry

Two very different suggestions for increasing American support of foreign aid - Michael Duffin, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public diplomacy: "[W]e must consider solutions to make more Americans aware of the importance of the State Department and foreign aid. ... There are two ... options to consider: The promotion of the State Department in Hollywood and continued support of the Model United Nations program. ... There are compelling stories ... coming out of the State Department. Movies about the life of J. Christopher Stevens or Richard Holbrooke’s shuttle diplomacy in Bosnia are just two examples. ... Supporting Model United Nations programs is probably a more feasible form of engagement. Thousands of high school and college students participate in these simulations, with many of them traveling across the country to participate in conferences in Boston, New York, and Washington. These simulations educate students about relevant issues from desertification in the Sahara to human trafficking in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia."

The Time the Iraq War Almost Killed Me - Adam Clark Estes, motherboard.vice.com: "It was 2003 and in just a couple of weeks, in the dark of night, the United States would begin the invasion of Iraq; a few weeks after that, on April 9th, Baghdad fell. We being Americans and war being bad, joining the quiet protest seemed like the least we could do. Then, when the paddy wagons screamed into the square and the billy clubs came out and the blood started flowing and the fires started burning, I realized there was nothing we could do. This war was going to happen, and a lot of people were going to die.

I just hoped I wasn't going to be one of them. I moved to Europe a few months after graduating on the government's dime. It was part of a scholarship program funded by the U.S. and German governments, a sort of let's-be-friends program likely descendant from the Marshall Plan, and I was pumped. It was more or less a public diplomacy effort, and I wanted to be a diplomat. It turned out to be a pretty bad year for diplomacy." Image from article

WikiLeaks announces new releases: Hard work of Julian Assange and his followers: WikiLeaks plans to release 1.7 million dispatches. However, these are from the seventies and from U.S. archives [Google translation from the German] - zeit.de: "The unveiling website WikiLeaks plans to release further dispatches of U.S. diplomacy and the U.S. Secret Service. According to the founder Julian Assange should be more than 1.7 million documents from the years 1973 to 1976 found on the internet. They showed 'the enormity and the enormous range' of U.S. influence in the world. ... The documents come from the archives of the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) and are to be presented in a user-friendly with a proprietary search engine.

The goal is is to provide the despatches in their non-edited version of the public, WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said, because 'you can not trust the government in dealing with their own archives.' So it had been several attempts by the CIA about, some of the documents again placed under security classifications. The action of WikiLeaks is called Public Library of United States diplomacy - or simply 'D Plus'. In the database, according to WikiLeaks put embassies and evidence of the attitude of the U.S. government to various Latin American dictators, the Franco regime and the Greek Colonels. Also diplomatic reports on the Yom Kippur War were included." Assange image from article

Sequestration Prompts Attempt to Silence U.S. Radio Broadcasting - Helle Dale, blog.heritage.org: "The Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) recently informed its workforce about sequestration cuts to Voice of America’s (VOA) shortwave and medium-wave broadcasting. Ironically, the Board is cutting the most cost-effective part of its organization: radio. It would be more rational to cut the bloated management and administration of the International Broadcasting Bureau, which accounts for over 36 percent of the 2013 BBG budget request. Television broadcasting would also be a good place to look for savings, being far more expensive to produce and highly variable in terms of ratings. Last year, however, the BBG declared in its 'Strategic Plan' that radio is a 'legacy medium,' a hold over from the past compared to television and the Internet. Now a golden opportunity has presented itself for the BBG staff. Thus, under the guise of complying with sequestration, the board has moved ahead with plans to cut radio, plans that have been fought by Members of Congress and heavily criticized by supporters of U.S. public diplomacy for several years. One vocal critic was former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, no less. During her Benghazi testimony in January, Clinton had harsh words for the BBG. Clinton bemoaned the fact that the U.S. government has 'abandoned broadcasting to the Middle East,' and stated that the BBG, which is responsible, is 'a defunct agency.' While this is hardly true in terms of budget, it is in terms of leadership. Under sequestration, the BBG must cut $37.2 million out of its total budget of $720 million. The announced cuts in shortwave and medium-wave broadcasting are a drop in the bucket, a mere $5.3 million. While efficiencies should certainly be part of the budget picture, decimating the agency’s core mission—broadcasting—should not. Moreover, management has made it clear that these cuts are permanent and not reversible. In a letter (obtained by the Heritage Foundation) dated March 26 and addressed to 'all employees,' Richard Lobo, director of the International Broadcasting Board under the BBG explained that 'we’ve done everything we can to avoid furloughs under sequestration, but to do so, costs other than salaries have to be reduced.' So, employees will be protected, but their work products will not. A few days later, employees were handed a document summarizing the cuts in broadcasting. It means deep cuts in broadcasting in Cantonese to China, Dari and Pashto to Afghanistan, English to Africa and Asia, Khmer to Cambodia, and English-learning programs around the world. It further means elimination of medium-wave and shortwave broadcasting in Albanian, Georgian, Persian, and Spanish, as well as in English to Afghanistan and in English to the Middle East. The document notes that national FM and television affiliates will continue to carry VOA broadcasting. The catch is that local affiliates are subject to the whims of the host countries, with all the vulnerabilities and complications that entails. Again, the BBG has demonstrated why it is a broken institution, unfit to handle the U.S. government’s most important public diplomacy tool: its broadcasting complex. Congress needs to act, soon, to give U.S. international broadcasting a leadership with the proper priorities."

Op-Ed: America could learn from rappers' tribute to Radio Free Europe - Ted Lipien, digitaljournal.com: "Led by Peja of the Polish rap group Slums Attack, Europe's rappers recorded a multilingual tribute to political and cultural freedom message of the American-funded station Radio Free Europe. Using historical film footage of Radio Free Europe broadcasters, rappers from several European countries make statements similar to dissident voices heard on the station before the fall of the Iron Curtain. During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe broadcast both news commentary and music, which communists in Poland and other Soviet-dominated nations tried unsuccessfully to silence through jamming of radio signals. But in today's unusable and not much freer world, the station's important message of freedom to nations which continue to suffer under authoritarian regimes is becoming unfortunately much weaker due to decreased U.S. funding and growing indifference in America to showing solidarity with dissidents who fight for their rights in countries like China, Iran and Russia.

The song recorded by Slums Attack and other European rappers serves above all as a reminder that the struggle against political oppression and against banality of popular culture which ignores this struggle, is both timeless and universal. ... Hopefully, thanks to the hard work of dedicated BBG members like Ambassador Victor Ashe, Susan McCue and Michael Meehan, U.S. international broadcasting may once again serve its freedom and public diplomacy role. That's U.S. public diplomacy with a conscience and a human rights focus, as opposed to public diplomacy, eg, good management and journalistic independence are essential for the success of America's long-term soft power." Image from

VOA Director Ensor blamed for expanding bureaucracy while reducing programs to Iran - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com/bbgwatch: "Voice of America (VOA) Director David Ensor announced last week that that cross-border VOA radio transmissions to Afghanistan, China, Iran and several other nations are being cut or reduced to achieve budget savings.

David Ensor also participated recently in a meeting designed to improve dismal employee morale. But as one of our anonymous VOA contributors complaints, Director Ensor continues to expand the bureaucracy while journalists see their programs eliminated and their jobs lost. Contractors, known as Purchase Order Vendors (POV) are told about cuts in the number of their already poorly-paid assignments. Meanwhile, the number of Program Managers is growing and a new GS-13 'Program Manager' position has just been posted." Image from entry

Liberty Media Corporation should also honor fired Radio Liberty Russian journalists - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com: "Liberty Media Corporation, a for-profit group of American media industry investors, is giving its $50,000 Media for Liberty Award in a ceremony in Washington, DC on April 10. Masha Gessen, a Russian-American journalist who since October 2012 has been the director of the Russian Service of Radio Liberty, will receive the award. Meanwhile, dozens of journalists fired from Radio Liberty in Moscow in September 2012 are still unable to find paying jobs as independent reporters in Putin’s Russia.

Liberty Media Corporation should also honor fired Radio Liberty Russian journalists." Image from entry

Israeli Knesset members arrive in U.S. to tour Jewish communities - clevelandjewishnews.com: "After arriving on Sunday, April 7, the Knesset delegation met in New York with Jewish Agency emissaries (Shlichim) stationed in the metropolitan area and had dinner with Jim Tisch, chairman of The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors. “We’ve already learned just how poor our understanding is in Israel of the importance and strength of Jewish federations and their connection to Israel,” MK Hilik Bar said. 'Strengthening the connection, investing in Jewish education, enhancing Jewish identity and carrying out Israeli public diplomacy are only a few of the important tasks which federations carry out together with The Jewish Agency, the JFNA and the hundreds of Shlichim who are spread out around the world in one massive effort.'"

President Sargsyan meets NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy - armradio.am: "President Serzh Sargsyan received today NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy, Ambassador Kolinda Grabar–Kitarović who has arrived to Armenia to participate at the inauguration of the President of Armenia, President’s Press Office reported. Welcoming the guest in our country, the President of Armenia spoke with her about the Armenia-NATO cooperation and programs to be implemented in the framework of that cooperation. Serzh Sargsyan hailed cooperation established with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in all areas.

According to the President, public diplomacy constitutes an important element of the relations with the Alliance which allows to regularly inform our public on the Armenia-NATO relations." Image from article

To Lift Afghan Women, Educate All - YaleGlobal Online: "Education and security ensure progress. After Ambassador Kolinda Grabar, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy addressed three Afghan universities on International Women’s Day, one student spoke up:  'If we do not educate the men, how can we expect them to send girls to schools?' Women who have tasted freedom from obscurantism are a force for change, but their success, indeed survival, depends on how many of their male cohorts accept women outside the home, let alone in workplaces. A relative small number of Taliban fighters, perhaps 35,000 in all, are fighting progress, and great courage is required of the Afghan people. ... Susan Froetschel

is the author of Fear of Beauty, a suspense novel about women in a fictional Helmand village who fend off extremists." Image from

What kind of public diplomacy does China need? - People's Daily Online: "Zhao Qizheng, former chairman of the foreign affairs committee of China's top political advisory body, said we tended to speak too much 'philosophy' and principles when foreign exchanges. Actually, telling Chinese stories can touch people and Chinese features lie in the stories. Zhao make the remarks during the sub-session of the Boao Forum for Asia, Boao dialogue: public diplomacy and intercultural communication, in Boao, south China's Hainan province on Sunday. He said both government and the public should make efforts to boost public diplomacy and increase intercultural knowledge. Kuhn, the chairman of the Kuhn Foundation, was presented at the session. He said people paid attention to reports about China when China had troubles, not good news.

This is 95 percent of the cases. But maybe it is also the best chance to tell your stories, but they must be true. Kuhn is also the anchor of PBS (Public broadcasting television network in the United States). Acknowledging the differences is the premise of communication between China and the rest of the world, said Yu Dan, professor of Beijing Normal University, during the sub-session. Sun Ping, a performing artist of Beijing Opera, believed public diplomacy had become an internal part of China's diplomatic work. President of Renmin University Chen Yulu presided over the sub-session of the Boao Forum for Asia. He said colleges and universities should play more important role in China's public diplomacy." Image from oskinnn, "Towards a New Public Diplomacy: China Public Diplomacy and Soft Power," Public Diplomacy and Global Communication C A group blog by students at London Metropolitan University

Four dreams and a vision - Han Liqun, China Daily: "President Xi Jinping pronounced China's Asia policy during his talks with a number of world leaders at the Boao Forum for Asia in Boao, Hainan province, where he also delivered a keynote speech on Sunday. From Xi's first state visit as head of state to Russia and participation in the BRICS summit to his address at the BFA, he has presented the new leadership's diplomatic philosophy to the whole world. The BFA has developed into a comprehensive regional economic forum in recent years. It has not only become a high-level diplomatic platform for bilateral and multilateral exchanges with growing global influence, but also has been playing an active role in promoting public diplomacy and providing an important channel for enterprises looking for opportunities."

End of the Boao Asia Forum 2013 Conference [Google translation from the Hungarian] - hungarian.cri.cn: "On Monday afternoon, the end of the Boao Asia Forum 2013 conference, which this year, innovation, responsibility, cooperation: Joint development in Asia is looking staged. 54 forum was held at the conference, and especially in public diplomacy (public diplomacy), international relations, international strategy, and discussed regional security. Chinese President Xi Jinpin was present at the opening ceremony of the conference, and also held a lecture."

China-Zambia Relations a Model of Win-Win Approach - AllAfrica.com: "[M]ore than 10 foreign leaders in China ... visit the new leaders and attend the Boao Forum for Asia in Boao, Hainan province. ... Qu Xing, president of the China Institute of International Studies, said there is some misunderstanding in Africa about China's pursuit of mutually beneficial cooperation with Africa, as some Western media have accused China of 'exploiting resources' there. China and African countries should 'take some countermeasures to deal with problems and the changing situation', and public diplomacy should be improved there, Qu suggested."

The global era 'of peace and hope' soft power diplomacy / Yoon Young [Google translation from the Korean] - seoul.co.kr: "Locals than what the strength and inspiration that empowers them to rise again in the depths of despair to conflict and disaster medical assistance, education, and cultural activities to promote soft power to reach out directly to the people of the other party, public diplomacy (Public Diplomacy) and acts as the core was Value through the realization of universal peace and reconstruction support to promote soft power and military might with justification international diplomatic global era of foreign troops is to contribute to strengthening."

New Film Explores Identity, Memory, And Borders In Troubled South Caucasus [includes video of film in full] - Daisy Sindelar, rferl.org: "[A] new documentary called 'Memories Without Borders,' ... looks at the legacy of conflict in the lives of ordinary Azerbaijanis and Armenians. ... The film was screened last month in London, Paris, and Brussels and has been featured in film festivals in the United States and Canada. It’s also been quietly introduced to audiences in the South Caucasus, where one of its Armenian producers, Nouneh Sarkisian, says it’s generated a passionate response. ... Sarkisian and her Azerbaijani colleague, Ilham Safarov, say they hope the film will eventually be shown on local television stations. Safarov says even those who may be unmoved by the film itself may be impressed by what he calls the 'public diplomacy' of Turkish, Armenian, and Azerbaijani filmmakers collaborating together on a single, harmonious project. 'Public diplomacy isn't only about realizing projects, it's also about establishing personal relationships,' Safarov says.

'And I think it's a very important thing when we can realize projects by developing trusting, normal relations and friendly professional ties. But to talk about the entire society in general, in both Armenia and Azerbaijan, of course our relations with each other are basically negative. You have to admit it. All you have to do is look at newspaper articles, watch the news, or read the Internet.'" Image from article, with caption: In the film, Armen, who was raised in France, discovers his Armenian roots and returns to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Diplomacy and the Digital Age - Arturo Sarukhan, Huffington Post: "Throughout history, the success of societies has occurred hand in hand with the ability to foster human connections. With the advent of internet-based social media platforms, a successful digital diplomacy entails a complete overhaul in our communications strategy, and is part of a broader conversation regarding the kind of societies we want and the interactions among them and within them. Through diplomacy and public policy you interpret and seek to shape the world. Technology and social media have provided both disciplines with additional tools to do just that, along with the ability of creating more ways for individuals to form communities and to interact. In doing so, the marriage of these tools with policymaking has the power of fostering more open societies, one of the preeminent goals, I believe, of both 21st Century Statecraft and streetcraft." See also

Richard Edelman admits 'strategic choices are not obvious' as he calls in US ambassador - "[Louis] Susman’s

political background includes being appointed to the US Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy by Ronald Reagan in 1988." Susman image from entry

The Geopolitics of Israel’s Offshore Gas Reserves - David Wurmser, rightsidenews.com: "The Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs is a leading independent research institute specializing in public diplomacy and foreign policy. Founded in 1976, the Center has produced hundreds of studies and initiatives by leading experts on a wide range of strategic topics. Dr. Dore Gold, Israel's former ambassador to the UN, has headed the Jerusalem Center since 2000."

RELATED ITEMS

NATO airstrike said to kill 10 children in Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times: Wasifullah Wasifi, spokesperson for the governor of Kunar province, said the strike killed seven Taliban militants who were its target. In addition to the 10 children, one civilian woman was killed and five other women were wounded, he said. Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said in a statement that six Taliban were killed in the airstrike.

Accounts among different Afghan agencies sometimes differ. Image from article, with caption: A delegation sent by Afghan President Hamid Karzai visits Kunar province to investigate reports that civilians were killed during a weekend airstrike by U.S.-led forces.

The Trouble With Drones - Editorial Board, nytimes.com: The Obama administration has floated a plan to shift drone operations from the Central Intelligence Agency to the military. This is supposed to make targeted killings of suspected terrorists more transparent and accountable, but so far it looks as if it would be a marginal improvement. Most drone strikes have been carried out by the C.I.A. in Pakistan — 365 versus 45 in Yemen and a handful in Somalia — and officials say those will continue. Hence, the proposed change would mean scant improvement in the rules that govern drone strikes. Mr. Obama has promised to break down the wall of secrecy and work with Congress to create a lasting legal framework for drone strikes. It is essential that the administration not drag its feet so it can maintain maximum authority with minimum oversight. Among the proposals it should consider is some form of judicial review, like the special court that approves wiretaps for intelligence gathering, before it kills American citizens.

A Lesson in Futilty [sic] for the Pentagon? - Room for Debate, New York Times: American Assistance Is Spread Too Widely John Norris, Center For American Progress; Well-Trained Locals Can Be Vital Lawrence J. Korb, Georgetown University; Learning to Kill Terrorists Isn’t Enough Boubacar N'diaye, The College Of Wooster; A Wretched Record of Military Cooperation Kate Doyle, National Security Archive; Colombia Shows the Value of Cooperation; Oscar Naranjo, Former Colombian Police Chief; Results Must Be More Rigorously Monitored Lora Lumpe, Open Society Foundations.

Nouri al-Maliki: The U.S. has a foreign-policy partner in Iraq - Nouri al-Maliki, Washington Post: The United States has not “lost” Iraq. Instead, in Iraq, the United States has found a

partner for our shared strategic concerns and our common efforts on energy, economics and the promotion of peace and democracy. Nouri al-Maliki is the prime minister of Iraq. Image from

ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

“It’s Big Brother, sort of, but with a good intent.”

--Tracy Hurley, the dean of the school of business, rregarding technology from a Silicon Valley start-up, CourseSmart, that allows teachers to track their students’ progress with digital textbooks.

AMERICANA - VIDEO

Taxpayer money funds duck genital studies, robotic squirrels - Washington Post

MORE AMERICANA

Cher Fans Confused By Thatcher Twitter Hashtag - wrvo.org: Yesterday, a Twitter hashtag threw fans of Cher into a panic. It read: #nowthatcherisdead, all one word, referring to the late British leader.

But many read it as: now that Cher is dead. One fan of the singer tweeted: I know that the hashtag #nowthatcherisdead is trending, I can't confirm anywhere that Cher is dead. Leading other users to tweet advice such as why hashtags need spaces. Image from

--Via JMC