"He is stoned more often than U.S. embassies around the world."
--Frank Sinatra regarding Dean Martin; Martin/Sinatra image from
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
The State Department's Great Leap Faithward - Judd Birdsall, Huffington Post: "[T]he State Department did pour billions of dollars into Muslim outreach in the aftermath of 9/11. But that public diplomacy effort focused primarily on making America more popular in the Middle East rather than on genuinely listening to and partnering with Muslims and other religious communities around the world on issues of mutual interest. ... Among America's diplomats, it seems organizational culture included the strict separation of church and the State Department. But that culture is changing. Under Clinton and now Kerry, the State Department has developed a wide range of religious engagement efforts that paved the way for the Office of Faith-based Community Initiatives. No congressional pressure was necessary. Engaging religious actors is increasingly viewed as part and parcel of American statecraft. A new U.S. Strategy on Religious Leader and Faith Community Engagement calls for broader collaboration with religious groups on sustainable development, human rights, and conflict mitigation. ... [D]iplomatic engagement with religious groups is in U.S. national interests. That's ultimately why it matters. And that's why the faithward evolution of the State Department's culture and the creation of the faith-based office are such promising developments."
U.S. Urges Nigeria To Implement Decisions On Insecurity - NAN, leadership.ng: "The U.S. has urged Nigeria to implement the decisions made at a meeting of the U.S.-Nigeria Bi-National Commission (BNC) Regional Security Cooperation Working Group on Thursday. The U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, Ms Wendy Sherman, said at the end of the second session of the meeting in Abuja that the implementation of the decisions would go a long way to address insecurity in the country. Sherman said it was necessary for Nigeria to take the decisions made by both countries at the BNC meeting seriously.
She said: ... 'The BNC agreed that more training is needed and we will partner together for the kind of training that is needed to the military and to all the services of the Nigerian government as they approach that comprehensive way of dealing with issues. Public diplomacy is important; we need to communicate that justice and accountability that takes place; the training that is ongoing and the many things that happen on ground in education, in healthcare, in job development that will increase the chances that people will feel they have life and a hope ahead. Countering extremists within Nigeria is about using all of the strength Nigeria has to offer, its abundance of talent, its federal character that draws on the abilities of Nigerians from all regions and its diversity that allows for approaching problems from multiple angles at the same time.'" Uncaptioned image from entry
No U.S. Consular Facility in Northern Nigeria - John Campbell, blogs.cfr.org: "Before Nigeria moved its capital from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, there was a U.S. consulate in Kaduna, the political and social capital of the former Northern Region during the colonial period. The city retained its status as the informal political center of the northern Nigeria even after the regions were abolished and were replaced by states. The consulate was the center of U.S. outreach toward the predominately Muslim part of Nigeria, including exchanges, promotion of commercial opportunities, and it was the center of a lively public diplomacy outreach.
However, largely as a short-sighted cost-cutting measure, when the new embassy in Abuja became operational, the consulate in Kaduna was closed. ... Though understandable from the perspective of security–especially in the aftermath of Benghazi–suspending the opening of a consular facility in the North deprives the United States of an on-the-ground presence in a critical part of the Islamic world and at the very time that the Sahel (of which northern Nigeria is a part) is of increasingly strategic importance. As such, it is a setback to long-term U.S. interests." Image from entry, with caption: Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Viola Onwuliri (2nd L) greets U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as she arrives at Abuja International Airport in Abuja August 9, 2012.
What IG Overlooked In State Dept. Facebook Flare-up: Inspector General's slap at State Department bureau for spending $630,000 on Facebook Likes misses important lessons of social media's role - Connie A. Deshpande, informationweek.com: "The State Department is often recognized for its forward-leaning use of social media to connect with populations around the world. However, the Department's Bureau of International Information Programs (IIP) might have leaned a little too far forward. That's according to a recent State Department Inspector General's report, which took issue recently with the bureau's decision to spend $630,000 on two campaigns to build its base of Facebook fans. The promotion campaigns were a success at one level: They helped increase the number of fans of the bureau's English Facebook pages from about 100,000 to more than 2 million. At question, however, was how many of those fans were meaningful to the Department's mission. The IG faulted State Department employees for 'buying fans' and focusing on the raw numbers of social media fans instead of public diplomacy goals."
Emma Bruce of Short Hills Selected as a CBYX Youth Ambassador - Judy Musa, thealternativepress.com: "Emma Bruce of Short Hills [N.J.] , a student at Millburn High School and the German Language School of Morris County has been selected as one of its 250 Youth Ambassadors for the 2013-2014 school year by the U.S. State Department-funded Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX). Emma will live in Germany with a host family identified through the youth exchange program
AFS during the yearlong immersion program. She will have the opportunity to visit with Congressional representatives in Washington DC, as well as members of the German Bundestag (Parliament). ... According to former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, 'A testament to our relationship with Germany, and our mutual commitment to public diplomacy... CBYX has been so successful that we chose it as a model for other youth exchange programs.' Former Secretary Clinton called exchanges like CBYX 'an important tool of U.S. diplomacy. Few other experiences can substitute for seeing another country first-hand, learning more about its culture, and meeting people face-to-face.'" Bruce image from entry
From defunct to ridiculous – how IBB officials are ruining good name of U.S. international broadcasting - BBGWatcher, usgbroadcasts.com/bbgwatch: "It did not occur to International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) bureacrats that Americans might not like the removal of the 1948 Smith-Mundt Act restrictions on domestic distribution of U.S. government-funded news for audiences abroad. They were not prepared for Voice of America (VOA) programs being inaccurately described in media reports as propaganda. They wanted the removal of the domestic distribution restrictions so badly, it did not occur to them that the poorly planned and executed move might make all U.S. international broadcasting controversial in America and undermine public support for such broadcasts. It certainly did not occur to them that they might open excellent and much needed news programs for overseas audiences to ridicule in American media."
Strategic Collapse - The Federalist, usgbroadcasts.com: "What is taking place in the Middle East shows that over a decade of targeted broadcasting to the region via Radio Sawa and Alhurra television has failed to deliver the goods ('supporting freedom and democracy') and has cost the American taxpayers millions of dollars in the process. ... [T]he Chinese government can marshal overwhelming resources to a particular task. ... [W]hatever the IBB [on the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), see] is doing has been overwhelmed, out-done and out-maneuvered by the Chinese government. ... In the current state of affairs, this IBB model is more than a strategic defeat. It is a rout. When things get this bad, one thing is clear: the IBB paradigm needs to be taken off the table. The only logical alternative is a salvage operation: and that means potentially migrating VOA to the State Department and giving it a reconstituted mission in public diplomacy."
Taiwan's Grandriders' to hit the road in California (update) - Lee Hsin-Yin, focustaiwan.tw: "Ten elderly Taiwanese motorcyclists, affectionately dubbed the Grandriders, will depart late Thursday for the U.S. where they will go on a tour along the west coast as part of their efforts to share their enthusiasm for life, the organizers said. The tour will take them along the California coast from San Francisco to San Jose, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, according to the Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation
in Taichung. The Grandriders, whose average age is 87, do not have U.S. motorbike licences so they will ride pillion with American motorcyclists. ... Wu Jing-heng, 86, said he cannot wait to visit the U.S. to promote Taiwanese culture and show how Taiwan prospered with the help of America. 'I have already asked a young friend how to say greetings like 'hello' and 'how are you,' in English,' he said. At a sendoff for the Grandriders on Thursday, Joseph Bookbinder, public diplomacy section chief at the American Institute in Taiwan, said he expects the upcoming exchange between Taiwanese and American senior citizens to deepen mutual understanding between both sides." Uncaptioned image from article
A gaffe-prone Japan is a danger to peace in Asia: The Abe government’s disastrous public diplomacy risks alienating not just China but also the US - Gideon Rachman, ft.com: "Japan’s public diplomacy hovers between the ludicrous and the sinister. In recent months, the country has specialised in foreign policy gaffes that seem designed to give maximum offence to its Asian neighbours while causing maximum embarrassment to its western allies. Last week provided another example. Japan unveiled the largest naval vessel it has built since the second world war. The ship is nominally a destroyer – but it is an aircraft carrier in all but name. Beefing up the Japanese navy is arguably a legitimate response to China’s arms build-up. But, at a time of rising tensions in Asian seas, Japan should tread carefully. So what genius decided to call this new ship “Izumo” – the same name as a Japanese warship that took part in the invasion of China in the 1930s? China was quick to charge Japan with deliberate provocation. ... Just a couple of months earlier, it was Shinzo Abe who committed an offensive gaffe. The Japanese prime minister was photographed giving a thumbs-up from the cockpit of a trainer-jet with the number 731 painted prominently on the side. But 731 was the number of a unit of the Japanese imperial army, notorious for carrying out biological and chemical experiments on humans. ... One longtime resident of Tokyo, with good contacts in the government, calls this 'Japan’s most nationalistic government since 1945'. He adds that some of those in Mr Abe’s circle give the impression that 'the only thing wrong with the second world war was that Japan lost'. This kind of thinking risks alienating not just China, but also the US – upon whose protection Japan relies. Indeed, senior American officials now seem just as concerned by Japanese nationalism as by the Chinese variety."
Israeli Public Diplomacy head questioned over his anti-Japan comments - japandailypress.com:
"The Facebook posts of Daniel Seaman, Deputy Director General for Information at the Israeli Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs, caught the attention of Japan , as his posts were addressed against the memorial ceremonies observed for the WWII victims. A Japanese diplomat has also reached out to the Israeli Foreign Ministry for clarification. Seaman’s messages were obviously anti-Japan. Given his public office, Japan wanted to make sure if those messages were merely personal, lest they represent the public office of Israel. One of the comments Seaman posted on the social network came a day before the 68th anniversary of the Nagasaki bombing.
'I am sick of the Japanese, ‘Human Rights’ and ‘Peace’ groups the world over holding their annual self-righteous commemorations for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims. [The bombings of]Hiroshima and Nagasaki were the consequence of Japanese aggression. You reap what you sow … Instead, they should be commemorating the estimated 50 million Chinese, Korean … and other victims of Japanese imperial aggression and genocide.' The Israeli Foreign Ministry claimed that such inconsiderate comments were Seaman’s and do not reflect the hasbara office. It is also unlikely that Israel would make an official statement of the like as the nation, born after the Second World War, has also suffered criticism and racists attacks, usually referred to as anti-Semitism. The Germany-born hasbara director was even questioned if he is actually a civil servant given his comments. Although hasbara has no 'real, precise translation of the word in English,' the would-be Israeli Ambassador to Italy Gideon Meir roughly translated the word as 'public diplomacy.' Although the office is aimed to explain Israeli policies, the office is expected to maintain diplomatic affairs with other and international offices. With the careless comments of Daniel Seaman, the hasbara office has just been put in question." Seaman image from entry
Israel's PR chief told to cease activity over offensive Facebook remarks: Japan demands clarifications for Daniel Seaman's posts about its 'aggression and genocide' and asked whether they represent the Israeli government's position - Barak Ravid: haaretz.com: "Daniel Seaman, the outgoing director-general of the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry, has been told to cease all pro-Israel propaganda activity, after Haaretz reported Wednesday on a series of racist and offensive remarks he posted on his Facebook page."
Netanyahu’s social media director suspended - Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post: "The Prime Minister’s Office’s director for interactive media, Daniel Seaman, was suspended on Thursday for making statements in the past on his personal Facebook page that were deemed inappropriate. Seaman’s superiors warned him several times, including in writing, over the past month to refrain from writing controversial statements on his Facebook page. After statements Seaman wrote in the past about Palestinian officials and World War II were revealed by a blogger, he was suspended. 'Danny Seaman’s statements on Facebook are unacceptable and do not express the view of the Israeli government,' the National Information Directorate said in a statement. 'The directorate instructed Seaman to immediately refrain from making such statements.' A former head of the Government Press Office, Seaman ran for a slot on the Likud’s Knesset candidates list in 2009 but dropped out of the race before the primary. When he returns from his suspension, Seaman is expected to oversee a far-reaching plan to utilize students and other supporters of Israel around the world in the state’s efforts to defend itself in social media. A government liaison for Israel advocacy on social media will be in charge of obtaining rapid responses from relevant Israeli officials whenever news happens and generating stories on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on positive steps Israel is taking that the mainstream media have ignored. The messages will be coordinated with all the Israeli bodies that deal with public diplomacy, including the IDF. The students around the world will be involved on a voluntary basis, while Israeli students will receive scholarships or stipends."
Propaganda 2.0: Tweeting for scholarship in Israel [Google translation] - Jan-Peter Kleinhans, netzpolitik.org: "Ben Lynfield the British newspaper The Independent reported that the Israeli government in early August launched an initiative to get a scholarship in the Israeli students, when they in turn commit themselves to positive posts on Twitter and Facebook to post. This campaign was launched by Daniel Seaman, Deputy Director General for Information (Israeli Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs). So the Prime Minister's
Office confirmed that the goal was to paint a positive image ofIsrael via social media channels. ... Israel has a long history to use social media for themselves. early as 2009, use the Israeli army (Israeli Defense Forces) YouTube to show their 'own version' of the Gaza conflict with Hamas. Over time the IDF were active on all major platforms - Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Tumblr, Instagram. Social media allow the IDF to bring direct images, videos and news of the war events to the public. However, this brings up some controversy with it." Image from article
‘PMO stealthily recruiting students for online advocacy’: Government to play behind-the-scenes role in spreading pro-Israel information on social media via universities - Stuart Winer, timesofisrael.com: “The Prime Minister’s Office is working to set up a network of advocacy units in Israeli universities, operated by students who will receive scholarships for their efforts totaling nearlyNIS 3 million ($845,000).
The outgoing deputy director of the Prime Minister’s Office, Danny Seaman, sought to gain a waiver from issuing a public tender for the advocacy project, the Haaretz daily reported on Tuesday. ‘The whole idea of the system is based on student actions,’ Seaman wrote in a letter to the government tenders committee last week. The project requires the state’s role to be under the radar, making it appear as if the students are working independently under the auspices of the students’ union, he added. ... Although the advocacy units will be under the auspices of the student unions, they will take their orders from the Prime Minister’s Office advocacy apparatus. ...Israel ’s now defunct Ministry of Public Diplomacy is currently being absorbed into the National Advocacy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office, where Seaman will head the Internet Media Unit." Image from article, with caption: Israeli students seen on the first day of the new academic year. October 21, 2012. See also (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
Israel setting up “covert units” to tweet, Facebook government propaganda - Ali Abunimah, electronicintifada.net: "The Israeli prime minister’s office is organizing Israeli students in 'covert' and 'semi-military' style units to tweet and post pro-Israel messages on social media without revealing they are doing it as part of a government propaganda campaign, Israeli media reported today. But as The Electronic Intifada has previously revealed, this effort is not entirely new. ... Last year, The Electronic Intifada revealed that the National Union of Israeli Students was already a full-time partner in Israeli government propaganda and set up a project to pay Israeli university students up to $2,000 to spread propaganda online. As The Electronic Intifada also reported, the National Union of Israeli Students sent its members for government propaganda training and described students asIsrael ’s 'pretty face,' to be deployed as a propaganda auxiliary force. ... Such Israeli government efforts, which attempt to disguise official propaganda as the work of ordinary concerned citizens and students, date back at least to December 2008, during Israel ’s Operation Cast Lead assault on Gaza . At that time Israeli social media strategist Niv Calderon wrote that he was hired by the foreign ministry for a first of its kind effort to create a digital 'war room' to promote Israel’s propaganda message internationally. Calderon was later involved in similar organized social media efforts to discredit theGaza flotillas, and in one report on Israeli TV from June 2011, Calderon can be seen managing a social media “war room” working against that summer’s flotilla to Gaza."
Settlers begin Tel Aviv hasbara campaign - alternativenews.org: "A northern West Bank settlers' committee began self-described public diplomacy (hasbara) meetings with Israelis at a Tel Aviv bar Monday night. Yossi Dagan, Deputy Head of the Samaria Regional Council, the representative body of northern West Bank settlements, met with 'tens of Israelis' last night to kick off a planned series of meetings in Tel Aviv. Designated as 'Samaria on the bar', these hasbara meetings are intended to tackle what the settler committee defines as the 'greatest enemy of settlements: ignorance'. Kipa, the settler-affiliated media site, reports that Dagan described to those at the bar the social composition of northern West Bank settlers and the flourishing settlements and settlement industries in the area. Dagan further told his audience that 'radical left-wing Israeli groups' incite against settlements in Israel and against Tel Aviv when they are in Europe, citing inaccurate knowledge of European officials received from left-wing Israelis."
Agreed concept for "Austria Brand" in the Council of Ministers: Mitterlehner/Spindelegger [Google translation] - derstandard.at: "The aim is to create understanding of the ideas and ideals of Austria, as well as its facilities for national goals and guidelines, so a Public Diplomacy secretariat will be established in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." See also (1) (2)
We need to woo the world - Rohan Mukherjee, thehindubusinessline.com: "In today’s world of declining inter-state military conflict, if great power competition can be considered a struggle to capture the global imagination, India’s reach is extremely limited.
Needless to say, Indian public diplomacy needs to dramatically widen its geographical net." Image from article, with caption: Eye-catching appeal... For this, Indian public diplomacy must widen its geographical net.
[Voice] How important is national image? With government to spend over 6 billion won on public diplomacy this year ... - John Power, koreaherald.com: "Korea cares what you think of it. That was ostensibly the message conveyed to the world in the announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month that it would survey 50 countries’ citizens on their impressions of the country. The poll, to be carried out over three years, will include Brazil, India, South Africa and Vietnam, among other countries with less-established relationships with Korea than the likes of the U.S. and Japan. Gauging how people outside the country 'feel about Korea' would give the government the information necessary to craft 'country-tailored' public diplomacy, a ministry official told local media as the plan was unveiled.
Ma Young-sam, the ambassador for public diplomacy at the ministry, explained to The Korea Herald that the survey was different from previous efforts abroad because it was targeted at ordinary citizens. 'In pursuing public diplomacy, MOFA wants to formulate tailor-made programs that match the mindset, customs and traditions of different nations. To achieve this, we first need to understand how foreigners perceive Korea,' said Ma. 'Previous surveys focused mainly on people that had some familiarity with Korea, but the goal this time is to have scientifically based surveys that target the general population of a country.' The move follows a raft of measures to boost Korea’s national image abroad in recent years, from spending millions of dollars on the promotion of Korean food, to holding essay contests for children abroad on their perception of the country. This year, the government intends to spend more than 6 billion won ($5.4 million) on public diplomacy." Image from article, with caption: A foreign resident takes the Korean Language Proficiency Test.
Let's make Korea an attractive image to "Korea discount" wiping (1) [Google "translation"] - japanese.joins.com: "8 days met (57) Ma-sam first ambassador of the South Korean government of 'public diplomacy' Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs building Seoul Gwanghwamun of (Ku~anfamun) was hot and humid. Fan was around something units, but was helpless. July 17, open the public diplomacy Cooperation Center: While ambassador showed off a new brand, 'Roh do na do (Note I nor you) diplomacy public, will capture the hearts of the people of the world' and participated in 'Who to say 'you nor me,' and 'a combination of the English word do the practical meaning in the sense that it can be, according to the hard interview while wiping the sweat.
When you say the word public diplomacy is unfamiliar to the general public, while the 'concept, which is contrasted with the diplomacy of traditional sense refers to the negotiation process and communication between governments' Ma ambassador to 'culture, art and sports described public diplomacy in the sense to the intermediary, called to deal directly the masses of other countries, ie Think of targeting public (public) and (public diplomacy)'." Image from article, with caption: Ambassador Ma Young-sam said, "to foreign people in Korea, convey our friendship and public diplomacy."
First Kiwi to Represent New Zealand on Global Quiz Show - Press Release, scoop.co.nz: "Michael Smith, an Energy Analyst from Wellington, has taken out the national round of the 'Quiz on Korea' contest and soon heads off to Korea to compete internationally. Quiz on Korea is an annual public diplomacy program organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Korea, this is the first time New Zealand has participated. Contestants from 30 countries spend a week touring Korea. The week-long tour culminates in the final round of the quiz."
We the People - John Worne, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "[C]ultural encounter and cultural exchange - done in the right way - builds trust between people."
PD Academic Research: Journalism and Mass Communication Scholars Consider Opportunities - Emily T. Metzgar, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Last week, for the first time ever, there was a panel dedicated to discussion of public diplomacy at the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Held inWashington , DC
'I am sick of the Japanese, ‘Human Rights’ and ‘Peace’ groups the world over holding their annual self-righteous commemorations for the Hiroshima and Nagasaki victims. [The bombings of]
Israel's PR chief told to cease activity over offensive Facebook remarks: Japan demands clarifications for Daniel Seaman's posts about its 'aggression and genocide' and asked whether they represent the Israeli government's position - Barak Ravid: haaretz.com: "Daniel Seaman, the outgoing director-general of the Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Ministry, has been told to cease all pro-Israel propaganda activity, after Haaretz reported Wednesday on a series of racist and offensive remarks he posted on his Facebook page."
Netanyahu’s social media director suspended - Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post: "The Prime Minister’s Office’s director for interactive media, Daniel Seaman, was suspended on Thursday for making statements in the past on his personal Facebook page that were deemed inappropriate. Seaman’s superiors warned him several times, including in writing, over the past month to refrain from writing controversial statements on his Facebook page. After statements Seaman wrote in the past about Palestinian officials and World War II were revealed by a blogger, he was suspended. 'Danny Seaman’s statements on Facebook are unacceptable and do not express the view of the Israeli government,' the National Information Directorate said in a statement. 'The directorate instructed Seaman to immediately refrain from making such statements.' A former head of the Government Press Office, Seaman ran for a slot on the Likud’s Knesset candidates list in 2009 but dropped out of the race before the primary. When he returns from his suspension, Seaman is expected to oversee a far-reaching plan to utilize students and other supporters of Israel around the world in the state’s efforts to defend itself in social media. A government liaison for Israel advocacy on social media will be in charge of obtaining rapid responses from relevant Israeli officials whenever news happens and generating stories on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube on positive steps Israel is taking that the mainstream media have ignored. The messages will be coordinated with all the Israeli bodies that deal with public diplomacy, including the IDF. The students around the world will be involved on a voluntary basis, while Israeli students will receive scholarships or stipends."
Propaganda 2.0: Tweeting for scholarship in Israel [Google translation] - Jan-Peter Kleinhans, netzpolitik.org: "Ben Lynfield the British newspaper The Independent reported that the Israeli government in early August launched an initiative to get a scholarship in the Israeli students, when they in turn commit themselves to positive posts on Twitter and Facebook to post. This campaign was launched by Daniel Seaman, Deputy Director General for Information (Israeli Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs). So the Prime Minister's
Office confirmed that the goal was to paint a positive image of
‘PMO stealthily recruiting students for online advocacy’: Government to play behind-the-scenes role in spreading pro-Israel information on social media via universities - Stuart Winer, timesofisrael.com: “The Prime Minister’s Office is working to set up a network of advocacy units in Israeli universities, operated by students who will receive scholarships for their efforts totaling nearly
The outgoing deputy director of the Prime Minister’s Office, Danny Seaman, sought to gain a waiver from issuing a public tender for the advocacy project, the Haaretz daily reported on Tuesday. ‘The whole idea of the system is based on student actions,’ Seaman wrote in a letter to the government tenders committee last week. The project requires the state’s role to be under the radar, making it appear as if the students are working independently under the auspices of the students’ union, he added. ... Although the advocacy units will be under the auspices of the student unions, they will take their orders from the Prime Minister’s Office advocacy apparatus. ...
Israel setting up “covert units” to tweet, Facebook government propaganda - Ali Abunimah, electronicintifada.net: "The Israeli prime minister’s office is organizing Israeli students in 'covert' and 'semi-military' style units to tweet and post pro-Israel messages on social media without revealing they are doing it as part of a government propaganda campaign, Israeli media reported today. But as The Electronic Intifada has previously revealed, this effort is not entirely new. ... Last year, The Electronic Intifada revealed that the National Union of Israeli Students was already a full-time partner in Israeli government propaganda and set up a project to pay Israeli university students up to $2,000 to spread propaganda online. As The Electronic Intifada also reported, the National Union of Israeli Students sent its members for government propaganda training and described students as
Settlers begin Tel Aviv hasbara campaign - alternativenews.org: "A northern West Bank settlers' committee began self-described public diplomacy (hasbara) meetings with Israelis at a Tel Aviv bar Monday night. Yossi Dagan, Deputy Head of the Samaria Regional Council, the representative body of northern West Bank settlements, met with 'tens of Israelis' last night to kick off a planned series of meetings in Tel Aviv. Designated as 'Samaria on the bar', these hasbara meetings are intended to tackle what the settler committee defines as the 'greatest enemy of settlements: ignorance'. Kipa, the settler-affiliated media site, reports that Dagan described to those at the bar the social composition of northern West Bank settlers and the flourishing settlements and settlement industries in the area. Dagan further told his audience that 'radical left-wing Israeli groups' incite against settlements in Israel and against Tel Aviv when they are in Europe, citing inaccurate knowledge of European officials received from left-wing Israelis."
Agreed concept for "Austria Brand" in the Council of Ministers: Mitterlehner/Spindelegger [Google translation] - derstandard.at: "The aim is to create understanding of the ideas and ideals of Austria, as well as its facilities for national goals and guidelines, so a Public Diplomacy secretariat will be established in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs." See also (1) (2)
We need to woo the world - Rohan Mukherjee, thehindubusinessline.com: "In today’s world of declining inter-state military conflict, if great power competition can be considered a struggle to capture the global imagination, India’s reach is extremely limited.
Needless to say, Indian public diplomacy needs to dramatically widen its geographical net." Image from article, with caption: Eye-catching appeal... For this, Indian public diplomacy must widen its geographical net.
[Voice] How important is national image? With government to spend over 6 billion won on public diplomacy this year ... - John Power, koreaherald.com: "Korea cares what you think of it. That was ostensibly the message conveyed to the world in the announcement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month that it would survey 50 countries’ citizens on their impressions of the country. The poll, to be carried out over three years, will include Brazil, India, South Africa and Vietnam, among other countries with less-established relationships with Korea than the likes of the U.S. and Japan. Gauging how people outside the country 'feel about Korea' would give the government the information necessary to craft 'country-tailored' public diplomacy, a ministry official told local media as the plan was unveiled.
Ma Young-sam, the ambassador for public diplomacy at the ministry, explained to The Korea Herald that the survey was different from previous efforts abroad because it was targeted at ordinary citizens. 'In pursuing public diplomacy, MOFA wants to formulate tailor-made programs that match the mindset, customs and traditions of different nations. To achieve this, we first need to understand how foreigners perceive Korea,' said Ma. 'Previous surveys focused mainly on people that had some familiarity with Korea, but the goal this time is to have scientifically based surveys that target the general population of a country.' The move follows a raft of measures to boost Korea’s national image abroad in recent years, from spending millions of dollars on the promotion of Korean food, to holding essay contests for children abroad on their perception of the country. This year, the government intends to spend more than 6 billion won ($5.4 million) on public diplomacy." Image from article, with caption: A foreign resident takes the Korean Language Proficiency Test.
Let's make Korea an attractive image to "Korea discount" wiping (1) [Google "translation"] - japanese.joins.com: "8 days met (57) Ma-sam first ambassador of the South Korean government of 'public diplomacy' Ambassador, Ministry of Foreign Affairs building Seoul Gwanghwamun of (Ku~anfamun) was hot and humid. Fan was around something units, but was helpless. July 17, open the public diplomacy Cooperation Center: While ambassador showed off a new brand, 'Roh do na do (Note I nor you) diplomacy public, will capture the hearts of the people of the world' and participated in 'Who to say 'you nor me,' and 'a combination of the English word do the practical meaning in the sense that it can be, according to the hard interview while wiping the sweat.
When you say the word public diplomacy is unfamiliar to the general public, while the 'concept, which is contrasted with the diplomacy of traditional sense refers to the negotiation process and communication between governments' Ma ambassador to 'culture, art and sports described public diplomacy in the sense to the intermediary, called to deal directly the masses of other countries, ie Think of targeting public (public) and (public diplomacy)'." Image from article, with caption: Ambassador Ma Young-sam said, "to foreign people in Korea, convey our friendship and public diplomacy."
First Kiwi to Represent New Zealand on Global Quiz Show - Press Release, scoop.co.nz: "Michael Smith, an Energy Analyst from Wellington, has taken out the national round of the 'Quiz on Korea' contest and soon heads off to Korea to compete internationally. Quiz on Korea is an annual public diplomacy program organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Korea, this is the first time New Zealand has participated. Contestants from 30 countries spend a week touring Korea. The week-long tour culminates in the final round of the quiz."
Brooklyn's Soft Power on Paris – Paul Rockower, Levantine: “Vice looks at Brooklyn's cultural diplomacy pull towards Parisians. Oui, the Parisians love BK.”
We the People - John Worne, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "[C]ultural encounter and cultural exchange - done in the right way - builds trust between people."
PD Academic Research: Journalism and Mass Communication Scholars Consider Opportunities - Emily T. Metzgar, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Last week, for the first time ever, there was a panel dedicated to discussion of public diplomacy at the annual conference of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). Held in
Rowan Williams is wrong. If Christians in Britain face persecution, they should not be afraid to complain: Lord Williams’s comments highlight how Christians are on the back foot in this country - Fr. Alexander Lucie-Smith, catholicherald.co.uk: "Christians find themselves on the back foot in this country. If we defend ourselves, we are self-pitying complainers, and if we do not defend ourselves, we will suffer too. So what is the solution to this problem? Rabbi Julia Neuberger ... says that believers in Britain may just 'need to make their case better'. I agree with her analysis. In a war of ideas, which this is, the courts are the battlefield of last resort. We need better argument, better what the Americans call 'public diplomacy', or us Catholic call 'apologetics'. (Some might like to term it propaganda; why not? Propaganda fidei [sic]
sounds good to me.) During the Cold War, America and her allies were constantly belittled and ridiculed by intellectuals and the media, no one more so than Ronald Reagan, as I am old enough to remember. At school, we were all taught the history of China using a text book that drew heavily on Edgar Snow, a man who is now seen for what he was, a propagandist for Mao’s murderous policies. Until the end, the anti-democrats were winning the Cold War, at least on the level of ideas. Right into the 1970s people in Italy and France were voting for Communist parties. The West’s 'public diplomacy' was never particualrly [sic] successful, which is why Che Guevara tee shirts sell at a greater rate than Ronald Reagan ones today. And yet, and yet. The Cold War only had one real winner." Image from
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What does the American public want in Egypt? Not much - Chris Cillizza, Washington Post: There is little interest in the United States involving itself in what is happening in the Egypt and equally little belief that such involvement could change anything.Given the fatigue over Iraq and Afghanistan we’ve seen in the American public in recent years, it seems there is a broad and steady reluctance to get involved in foreign conflicts that isn’t likely to change. Egyptian demonstrator image from
Obama’s dangerous passivity on Egypt and Syria on display - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post: It could be argued that George W. Bush reacted to the attacks of Sept. 11 with a too-radical reshaping of his worldview and international ambitions. Obama’s response to the Arab revolutions has veered to the opposite extreme: a clinging to his overtaken priorities, coupled with a stubborn refusal to recognize that the Arab crises must be a top priority of his foreign policy.
A lack of spine on Egypt - Eugene Robinson, Washington Post:
Events in Egypt demand a shift in U.S. policy - Robert Kagan, Washington Post: The president’s failure to suspend aid to the Egyptian military is a strategic error that weakens U.S. credibility, after repeated calls by the U.S. administration for Egyptian authorities to avoid bloodshed have been disregarded.
Military Madness in Cairo - Editorial, New York Times: Washington’s influence on Egyptian public opinion generally is limited. That has less to do with the low-key tone Mr. Obama has taken than with the preceding decades of uncritical United States support for past dictators like Mr. Mubarak and the military forces supporting them, to the neglect of most of Egypt’s 84 million people. It is past time for Mr. Obama to start correcting that imbalance. Suspending assistance to Egypt’s anti-democratic military would be a good place to start.
Egypt’s Blood, America’s Complicity - Amr Darrag, New York Times: Shocking and irresponsible rhetoric from the State Department in Washington and from other Western diplomats regarding Egypt — calling on the Muslim Brotherhood and demonstrators to “renounce” or “avoid” violence (even when also condemning the state’s violence) — has given the junta cover to perpetrate heinous crimes in the name of “confronting” violence.
Is This the End of the Arab Spring? - Room for Debate, New York Times: With a state of emergency declared in Egypt, continued unrest in Bahrain, democracy under threat in Tunisia, Libya, and possibly evenTurkey, and an all-out civil war in Syria, is there any hope left for the anti-authoritarian movement that swept through the Middle East?
Russian sports official puts Nazis, gays in same category - David Wharton, latimes.com: There isn't much chance the uproar over Russia's new anti-gay law will die down before the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The legislation, adopted in June, threatens criminal prosecution for discussing gay rights around children or supporting gay rights with parades or other public events.
Alexey Sorokin, Russia's football World Cup chief, said it “has been largely misinterpreted" and that "it is designed against active propaganda of homosexuality, not against homosexuality itself. That is a big difference." Sorokin image from entry
ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
"[P]ower tends to confuse itself with virtue, and a great nation is peculiarly susceptible to the idea that its power is a sign of God's favor."
--Segregationist Senator William Fulbright, creator of the international exchange program named after him
AMERICANA
A Glut of Antidepressants - By Rini Caryn Rabin, blogs.nytimes.com: Over the past two decades, the use of antidepressants has skyrocketed. One in 10 Americans now takes an antidepressant medication; among women in their 40s and 50s, the figure is one in four.
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