“If you are not too long, I will wait here for you all my life.”
--Oscar Wilde; via MR; image from
"Follow Under Secretary Sonenshine on Twitter!"
--From "A Snapshot of Public Diplomacy in Action Archives Homepage" (accessed Tuesday, August 20, 12:40 pm); see also: "From One Glass Ceiling to the Next: After a productive tenure at the State Department, Tara Sonenshine asks: when can successful women finally rest on their laurels without feeling guilty?" Daily Beast: "Tara D. Sonenshine served as undersecretary of State for public diplomacy and public affairs from April 2012 to July 2013. She is enjoying a summer off before starting at George Washington University in the fall."
STUDY IN THE U.S.
Scholarships for International Students Planning to Study in the USA - studyusa.com
PUBLIC DIPLOMACY
Egypt in the rearview mirror: Whatever the problems roiling Cairo, more weapons sales won't solve them - Andrew J. Bacevich, latimes.com: "The United States has annually funneled billions of taxpayer dollars to Egypt and Israel. Rather than furthering the cause of mutual understanding — funding education programs or cultural exchanges, for example — most of that money has gone to the purchase of advanced weaponry. ... Whatever the problems roiling the Middle East, weapons sales won't fix them. Nor will proxy wars. Nor will the further commitment of U.S. troops. Egypt today offers Washington the opportunity to demilitarize U.S. policy toward this region. Such a change is long overdue. Terminating further assistance to Egypt's army will mark a necessary first step." Image from
Sharpening the Relational Lens in PD, Lessons from Egypt 2013 - R.S. Zaharna, PD News–CPD Blog, USC Center on Public Diplomacy: "Moving ahead in the current situation in Egypt requires PD scholars to analyze the multiple layers of entwined relations.
In an increasingly interconnected global environment public diplomacy practitioners need to develop a more sophisticated understanding of the relational dynamics. They need to shift from thinking about what messages may work (unilateral messaging strategies) to imagining collaborative relational strategizing. It is not just whose story wins, but who is connected to whom – and why that connection matters in the public arena that PD operates. Defining the relational connections is key to identifying public diplomacy options and developing creative, non-linear strategies for Egypt today and the time ahead." Image from
State Department Holds a Car Show in Afghanistan, Saves Democracy - Peter Van Buren, We Meant Well: "By default, please assume every article you see here about State Department Public Diplomacy [crossed out in entry] activities begins with 'You just can’t make these things up.' It’ll save me a lot of typing. Thanks. Though indeed 'You just can’t make these things up,' every once in a while something so ridiculous comes along that it refines stupid. Of all the critical issues that need attention in Afghanistan– poverty, corruption, the drug trade, cross-border war with Pakistan, the impending U.S. troop pullout/retreat/giving up because we’re tired thing, most informed people will agree that what has been missing from the conversation is that we need more car shows in Afghanistan.
While there are no quick solutions to complex problems, clearly the missing piece after twelve years and a trillion dollars is a car show. Thus into the breach comes the brave lads and lasses of the U.S. Embassy in Kabul’s Public Affairs staff. In a very neatly-typed press release (the event was not covered by the main stream media, ‘natch), the Embassy congratulated itself heartily on the one-day event. Chargé d’Affaires Ambassador Tina Kaidanow said, 'What you see here today is more than a car show; it is an example of how far Afghanistan has come in economic terms, and it highlights the promise of an even brighter and more prosperous future for Afghanistan if this country can continue on the road of economic reform and commercial development.' Because she works for the State Department, even when boldly fibbing about the idiocy of holding a car show in an active war zone, Ms. Kaidanow had to throw in the final conditional 'if' clause. Well played! Now of course since Afghanistan is indeed still a dangerous, chaotic war zone mostly in the hands of thugs and terrorizers, the car show was actually held deep inside the walled grounds of the U.S. Embassy itself. One does wonder under such circumstances how many 'Afghans,' as we call the still living local fauna, were able to attend. Uncaptioned image from entry
Film and America: A Lesson [...] About Public Diplomacy - theperfectservant.wordpress.com: "American film in general depicts life in this country as something quite distinct from what actually occurs here. For most of us, life is pretty pedestrian – we wake up, we go to work, we pay our bills. If we are lucky we build families, we take vacations, we muddle through. Our lives, our sense of a common humanity are not so much differentiated from those in other countries. Sure, there is the standard economic differential between those of us in OECD states and the developing world. But broadly, the great wonder of humanity is that we are all more or less the same – everyone has the same goals, more or less (love, security, fulfillment, etc). All of this reminded me of the abject failure of U.S. public diplomacy. By that I mean, presenting the American people as sympathetic; illustrating democratic capitalism as something positive rather than something to be loathed; and generally giving an image of the country which is not 'Jersey Shore.' The Bush Administration attempted to do this. And it was a complete failure – recall when George W’s press secretary moved over to State to work on these issues. There were no positive outcomes there. Complete failure. The current administration, conversely, has simply relied on the president – as if the 2008 domestic love fest would somehow convert the world to loving the United States. Naive – as we see more or less constantly overseas today – both sides of the Egyptian civil war (and that’s the appropriate term) hold negative views of the US, achieving that is a special kind of failure. ... And so we come back to US public diplomacy. It’s hard to sell to those who adhere to a more traditional, even Manichean worldview a perspective of the United States and its population as positive when American media sends an image which is anything but that. The image is: rich, dumb, immoral, uncaring. When 'Sex and the City'
is a global brand (a TV show well summarized by another TV show as: 'So, it’s about three prostitutes and their mother?') – pushing a 'we share your values' narrative is probably not going to work. This sort of thing is just going to support a narrative of God-less, selfish, ignorant, and pretty much horrid. Conversely, there are some upsides to it. China for one. The aforementioned 'Sex and the City' (along with 'Friends') have probably done more to teach younger Chinese women English than anything in history – heck, there is even a Chinese version of 'Friends' which is more or less the exact same plots, but in Mandarin, and set in China. Expectations among younger people from Anhui and Shanxi when they move to Beijing/Shanghai/Guangzhou is that it is going to be like an episode of one of these programs. It’s anything but that. It’s a long, hard, exhausting slog to find work and find a reasonably priced apartment. But, TV has created an image of urbanity – and a set of expectations. The anger, the sense of being cheated – in a rather corrupt bureaucratic-authoritarian state – is probably a good thing. Ditto for Russia. Nevertheless, that domestic discontent does not mean the population grasps that those images in film and TV are not the reality in the United States. Very few people visit Kansas City or Charlotte on vacation (and I understand that) – even most Europeans have a knowledge of the US which is limited to media and those two vacations they took (Orlando and New York, maybe LA, seldom Chicago or Philadelphia, and never the suburbs). So, a question: American media does impact how the United States is perceived globally. The image sent forward (again – dumb, violent, immoral, constant sex, etc) is rather universal. In political economy terms, Hollywood is creating severe negative externalities resulting in significant costs to others. Is that acceptable? Is there a way to resolve this? And if not, how do we incorporate it into a model of public diplomacy which works? We need one – and we need one fast. Ideas?" Image from
Peacock Café Chef and Owner Maziar Farivar Honored at State Department Culinary Partnership - Corrie Dyke, georgetowner.com: "Peacock Café (3251 Prospect St., NW) is a favorite of Georgetown dining. Recently, its chef Maziar Farivar was selected among a group of 60 chefs across the U.S. to the 'Diplomatic Culinary Partnership Initiative, Setting the Table for Diplomacy,' through the State Department.
Farivar received his blue jacket as a member of the State Department Chef Corps for Diplomatic Culinary Partnership. Eleven embassy chefs joined other well-known Washington area chefs for the event at Blair House. Discussion of the universal power of food headlined the event. The State Department's Diplomatic Culinary Partnership looks to promote the role of culinary engagement in America's public diplomacy." Uncaptioned image from entry
Winning Heart Attacks and Minds - Paul Rockower, Levantine: "It is so important to remember that public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy and especially gastrodiplomacy cannot be just about communicating high culture, but also some good ol 'Murican values like a fried twinkie. But for what
its [sic] worth, the State Fair and its deliciously fatty fried foods really showcase Americana in all its caloric glory and help project a simpler down-to-earth America that would resonate abroad in many respects, and would be a good angle for people-to-people connections. This all gets back to my theories on the Bernays-Barnum School of Public Diplomacy. Perhaps all I am at (defibrillated) heart is a PD carnie." Image from entry
Counterterrorism from the Inside: Philip Mudd analyzes the federal response to terrorism - Ralph Bowden, chapter16.org: "Philip Mudd’s Takedown purports to be Inside the Hunt for Al Qaeda, and in some sense it is. More than that, though, it is a consideration of the way the American intelligence establishment responded to 9/11 and subsequent terrorist threats.
It’s also a career memoir. Mudd ... began in 1985 as a junior intelligence analyst at the CIA and rose to important managerial positions at both the CIA and the FBI. ... Collecting and presenting all the analyzed data to decision-makers required frequent meetings—often several a day—at and between each department, agency, and bureau. Mudd was there in the thick of it, working for George Tenet and Robert Mueller and frequently meeting with people like Colin Powell, Dick Cheney, and Scooter Libby. ... While some have complained about 'the inability of the United States to execute a clear, long-term public diplomacy strategy on terrorism,' Mudd writes, he believes 'this was not, and is not, a critical problem, because Al Qaeda’s actions have already undermined its message irretrievably.'” Image from entry
Prairie Weather: Republicans Are Trying To Be Polite To "Those People": Noted For August 17, 2013 - delong.typepad.com: "batavicus said...'Republicans are still convinced that they can talk their way out of trouble.' It's now an ingrained habit. e.g. Romney's campaign manager's 'etch-a-sketch' remark. My favorite is still when Karen Hughes, who wrote Bush's campaign bio, became head of public diplomacy at state sometime around 2005 and said that it was inconceivable that the U.S., the country with the most highly developed PR industry in the world, could have an image problem abroad. No consideration of policy and its effects on others, only of PR."
Musicians Leave War-Torn Syria to Study in Waco – Paul Rockower, Levantine: “Some work I am proud of: although I left American Voices, I am still helping with some media related to two Syrian refugees named Amjad and Andreh studying music in Waco, Texas that have been taken in by a real mensch Prof. Bradley Bolen. This is a story on the local NPR station KWBU: Musicians Leave War-Torn Syria to Study in Waco.” On American Voices, see.
Al Jazeera launches in US - metro.us: "The New York offices are quiet, with barely a sign of the new owners and the revolution they are promising. But Al Jazeera America’s Tuesday launch into over 40 million homes is potentially the greatest triumph yet for Qatar, and one that could transform the media landscape. 'I can’t tell you how much enthusiasm there is for what we’re doing', Joie Chen, former CNN and CBS news anchor, told Metro from New York.
Chen is just one of an all-star team assembled by AJA – backed by the endless wealth of owners the Qatari royal family – and in many cases poached from rivals. ... Philip Seib, director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, believes the majority [in America] will be won over. 'People here don’t know where Qatar is but this will demystify the ‘other’. It’s an Arabic logo but Americans on screen, so there’s a bridge that will be constructive'. Seib added that AJA’s success will also belong to its owners – the Qatari royal family. 'They have made a huge investment, and they want to be influential and respected as the dominant voice of the Middle East. Al Jazeera put them on the map, and now they have taken another big step.'" Chen image from entry
Inside the Beltway: Al-Jazeera America arrives - Jennifer Harper, Washington Times: "A welcome relief for fatigued viewers, or stealthy propaganda outlet?
Al-Jazeera America arrives on the airwaves at 3 p.m. Tuesday with promises of credible news and weighty content, powered by funds from the Qatar government. It’ll have a dozen national bureaus, 70 international bureaus, big-name talent and 900 new employees pulled from multiple news organizations." Image from entry, with caption: 'America Tonight,' a prime-time news show hosted by former CNN anchor Joie Chen, is among the programming scheduled for Tuesday when Al-Jazeera America makes its arrival on the airwaves.
Al Jazeera Can’t Find Advertisers for its US Propaganda Channel - Daniel Greenfield, frontpagemag.com: "Advertisers have no motivation to climb on board the Al Jazeera train considering that its viewing audience consists of people who think MSNBC is too right wing or that you can’t get the truth from American news networks because they’re controlled by the Illuminati.
Advertising is about brand identity. Advertising on CNN associates your product with its brand. Advertising on Al Jazeera associates your brand with the news network best known for airing Bin Laden’s Greatest Hits." Image from entry
Burma Opening Up to Tourism, Investment - reason.com: "Myanmar may be the best example of a once-closed land that has now discovered the upsides (and possible downsides) of openness, public diplomacy, and tourism."
Young Armenian and Turkish entrepreneurs sign memorandum of cooperation in Van (PHOTOS) - news.am: "The Armenian-Turkish Young Businessmen Conference kicked off Thursday in Van, Turkey. During the event the parties discussed the avenues for finding a common ground for cooperation and signed a memorandum of understanding.
The young Armenian and Turkish entrepreneurs spoke about the need for cooperation between the two countries, and noted that business contacts should reach a level where they impact politics, the Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter informs from Van. Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia’s Program Coordinator Armen Melkonyan noted that the Armenian-Turkish state diplomacy has stopped at some unknown point, whereas public diplomacy is gaining new momentum. He added that the business code of ethics is the only thing that currently regulates relations between both countries." Uncaptioned image from entry
Independence Day and National Security - Team SAISA, saisaonline.org: "In the context of national security, from strategic communication and public diplomacy
to the balancing of diplomacy and military power, support and oversight of executive branch institutions, budgets, and programs need to be put in place." Uncaptioned image from entry
Federal Faces: Nursultan Eldosov - washingtonpost.com: "Since he was in elementary school, Eldosov dreamed of being a diplomat. The rising senior at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service has spent the summer interning at the State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs. The 21-year-old supports public diplomacy policy and programming for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives. The goal is to help strengthen the relationship between the United States and the citizens of these four countries through cultural programming, academic grants, educational exchanges and international visitor programs. During his internship, Eldosov, a native of Uzbekistan, has organized several events for the International Visitor Leadership program. This program brings current and emerging leaders from across the globe to meet with their professional counterparts in the United States and to visit public and private sector organizations related to their field of interest. Eldosov played a key role in arranging and managing the briefings and logistics for an agricultural delegation from Bangladesh as well as for a judicial delegation from Nepal. Recently, he became the interim public diplomacy desk officer for Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives as a result of the summer transition of Foreign Service officers to new positions. He serves as the voice for the overseas U.S. embassies and must run interference for them, highlight areas of concern and coordinate with different State Department bureaus. ... In addition to his summer internship, Eldosov was selected as a 2013 undergraduate Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellow, a prestigious award that will provide him with financial support as he prepares academically and professionally to join the Foreign Service. Eldosov said his experience at the State Department this summer has reinforced his commitment to serve in government."
Maria Elena Toraño: Passion has always driven her to succeed in business world - miamiherald.com: "Cindy Krischer Goodman, Toraño, born in Havana, has long been an advocate for Latinas. At 75, she is a Renaissance woman who is still going strong, paving the way for other women. ... Toraño’s achievements
have spanned the public sector, too. She was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, by President George H. Bush to the Oversight Commission to the U.S. Small Business Administration and by President Jimmy Carter as the Assistant Director of Public Affairs for the Office of Economic Opportunity/Community Services Administration." Toraño image from article
Diplomatic lives in and around Finland: Arthur J. Collingsworth, Yuri Deryabin, Krister Wahlbäck - The ogre of the tale: "My name is Louis Clerc. I am a Senior Lecturer in Contemporary History in the University of Turku, Finland. My research interests are in contemporary international history. More specifically, I deal with the History of Franco-Nordic relations, public diplomacy and the history of diplomatic practices."
About Marwa Fikry Abdel Samei - opendemocracy.net: "Marwa Fikry Abdel Samei is Assistant Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Economics and Political Science at Cairo University. She completed a PhD at Northeastern University on mass media and public diplomacy in the contemporary Arab world. Recent publications focus on rise of Islamists after the Arab Spring."
International Relations Seminar - purvis-blog.blogspot.com: "There will be four major components of the seminar. [Among them:] I. Focus on context and concepts in international relations – past, present, future [.] This segment will include ... Soft power, public diplomacy."
4325 Public Diplomacy Officer - vanuatujobalert.blogspot.com: "Australian High Commission Industry: Non Government Organisation Location: Port Vila, Vanuatu. ... Job Description: Australian Hig Commission in Port Vila is looking for a dynamic individual to fill the position of Public Diplomacy Office. This position is responsible for managing the Australian High Commission's Public Diplomacy Program, which includes managing public information campaigns, organizing public diplomacy events, drafting media releases and speeches and maintaining the Australian High Commission website."
DC Internship, National Council for International Visitors - upspolitics.blogspot.com: "The National Council for International Visitors (NCIV) is now accepting interns for the Fall 2013 Semester. All interns are expected to work for a minimum of eight weeks, but ten weeks or more is preferred. ... Consisting of a balance of short-term tasks and long-term projects, NCIV interns develop their communications, event services, member services, research, nonprofit, advocacy, and public deiplomacy skills. ... Qualifications [:] ... Background and interest in citizen diplomacy, public diplomacy, nonprofit leadership, global engagement, or international education and exchange."
RELATED ITEMS
The Egyptian Debacle - Roger Cohen, New York Times: Far from overcoming the divisions of the society where close to 25 percent of the world’s Arabs live, the developments of the past two-and-a-half years have sharpened them. For the United States and Europe, this amounts to a colossal strategic failure. Nothing — and certainly not the outcome in Afghanistan or Iraq — was more important than getting Egypt right. What now? A knee-jerk reaction would be to cut off U.S. military aid.
That, however, would only increase the possibility of internal and regional mayhem. It is tempting, given the Egyptian military’s unconscionable attack on its own citizens, but should be resisted. The real lesson in Egypt is of America’s dwindling power under a wavering president whose hesitancy reflects that of most Americans after a decade of interventions. The price Egypt will pay has only just begun to be reckoned. Image from article, with caption: Egyptians removing debris from a protest camp in Cairo last Thursday.
False Choices on Egypt - Editorial, New York Times: President Obama’s muted chastising of the generals and his indecisive reaction to the slaughter does not inspire confidence. Instead of wringing their hands, administration officials should suspend the $1.3 billion in annual American military aid to Egypt — including the delivery of Apache helicopters — until the military puts the country on a peaceful path.
Saving Egypt from Syria’s fate - Editorial, Washington Post: The crisis in Egypt demands the delivery of an unambiguous message to the regime that a continued attempt to repress the Muslim Brotherhood by force, or the installation of a new autocracy, will leave Egypt isolated from the West. That means the immediate suspension of all aid and the promise of further sanctions if the deliberate killing of civilians does not stop.
A Policy on Egypt—Support Al Sisi In a zero-sum game, the U.S. should hold its nose and back the military - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal: What's realistic and desirable is for the military to succeed in its confrontation with the Brotherhood as quickly and convincingly as possible. Gen. Sisi may not need shiny new F-16s, but riot gear, tear gas, rubber bullets and Taser guns could help, especially to prevent the kind of bloodbaths the world witnessed last week.
A better foreign policy would be conducted by keeping the Brotherhood out of power in Egypt. Image from article, with caption: Days of rage in Cairo.
College: It's not just 'Made in the U.S.A.': With rising tuition and dropping acceptance rates at many U.S. colleges and universities, it's time to consider Europe - Aaron Rosen, latimes.com: Increasingly, it looks as though the best, cheapest and quickest place to get an American-style education may be in Europe.
Why Fewer Americans Live Abroad - Ken Moelis, Wall Street Journal: U.S. tax laws put Yanks at a disadvantage against Aussies and Brits in growth regions like Africa. Congress should borrow from U.K. policy and provide an immediate tax holiday to any American citizen who takes up residence and works in Africa for more than one full year. There is no doubt that Africa will be the next commercial frontier.
Deadly Spin: Propaganda Practices in the USA - John Scott G, enewschannels.com: Wendell Potter, formerly a propagandist for various avaricious and venal corporations, ‘fesses up and reveals the prevarication, lying, deception, and obfuscation of the industries that pick your pocket every day.
His ‘Deadly Spin’ opens the playbook used by corrupt companies, insufferable industries, and the GOP. Image from article
The Places You Go — Anti-American Incidents by Geographic Bureau - Domani Spero, Diplopundit: Of the 98 incidents that involved U.S. citizens and interests, 91 are believed to have resulted from intentional targeting of Americans. Via Political Violence Against Americans – 2012:
AMERICANA
Ghosts of Tom Joad, A Story of the #99Percent - Video trailer for Ghosts of Tom Joad, A Story of the #99Percent (March 2014) by Peter Van Buren
FORGIVING THE BUSH II ADMINISTRATION
From: "Bush/Condi Affair Rumors Verified By... Oh, Wait, Never Mind, It's Globe Magazine," Princess Sparkle Pony's Photoblog
“Speaking of presidents, George W. Bush had heart surgery. I hope he’s doing well. Doctors say he’s resting comfortably, which is what he did for eight years in Washington.”
--Talk show host David Letterman; from Bulletin News, LLC
TERRORISM
London’s Heathrow Airport on high alert for breast implant bombers - Bob Taylor, Washington Times.
Image from article, with caption: Breast bomb implants, terrorism's newest device
MACHO MAN
--Via a Russian Facebook friend
VISA NOT APPROVED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
-- Image of former Booz Allen Hamilton employee Edward Snowden as seen in his "temporary asylum" Russian visa; image from
ONE MORE QUOTATION FOR THE DAY
"[C]ulture is central to a civilized society, not merely 'nice to have.'”
--Editorial, "Trifling With the Arts and Humanities," New York Times; Matthew Arnold image from
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